What Lies Between (28 page)

He grabbed my hand and led me back through the main room toward a candlelit hallway. Ben’s eyes locked on my movements, and I couldn’t resist the pull to meet his gaze, giving my most convincing, wicked smile.

Ben’s eyes narrowed and grew dark. Even though I didn’t trust him, I couldn’t shake him out of my system. I enjoyed getting a reaction out of him.

Logan pulled on my hand to get my attention. “If you need any help getting the better of Ben and my father, call me. You make me want to take more holidays back here at home—and believe me, that’s saying something.”

Logan would have me under his spell in spite of myself if I didn’t watch it. Ben’s description of his brother as being popular with women was another one of his understatements. Logan was nothing short of a professional charmer.

When Anna rousted Logan and me from our video game death match I was making a comeback and didn’t want to quit playing. We straggled back to the main room several minutes later to discover everyone waiting on us to open presents. Anna clucked at Logan, blaming him for corrupting my good manners. It didn’t ruffle Logan in the least, but I was embarrassed and huddled on the raised hearth near my new best friend as presents were handed out. I was nervous about Anna, John, and Ben liking theirs and wished I had gifts for Logan and Andrew.

Anna handed John the present from me. I tried not to stare at his face but couldn’t help watching his expression for clues to his feelings. He pulled out the set of custom flies I’d heard Anna mention he wanted. It was a humble gift in cost, but I hoped it would reflect that I had taken the time to discover a gift he would appreciate.

John’s eyes, crinkling with gratification, turned toward me. “You have quite good taste. These are excellent quality. I will find a reason to try them out in the next few days.”

He had the look of a schoolboy who had gotten the top item on his Christmas list. Delight surged through me, leaving me giddy as well as a little mystified. Why did we have to be at each other’s throats? And why did it matter that I make this horrid man happy?

Anna’s present was more for me than her. As she pulled out the gift certificate, I explained, “I thought, you know, maybe you’d like to go to Inverness together? We could make a day out of it?”

“Yes, of course, Ellie. That would be lovely.” She waved the certificate at those seated around the room. “Look what Ellie gave me—a spa day.” She laughed and turned to her husband. “John, you could take a leaf out of her book.”

“Your present is exactly what she needs, Ellie. She puts up with too many men around here.” John sent what seemed another genuine smile in my direction.

My body relaxed and I beamed a happy expression in return.

Anna opened up a package I’d brought for Jazz. “A bandana in the MacIver plaid—how lovely! Thank you, Ellie.” Her smile warmed me. “Jazz, come.” She tied it around his neck; Jazz’s tail wagged in approval.

“A good-looking dog,” quipped John. “Suits him fine.”

A stranger looking in would have no idea of the enmity that lay between this family and me. I shook away the reminder. I would give myself this moment out of time. Tomorrow could wait.

Anna picked up a tall rectangular package and handed it to Ben. “This is for you, from Ellie.”

He ripped the paper off and lifted the contents in the air. “Ledaig! The woman knows her whisky.”

“Or she knows you,” Anna remarked offhandedly.

The moment felt awkward but to my relief nobody else looked as if they gave her comment a second thought.

“Well, I’ll open this and have a dram right now. You must have one too, Ellie,” Ben insisted.

“Sure.” How could I say no? In spite of myself, I was glad to be here. A night I had been nervous about I now didn’t want to end. How could it be that I was beginning to feel at home here, in the midst of this complicated family?

Ben returned with two whisky glasses, each filled with what looked to be a double of the lemon-colored whisky. “I added a touch of water and some ice. I know it’s not your favourite, but I appreciate you having a dram with me.”

Looking up to meet his gaze, Anna’s eyes caught mine as I took the glass. I was convinced she saw into me.

Anna handed a large present to John. “Give this to Ellie, would you?”

He nearly dropped it. “Heavy. What’s in here?”

“Now put your whisky down, and don’t drop the present, mind.”

I accepted the heavy gift and carefully ran my finger under the tape, feeling Anna watching my every move. When I glanced up, everyone was watching. I tore the rest of the paper off and lifted the lid. A spiral bound book lay cradled inside. I tilted the rectangular box, caught hold of its corner, and let the large book slide into my hand. I rested the book on my lap and opened its leather cover, which was embossed with the word “MacKinnon.”

My heart nearly stopped on the first page.

Photos of Gerard. Angus and Helen. Glenbroch. Anna. John and my father. Clippings from the local paper about my father. His shinty achievements. A concert. My father at the keys of a grand piano.

My mind rolled back to the half-draped white grand sitting in Gerard’s living room that time I’d met him. I had wanted to ask him about it, if he played, when and why he had stopped.

I looked up and faced the room, my composure intact for a short moment. When my eyes blinked, the hovering pools threatened to burst and run down my face. I sensed Anna’s feelings were close to spilling over as well.

“Anna, you made this for me?” My voice sounded hoarse.

“Yes, with a wee bit of help from Ben.”

“Ben?” I blinked in the direction of his blurred image, determined to rein in my emotions. “I . . . this is . . .” I swallowed, trying to dislodge the words in my throat.

“You should know about your family. There is more I would like to share with you.” Anna laid her hand on John’s arm. “There is more we can share with you.”

Scarcely having the courage to look at John, I waited until the threat of tears had subsided, then I lifted my gaze to his face. It was still unreadable, but at least not hardened with the expression he wore the first day we met.

Anna stood up, came to me, and handed over an envelope. “This looks to be from Ben.” She turned toward her son, her brows raised in question.

“You’ll see,” Ben said.

His eagerness was palpable, either proud of what he had chosen or truly excited to see my reaction. I took my time opening the envelope, my heart so full I wasn’t sure I could handle any more surprises.

“Och, come on woman, open it!” Ben bellowed.

A sweet smile swept over my face. His impatience lightened my mood, eased my heavy emotions. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist, laddie.”

Logan laughed. “Aye, laddie, have a wee sit and stop yer blethering.”

Ben glared at Logan, sat back in his chair.

“All it says is I’m supposed to close my eyes. I don’t get it.”

Ben pulled a black scarf from his pocket. “Aye, close your eyes. I need to put this blindfold on you. It’s a surprise.”

“Are you kidding?” I crossed my arms, determined to give him a hard time.

“I will get this blindfold on you one way or the other,” he assured, playing at being ominous.

“Ellie, you better let the bully do it,” Logan said, his tone serious.

“Logan, stay out of it,” Ben warned.

“You think you can still tell me what to do?” Logan stood up; he was as tall and muscular as Ben and just might be able to take him.

“Logan. Ben. Knock it off!” John’s voice cut through the escalating tension.

“Okay, put the blindfold on me,” I said, wanting the lovely Christmas to remain lovely.

Ben knotted the scarf, covering my eyes, and I carefully managed my breath as his hand grazed my face.

“Let me help you into your coat, and then I’ll guide you outside,” Ben said. “This is for Ellie. The rest of you lot can come and see later.”

Logan let out a low whistle. “The only move you can come up with is to blindfold a woman you’re trying to ruin, on Christmas no less, and take her out into the freezing cold? Brother, you are brutal.”

Anger vibrated through Ben’s body as he held my gloved hand and guided me away from the house. His brother definitely got under his skin. Whatever the rivalry between them, Andrew was staying out of it. You would scarcely know he was there. He had sat hand in hand with Caitlin, who was equally quiet, the entire evening.

Once we were outside Ben let go of my arm, reached down, and picked up an object. “A camping lantern. Give me a second and I’ll turn it on.” He then scooped me up into his arms. “There’s a massive puddle ahead.”

No splash of water met my ears. Was he making up a reason to carry me?

“How much food did you eat?” Ben’s knees buckled as if giving way.

“Not funny.” I smacked his shoulder. “Get on with this already.”

He carried me for a few more minutes then stopped and set me on my feet. “Ready?”

“I was ready when we were nice and cozy in the house.”

“It will be worth it. You’ll see.”

He untied the blindfold, which took far too long in the freezing air, and turned off the lantern.

My eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dark, the house lights tiny points behind us.

He turned my body until my eyes rested on a telescope as long as I was tall, installed on a stand, making it rise higher into the night sky.

I stared, not able to come up with any words.

“It’s a telescope,” he explained, mistaking my surprise for confusion. “It’s positioned so you can see one of the most beautiful constellations in the northern night sky, and I have a few others mapped out for you. Take a look.”

Peering through the lens, I gasped, then pulled back to look at the same patch of sky, which looked empty to my naked eyes. I looked again. “It looks like a galaxy, spiraling around. Beautiful.”

“It’s the Andromeda galaxy.”

He tugged on my arm and I reluctantly pulled my eyes from the sky. “Remember when I told you behind every grain of sand were ten thousand galaxies?” He stuck his hand in his pocket and held open his palm to reveal a mound of sand.

“Do the same thing you did on Skye. Hold it up anywhere between the stars. Remember that tiny, dark spot in the sky, then look through the eyepiece after I adjust it. And that’s only as far as this telescope can reach.”

I did as he asked. He took note of where I was holding the grain of sand and fumbled with the knobs. How could I not lose my heart to a man who was excited to show me the universe, all its light, and what existed beyond what my eyes could see?

He stepped back. “Okay, now look.”

I peered through the eyepiece again. The December sky looked ablaze. There was scarcely room for any night to show itself. It looked as if the stars would burst the seams of the sky.

My fears began to fade. Tonight there was no war. This night was a vast, beautiful page, waiting to be filled with wonder. I might never have a Christmas night like this again, full of what I had wished for. I could fight again tomorrow.

“I’ll change the position,” Ben said, his voice full of excitement. “You can see the Orion Nebula with your naked eye, there.” He pointed at a smudge in the sky. “But you will be able to see it better through the eyepiece.”

While he adjusted the telescope, I hopped back and forth with impatience, eager to see more clearly the smudge he’d pointed to. 

Through the eyepiece, the Nebula looked like a vast cloud of dust, as if swirled across the heavens in the wake of a great horse and chariot. I began to see shapes. Light gray areas nearly looked like eyes, the darker sections like . . . butterfly wings? I stood up and looked at the sky without the aid of the telescope. Near the Nebula was a star, bright and steady, not yellow like its neighbor but the color of . . .

That pale, nearly colorless blue is otherworldly after all.

I realized my observation was made out loud when Ben bent down to the eyepiece and said, “Let me see what you’re seeing.” 

“You can see the star without the telescope. It’s hard to look away.” I held my attention on the star before turning to face Ben, whose eyes were locked on me now. “The pale blue is the same as your eyes. Like I said . . . hard to look away.”

Ben searched my own and a shift passed through his as if he had come to a decision. Reaching out and caressing my face, he leaned in, his mouth closing in on mine. “Ellie—”

“Move aside, son,” John bellowed, abruptly arriving in the middle of our moment. “Let me see what’s out here tonight. A bairn’s telescope! What were you thinking, buying her a toy?” John’s flashlight bobbed as he positioned himself to look through the eyepiece. “Here, hold my torch and shut it off, will you?”

He held out the light to Ben, who jammed his hands into his pockets and turned away. I couldn’t see the expression on Ben’s face, but the sudden tension in his body rippled through the air.

I held out my hand to John. “I’ll take it.”

“What are your plans for Hogmanay?” John asked, looking through the telescope.

I glanced over at Ben, unsure if John was talking to him or to me. Ben flipped his thumb at me.

“I’m going to spend it at the Loch Moran Inn with friends.”

“Any friend in particular?”

“Dad! Stop being rude!” Ben demanded.

My hand wrapped around Ben’s arm as I spoke only loud enough for him to hear, “It’s okay.” Raising my voice to address John, I answered, “Henry Mitchell, my neighbor—he has a croft near Glenbroch—and we’re having Hogmanay dinner.”

“I know who Mitchell is.” John wheeled on me. “You don’t have to tell me who the locals are.”

I blanched. How could I be civil to this horrible man?

“Dad! Stop it.”

Even in the moonlight, I could see the glare John gave his son. “And it’s clear you shouldn’t be out here unsupervised. You can’t keep your wits about you.”

Ben stared at his father. I expected him to speak. I didn’t need him standing up for me, but I hoped he’d stand up for himself. He remained silent.

One thing was clear: my lovely night was over. “Both of you have enough trouble between you without messing with Glenbroch—or me.”