“LOOKING FOR MONSTERS?”
Heath’s words brought Ally out of her reverie as she stood beside him on the banks of the lake. “Just enjoying the peace of this place. It seems odd to hear no traffic sounds.”
He nodded. “It’s one of the things I miss most about my home in Scotland whenever I leave.”
“It would be hard to leave something this beautiful. Why would you ever want to leave?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes the very isolation of this place gets to me. I think I’ll be better off surrounded by people.” His tone lowered. Hardened. “But then, when I’m with them, I realize it isn’t what I wanted at all. Maybe we’re all fooled into thinking we’ll find happiness somewhere else, when it’s actually right in front of our noses all along.”
That made Ally smile. “My father used to say that. We traveled a lot, and he used to tell me that we carry home in our hearts. I’m afraid that wasn’t exactly what a thirteen-year-old girl wanted to hear when she was about to start yet another year in another new school filled with strangers.”
Before Heath could ask more about her childhood, she pointed to some tumbled stones on a distant hill above them. “What are those?”
“Remnants of an ancient keep.”
“A castle?” She couldn’t hide her excitement. “Can we go there?”
“If you’d like.” He took her hand in his as they climbed to a high meadow and made their way toward the ruins.
Ally paused to run her fingers over the stones, made smooth by the forces of nature. “Think how long these have stood guard here.”
“They’re said to be from the eleventh century.”
“And still they stand.” That drew a sigh from her lips. “Don’t you ever wonder about the people who built this fortress? How they lived? How they died?”
“I have indeed. As a lad I often came here and I swore I heard their voices.” He realized he’d never before admitted this to anyone since growing to adulthood.
“What did they say?”
He shrugged, sensing at once that he could trust her with something this intimate. “They talked about their lives. About the joy of living, the sorrow of dying in battle. Still others spoke in an ancient tongue that I couldn’t understand. When I told my father, he said it was just the wind sighing through the rocks. But Sir Malcolm told me that he’d heard them too, when he was just a lad. He warned me that the voices would stop when I grew to manhood.”
“Why?”
“Because, he said, men lose the ability to converse with the spirits. Only the pure, untarnished heart of a child can do so.”
“Maybe you should try to engage them now, to prove him wrong.”
Heath shook his head. “I’m afraid I would only prove him right.” His tone changed, deepened with feeling. “This heart was tarnished a long time ago.”
At a sudden gust of chill wind Heath caught her hand and led her away from the ruins. “Our winters may not produce the snow that you get in New York, but you can’t deny that the wind carries the same bite.” He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and drew her close. “I’ve an idea that’ll warm us both.”
“Where are we going?”
He merely smiled. “You’ll see.”
They slipped into a forest of towering evergreens, sheltered from the wind, and followed an overgrown path. Huddled deep in the woods was a tiny cottage, its walls nearly obscured by a tangle of vines. Heath gave a push on the door, and led her inside out of the wind.
She glanced around in surprise. “What is this place?”
“Just a deserted cottage.” He closed the door and crossed the room to rub away the dirt and cobwebs that coated the many-paned little window. “When I was a wee lad there was an old woman who’d taken up residence here. She could do anything. Mend a bird’s broken wing. Coax a deer to take food from her hand. In my innocence I thought of her as a witch, and I always called this the witch’s cottage.”
“Did she know what you thought of her?”
He nodded. “She seemed to find it amusing.”
“Did she ever talk to you?”
“Oh, yes. Looking back, I realize she enjoyed my company and was absolutely delighted by my questions.” He turned and leaned against the windowsill. “Funny, I haven’t thought about her in years. She was a tiny woman, no bigger than a child. She had long silver hair that fell in wild tangles. I’m sure she never bothered to comb it. And yet this little cottage was neat as a pin. She would invite me in for tea and scones. And we’d talk and talk. She never seemed annoyed by my endless questions the way other adults were. She answered everything, no matter how trivial it may have seemed to her. And she took the time to walk with me through the forest and show me the plants that could heal, and the ones that could nourish, and those to avoid because they might cause harm.”
Ally glanced around, loving the feeling of peace in this place. “What happened to her?”
Heath shook his head. “I was tramping through these woods one spring after my stay at university and found the cottage abandoned. When I inquired, I learned that she had passed away the previous winter. It turned out she didn’t live here all year, but only in the summer months. In the winter she lived at Hamilton Hall. She was Sir Malcolm’s mother.”
“His mother? Don’t you think that odd that she would live way out here by herself?”
“Not at all. This was part of their family land, and it was a place that called to her. It had been her grandmother’s cottage.”
“How did you come to spend so much time here? Did you grow up nearby?”
He shrugged. “Not so far.”
Ally sensed that he was uneasy talking about his home. Was he ashamed of it? He’d admitted to being a sad little boy. Was his sadness due to neglect or poverty? Or was it something deeper?
He shoved away from the sill. “You must be getting cold. Would you like to go back to Hamilton Hall?”
“Not particularly.”
As they stepped back into the woods he nodded toward the cell phone in her pocket. “No word from New York?”
She shook her head. “I know what they say about no news. But in this case it seems ominous. I’d be willing to bet the partners have everyone scrambling to find out just who’s bidding against them and how high they have to go to close the deal without paying more than absolutely necessary.” She paused a beat before saying almost apologetically, “I reported the fact that there are no guests. I hope that won’t be a strike against Sir Malcolm.”
“Be careful.” Heath chuckled. “I may start to believe you’re rooting for Hamilton Hall to win out over your company.”
“Not at all. I think it would be a nice addition to our holdings. But it pains me to think that all those beautiful antiques that have been in the Hamilton family for generations will fall into the hands of strangers.”
“There is that,” Heath agreed. “But how else can Hamilton Hall be saved? I doubt there are many willing to provide an infusion of money on something that may never show a return on their investment.”
Ally arched a brow. “Are you sure you’re not an investor? Just now you sounded exactly like my boss.”
He kept her hand in his as they continued walking. “Tell me about him. Is he also your mentor?”
“I suppose he is. David taught me everything I know about the business. When I first started working for him, he made it clear that I couldn’t afford to have any personal feelings for a client. Our goal is to buy the client’s property for the best price we can negotiate. Sentiment will only get in the way.” She lowered her voice, as though revealing a dangerous secret. “I know what our competitors call us. Instead of Harkness and Crewel, they refer to us as Heartless and Cruel.”
If she expected him to laugh, she was surprised to see him studying her closely. “Tell me.” Heath paused a moment as she took out her cell phone and punched in a series of numbers. “Just how good a pupil do you think you’ve become?”
“Good enough to be trusted with this assignment. And I intend to prove it.”
“Even if it means living up to the title of Heartless and Cruel?”
She flinched. “Maybe I won’t go that far. But I intend to purchase Hamilton Hall for my company. It will be another notch on my belt and get me another step up that ladder to corporate executive.”
She listened to a voice on the phone, then disconnected with a sigh.
“Now what?”
She shrugged. “Nobody is answering the phones. I keep getting their voice mail. It’s so frustrating to be kept in the dark like this. I feel like I’ve been dropped down a well and everything is going on somewhere high above.”
He couldn’t help chuckling. “Who knows? Maybe you’re the lucky one. While they’re scrambling, you can just relax and let it all happen.”
“I’m not much good at sitting idly by and doing nothing.”
“Who says you’ll be idle?” He caught her hand. “Come on. I know just the thing to take your mind off work. I say it’s time to play before this day gets away from us.”
“But what about your car? What happens if your driver refuses to wait until you return to Hamilton Hall?”
“Then he’ll just have to come back for me in the morning.”
She stopped to stare at him. “You’re planning to stay the night?”
“Maybe I am.” He realized that though he hadn’t given it any thought, he wasn’t surprised by his decision. At the moment, wild horses couldn’t drag him away from this intriguing woman.
As he started forward she held back. “Where are we going?”
Heath pointed. “I spotted a boat. Come on.”
When they reached the banks of the loch he helped her inside the small rowboat bearing the name of Hamilton Hall. “This is the same one Sir Malcolm used all those years ago. They keep this for their guests.”
The minute Ally was seated he shoved away from shore, then jumped in and picked up the oars.
“Where are we headed?”
He gave a pull on the oars, and the little boat headed into the breeze. “To the other side, of course.”
“But why?”
“Because it’s there.”
There was that smile again, grabbing her heart and squeezing until she couldn’t help but return it with one of her own.
At her little peal of laughter he paused in his rowing. “What’s so funny?”
“You. Us.” She laughed again, the sound as clear as a bell on the silent air. “Whatever are we doing in a boat on a lake in the dead of winter?”
“Can you think of a better place to be than here?”
She watched the play of muscles in his upper arms as he leaned into the oars, then dragged her attention back to his question. “It’s odd, but I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”
“You see? Neither can I. So sit back and enjoy the ride, Allison Kerr. This day is for your father, who never got to see the home of his heart.”
She ducked her head and pretended to study the water, in order to hide the quick rush of tears that threatened. How could he possibly know what his words meant to her? They were quite simply the sweetest thing she’d ever heard. And yet it had taken this man, practically a stranger, to remind her that she could choose to see as much of her father’s country as possible before returning to the harsh reality of her life and her career.
“Maybe, if you’re very blessed, you’ll see the creature that’s said to inhabit this loch.”
At Heath’s words Ally studied the water. For a few minutes she couldn’t see anything but rolling waves. But as her eyes adjusted, she caught sight of something murky moving ever so slowly just beyond the boat.
“Heath, I see it.” Her tone was breathless as she strained to see more. “Look.” She pointed to where his left oar hovered and grabbed his arm. “Stop rowing or you’ll frighten it away.”
He lifted the oars, and the little boat drifted. They watched in silence as the shadowy figure hovered just below the surface, as though watching them, then disappeared from view.
Heath wondered at the magic of the moment. Was it seeing the creature? Or was it the touch of her hand on his arm? In his mind, one seemed as monumental as the other.
He closed his hand over hers. “You should feel very good about yourself. It isn’t every visitor to our land that gets to glimpse, up close and personal, our resident monster of the loch.”
She shook her head, for the moment too awed to speak. When she found her voice she managed to say, “Of course, I don’t really believe in monsters. It was a fish. Or an eel.” She looked to him for confirmation.
He merely smiled. “A very large fish or eel, since it could have toppled our boat with one swish of that tail.”
She’d already thought of that, and had felt a quick moment of panic. “Have you ever seen it before, Heath?”
She thought his smile faded a bit. “Not since I was a lad. Though I’ve looked for it often enough through the years. It would seem you have those magical qualities that cause the beast to trust you.”
He released her hand and took up the oars again.
As they rowed toward shore, they both fell silent, lost in private thoughts.
It occurred to Ally that the day had suddenly taken on a whole new air of excitement.
In a single day she was in a new country, seeing things she’d only read about in travel magazines. Best of all, she was experiencing it all with a man who, though a bit mysterious, was proving to be a charming companion.
It didn’t hurt, she thought in a moment of honesty, that he was easy on the eye and had the ability to rock her world with nothing more than a simple kiss.
Simple?
She found herself laughing aloud, then ducking her head to hide her emotions.
There was nothing simple about the man or his kiss. And to be completely honest, she wanted desperately to kiss him again.