Ghosts of Culloden Moor 25 - Kenrick (Diane Darcy)

by LL Muir

  Not here, and not now. “Linnie,” she answered stiffly.

  Isaac stood behind her, hands in pockets, looking as uncomfortable as she felt.

  Allison took a breath, trying to calm down enough to be civil. “What you doing here?”

  “We’re gonna to go to dinner at Olive Garden.”

  Olive Garden? Her gaze couldn’t help moving to Isaac. “Really?”

  At that one word, Linnie looked between her and Isaac and huffed in exasperation. “Really, Allison, just because you’ve been there before with Isaac, doesn’t make it your place or something. We live in this town too. If we tried to avoid every place the two of you ever went, it would give too much importance to your previous relationship and get pretty awkward, wouldn’t it?”

  “You mean as awkward as it is right now?” Allison couldn’t help snap the words at her sister.

  Linnie eyes narrowed in anger. “You know what? You need to get used to this. This is your problem and nobody else’s. I’m sick of the way you’re moping around, making everyone feel sorry for you. You’re not the first girl in the world to get dumped.”

  “I wonder how many of them got dumped for their own sister, though? Sort of a double betrayal, don’t you think?”

  “Seriously?” Linnie looked around, to see if anyone was listening. “You’re gonna go there again? These things happen. You don’t need to make such a big deal out of it, do you? I mean, seriously. Grow up.”

  Allison realized ice cream was dripping onto her hand, and set the whole thing on a napkin, and wiped her hand with another. She certainly wasn’t hungry anymore, and she’d choke if she’d tried to finish the thing. “Thanks for stopping by,” she said, her voice sugar sweet.

  “You know what, you’re not going to get rid of me that easily. I’m actually glad we ran into you tonight. Tomorrow is going to be awkward, but maybe we can talk this out a little bit now, and it won’t be so bad.”

  Pride straightened Allison’s spine. “I don’t see why this has to be bad at all.” Where were her brains? Had she forgotten her grand plan so easily? She leaned forward to unfurl her fingers toward Kenrick. “As I was just telling my fiancé here, I think tomorrow should go just fine.”

  “Your what?” Linnie shrieked the last word.

  “My fiancé.”

  Linnie focused on Kenrick for the first time. Took in his appearance, her eyes running up and down his form. Her mouth dropped open. “I … I thought this was just some guy you were sitting with because there were no chairs available.”

  Kenrick put his own ice cream down and stood. He was broad-shouldered, tough-looking, and thoroughly attractive. Allison had never had such a proud moment in her life.

  “Introduce me, lass.”

  “Kenrick, this is my sister Linnie, and her fiancé Isaac Miller.”

  “The Toad?”

  Linnie gaped in outrage, and Allison’s hand flew to her mouth as she tried to cover a giggle.

  Linnie swung on Allison. “Don’t you dare show up with a fiancé, and then call Isaac a toad. It looks like he might not have been the only one playing around if you got engaged this quickly.”

  Amusement dropping away, Allison’s fingers flew out in a casual motion. “Whirlwind romance.” That was her story and she was sticking to it.

  Linnie’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, is that what they call a rebound romance these days?”

  “I don’t know, Linnie. Maybe it is. But if mine is called a rebound romance, then what would yours and Isaac’s be called? Cheating? Stealing? Playing behind your own sister’s back?”

  Linnie glanced around, her face sour. “You know what? Obviously you can’t be reasonable about this subject.”

  “Why should I be?” Feelings of hurt surged once more, remembering the last time she’d seen them. Linnie explaining to her they hadn’t been able to help themselves and had fallen for each other. “Just one question, and I’ve been dying to ask it.”

  Linnie stood frozen, an aloof expression on her face. “Ask away.”

  “How will the two of you ever be able to trust each other?”

  Without another word Linnie spun, grabbed Isaac by the hand, and dragged him behind her.

  As she watched her sister walk away, she realized how many people were staring at them, and what kind of scene they’d just made. Her gaze flew to Kenrick as he sat down and picked up his cone. She leaned forward. “I’m so sorry, Kenrick. You didn’t sign on for something like that, and I didn’t think it would be that bad.”

  He gave her a charming smile, one that melted her heart, just a little. “Doonae mind me, lass. Life’s been pretty boring for the last bit, and ye certainly know how to spice things up for a man.” He held out his hand and helped her stand. She threw her ice cream away, and he continued to hold onto her as he licked his treat. They walked in the opposite direction, back toward her truck.

  “Do you still want to go tomorrow?”

  “Are ye jesting? After this? I wouldnae miss it for the world.”

  Shaking her head, but unwilling to look a gift horse in the mouth, she tucked her hand into the bend of his arm. “Well, thank you.”

  “What did ye see in that lad, anyway? ’Tis obvious he isnae worthy of ye.”

  She glanced away, and her mouth twisted.

  “The man was a fool.” He said it so vehemently she glanced at him. He looked so dead serious she smiled.

  “Thank you.”

  “Ye disbelieve me?”

  She stared at him and finally shrugged.

  “The man had it all, and then he gave ye up. He might not realize it yet, but now he’s left with naught.”

  He said it so sincerely, tears rushed to her eyes. “Thank you.”

  He took her keys and unlocked the driver’s side door. “No need to thank me for telling ye the truth. Did ye want me to drive?”

  She laughed. “Good try, buddy.”

  They picked up pizza, which smelled delicious, and were soon on their way back to Allison’s house. Kenrick finally decided to address the matter troubling him. “Should I have pummeled him for what he did to ye?”

  Allison’s head swung his way. “What? No! I’m against violence. It doesn’t solve anything.”

  “Oh, it definitely solves matters. No’ always in the way ye might wish, but situations are solved, reversed, changed.”

  “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” She glanced at him then back at the road. “Look, I know you’re a soldier. And, all right, in war perhaps it is different. But in everyday life there’s no excuse for it. The strong should protect the weak. You and Nathan fighting, that’s one thing. You’re both soldiers in a way. But if you knew how many abused animals I’ve seen, both when I was in school, and now that I’m working at the clinic, it would make you sick. Animals are weaker than we are, and we should do everything we can to protect them. Yet I see the results of abuse all the time.”

  “As ye will.” Kenrick relaxed a bit, glad he’d not miscalculated. Still, he couldn’t help a smile. She considered him strong and Isaac weak. And the way she’d gone after her sister showed him that Allison was all spunk and fire. He’d been proud of her.

  Good for her for not backing down. For stating it plainly without thought to listening ears.

  He couldn’t imagine the shame the like would have brought to a village. The couple would have been forced to flee and find another home. “In my time, if a wife died, a man might take her sister to wife. But they always waited until the first was buried.”

  Allison laughed, and he was glad he’d been able to lighten the mood.

  “I didn’t marry the guy, but I’ll have to tell Linnie that.”

  “Aye, that should go over verra well.” What wasn’t going over well was the fact that Allison had once had feelings for the other male.

  And the man wasn’t much to look at, either. He was shorter than Kenrick by at least six inches and sported golden curls. More female than male, the man had no muscle on his chest or arms. He�
��d dared to looked at Kenrick with disdain, but he hadn’t had much to say, had he? He’d not have dared.

  The thought that Allison agreed to marry the man bothered him. “Ye doonae still have feelings for The Toad?”

  She glanced at him again, horror in her expression. “For Isaac? Oh, good grief, no. What I feel is humiliated. I’m far angrier at my sister.”

  Relief swelled within him. “I can certainly understand that. If my brother were to wrong me so, it would be as a stab to my heart.”

  “You have a brother?”

  “Long dead now.”

  “Oh, Kenrick. I’m so sorry. You’ve lost so many people.”

  He shrugged. “I know I’ll see them again someday.”

  She nodded. “You certainly will. I wouldn’t mind if you stuck around here for a while. I’d be glad to share my family with you.” She inhaled sharply and put a hand or forehead. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. That came out like I was asking you to marry me or something.”

  “Ye did ask me to be yer fiancé.”

  She laughed. “Just embarrass me all the more, why don’t you?”

  He grinned at her.

  As she drove, she looked beautiful in the darkening light. “I hope tomorrow isn’t as bad as tonight was.”

  “Doonae worry overmuch about the morrow. Yer sister knows she’s done wrong and is taking her anger out upon ye. Surrounded by family she willnae be able to act in such a way.”

  Allison pulled into her driveway, parked the car, and turned the key. In the sudden silence, she shrugged. “I know I’m not pretty like she is—”

  When he went to speak, she lifted her hand and released her seatbelt. “No, don’t say anything. It’s just the way it is. She’s always been more interested in hair, and makeup, and boys and is just better at that stuff. I’m okay with that, I’m not looking for compliments or anything. I’m the one who’s always been interested in bringing home birds with broken wings, and collecting more pets than I know what to do with. While I’ve been doing my thing, Linnie learned how to attract men. How to catch and keep one. Which was fine, until she caught and kept mine.”

  A growl burst out of Kenrick before he could hold it. “Ye want him back?”

  “No!”

  She jumped out of the truck and shut the door.

  Kenrick blew out a breath, wondering where this burning jealousy came from. He retrieved the pizza and followed her. “That’s fine then. I only feel the need to correct ye on one matter.”

  She ran up the porch and searched her key ring for her house key. She lifted a defensive shoulder, and turned around, her face tense. “What’s that?”

  “Ye are stunningly beautiful.” His voice dropped an octave. “More stunning than any lass I’ve ever seen.”

  Her eyes widened as she gazed at him. “But—”

  He just looked at her. Let her see the sincerity in his gaze, and she gaped at him a moment before unexpectedly launching herself at him.

  He reacted slowly, barely moving the pizza out of the way, opening one arm in time to find it filled with soft, fragrant female.

  He gathered her close, careful not to squeeze her as tightly as he wanted.

  “And I think you are the most handsome, wonderful man in the world.”

  Her words, the sincerity in them, surprised him. His body heated as he held her close. His chest tightened as his feelings started to overwhelm. “Offering me yer family. It was a nice thing to do. I certainly wish I could take ye up on it.” Did she understand he was saying he wished he could marry her in truth?

  Now he was the one who felt slightly embarrassed, but he didn’t have much time here, did he? He didn’t have the luxury of a long, slow romance, nor did he wish to deny the feelings in his heart.

  Her self-worth had been hurt by what happened with Isaac. She thought she wasn’t pretty? That was flat out addlepated. She was beautiful. The loveliest woman he’d ever seen. “Do ye know what I thought the first time I saw ye?”

  She glanced up at him. “What?”

  “I thought ye were an angel. Ye were too pretty to be anything else. There was a light glowing on yer face—”

  “That was my cell phone.”

  “A light, nonetheless. When ye smiled at me, I saw heaven.”

  She blushed with pleasure.

  Two days would never be enough. He needed more time with her.

  Would that he had the rest of his life to bestow the compliments she deserved.

  He carefully set the pizza on a small table and pulled her forward until he could step down onto a stair while she stood on porch. Their faces were close, and he was but a few inches taller than her now. She gazed up at him, accepting, and he leaned forward to press his lips to her soft ones in a gentle kiss.

  She pushed closer and wrapped her arms about his neck, her keys jangled in his ear as he pulled her near, angling her face toward him. Again, he kissed her softly, her upper lip, the corner of her mouth, a tug at her lower lip. When she responded by following his mouth, tightening her arms around his neck to draw him in, pressing against him, he suddenly couldn’t draw in enough air.

  Breathing hard, he broke away from her to gaze into her face, then leaned down again to kiss her longer, harder, pulling her as tight to his overheated body as he could. He broke away again to bury his face in her neck.

  Why had Soni sent him here? To lay everything before him he could no longer have?

  Mayhap this was his test. He was here, in a wonderful location, with this lass, who did things to him, made him feel things. Wants he’d done without for centuries.

  He leaned back to look down into her face, and he couldn’t help raising his hand to brush his thumbs against her lips, her cheeks. “Ye’re so lovely.”

  She smiled at him as she eased her hands to his chest. She took a deep breath, gasping for air, and it gave him a lift of masculine pride to see and hear the way he affected her.

  It was only fair, as she had the same influence on him.

  With a breathless chuckle, she turned away and unlocked the door with shaking hands. Once inside she let Bonnie out of Kenrick’s room, and opened the back door to let the three dogs outside.

  He followed her onto the small deck, pizza still in hand. She retrieved plates, napkins, and water, and he finally got to try the delicious smelling food. He took a large bite.

  “You like it?”

  He groaned his approval. “I do.”

  “Another thing they don’t have in Scotland?”

  He shook his head and said around a mouthful of bread, meat, and cheese, “I’ve certainly never had it.”

  They both ate and watched the dogs frolic.

  When they finished their meal, he taking the much larger portion, he took her hand in his and moved closer.

  She tilted her head back against the wooden chair to look up at the stars, and he did the same.

  A shooting star flared across the sky. “Did ye see that, lass?”

  “I did.” A soft smile lit her face. “There’s a meteor shower going on right now. My friend Tara and I were watching it the other night. Making wishes and such.”

  “Truly?”

  “Yes, you know, if you wish upon a star your wish will come true.”

  “I’ve not heard the like. Does it work?”

  “Yes.”

  “Truly?” He heard the urgency in his voice and felt a bit foolish.

  “Truly.”

  “Did yer wish come true?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did ye wish for?”

  She hesitated. “If you tell your wish, then it won’t come true.”

  “Truly?” He said more softly this time.

  “Yes.”

  Another star flared across the sky. He knew exactly what he would wish for, and he’d keep it to himself in case it could come true. I wish to stay here with Allison. The girl needed him and, if he were to admit the truth, he needed her too.

  She seemed to like him, and he certainly liked her. It w
as a start.

  He felt a little bit of the reserve that held him back crack open as yearning filled his heart. If he could have Allison, stay with her, he’d never wish another thing for himself for the rest of eternity.

  Because he’d have everything he wanted and then some.

  It wasn’t quite dark and Allison wasn’t ready to go inside yet. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

  “Aye.”

  Minutes later they strolled past two of her neighbors’ houses and onto a dirt lane. Kenrick chased the dogs around, throwing sticks, and the dogs were loving it. Even Bonnie chased a few, though she let the other dogs claim them.

  “I can’t believe the difference in Bonnie. I’m thrilled with how well she’d doing.”

  “She only needed a bit of direction.”

  “You mean she needed someone to worship.”

  He grinned at her. “Having females worship me sounds a pleasing way to pass the time.”

  She gently hit his shoulder. “You’d better be talking about the dog.”

  He laughed at that. “What else?”

  Allison was very aware of him next to her. He was easy to know. Easy to talk to. Was he like this with everyone, or was it just her? She’d heard of this happening before. Where you met someone and you instantly clicked with them. You could talk to them for hours, whereas with someone else, you might not be able to come up with a single sentence in a five-minute conversation.

  Of course, she wasn’t exactly comfortable with him. She was aware of his every movement. The huge mass of his body, the ease with which he walked. The way her heart seemed to beat faster. She swore she even got whiffs of the way he smelled. Masculine, earthy, and male. He made her weak in the knees.

  “You mentioned your wife earlier. Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

  Kenrick shrugged. He picked up a rock and threw it. “I was married, and before the year was out, we had a child. I was sent to France to fight and our son died. My wife was inconsolable, and I was nowhere to be found. When I arrived back home, I quickly found she blamed me for not being there, and wanted naught to do with me. She wanted me gone, so I left again and eventually heard she took up with a Campbell. At that point, I think mayhap was a relief for the both of us.” He paused. “It wasnae a love match between my wife and me, but I’d wanted it to be one.”