He's Captured My Heart (Captured Series Book 1) (7 page)

“For one, the lovely couple are getting married outside on the front lawn. And two, they plan on getting beautiful photos taken on the grounds. If it rains, the lovely Libby and I will spend the day rolling out the backup plan to accommodate them inside.” Kieran flashes me his big, cheesy, white smile. I wonder if Alex has realised yet that Kieran is gay; surely he must have, with the admiring looks headed in his direction.

“So…Saturday?” I say.

“You’re free all day, honey, as long as you do an early check in the function suite on Sunday morning and let me have a lie-in—seeing as I’m working all day, and you get to play. Life is so unfair.” I think Alex has just caught up. He glances between Kieran and me.

“Your father has already taken care of Saturday. I believe you are taking me to a football match. I can’t come all this way and not see a Scottish football game. I understand that you Scots have a real passion for the game,” Alex says. From the look on his face, I can see that he is no longer talking about the football.

“Football, seriously? I’m supposed to take you to football?”

Kieran sits laughing, clutching his belly—genuine, proper laughing.
Why bloody me? A whole day at football!
That’s Ethan’s thing, not mine—not anymore. I used to love going to football with my dad and Ethan on a Saturday afternoon. It was always a good way of spending time with Dad. But it’s been so long since I was last there that I couldn’t even name a single player now. Dad was always taking some client or another to both Rangers and Celtic games—always the neutral supporter. The amount of business my dad has done over the years at football matches, I suppose it is a great day out, if you like that sort of thing.

“Yes, and then we are going for dinner with your parents,” Alex informs me. He looks pleased with himself, like the cat that’s got the cream. How come no one thought to tell
me
what I was doing?

“Will you stop with the bloody laughing? I take it you knew about this?” I ask Kieran, who is still in stitches.

“Of course I knew. I had to sort your tickets. Your face was a picture!” says Kieran, finally collecting himself. “Okay, I have hospitality booked for you at the Motherwell v Celtic game. So no slumming it in jeans. Smart dress. Alex, I know you were happy to see
any
game, so it will be a bonus seeing the current Scottish champions. If you’re interested, I think Phil
can arrange a stadium tour of any of the clubs at a later date during your stay.”

I turn to Alex. “This is more my brother’s thing than mine, Alex. Maybe I will get Ethan to go with you instead.”

“Missy, there are
four
tickets. Ethan
is
going,” Kieran says smugly.

Ethan’s first outing. Well, that’s a bonus. And I don’t have to wait until Sunday to see him. He did always love the football, Lindsay didn’t share his passion. “So that’s Saturday taken care of then,” I say resignedly. I might just strangle my father when I see him.

“Now Sunday. If I’m correct, there’s some sort of a charity function here at the hotel?” says Alex. “Your dad has invited me along.”

Naturally. “Yes, there is, and there will be many of his business colleagues here.”

“Michael, am I right in thinking that we are tied up all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday?” Alex turns to Michael, who’s been sitting quietly at his side.

“Yes, and we also have to arrange a meeting in London for the following week, but we can’t plan that week’s meeting until we see how the first lot go.”

“So we can arrange some sight-seeing for Thursday and Friday then?” Alex glances at both Michael and me. Michael just nods his head.

“I’m sure we can manage without you on both those days, honey,” Kieran says, looking rather happy with himself. “Fabulous! So I’ll be in charge those days.” He winks at me.

I humour him. “Yes, you’ll be in charge then. Do try and keep the damage to a minimum, won’t you? I think that’s as sorted out as I can be for the time being. And plans are always subject to change in emergencies,” I say. “Now are you both ready for a tour?” They both nod, and we all stand up. “Kieran, could you let chef and the department heads know that we need to have a meeting tomorrow morning, ten o’clock? Could you also ask Karl for an updated Christmas menu? I think that’s everything. If you have any problems, ring my mobile. Otherwise I’ll see you in the morning,” I say to Kieran as we all leave my office.

“No worries, honey. Enjoy the rest of your day.” Kieran leans in to give me a kiss on the cheek and to whisper in my ear, “I would
love
a piece of him, but he only has eyes for you. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

God that could be hard. Don’t think there’s anything I’ve not known Kieran to do.

We walk through the hotel. Alex is at my side, and Michael walks just behind us. I fill them both in on
the history of the building, an eighteenth century baronial mansion that has been in my family for the last century. Alex asks lots of questions, which I answer to the best of my ability, but I realise that all I know is what my grandfather told me. I tell him there is a book with the whole history of the building and estate that I can have sent to his room, and he seems interested in this. My grandfather had commissioned the restoration of the main house to turn it into a hotel. Then he had the extension built about thirty years ago. My father has plans to extend the hotel again, more bedrooms, but I’m not sure his heart is in it. Alex seems interested in what I tell him. Michael doesn’t say much. A man of few words.

I give them a full tour, showing them all the staff areas as well, including the very modern and well-equipped kitchen. I introduce them to Karl, who spends some time describing the various menus. When we leave the kitchen, we head to the leisure centre. This is probably the most modern part of the hotel when compared to the rest. Stephen smiles when he sees me, but when he recognises my companions, the smile leaves his face. I introduce them, but Stephen is very dry. He is always polite—even on an off day, he can hold it together—but there’s tension in the air, so we don’t spend much time with Stephen. I’m sure both Alex and Michael have picked up on the awkwardness.

As we leave I turn back to Stephen. “I’d like to speak with you later. I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”

I make our last stop inside the hotel the bar, where I offer them both drinks. I love being in this part of the hotel; it has an old village pub feel to it, warm and inviting. We have a full range of malt whisky from all over the world. Michael asks for water.

“What would you recommend, Libby?”

“Do you like whisky?”

“Yes, but if I am honest, I prefer a nice, cold beer.”

“If I can interrupt,” the bartender says, “can I recommend the Glendronach nineteen- year old -single-malt whisky? It has everything you would expect in a good scotch whisky; it’s oaky, sweet, and woody.”

“Will you join me in a glass, Libby?” Alex asks.

“I suppose I can. Could I have a dash of water in mine, please?”

“So, Stephen…is he your boyfriend?” Alex asks studying me.

“God, no! He’s my brother’s best friend. Whatever gave you
that
idea?”

“Just the way he looks at you. And earlier today he kissed you,” Alex says. “He really didn’t like seeing you with me, so I just presumed.”

“Well, you presumed wrong. For your information, there
is
no boyfriend. I have no time for that. I’m totally focused on running this place,” I say. Then,
lest he think me a cold fish, I add, “Well, there was one, but the relationship had run its course. I broke it off.”
Why am I explaining myself to him?

Alex’s mobile rings, and he steps to the side to answer it—far enough away that he won’t appear rude and yet, oddly, not so far away that I can’t still hear his side of the conversation. “No, it’s not going to happen…I have business in the UK to attend to. Surely you can deal with it? Or are you that incompetent?” He pauses, waiting on the reply from whomever is on the phone. “Michael can call you shortly and go through the paper work with you before you e-mail it to me. If it’s all in order when my lawyer looks at it, I’ll sign it—then, deal done. If there are any other problems, direct them to Michael first. He can decide whether I need to know about them.” Alex hangs up, returns to the bar, and takes a drink of the whisky.

“A problem?” Michael asks.

“Yes. It seems the Vegas deal is hanging in the balance. Vince is going to send over the details. Can you deal with it?”

“Of course. I’ll take care of it right now.” Michael doesn’t wait for a response from Alex. He places his water glass on the bar. “Good day, Libby,” he says, with a nod of his head.

Now I’m a bit apprehensive. There is tension running through my whole body. Do I want to continue with a tour of the grounds now that I know Michael
won’t be joining us? I could call an end to it just now instead of going outside. Michael felt like my safety net, and now that is gone.

“So, Libby, are we ready to head outside now?” Alex asks with a reassuring smile as he places his empty glass on the bar. I don’t finish mine.

“Yes.” My brief reply is all I can manage.

We head outside via the leisure centre. We pass Stephen on the way out, and he eyes me cautiously, mouthing,
Remember what I said; be careful!
We pass the tennis courts and the kids’ play area, which is quite noisy with kids running round playing, but there is an awkward silence in the air between Alex and myself—as well as a huge amount of sexual attraction, at least on my part. We walk in silence towards the riding stables. Every now and then, I glance over to find him looking at me. When we get to the stables, we stop.

“Surely we are not going riding, with you in a dress?” Alex says with a laugh.

Maybe we could do that one evening
, I think to myself. “Not today, but it’s probably the best way to see the whole estate. We could ride at some point during the next few days.” We stop in front of the paddocks, where two small girls are getting riding lessons while their parents watch from the side. We have six horses on the estate, stunning creatures. Ethan and I used to go horse riding most Sundays with our parents.

“Yes, I would like that,” Alex says with a warm smile.

We continue walking and engage in some polite conversation. I tell him about various activities the hotel has to offer, including clay pigeon shooting, hiking, and the seaplane trips, which I highly recommend. It still feels a bit strained, but I’m hoping it will get easier. I ask a few questions about him, and I learn that Alex has an older brother named Connor who is twenty-nine and a lawyer just like both his parents. He has a sister, Sophie, who is the same age as me and is still at uni studying fashion. He already seems to know all about my family; Dad has already told him a lot about Ethan and me. It turns out that Alex had been due in the UK four months ago, but he cancelled the visit when my father told him about Lindsay’s death.

I ask him what line of business he’s in, and he tells me that he has several casinos and a hotel in the states, which sets my mind racing.
Surely his being here has nothing to do with this place? My father wouldn’t part with it
. But he says that what he’s best known for is buying struggling businesses and turning them round so they are profitable and then selling them on. An investor then? But I’ve seen the books for this place. Why would we need an investor? I don’t want to jump in with all guns blazing, but I really need to know about the business my dad is doing with him.

I have to admit it’s been a very pleasant few hours walking round the estate, something I’ve not done in a long time. I’ve forgotten how beautiful the whole estate is. I really should do this more often; it’s so easy to take things for granted and not truly appreciate what’s right on my doorstep. The company hasn’t been too bad either.

Our last stop is at the water’s edge. As the water splashes against the pebbles, I notice a seaplane has just landed at the jetty, and an excited couple is about to go for a tour. There’s no better way to see the loch than a bird’s-eye view from the sky. From up there you see the real majesty of the vast loch and surrounding highlands. From the sky the hotel glistens like a jewel against the unspoilt water’s edge.