Izzy thrummed with nerves and excitement at Alasdair’s wild and crazy idea. While it might solve their geographic problems, it was a huge step and one she wasn’t sure any of them were ready for. An announcement of the ribbons being awarded for the athletic events came over the loudspeaker.
“Come on, we’ve got to get out there.” While she wanted nothing more than to lead him upstairs, build a pillow fort, and hide inside—preferably naked—she was in the thick of the festival and had responsibilities.
Hand in hand they approached the stage where the athletes and the crowd had gathered. Her mom stood behind a small table covered in ribbons and welcomed everyone, her voice distorted by the sound system. Usually, Izzy announced and her mom bestowed, but her mom made no move to relinquish the microphone.
When it came time to award Alasdair the ribbon for Laird of the Games, whistles and yells erupted from other competitors. Pats on the back and handshakes slowed Alasdair’s progress to the stage. He and Holt even exchanged a bro hug.
Alasdair dropped his chin in an “aw shucks” way, but his slight smile was puckish. He stepped close and spoke as if in a confessional. “I never would have made it up here without the blokes’ help, especially Holt.”
“I knew as soon as Mom said you were at the top, something shady was going on.” She pressed the prize to his chest. It was round and blue and trailed a dozen or more ribbons which fluttered in the slight breeze.
“My whisky-impaired brain thought winning your favor through feats of strength would be a good idea. If I had known it would only take hurting myself, I would have dropped the weight on my head this morning.”
“You are silly.” She tilted her face toward his. “Are you ready for your kiss?”
He obligingly presented his cheek, but Izzy took his face between her hands, and kissed him square on the mouth. The crowd faded into white noise. It wasn’t a sexy or intimate kiss, but it was firm and punctuated the promise knitting itself together between them. They broke apart. Only a second had passed, but everything was different.
He retreated to stand at the foot of the stage, and she understood he was waiting for her. He would always wait for her.
The last event of the evening was a performance by the Scunners, a Scottish band that fused traditional Scottish music with rock beats. The lead singer, a petite woman with short hair dyed platinum, bounded onto the stage. Her mom looped her arm through Izzy’s and pulled her to a relatively secluded area at the back of the stage.
“You and Alasdair have made nice.” Her mom’s tone and expression were a study in contrasts; happy and sad, scared and content.
“Have you talked to Gareth yet?”
Her gaze darted over Izzy’s shoulder and sharpened. “Not yet, but he’s been trailing me all afternoon, waiting to pounce.”
“Waiting to throw himself at your feet and beg forgiveness, you mean?”
Her mom spoke so softly Izzy had to lean closer. “The sooner we talk, the sooner it will all be over.”
“You don’t know that. In fact, before you and Gareth talk, the four of us have something to discuss. Come on.” Izzy shushed the argument her mom tried to launch.
She pulled her mom out of the shadows and to the stairs leading off the stage. As she knew he would be, Alasdair was at the bottom and smiled up at her. Gareth was at his side, looking worried and uncomfortable.
“Let’s go to the house for a few minutes of privacy,” Izzy said.
“We can’t leave, Izzy. What if something happens?” Her mom looked anywhere but at Gareth, who had fixed a stare of longing on her mom that was both pathetic and sweet.
“The festival is not going to descend into chaos in fifteen minutes, but to put your mind at ease, I’ll call Dr. Jameson to let him know we’ll be occupied for a bit and ask him to cover for us.”
Off-duty policemen were hired to keep the festival attendees corralled and to make sure none misbehaved in the woods or in the shadows of the house. The concert brought out a wilder set than attended the earlier events, but it would be over before full darkness fell. She waved at the officers they crossed paths with and continued on.
The tense silence that greeted them in the house was like the seconds between when the pin on a grenade is pulled and the explosion. Izzy slipped her hand into Alasdair’s and faced her mom and Gareth. “You two need to talk—alone—but before you do, Alasdair has an idea that affects all of us.”
“Well, speak up, laddie?” Gareth asked after it was clear Alasdair didn’t know how to begin.
“Cairndow,” Alasdair said simply.
“What about it?”
“It was my favorite place in the world. You were—are—very important to me, Uncle Gareth.” Alasdair took a deep breath. “And I want you to be happy.”
“I’ll settle in again when I get home.” The starkness in Gareth’s voice wasn’t lost on anyone.
“You and Rose care for each other. A pile of stones, neither here nor in Scotland, should come between you. If you had no responsibilities in Scotland, would you choose to leave or stay in Highland with Rose?”
Gareth sucked in a deep breath and turned to her mom, reaching for her hands. “I would choose Rosie in a heartbeat.”
Alasdair stood as a preacher did during a wedding, and Izzy supposed her mom and Gareth were making a sort of vow to each other. “And would you, Rose, leave Highland to be with Gareth if you had no responsibilities to Stonehaven?”
When her mom cut a glance in Izzy’s direction, Izzy said, “Don’t make me part of your choice, Mom.”
Her mom heaved a sigh that was more resigned than happy. “I would choose Gareth.”
“As you all know, I’m out of a job.” Alasdair’s smile helped diffuse some of the tension. “And, someday, hopefully many, many years from now, I’ll inherit the title and Cairndow from Gareth. I propose that I take over the management of Cairndow now.”
Gareth muttered a string of Gaelic before shaking his head. “Are you mad?”
“Quite possibly. But there’s more.” Alasdair tugged Izzy and tucked her under his good shoulder.
Izzy lifted her chin and smiled at her mom. “Alasdair has invited me to Cairndow.”
“For how long?” Confusion and shock ran rampant over her mom’s face.
Izzy forced herself not to glance uncertainly at Alasdair. “Hopefully, for a long, long time, but we’ll see what happens. I can maybe find the magic I’ve been missing and write my masterpiece there. Plus, my accounting background and experience running the festival will be put to good use at Cairndow.”
Touching her mom’s arm, she added, “Even if things work out, I’ll come back every summer to help with the festival. Although…” She cast a meaningful glance at Gareth.
Gareth straightened his kilt and his spine. “If Alasdair is manning Cairndow, I would be free to offer my assistance to you, Rosie. My heart too, if you’ll have it.”
“You’d be free,” her mom said with wonder in her voice.
“I’d be free.” Gareth’s grin made his eyes twinkle.
Her mom’s expression lost its joy as she turned to Izzy. “Is this truly what you want? Scotland is a long way.”
A pang that felt suspiciously like homesickness made Izzy feel light-headed. How was it possible to miss something she hadn’t left yet?
“I’ll miss Stonehaven and Highland and you terribly, but I’ll be back to visit. Alasdair has been the greatest adventure of my life, and I’m not ready for it to end.”
“It’s exactly what I always wanted for you.” Her mom’s eyes sparkled with tears even as she smiled and swept Izzy into a hug that smelled of cotton candy and cut grass. She smelled like the Highland festival. Izzy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, tucking away the memory for later when she was far away and missing home.
When her mom pulled away, both of them were wiping tears away with laughter. Sending a look under her lashes in Gareth’s direction, her mom said, “If you two will excuse us, Gareth Blackmoor and I have a few more issues to hash out.”
Gareth turned the color of a July tomato. “Rosie, I’m so incredibly sorry I misrepresented myself, but all the important bits were true, I swear.”
Alasdair and Izzy retreated while her mom made an insinuating comment about Gareth’s important bits.
They slipped out the front door, but when Izzy would have made her way back toward the music, Alasdair pulled her into the shadows of the evergreens at the side of the house. The sharp scent was comforting and fresh.
“I need to make sure havoc is not being wreaked.” Izzy’s protest was weak at best and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“How are you feeling?” He nuzzled her nose.
How well he understood her second-guessing, doubting nature. “I’m ecstatic for Mom and Gareth.”
“What about your decision to accompany me back to Cairndow? You can remain at Stonehaven with your mom and Gareth, you know.”
She leaned back a little but didn’t release her grip on him. “Are you trying to talk me out of coming home with you?”
“I want to make sure you’re coming for you—for us—and not just to give your mom and Gareth space.” Tension thrummed through him, waiting for her answer.
Alasdair had invested his heart in her decision. His vulnerability took her out by the knees, and she pitched into him, kissing him with all the wildness and passion she’d kept at bay on the stage earlier.
“Hey there now! Break it up!” A booming voice cut them apart. “Terribly sorry, Izzy. I thought you were a couple of teenagers sneaking off.”
Izzy’s laugh was carefree. She grabbed Alasdair’s hand and skirted the periphery of the mass of people enjoying the concert. The air was cooling, and while her feet hurt and she couldn’t wait to take a shower and climb in bed, she was happy and excited.
Her gaze kept darting to Alasdair as if he might disappear.
“Have I grown two noses?” he asked.
“Nope. Still have the one that’s been bonked twice in as many weeks. You might as well resign yourself to getting it broken before year’s end.” Her tease turned a bit more serious. “How’s your shoulder?”
He rotated it. “Sore, but better.”
A woman stood alone at the edge of the field, her blonde hair appearing white in the setting sun. “Isn’t that your mom?”
“Yes, and you need a proper introduction.” He changed their direction.
Izzy wanted to dig her heels in. She had made a terrible impression the night before, and Alasdair’s mom seemed the type to value appearances. With her free hand, she smoothed her frazzled hair back and tugged at her T-shirt.
“She probably thinks I’m a harridan after last night,” Izzy said.
“Mum can be intimidating, but she wants what’s best for me. You are best for me. Therefore, she will welcome you with open arms.” His reassuring words were working until he added the caveat, “Eventually.”
Izzy muttered some choice words that made Alasdair smile.
“Mum,” Alasdair said as they drew closer. Izzy dropped his hand and stood to the side.
Fiona turned with a gasp and took Alasdair’s arms, looking him up and down. “Are you alright? I looked everywhere for you, then you disappeared after you received your ribbon.”
“Dr. Jameson doesn’t think I did any permanent damage.”
“Dr. Jameson is a veterinarian, and you are not a dog,” Fiona said slowly as if Alasdair had taken a knock on the head.
Alasdair turned and drew Izzy forward. “Last night was a bit of a mess, but Isabel and I have hashed things out.”
Fiona transferred her cutting blue gaze to Izzy. “Lovely to meet you once more under more promising circumstances, dear.”
Izzy pasted on a smile and held a hand out for a shake, hoping it wasn’t sweaty with nerves. “Nice to see you again too, Mrs. Blackmoor.”
“Call me Fiona, please.” While her voice was aloof, it wasn’t antagonistic, which Izzy counted as a win.
“Mum, we’ve made tentative plans.” Alasdair spoke as if he expected an argument.
“Are you staying in Highland?” Lines bracketed Fiona’s mouth.
“Actually, Isabel and I are going to manage Cairndow while Uncle Gareth remains in Highland with Isabel’s mother.” Alasdair’s body grew taut against hers.
“Well.” Fiona narrowed her eyes and looked toward the stage where the plaintive notes of a bagpipe faded into an eruption of applause and whistles. When she turned back to them, she’d composed her face into the facsimile of a smile. “That seems a neat solution. You always did love Cairndow.”
“It’s strange but since I’ve been in Highland, I feel like Cairndow is calling me home,” Alasdair said.
Fiona’s smiled eased into warmth and she patted his cheek. “You’re a Blackmoor. How could it be any other way? You’ve already got the look of a wild Scot. Is that why you grew the beard?”
Alasdair rubbed his hand over his jaw. “No. Maybe? Perhaps it was my subconscious giving me a shove in the right direction.”
“I haven’t been to Cairndow since…” Fiona shook her head, but shadows remained in her eyes.
“You’ll come visit once Alasdair and I are settled in, won’t you?” Izzy wasn’t sure what prompted the urgency of the invitation. Perhaps the tentativeness Fiona projected when it came to Alasdair and Cairndow.
Fiona took one of Alasdair’s hands and one of Izzy’s. “While I wouldn’t have paired Alasdair with an American, you seem entirely capable of handling my son and Cairndow and the expectations that will fall to you as Countess of Cairndow if you are married.”
The shock of hearing the M-word along with a title attached to her made her heart beat like it had been kicked. “Countess? Are you kidding me?”
Fiona’s laugh was amused and incredulous. “Alasdair will one day be the tenth Earl of Cairndow. Did it never cross your mind you would be a countess?”
“Not for a second.” Izzy couldn’t wrap her head around the notion. “I mean, we haven’t discussed marriage. It’s too soon. We’re still getting to know each other. Even though we’re compatible in—”
One of Fiona’s perfect brows twitched higher, and Izzy covered her mouth to keep from embarrassing herself further in front of this elegant, proper creature who was Alasdair’s mother.
Izzy’s phone buzzed with a text. Dr. Jameson needed help closing out the ticket counter. She waggled her phone. “I’ve been neglecting my duties. Please plan on staying with us at Stonehaven, Fiona. You guys go relax with some wine.”
She exchanged a brief kiss with Alasdair then ran as if escaping a chain gang toward the crowd of people.
Even though she was tired, her senses had sharpened, taking in the sights and smells and sounds of the festival. If things with Alasdair didn’t work out the way she hoped or even if they did, she would be a different person by next year’s festival. She was excited and scared and ready to leap into the unknown.
It was after midnight when Isabel crawled into bed after a quick shower and heaved a sigh. Alasdair had fought his own exhaustion to wait for her. “Everything okay?”
“A successful first day in the books, and we’re well prepared for tomorrow. Did your mom settle in?” she asked with a yawn.
“She’s next door in my old room, so no funny business,” Alasdair teased.
“As if I have the energy to do more than just lie here. Although, if you’re still in your kilt…” She raised her head and checked under the covers. “How disappointing.”
“My entire wardrobe will be made of kilts as soon as we get home.” Alasdair smiled in the dark.
“Home.” The seriousness of Isabel’s tone shifted the mood. “It’s strange to think Stonehaven will no longer be my home.”
“Stonehaven will always be your home, Isabel.” He groped for her hand and raised it to his lips. “But I hope you’ll come to appreciate Cairndow.”
“As long as you’re there, I have no doubt I will. I want to invite everyone for a visit. Our mothers, of course, but also Dr. Jameson and Anna and even Holt.”
“That sounds wonderful.” He measured his next words. “I told Mum about Lewis. I’m tired of keeping secrets.”
Isabel turned to her side to face him. “What did she say?”
“She was hurt, but not devastated. I don’t know if she’ll ever want to meet Lewis, but she understands why I want to have a relationship with my half-brother.”
“I’m sad for her. She went through so much with your father.”
“I think—hope—she’s past it all now. After all, she’s got a boyfriend.” It was still hard to say the word in connection with his mum. “And, while I’m not sure she’ll ever stop meddling in my life, she seems content with my choices of late. You, included.”
“She actually said that?”
He chuckled. “Not in so many words, but it’s inferred by the fact she’s still here.”
“Great,” Isabel said sarcastically before snuggling into his side. “Will you tell me about Cairndow?’
He did, and as he spoke of the cliffs and moors and the castle, a feeling of surety settled over him like the warmest of blankets. He’d found his path and person he wanted to share it with. He wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but a snuffle interrupted him.
Kissing her temple, he nosed into her hair and wondered how his fate and fortunes had tangled with hers so completely in such a short amount of time. He fell asleep and dreamed he chased Isabel along the cliffs of Cairndow under blue skies, but this time, he caught her and would never let her go.