A Highlander in a Pickup

by Laura Trentham

  Loretta did as she was told. Anna returned to moving the boxes and furniture and knickknacks outside, where they would be safe for the time being.

  Iain emerged from the bathroom, his shirt and kilt wet. “Water’s stopped.”

  Loretta returned with an armful of quilts. Anna helped her form a makeshift dam to buy some time. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to keep your inventory dry and safe. I promise.”

  Loretta nodded even as she fought tears. “Thank you. You didn’t have to come help me.”

  “Of course I did.” Anna put her hand over Loretta’s and squeezed. “I know we have different visions for the town, but you can always count on me.”

  The three of them continued to work on moving vulnerable inventory, but the water was soaking through the quilts. They needed something to actually remove the water. “Do you have Mr. Timmerman’s number?”

  Loretta pulled out her cell phone with a shaking hand and scrolled to the right number. Anna took the phone and stepped outside. She explained the situation, and as she suspected, Mr. Timmerman had a wet-dry vacuum in his shop.

  She handed the phone back to Loretta. “The cavalry is coming in the form of Mr. Timmerman and his wet-dry vac. Let’s concentrate on getting the stuff closest to the bathroom shifted. Did any water make it to the shop floor?”

  “Not that I could tell, but…” Loretta covered her mouth.

  “Good thing these floors are concrete,” Iain said as he strode by with a nightstand.

  They continued to work until Mr. Timmerman appeared at the back door, out of breath and wearing, not a kilt, but loose-fitting jeans.

  Anna and Loretta stood back while Iain maneuvered the vacuum into the storeroom. Anna found a small smile in spite of the situation. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything other than a kilt, Mr. Timmerman.”

  “I didn’t realize this was a fancy emergency cleanup party.” The twinkle in Mr. Timmerman’s eyes brought a much-needed sense of optimism to the situation. “I must admit I enjoy wearing something other than a kilt when I’m off the clock. Don’t tell anyone.”

  “Being the keeper of dark secrets is my jam. Don’t forget that I work with teenage girls,” Anna teased before turning serious. “Thanks for coming to our rescue.”

  “Thank you all for coming to my rescue,” Loretta said.

  Mr. Timmerman put a bracing arm around her shoulders.

  Iain fired the vacuum up, and the hum filled the need for further conversation.

  After the boxes were moved and the standing water had been vacuumed up and dumped under the trees lining the alley, the four of them evaluated the situation.

  “The floor is still damp,” Iain said.

  “I’d recommend getting your insurance man out here first thing in the morning to do an evaluation,” Mr. Timmerman added.

  Anna propped her hands on her hips and surveyed the boxes and furniture clogging the alley. “In the meantime, let’s move everything to my place. We can store what we can in my office and the overflow in a corner of the studio.”

  “But you have classes and the games to plan.” Loretta turned her faded blue eyes to Anna.

  “I’ve been working at Stonehaven with Iain.” Her face heated even though it was mostly the truth. “And I don’t have my regular classes this week.”

  It took another hour for the four of them to move everything to her studio. While not ideal, the situation was workable for the time being. Loretta gave Anna a tight hug. Shock held Anna immobile in the woman’s embrace.

  “Your mother would be proud of you, dear,” Loretta whispered.

  Anna pulled away. “Would she?”

  “Of course, she was always so proud of you.”

  Anna jerked backward and Loretta’s arms fell away. “Proud of me? I don’t think so.”

  Loretta tilted her head, grit coming back into her voice. “Anna Maitland, your mother thought the sun rose and set in you. She was always bragging about how talented you are.”

  “She’s never said anything like that to me.”

  “Did she need to?”

  Anna harrumphed. “It would have made a nice change.”

  Iain came up next to Anna and dropped his arm around her shoulders. His wet shirt sent her squealing away. “We’ve got to get you out of those wet clothes.”

  The irony was she hadn’t even meant the sentiment sexually, but the height of Loretta’s and Mr. Timmerman’s eyebrows made heat burst in her cheeks.

  Mr. Timmerman cleared his throat and sidestepped toward the studio’s back door. “Unless you need me for something else, I’ll be going.”

  Loretta wasn’t far behind. Anna accompanied her to the door. “Iain and I are, you know, friends.”

  Loretta’s laugh was throaty and had a mocking edge. “Friends? That would be a darn shame.” When Iain stopped a few feet behind Anna, Loretta transferred her attention to him. “Thank you, Iain. You’re becoming invaluable to the town.”

  “Glad I could be of some help,” he said.

  The door closed, leaving her and Iain alone. The silence that followed made Anna’s stomach squirm. She searched for something to say but found only blank pages.

  Finally, Iain said haltingly, “I need a hot shower and dry clothes. Do you … want to come back to Stonehaven with me?”

  “Yes.” She clung to the easy answer.

  He waited at the foot of the stairs leading to her apartment while she gathered a change of clothes and toiletries. When she stepped onto the landing and looked down at him, a sense of vertigo spun her head, and she couldn’t make it to his side fast enough.

  After stumbling the last couple of steps, she grabbed his arm and tried a nonchalant laugh. “I guess we’ll have to wait to turn everything to rubble.”

  “Yes. We should put it off as long as possible.”

  A hundred questions scrolled. He turned to the pickup, opening the door for her. She hesitated with one foot in and one out. Did she really want to know the answers? Giving him a small, tight smile, she climbed in. By the time he slid behind the wheel, the moment had passed, but the doomsday clock’s hands moved ever closer to midnight. How long did they have left?

  Chapter Sixteen

  The ringing of his mobile on the counter brought Iain out of his three-count waltzing trance. He had been practicing without Anna. While avoiding total humiliation would be nice, more than anything, he wanted to make Anna proud. He didn’t want her to be embarrassed to be with him. Progress had been made, but as the whisky tasting was in mere hours, time was running short.

  He grabbed his mobile. It was his da. A zing of worry shortened his greeting. “Everything all right, Da?”

  “Hullo, lad. How’re you making out? Melted away yet?” The timbre of his da’s voice was so comforting and familiar, Iain’s lips curled into a smile.

  “Not yet. How are things at Cairndow? No issues, I hope.”

  “Everything is puttering along. Alasdair and Isabel are head over heels for the wee babe. Nothing much is getting done besides routine maintenance.” While his da might not admit it, he had a soft heart under the gruff exterior and would be wrapped around little Annie’s finger in no time.

  “There’ll be more time for big projects in a season or two. How is Tommy working out?” Iain had handpicked one of the village boys to take care of the herd while he was gone.

  “He’s a hard worker and isn’t a complainer.” High praise indeed from his da. “Doesn’t know his arse from a hammer, though. Rose tells me the festival is this weekend. You’re still flying home Monday, I hope?”

  “I need to double-check my flight time. I’ll send you the details.” He didn’t need to double-check. He’d stared at his return ticket so often, he had it memorized. “I’ve been busy.”

  “I need you home, lad.” The somber shift had Iain clutching his mobile tighter.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I didn’t realize how much I’d come to rely on you the last year until you left this s
ummer. If I’m being truthful … I can’t keep up, and that’s without the extra projects Isabel and Alasdair have envisioned. It’s time to pass the mantle to my son.” The pride in his da’s voice wasn’t diminished by the physical distance between them.

  If his life hadn’t taken a detour though Highland, Georgia, he would have been, if not exactly happy or content, then resigned to follow in his da’s footsteps. He’d spent the last year convincing himself he could and would stay on at Cairndow. He couldn’t allow the last weeks in Highland with Anna to instill doubt.

  “I’ll be home next week as planned. I’ll send on my arrival times.”

  “I’ll meet you at the airport.” Silence full of love and pride stretched between them. “I’ve missed you, son. It was always just the two of us, wasn’t it?”

  “Aye. The two of us.” Iain disconnected and closed his eyes. How could he abandon his da like his mum had? It would break his da’s heart and do irreparable damage to Iain’s.

  The front door opened, and Anna rushed the room, a ball of nervous energy. She commenced pacing. “Are we ready? What are we forgetting?”

  Iain set aside the heaviness of his conversation with his da as best he could. If his time with Anna was short, he planned to savor every minute with her, and at the moment, he was enjoying the way energy spun around her like sugar.

  “The animals have settled in. Ribbons are ready. Portables are in place. Final touches are going on the vendor stalls. The stage will be completed by this evening. Dr. Jameson and I organized the field for the athletic competition yesterday. I’ll stake out the parking area this afternoon.” He ticked the items off on his fingers. “What’s your checklist say?”

  “It says we’ve got everything under control, but you can’t stake out the parking this afternoon. I’ll be marching in the parade with my classes, and you must come and watch.”

  Of course, he wanted to watch Anna strut down the center of town. His protest was weak. “I have too much to do.”

  “You can’t miss the parade.” She slipped her hand in his and smiled up at him. “Trust me, okay?”

  If he had the talent of Robert Burns, he would compose a ballad about her smile. She held nothing back when she smiled. Her smile lit her up from the inside like a beacon, and he would follow her like a sailor being drawn to the cliffs even if it meant certain destruction.

  “If we’re going to the parade, I’d better take care of the parking now.” He leaned down to brush his lips against her smiling mouth, a jolt running straight to his heart.

  The conversation with his da hung like storm clouds on the horizon. As he worked in the hot sun to set stakes and cording out for the parking area, he felt both like a foreigner and a native. He’d come to get a job done, and while he’d never imagined himself feeling at home in Highland, Georgia, somehow that was exactly what had happened.

  It was because of Anna. She made it feel like home. She was home. Yet, so was his da and Cairndow, and Iain had promises to keep, even if the promises weighed on him like shackles.

  Iain finished the mindless work with enough time to take a cool shower before the parade. He told her he’d be watching from Maitland Studio, but found himself having to park several streets away. He strode past several families herding their children toward Main Street and exchanged polite greetings, ignoring their double take at his accent.

  Bagpipes echoed through the trees. The haunting sound filled his chest with longing, but what did he long for?

  He stood behind a row of people already in front of the studio, his height a distinct advantage. First came a firetruck with the fire and police chiefs waving. Next were several floats decorated with banners filled with Boy and Girl Scouts and church groups.

  Mr. Timmerman materialized beside him, wiping his forehead with a pristine white handkerchief. “Good day, Iain. I trust the festival is on track to be a great success?”

  “That’s the plan. I hope we’ve done Isabel and Rose proud.”

  Mr. Timmerman grinned. “If you haven’t, then how will they know?”

  A laugh stumbled out of Iain. “I’m sure a dozen locals will be on the line first thing to let them know how we did.”

  “True.” Mr. Timmerman slapped him on the shoulder and did a turn with his hands up. “What do you think of my creation?”

  Iain shifted his attention to the kilt Mr. Timmerman wore. Made of a durable twill, it was similar to Iain’s utility kilts, but with more bells and whistles. Removable cargo pouches attached to loops at the belt and could be moved from hips to back to front depending on convenience. Metal latches for small tools like a tape measure attached to various points and could be adjusted. The pleating was kept to a minimum but would allow for easy movement.

  “How do I get one?” Iain asked.

  “I have one waiting for you made to the measurements of the kilt you lent me.”

  “I’ll pay top dollar.”

  “It’s on the house. I can’t wait to begin marketing them online. I expect to attract a younger generation to the kilthood.”

  Iain and Mr. Timmerman exchanged a handshake. Girls and a few lads marched toward them in neat lines from the smallest to the tallest, turning and leaping in unison. At the front was Anna, performing the same moves but backward as she faced her pupils.

  Smiles dominated, and in the back, Gabby’s smile was incandescent. Anna had been right to steer the girl back to dance. On the opposite side of the street, Gabby’s father surveyed the organized chaos with a stern expression. Iain could tell the moment Gabby’s father spotted her because his face softened, not into a smile perhaps, but into an expression Iain had seen often enough on his da’s face. It was combination of love and pride.

  Anna drew even with him, her attention briefly settling on him. Relief banished the uncertainty he sensed in her eyes. With a start, he realized she too knew their time together was short. The street and sidewalks were full of people, yet in that pinprick of time, it was the two of them standing on opposite sides of a vastness neither one could breech.

  She broke the connection and concentrated on leading her dancers like the Pied Piper. Iain took a step back, then another, retreating from the parade to the accompaniment of “Scotland the Brave.” Irony was his specialty.

  After arriving back at Stonehaven, he checked in with the contractors and confirmed the vendor stalls and stage would be ready by the morning. Another shower followed to prepare for the whisky tasting party. He was straightening his sporran when a knock sounded on his bedroom door.

  “You disappeared this afternoon.” With her shoulder propped against the frame and her arms crossed, Anna emitted both exasperation and affection.

  She was lovely in a strapless bodice and full skirt, both in emerald green. An intricate gold brooch held a length of green and black plaid draped over her shoulder in a traditional touch. Her red hair was pinned up loosely, tendrils curling around her face and at the nape of her neck.

  “I needed to make sure we stayed on schedule here.” The lameness of the excuse made him wince a smile. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” She performed a graceful twirl into the room. “You’re looking mighty fine yourself. Are you ready?”

  “I hope I don’t embarrass you during the waltz.” He took her hands and rubbed his thumbs along the soft skin of her palms. Steely strength in a delicate package.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not easily embarrassed. As long as you don’t spin and show everyone what you don’t wear under your kilt, I’ll be happy.”

  He groaned. “That was one time, and it was hot. I am covered tonight.”

  “That’s a darn shame.” She tilted her head back to grin up at him. “I had inappropriate plans to take advantage of you in some dark corner.”

  His laugh was half-hearted. “Will you respect me in the morning if I admit that I’m terrified of a bloody dance?”

  She tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow and tugged him toward the door. “No need to be scared. We’ll m
uddle through it together. I won’t leave you hanging, I promise.”

  Her lighthearted promise reminded him of other promises made, and his mood spiraled further into nerves and dread.

  A crowd had gathered outside of the venue. Most of the men were in their finest Scottish regalia and the women were in fancy dresses with vibrant touches of plaid. Dr. Jameson stood at the door, a whisky-soaked smile on his face, and greeted everyone as they entered. Anna knitted her fingers with Iain’s and drew him forward.

  While they had done nothing to hide their relationship, neither had they flaunted it through town. Iain’s surprise was doused by a flooding warmth that made him stand taller. Any man would be proud to be at Anna’s side and thankful to be invited into her bed. Dr. Jameson pumped his hand in an enthusiastic shake at the same time he leaned in to kiss Anna’s cheek.

  Anna laughed. “You’re feeling no pain, are you, Dr. Jameson?”

  “Great whisky makes you forget all your troubles, eh, Iain?”

  “That’s the right of it, sir.” Iain and Anna continued inside, where conversation buzzed around the room. The short bar area was three deep. A curtain separated the main room from the back. A peek behind the curtain showed a group gathered around small tables while servers delivered tastings of exclusive whiskies to the people who had paid extra for the pleasure.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t want to attend the tasting.” Anna lifted her face to speak close to his ear.

  “If I could nurse my head in the morning, I might have, but you need me in tip-top shape tomorrow.”

  She stole an arm around his waist and grinned up at him. “I need you in tip-top shape tonight too.”

  He brushed his lips over hers. He used to second-guess every move with a woman, but not with Anna. With Anna, he followed his instincts and shockingly, they hadn’t steered him wrong.

  Anxiety in large social gatherings had also haunted him for years, and he couldn’t deny a feeling of being on edge tonight, but when he might have retreated to a shadowy corner to observe everyone else having a grand time, Anna kept him by her side, circulating around the room as the unofficial hostess.