by Tefft, Cyndi
Dad ran a hand through his thick brown hair, and shook his head at me, clearly exasperated. “What am I going to do with you? I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I?” I shrugged with an uneasy smile. “So Aiden, huh? That’s the guy you mentioned on the phone when you said you’d met someone?” He raised one eyebrow and tilted his head toward me. I felt a furious blush creeping up my cheeks. He chuckled and rubbed his chin, contemplating. “Ah, you must really like him. I haven’t seen you blush like that in a long time. Not since Jimmy what’s-his-name asked you to the junior prom.” He was teasing me and I knew it, but I couldn’t help the redness of my cheeks.
“It sounds like I owe him a thank-you for watching over you, since you obviously shouldn’t be left alone.” I gave him my fiercest glare, but he just laughed. “Relax, kitten. I’m just teasing you. So what’s he like, this boy? How’d you meet him?”
I blinked at him blankly for a second, as it occurred to me that in my haste to get Aiden out before Dad’s arrival, I had completely forgotten to coordinate a story with him about how we’d met. If I told Dad something now, chances were good that Aiden’s story wouldn’t match and then he’d know something was up.
“Um…” I began, starting to feel panicked, but was saved by a knock at the door. I sighed inwardly with relief and smiled innocently at my dad. “That’s probably him now. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
“Too bad I don’t have a shotgun.”
I smacked him on the arm, rolling my eyes.
Dad answered the door, doing his best to look stern and imposing. Aiden smiled at him from the doorway, and bowed his head in respect. He was wearing the new clothes I’d bought him instead of his kilt, and he had his hair tied back which emphasized the handsome angles of his cheek and jaw. His broad shoulders filled the doorway and he stood several inches taller than my father, but he kept his head slightly lowered as he addressed my dad.
“You must be Lindsey’s Da. I’ve heard much about you. Very pleased to be meeting ye, sir. I’m Aiden MacRae.”
Dad’s eyebrows went up in surprise at Aiden’s accent, but he took the proffered hand in greeting. “You’re Scottish,” Dad blurted and I giggled, remembering that I’d said the exact same thing when I’d first met Aiden.
“Aye, that I am, indeed.” Aiden tipped his head in acknowledgment and waited patiently on the front step to be invited in.
“Nice to meet you, Aiden. I’m Gary, Lindsey’s father. Come on in.” Aiden thanked him and smiled at me as we sat down on the couch in the living room. Dad resumed his place in the chair and regarded Aiden with a guarded but friendly tone. “I was just asking Lindsey about how you two met.” He waited and I held my breath, but Aiden seemed completely at ease.
“We met at the store down the road, when she arrived about two months ago.”
“So you live around here, then?”
Aiden nodded, and I was just as curious to hear the answer as my dad. “I’m staying at the old Baker cabin down the road for a spell whilst they’re trying to sell it. You know the one?”
“Oh yeah, they’ve been trying to sell that place for years. Better to have you staying in it, I suppose, than the bears.” The look on Dad’s face told me he wasn’t finished and I shifted uneasily, excited to see them together but nervous that something would go wrong. “So do you work in town?” he asked.
Aiden shook his head and settled into the couch, looking relaxed. “No, I’ve taken some time off to travel. See, my parents died years ago and I lived with my Uncle Alex for a time. When he died, he provided me a modest inheritance. As I didn’t have any family left, I thought it would be a grand adventure to get as far away from home as possible.
“So I pulled out a map and picked Seattle, the far west coast of the states. Only when I got there, I found that I didn’t care overmuch for the big city. ‘Twas very crowded and I’m more accustomed to the country, having been raised in the Scottish Highlands. So I started making my way east and found this place.” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “If ‘tis good enough for a priest at this lake, I suppose it’s good enough for me, aye?”
Nicely done! How did you know about the Baker place? I sent him the message and he shot me a quick smile.
Ranger Jim mentioned it.
“Dad, Aiden likes to play cards. Maybe you could teach him a game,” I prompted and they agreed. Dad dug out some cards from the bookshelf and they sat down at the dining table across from one another, moving easily into talk of the countryside, fishing and hiking. I made myself useful by putting together a light snack tray and bringing them beverages. I watched them play, gazing from one to the other, completely tickled at seeing them together. Aiden was right; they actually got along very well.
“The fishing is best in the early morning before the lake gets too busy. Would you like to come fishing with me tomorrow morning?” Dad offered and Aiden readily accepted. Dad glanced at me, eyebrows raised in question. “You don’t mind, do you?”
I tamped down a surge of worry and gave him a stiff smile. “No, of course not. You two have fun. I’ll just putz around here and read or something.” Dad squeezed me on the shoulder, then went back to the card game. I excused myself and went outside to quietly freak out.
“A whole day of fishing, and Aiden alone with my dad! What the hell is he thinking?” I hissed at the air. Pacing back and forth, I imagined all the ways things could go south. I kicked a pinecone and it skidded off the entrance to the outdoor bathroom, upsetting a cricket resting on the path.
Aiden’s calm voice interrupted my thoughts.
Dinna fash yourself, lass. I know that you’re worried, but it will be fine. Trust me.
After some deep breaths, I went back inside, determined to ignore the stress eating a hole in my stomach. After they’d played a few hands of cards, Aiden got up from the table.
“Well, I’ll be taking my leave now. Thank you, sir, for the game. I enjoyed it very much. I’ll leave you two, since I’m sure you’d like to spend some time alone with your daughter.” Aiden tipped his head in farewell.
“Why don’t you join us for dinner? I’m sure we’ll have enough,” Dad offered, looking to me for confirmation and I nodded. Aiden’s eyes met mine for a moment, dazzling blue and dancing with victory. My heart skipped a beat.
You did it! I sent him the message in my mind and he winked at me.
Nae, we did it. We’re a team.
I caught Dad looking at us out of the corner of my eye and I realized we’d been standing there staring at each other too long.
“Uh, yeah, lots of food. Come by. That’d be great. You and…” I stammered and Dad’s lips twitched with amusement. “Okay, I’m gonna shut up now.” I dropped my gaze to the floor, a vicious blush heating my cheeks.
Aiden squeezed my hand. “I’d be delighted. Thank you, sir, for the kind invitation.”
Dad stood up and clapped him on the shoulder as they walked to the door. “You don’t have to call me ‘sir.’ I’m not your drill sergeant. Call me Gary, all right? We’ll see you back here around six o’clock for dinner.” Aiden thanked him again and slipped out the door.
My heart was singing at how well the exchange had gone, aside from tripping on my own tongue. I sat on the sofa with my feet tucked under me, unable to suppress a grin.
Dad plopped down next to me and patted my knee. “He’s a nice young man. His hair is too long, but he’s very polite. At least he doesn’t wear his pants hanging off his butt like kids do these days.”
“Daaaad!” I protested.
“What? They do!” He grinned and I crossed my arms in a huff, but my face was frozen in a gleeful smile that I couldn’t get rid of, no matter how hard I tried to look offended. “Relax, I liked him. And I can tell you like him, too.”
“Yeah, I do,” I replied, in the understatement of the century.
All of a sudden, his face took on a pained expression. He stood up and started pacing in front of me, running his hand through his hair. “Listen,
Lindsey…” he began, but then trailed off, struggling to find the right words. “I’m not sure how to say this and maybe I’m far too late for this kind of thing anyway.” He frowned at me like he was disappointed but not angry, like that one time I broke the living room lamp playing ball in the house. Guilt soured my stomach in conditioned response and I racked my brain to think of what I’d done wrong.
“Look, he’s a good looking fella and I saw the way you were looking at him. You, being here alone at the cabin all this time, and he doesn’t have a job. I mean, what else is there to stop you, really?”
“What are you talking about, Dad?” I shook my head in confusion.
He rubbed his neck until one side flared red under his hand. “I’m not good at this. Your mother was always better at this sort of thing.”
“What ‘sort of thing’? You’re not making any sense.”
He sat on the couch and took my hand, his eyes resting on mine in resignation. “I was young once. You’re nineteen years old. And he’s—what?”
I had to think about it for a second and realized that his birthday would have been in May. “He’s twenty-one,” I answered and he straightened up in surprise.
“Really? He seems older than that. Maybe it’s just being from Scotland. I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders and craned his neck from side to side as if his shirt were too tight. “It doesn’t really matter. What I’m trying to say is that I know what it’s like to be young and have your hormones racing.”
My eyes flew open and I jerked my hand away from him.
“Dad, you can’t possibly…” I started, horrified at the idea that he was trying to give me The Talk. To my surprise, he seemed offended rather than relieved.
“Oh, can’t I? Listen here, young lady, I may be an old man, but I’m no fool. You’ve been staying here alone all summer with no chaperone, dating a guy who looks like that. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to put two and two together and see that you could easily get yourself into trouble. Are you at least using protection?”
I leapt off the couch with my mouth hanging open.
“Dad!”
He rolled his eyes at me and patted the cushion next to him. “Sit down, Lindsey.” I glared at him and folded my arms, holding my ground. He shook his head and sighed. “I’m not going to tell you about the birds and the bees. You’re too old for that. I’m sure you already know it all anyway. I just don’t want you to make the same mistake your mother and I did. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Sadness sunk into his shoulders and my resolve started to weaken. Finally, I dropped my arms to my side and sat down next to him.
“You’ve been through a lot the last couple of years, with the divorce and the car accident and everything. I know how hard it’s been on you, and I don’t want to see you get hurt any more. He seems like a really nice kid, but what’s going to happen at the end of the summer? Is he going back to Scotland? Summer romances are wonderful, but I don’t want to see you broken-hearted at the end of it, baby.” He tucked a curl of my hair behind my ear and tenderly stroked my cheek with his thumb like he’d done a thousand times before.
“I love him, Dad. And he loves me.”
“I’m sure he says that now but—“
I cut him off. “You once told me that when you met Mom, you knew right away you wanted to marry her. Well, he’s The One. I know.”
He stiffened like he’d been hit with a lightning bolt.
After a moment, he let out his breath and his eyes became glossy with tears.
“You look so much like your mother sometimes,” he whispered, giving me a wistful smile. “I love you, sweetheart.” He pulled me into his arms and held me close. That familiar scent of shaving cream and mint gum, that smell that was so Dad, enveloped me and I smiled against his chest.
“I love you, too.”
Chapter 6
I have no idea how he knew what time it was, but Aiden arrived promptly at six o’clock for dinner. I made pot roast and mashed potatoes with green beans, which both of my men heartily appreciated. It gave me such a feeling of home to see the two of them talking and laughing, enjoying one another’s company.
“Aiden,” Dad said between bites, “being from Scotland and all, I imagine you have a taste for scotch.”
Aiden grinned at him, wiping up some gravy with a dinner roll. “Aye, that’s true. We had a dram of whisky or a pint of ale at every meal back home.” He turned to me. “This is delicious, lass. Thank you.”
Dad got up and dug through the liquor cabinet, then pulled out a half full bottle and poured some of the golden alcohol into a couple of crystal glasses. He handed one to Aiden, who took a whiff and smiled. He sipped it slowly, a faraway look in his eyes. I remembered the memory he’d cast for me of him drinking whisky as a child with his Aunt Margaret and wondered if he was thinking of it, too.
“The Gaelic for whisky is uisge beatha, which literally means ‘water of life.’ It would be a fair statement to say that I’d had whisky more often than water as a lad. This is an excellent batch. Thank you, Gary.” He lifted his glass in a silent toast and took another sip.
“Wow, they must not have drinking age restrictions there,” Dad said, giving me a slanted look. “Sorry, hon, but you’re not twenty-one yet so you can’t have any. Too bad you didn’t grow up in Scotland, huh?” He laughed at his own cleverness, downing his drink and pouring another for himself and Aiden. I cleared the table, giving Aiden a pointed look while Dad was turned away.
Careful, there could be legal restrictions on underage drinking in Scotland now. You don’t know for sure. I warned him in my mind, then headed into the kitchen to start washing the dishes. The two of them moved into the living room to work out the details of the next morning’s fishing expedition and polish off the rest of the bottle.
Humming to myself, I grabbed an apron off the peg next to the stove and took the heavy cast iron pan over to the sink. I was almost done with the dishes when Aiden broke into my thoughts, his voice deep and husky.
I’m going to miss you tonight, my love. At his words, warmth spread through my chest as if I were the one drinking.
I’ll miss you, too. I wish you didn’t have to sleep outside. I sent back to him, feeling an odd rush of sexual excitement that came on me suddenly. I dried my hands on my apron, shaking my head to try and get a hold of myself.
Ah, lass, I dinna think I’ll sleep much. I’ll be thinking about you and your lovely… mmm. His words trailed off and I had to hold onto the edge of the sink as my knees went to jelly. Desire turned my blood to lava as his mind connected with my own. In my mind’s eye, I saw him running his tongue down the cleft between my breasts. Tingling at the mental image of his touch, I rubbed my chest roughly with my forearms.
Aiden, stop. I don’t know how you’re doing it, but you’re making me crazy.
Stop what, love? I huffed into the living room and caught his eye. He looked confused and a little surprised at my flushed face.
“Are you unwell?” he asked.
Immediately, the spell was broken and I jerked back, disoriented. The heady, tipsy feeling that had spread throughout my body was instantly gone.
“Yeah, are you okay, honey? You don’t look so good.” Dad frowned and I shook my head.
“No, I mean, yeah, I’m fine. I just got a little overheated, that’s all,” I said, gathering up the empty whisky bottle and glasses. “I think I’ll open the front door and let some cool air in.” I shot Aiden a glare, but he seemed to have no idea what was wrong. He just smiled, then picked up his conversation with my father.
I swished the glasses in hot, soapy water as I tried to figure out what had just happened. We could talk in our minds, but this? It didn’t make any sense. I went back and sat next to Aiden on the couch, wishing I could tear him away from my dad for just a minute. But Dad had launched into an explanation of the intricacies of the real estate market in Seattle, and Aiden was paying no attention to me. I rubbed his knee to see if he’d look at me,
but he just held my hand and kept talking to Dad. Finally, I gave up.
Aiden, the weirdest thing just happened. I told him in my mind and he continued talking as if he hadn’t heard. When I sent him the message, though, heat from the alcohol flooded my veins once again. I leaned back against the couch with my heart racing and my head swimming.
What’s that, love? He finally responded, not looking at me but keeping up the smooth conversation with my dad, who chuckled at something he’d said. Dad got up to stoke the fire and Aiden turned to me, concerned.
What is it, Lindsey? I shook my head at him in bewilderment and he excused himself to use the restroom, telling me silently to come join him outside in a moment. Dad didn’t look up from the fire and I rocked back and forth on the couch, trying to figure out what the hell was happening.
Just give me a minute and then you can come out to tell me what’s troubling you. Your Da’s an upstanding man. Everything is going to be just—Oh look, a wee fat cat. Thick with drink, Aiden’s voice rambled on in my head like a running monologue.
“Weel, are you not a cute wee beastie with your bonnie white stripe?” I heard him say through the open door and my heart stopped.
Aiden, no! That’s not a cat! I cried out to him mentally and leapt off the couch, but it was too late.
“Aaaaggggghhhhh!” Aiden screamed, letting loose a string of Gaelic obscenities. I was nowhere near close enough to have physically felt the skunk’s blast myself, but I tasted the vile spray in my mouth a split second before Aiden cried out. My eyes watered and I tried desperately to stifle a gag reflex as my nostrils burned with the scent. Dad went running past me at Aiden’s cry.
“Holy crap! Poor bastard, he got you good!” I heard him say. At once, the taste and stink filling my head dissipated like a switch had been flipped and I stood in the living room, shaking and confused. The stench started creeping into the cabin proper, so I went through and closed all the windows.
