What Lies Between (14 page)

The van meandered its way through the Great Glen, lulling everyone but Ben and me to sleep. My attention followed a finger of light to where it fell on the tall, white mast of a sailboat slicing through the deep water of Loch Ness. Several more slips of light beamed through the clouds, golden hands urging the casual glance to linger. The beauty fueled the very longings I was trying to tamp down. I wanted to believe that love might come my way . . . just not now.

Ben was a rare kind of person to me, a man I could imagine taking a risk with someday. Right now I needed to get my feet under me with Glenbroch. I didn’t know yet what it would take to make the estate successful. If real potential lay between Ben and me, wouldn’t he still be here if and when I was ready?

When the van pulled up beside the River Ness, a twinge of loss at having to bid goodbye to this crazy group surprised me. Li and I exchanged contact information and made a tentative plan for her to come up from London the following summer, after Glenbroch opened for business.

Shayne and I met at the back of the van where I helped the others unload their luggage. Our hands grabbed her leopard-print bag at the same moment.

She let go of the bag and pulled me to her. “I’m a hugger.”

When Shayne released me she stuck her hand in her pocket, pulling out a scrap of a napkin. “My email.” She glanced at the bag. “And I’ll get that.”

We both smiled—her genuine smile was lovely. When her eyes welled up, mine responded in kind, surprising me again. We sucked in our breath at the same time, lifted our chins, and promised we’d be in touch. Todd took her bag and they headed for the hotel.

Karen and Bill handed Ben a wad of ten pound sterling notes, catching him up in a conversation about other sights they should see while in Scotland and peppering their questions with effusive praise for his storytelling and guiding. I slipped away while they were still talking and disappeared into the city to dine alone.

My Highland adventure had been nothing like I’d expected at first meeting the others, but I’d ended up loving the experience. I had achieved a better feel for the region, for tourists and what they’re interested in, and it had heightened my curiosity about my father’s connection to Skye.

And then there was Ben. He still believed in love, held deep respect for his mother, and didn’t get scared off by my inability to trust. Those traits shouldn’t be rare, but I’d met enough men to know someone like Ben didn’t come along every day. Yet he had his share of issues, anger not the least of them. My vigilant mind reminded me I didn’t know him well enough to see how dark his dark side was . . . and in my experience everybody had a dark side. It was just a matter of time before people revealed their true character. Only then could I determine if they were safe enough to let close.

The water of Loch Ness glittered in the unfiltered morning sun as Ben drove us back down the Great Glen toward home. The monster legend didn’t do the beautiful loch justice.

Ben jerked the wheel without warning, pulling the car off the road and grinding the tires to a stop, throwing me against him and then back against my seat.

What the—?

“Sorry. I can’t let a braw day on the loch pass by. Let’s go.” His spontaneity and impish grin infected me, conquering my resistance.

Not able to slow the confidence sweeping through me and persuading me I could let down my guard for a moment, I determined to keep my emotions in check.

Reaching over the seat, he popped back up with a pile of towels and jumped out of the truck. He led the way along an obscure path that cut through the trees separating the loch from the busy road. I followed, curiosity winning out. Reaching the shore, he tossed the towels on a rock and pulled off his shirt, then his shoes.

Unbuttoning his jeans as he spoke, his fingers paused on the zipper. “You too. Get cracking.”

“Are you crazy? That water is freezing.”

His eyes mirrored the blues of the loch and sky. “You have to take a swim with Nessie . . . at least once.”

I let out an audible sigh.

“You’re tired. It will wake you up, give you tons of energy. Promise.”

He could read me easily at times and yet thankfully he seemed as dense right then as the boulder he leaned against.

Right. Tired. If only.

“Sure, I’m in . . . the cold is probably what I need.”

Ben stripped off his jeans and threw them on a rock, leaving only snug athletic boxers covering his muscular body. His thumbs slid under their band and let go—the elastic slapped back against his toned abs, making me jump. I could feel my face tense with frustration. This guy worked away on me physically, intellectually, emotionally. He came at me with all weapons firing.

“From the look on your face, maybe we’d better not go for the full monty.” Ben leaned too close, invading my space. “But it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. Fully clothed and dry as a bone, you do my head in.”

I unzipped my jacket and let it fall to the rocks before my mind could get involved in my decision, only taking my eyes from his for the second needed to pull my thermal shirt over my head. Holding his gaze, I unbuttoned my cargo pants and slid them to my feet. At least I wore a decent bra and underwear. Goose bumps sprang up on my legs and arms. Pulling the cargoes off, I left on my trail shoes.

He leaned close enough that I could feel the heat of his mouth on mine. My eyes closed, but no kiss happened.

“Last one in the water has to take off all their clothes.” He spun around and started across the rocks.

His sudden absence left me reeling, planted in place for a second. I recovered fast and lunged, catching him by the band of his boxers. The elastic stretched taut, placing his muscular backside in full view.

I succeeded in pulling him off-balance, and leaped out of the way of his reaching hands, my shoes giving me an advantage. Making quick work of the beach, I splashed into the water first.

Ben thrashed toward me—pure trouble bearing hard in my direction.
I should have stayed between him and the shore for a path of escape. Turning to move past him, my foot lost traction on the rocks and I slipped under the water, the icy cold shocking my body. Why was I flailing around in a Scottish loch? I came back up, shivering. The look in Ben’s eyes sent a wave of heat coursing through me, but it couldn’t stop my teeth from chattering.

“You’re cold. Come here.”

I let his arms surround me and leaned into the cocoon of his broad chest. His body ran hot as a heating blanket cranked to high.

I am a liar. And not a very good one.

I didn’t want him to let me go. It didn’t matter that I knew how to be alone in the world, I didn’t want to be. This was the truth. And fooling myself wouldn’t change it.

“Ellie . . . I need to . . . things aren’t . . . listen.” He pulled me back until he could see my eyes. “You’re different from what I expected. You are the last person I want to hurt or offend, but I know I will do.”

My heart seized up.

How is he planning to hurt me? And why?

“I ken what it’s like to be around someone who has the power to screw with your life, only thinks of themselves, doesn’t care about the fallout. It’s one thing for animals to act purely on instinct in their own interest. It’s their nature. But people are supposed to be better than that, aye? I don’t think I am.”

I pushed him away. “Why are you saying this?”

He pulled me back to him, hugged me tight, and lightly kissed my forehead. “You’re freezing. We need to get you back to the car.”

Ben cranked the car’s heater to full blast, threw the truck in gear, and tore out of the layby, the heater’s roar filling the silence that settled between us.

Why the sudden serious turn? Obviously he also had reservations about what was happening between us. There were plenty of reasons why we weren’t a good idea. He must have counted them up, or he did have someone in his life.

The heat of the car and the winding drive home began to soothe my roiling mass of emotions. I kept my eyes on the landscape, and neither of us spoke the entire way back.

He grabbed my pack and wellies out of the back of the truck and accompanied me to Glenbroch’s front door.

Back to reality.

“I’ve got myself a banging headache. I think I’ll go to bed and try to get rid of it. Tomorrow I meet the staff . . . I guess I’ll see you then if you’re coming,” I said.

I headed toward the door and then remembered my manners, turning back around. He hadn’t moved, had watched me walk away.

“The tour was great. Skye is amazing. Thanks. I’m glad I went,” I said in a measured, flat tone.

Ben covered the distance between us in the beat of a breath, took me in his arms, and kissed me full on the mouth until I melted into him, the connection so strong I couldn’t feel where I ended and he began.

Don’t let go.

But he did, and I saw fear clouding his eyes. He pulled me fiercely against him once more, his body trembling as if he would never hold me again. And then without a word, he strode to his truck, slammed its door, and spun out down the lane. My gaze followed the truck until all I could see was the cloud of dust it left behind.

When the lane lay still and clear once again, I turned away, unlocked Glenbroch’s front door, shut it behind me, and sank to the floor.

8

Today was the day to get down to business. The tour seemed a lifetime ago even though I’d arrived home only last night; it was best to leave it behind me. Staring out at the glen through the large window in Glenbroch’s grand room, I had to pinch myself. I now knew the secret that lay beyond the hills—a vast wonderland. And I’d been fortunate enough to play in it for the past three days.

Now to begin learning how to run a place like this and secure Glenbroch’s future, and my own. I wasn’t about to lose the estate.

When Calum arrived, we settled into the armless chairs at one side of the dining room table. With its seating for more people than I’d ever seen at one table, even in a restaurant, it was larger than anything I was used to. All of the estate—bedrooms, gardens, living rooms, kitchens—was larger than anything I was used to.

“I was not in agreement with Gerard and Mr. Epstein about withholding the information I’m going to give you now. I want you to know that I didn’t agree, Ellie. If this meeting hadn’t been called, I still wouldn’t have been empowered to say anything at all to you, and that has been frustrating.”

His words and the look in his eyes nearly stopped my heart. What was he talking about?

He continued, “You know Gerard couldn’t fund the renovation fully himself and took out a loan secured against the property. Well, the investors now own a large share of Glenbroch.”

I heard the words but couldn’t comprehend what he was saying, and my tone snapped. “I don’t understand. It was a loan.”

“It was. But Gerard’s death triggered a buyout clause that was part of the terms. You discussed the agreement with Mr. Epstein before you signed?”

“Yes, but apparently I’m not clear on what it means.” I said, dread drawing out my words. “What are you saying?”

“Ellie, I tried to reach you but you didn’t answer or call me back. The investors will be here in twenty minutes to meet you and review what would happen. They have raised concerns about your ability to run the estate—they weren’t told prior to your arrival that Gerard’s heir was an American woman—and I think they’re hoping you will accept a buy-out now rather than attempt to run the estate through to the end of the agreement period. Their intention is to take charge of estate operations immediately.”

I hadn’t checked the house phone’s answering machine. I hadn’t imagined anything would be this urgent within days of arriving. And Calum had said to go off and explore. Guilt over my foolishness ate at my gut. “I took your advice and went on a tour to Inverness and Skye,” I said, feeling like a child making excuses.

He looked at me intently then stood up. “I’m going to make some more tea and fetch some biscuits.”

The investors expressed concerns because I was an American, or a woman, or both? I wanted to be reasonable, to recognize these people weren’t my enemies—they had helped my father. But now they wanted to take Glenbroch from me, pure and simple. And they sounded like misogynistic bigots.

No way will I simply hand over the estate.

Calum returned, set the dainty teacup and a petite pitcher of milk in front of me. My saucer held two pieces of shortbread. Like a cup of milky tea and tiny cookies were going to make this civilized?

“What do I have to do to keep them out of Glenbroch’s business?”

“I’m afraid the only way is to achieve the booking and budget requirements. They can’t force you out at that point without your consent. Then you have the power to trigger a payback clause and reduce their investment to zero over time, effectively keeping Glenbroch solely in the MacKinnon family line.”

“This is winner take all,” I said.

“Something like that.” He didn’t look at me as he spoke, focusing his eyes on the view through the window.

My hands folded and unfolded themselves, fingers laced and unlaced, ankles crossed and uncrossed, my knees turned one way and then the other. I spread my palms flat, the cool of the table against my fingers soothing me. I slipped off my pumps, curling and straightening my bare toes against the thick, wool rug. Long, deliberate inhales, exhales, small sips of the strong, milky tea in front of me, a nibble on a biscuit.

Glenbroch’s future weighed heavy, but all I wanted to do was escape, go back to the cocoon of the curved bay beneath the watchful gaze of the moon. I could use the solid sureness of Ben’s arms right now more than anything.

Funny what will drive you to a person.

The teacup shook in my hand, exposing the rattling of my nerves. These people called the meeting, and they were late, no doubt pushing my buttons, manipulating me. Sliding my feet back into my shoes and moving to the window seat, I watched the sunlight bounce off the quiet water of the loch, feeling the protection of the house’s comforting space. Now it was my job to protect this house.