by Geri Krotow
“As in yours and mine.” He grabbed her hand. “I meant it when I said this marriage was going to be all in, financially. It’s for the baby, Halle. The year timeline we’ve agreed upon is for your reassurance that I won’t hold you to anything you don’t want.” He watched her expression closely but tried his best to appear casual, as much as one could be when discussing their situation.
“Please, Alastair. I didn’t sign up for all of this.” She arced her arm in a semicircle, enclosing his land. “Our agreement was that you’d give me the funds needed to get Bluewood going. But I can’t accept that, Alastair. For me, it’s a loan from you. I’m going to pay you back with interest. It’ll be a good investment for you, I promise.”
“Yes.” He’d never take any money back from her but he wasn’t going to argue with her. Not now, not today. He had one chance to be a newlywed.
“I’d love to go for a longer walk—is that allowed?” Her grin was deep enough to bring out her dimples but he heard the trepidation underneath her attempted levity.
“It’s completely safe, yes.” How much to tell her? “Once it became clear that our financial success was like catnip to criminals of all ilk, I had state-of-the-art security measures installed.”
“By ‘all ilk’ do you mean kidnappers, thieves, or worse?”
“Yes. Primarily the former.” He started walking, indicating she join him by raising his hand before letting it fall back to his side. She hadn’t shown any indication of wanting to hold his hand and he didn’t want to push her. Nor tempt himself.
“You must have the equivalent of the crown jewels here somewhere, I assume.”
“Not at all. We Buchanans live a fairly simple life, all told. Yes, we are richly blessed with financial security beyond our wildest dreams. Yes, we have land and big homes, fancy cars. But I was raised with a very practical sensibility. Don’t buy more than you need, give more than you think you can away to charity, give back with your time and talent, too. You’ll see when you meet Gram. She’s no-nonsense, a living vestige of Scottish frugality.”
“Frugality is something we all could use more of. That’s another reason I wasn’t unhappy to leave Austin. At times it got to be too much about what I’d wear to my next proposal meeting, at my presentations. It’s important to look good but it does get ridiculous after a while.” Funny how she agreed with so much of his outlook on life. It would be wonderful for the baby.
“We’re skirting around the real issue, though, aren’t we, Halle? Do you feel safe at Bluewood?”
“Right now? No. It’s been unsettling, to say the least. But this distance you’re giving us from the awful events—it’s good. I’m hoping that with some time and rest, and hopefully less morning sickness, I’ll get a better perspective on it. I still can’t accept that someone is that eager to see me sell that they’d go to criminal lengths to threaten me.” He saw the shiver go through her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“When it comes to money there’s no limit what some people will do.”
Chapter 14
Alastair’s comment was so starkly frank that Halle stopped midstride and faced him. The wind was blowing in from the west, ruffling his already mussed hair. She had to consciously keep her hand from reaching up and smoothing it, cupping his jaw and letting him know he could relax around her.
“Do you mean to sound so grim or is your guardian-protector energy still on overdrive from Shadow Creek?”
His eyes reflected turbulent emotions. “This has nothing to do with feeling protective of you or the baby. There is that, yes, but I didn’t accrue the equivalent of one and a half billion dollars in just under a decade without witnessing the best and the worst of human nature.”
“The worst had to be really bad if you’re so certain you’re a constant target.”
“I didn’t say constant. Not in the physical sense. Since we installed the security perimeter and employed a team of guards 24/7, we’ve only had one or two breach attempts. One was a group of tourists, a ladies’ wedding party looking for selfies with a bachelor billionaire.”
“Did you oblige them?”
He gave a short laugh. “I was in Thailand at the time, working out a restaurant deal. So, no, they never did get their selfie portraits but they did get a quick ride to the local constable and a lecture on proper legal behavior during wedding celebrations.”
They started walking again. “And the other physical breach?”
He was silent for several paces and didn’t answer until they’d come to a soft rise that afforded a spectacular view of the Scottish countryside as it undulated westward.
“It was a solo criminal, operating with a larger ring of terrorists.”
“Terrorists?”
“Yes. Their plan was to hit Scotland in three different places—Edinburgh and Glasgow proper, and my estate. They were stopped at the border, the airport and before they infiltrated my property.”
“That’s, that’s just terrible.” Her nausea was back. What on earth had she gotten herself into? What had she brought her baby into? “You said you were bringing me here for safety and now all I want to do is go back to Bluewood.”
“The point is that we’re not safe anywhere, no matter who we are, right? Life is vexingly precarious and can be taken away at any moment.”
Halle only needed to walk another step to be reminded of that. Her backside was incredibly sore from her fall. “Yes.” She didn’t want to stay on such dark ground but she had to know everything. “What about other breaches?”
“The usual expected in the twenty-first century. Computer systems lockdowns, hacking, the occasional attempt at a hostile takeover of Clyde Whiskey.”
“Has anyone ever come close to buying you out?”
“Not yet.” He didn’t look at her and she wanted to press him. He was holding something back.
“Enough of this. How are you feeling, Halle? I have a sense that you’re hurting more than you’re letting on.” His concern was genuine and she felt the warmth of their budding friendship. The sexual attraction had been immediate and showed no sign of ever burning out, but the deeper part of their relationship had finally gained traction. She wanted to hang on to it, cherish the refuge from the storm her life had become.
“I’m good, I’ll be fine before you know it. Yes, I feel each and every step in my backside, but that’s a good thing, right? My body absorbed the shock that could have harmed the baby.”
“Thank God you’re in good shape and were able to allow yourself to fall as smartly as you did.”
“I wouldn’t call it ‘smartly.’ Usually, when I’ve been thrown or fallen from a mount before, there’s a split second of warning before the horse misbehaves, and in that time the years of experience and riding lessons come into play. It’s still all instinctual but there’s room to live, or more practically, not get as many broken bones.”
“But the other day?”
She shook her head. “It was all too fast. The snake, the trip wire, Elvis’s freak-out. He’s the most steady mount I’ve ever had, and I’ve had five in my lifetime. My dad kept horses and I learned to ride them all, no matter the size or age or experience. I like to think I have a connection with horses. Yesterday Elvis and I were definitely disconnected.”
“Is it fair to put it on yourself, or even your mount? There’s no way to anticipate such a brutal, unexpected incident.” His mouth’s trademark grim line was back.
“I’m not blaming myself for the accident, but I am wondering if I could have been more in touch with Elvis. I was a bit distracted at the time.”
“You mean by me showing up and demanding you marry me?”
“That, and the wedding, and Ernie.” And her lust for the man walking next to her.
“Careful, Halle. You’re starting to sound like a married woman already. Bla
ming me, your husband, for something out of our control.”
“I’m not blaming you. It’s the circumstance.” They both laughed.
“To be honest, I blame myself for agreeing to go on the ride in the first place. Every concern I had about a pregnant woman riding came to fruition.” His honesty took her breath away. He was right—he was getting to know her better.
“No, it didn’t. I’m fine and so is our baby.”
They walked in silence for the next twenty minutes or so and Halle wondered if she’d angered Alastair with her dismissive comment. As they neared what had looked like a small building from afar, the place Alastair had referred to as a “cottage,” his countenance brightened. “And now, you get to see who really is the center of Clyde Whiskey.”
He held out his hand and while her own reached instinctively for his, she wondered if it was such a good idea. Holding Alastair’s hand felt so right; doing more of it would make it an awfully difficult habit to break.
They walked up to the front door, painted a bright cheery yellow. Before Alastair’s free hand reached the Loch Ness Monster brass door knocker, the door creaked open and a wisp of a woman stood before them, her grin beaming as widely as her arms were open. A ridiculously huge Aran cable-knit sweater nearly swallowed her birdlike frame, and she wore muddied Wellies as if she’d just come in from the garden.
“Alastair! Where have you been? Come here, boy.” She had to be half of Alastair’s height as her head barely reached his chest. The smacking sound of her kiss on his cheek brought tears to Halle’s eyes. Pure, unadulterated family love. Or in the Buchanan case, clan love.
“And who is this fair lass?”
“Gram, this is my wife, Halle. Halle, meet Jean Buchanan.”
“Wife, eh?” Halle was enveloped in a warm wooly hug that if she hadn’t seen how tiny Gram was, she would have sworn it was from a yeti. The woman had incredible arm and hand strength. She smelled of fresh wool, roses and sugar. “So pleased to meet you, Halle. Welcome to the family.” She pulled back and looked her directly in the face, her nose only millimeters from Halle’s. Deep, gray eyes, no doubt the source of Alastair’s, assessed her. Gram’s hands moved from Halle’s cheeks to her shoulders and the woman nodded. “You’ll do.”
As quickly as she’d hugged them, Gram disappeared into the country house, calling over her shoulder. “Come on in. Keep the draft out and take a seat in front of the fire. Rain’s moving in—my hips are singing to me.”
“Is she always this lively?” Halle whispered to Alastair.
“Oh, no. She’s usually way worse.” Alastair’s wink was casual, comic. It was clear he adored his Gram. The cozy cottage, Gram’s warm greeting, the way Alastair’s fingers twined in hers—all seemed so familiar. Too familiar. She could get used to this, and that was more dangerous to her than any trip wire or rattlesnake. What bothered her most was that instead of feeling homey and at ease, she wanted to crawl out of her own skin. Because her skin was on fire with her lust for Alastair. Her desire was spiking as if he’d hauled her up against him and kissed her senseless.
As if they were a real couple.
For now, they were a real couple, at least for the Buchanan family. And tea with Alastair’s grandmother added to the sense of normalcy. A way for Gram to meet the mother of her future great-grandchild.
* * *
“What do your parents think of your beautiful bride?” Jean stirred two heaping spoons of white sugar into her Earl Grey, the tiny teaspoon clinking against what Halle was certain was century-old porcelain. It was easy to see the genes his Gram had passed on to Alastair, and yet the nonagenarian in front of her was decidedly feminine and soft where her grandson was all guy, rugged, sexy guy.
“Ah, we haven’t been home yet.”
“It’s only a quarter mile up the path, Alastair.” Jean’s words admonished but her tone was clear. She was thrilled that he’d brought Halle to her first. As a kind of family benediction. “Do they know you two got married, Alastair?”
“That would be a negative, Gram.”
Jean put her cup down onto a matching gilt edge saucer with tiny peonies painted around the edge.
She laughed, a weathered tinkle. “You are a schemer like the rest of the clan, Alastair.” Harsh words that only emphasized Jean’s obvious love for her family. “Tell me, Halle. Are you afraid to meet Alastair’s parents? Your new in-laws?”
Halle blinked at Jean’s quick change of focus. “Er—I wasn’t. I’m not. Well, maybe I’m a little nervous. Are you both telling me I need to be concerned with their reaction? I’d assumed Alastair had already informed the entire family about our...situation. Until we were flying over the pond.”
Jean’s eyes widened briefly before the wise woman concerned herself with a plate of baked goods. “Here, have a biscuit. I didn’t make them but the bakery in town is as good as if I had.”
“I love cookies. Thank you.” Halle chose a round shortbread with white icing and a portion of a maraschino cherry on top.
“That’s an Empire biscuit. I have a recipe for you if you’d like.”
“I’d love it. I lived here one year, as a junior in college. I’ve never been able to find shortbread as delicious as I had then. I can’t say I’m much of a baker, though.”
“You’ll learn. My grandmother would save for months to be able to purchase the sugar she’d need to make her Empire biscuits, and sometimes she’d have to save for the flour, too. We always had plenty of butter.” Jean leaned forward confidentially. “We had our own dairy farm. I still keep a cow and some chickens. I’ll show you later.”
“Gram means we pay someone to keep their livestock on our land.”
“I’ll have you know I can still do all of the chores. But if I did everything, the younger generations wouldn’t learn anything, would they?” Jean reminded Halle of Aunt Betsy, the woman who’d been her only female role model after her mother had died.
“No one does it as well as you, Gram.”
“Speak to me, Alastair. There is something going on with the business, isn’t there?”
“Nothing for you to be concerned about, Gram. You’re retired, remember?”
“I’ll have you know I’m a sitting board member. If there’s something I should know before next week’s meeting, just spit it out.”
Something wrong with Alastair’s dynasty? “Was that why you had to have your phone with you the entire time you were on the trail?”
He shot her a guilty look that gave Halle pause. “What is it?”
Alastair shook his head. “Nothing.” He turned his attention on Jean. “Yes, I’ve had a few concerns over some of our IPOs being traded. Some seem to be going to the same obscure corporation. But I have a handle on it.” He leaned over and clasped Jean’s hand. “We have it all under control, Gram.”
Halle wanted to close her eyes and believe it was true, but she knew Alastair well enough to know that she’d seen the same odd expression on his face before—when he’d been worried she could lose the baby after falling off Elvis.
“You don’t fool me any more than when you lied about clogging the tub drain when you were four so that your boats would float!” Jean shook her finger at Alastair and to Halle’s delight he actually blushed.
And continued to avoid the question. “There’s never been any beating around the bush with you, Gram.” He kissed the wrinkled hand with affection.
Halle allowed the ugly reality that Alastair’s business could be in trouble take root. They might not be a real husband and wife with all the love and romance, but they were partners in raising their child, and that meant she had an interest in what was going on with Clyde Whiskey. She waited until his loving interlude with his Gram passed before she grilled him. As soon as Jean left the room to boil more water, she faced her new husband.
“What exactly i
s going on, Alastair?”
* * *
Alastair had to fight to keep a grimace off his face. First Gram and now Halle were onto his ruse. Not that he was being deceitful, exactly. He wanted to keep his business concerns intact without alarming the family. Even if the public portion of his business got bought out, he’d been careful to put away a significant portion of earnings each year. Enough to take care of his parents and Gram. He’d always figured he and his siblings could handle taking care of themselves. But now he was a father, a husband, with his own family to support. Being able to hold on to the family’s fifty-one percent of the shares in the company would be very difficult if whomever SullaXS was bought up the public shares. It made the threat of significant financial losses all the more frightening.
Halle put her hand on his arm. “You’re keeping something from me. What’s going on?”
“This isn’t the place to talk about it. Later.”
“Here we go.” Gram brought in her electric kettle and poured water into the dainty cups before adding more of the strong brew from the teapot. “Surely you have time for one more cup. You’ll need the brace of it for when you tell your parents.”
“What’s the worst they can do?” Halle had a hard time believing the parents who’d raised Alastair would be anything but honest and accepting. Eventually.
“They can freeze us out, for a bit.” Alastair tried to inflect a casual note into his reply but feared he was failing miserably. It didn’t escape him that Halle was very much an equal to the other women in his life. Gram and Mum. Though Gram could be a tough mother-in-law to his mum, his mum gave back every bit that Jean dished out. Halle was fitting into the Buchanan clan all too easily.
“Freeze you out? Do you mean ‘ghost’ us?”
“Hell no. It’s Scotland and no one turns family away. People have come here for centuries to get married, you know.” Jean clucked away as she sipped her brew.
“Gram, Gretna Green hardly draws a parallel with our family dynamics.”
“My parents didn’t approve of me marrying a Buchanan. But they came around, as soon as I had your father.” Sharp eyes that reflected the same intelligence Alastair demonstrated.
