MacGowan's Ghost (27 page)

He handed them to her. “Your very own Wellies.”

She laughed and took them, turning them around to inspect. Just a tall, rubber pair of boots. “Thanks. You shouldn't have.”

Gabe laughed, too. “Aye, well, you'll be glad you have them once we start walkin'. 'Tis a requirement of being a true Scotsman, aye? A sturdy pair of Wellingtons to get you through the forest and muck.”

Gabe laughed at her expression. “You'll see.”

So she pulled on her Wellies. They fit perfectly.

How else could one possibly go in search of the most infamous and elusive monster in the world?

 

Gabe and Allie spent the rest of the afternoon hill walking, taking a path Gabe himself had taken many times whilst drying out. Christ, that had been the most difficult of times. Ethan, his neighbor across the loch, had been building his cottage at the same time and had been a huge help. Along with two brothers, a handful of cousins, and Gabe's brother and father, they'd all pitched in and seen Gabe through the worst time of his life.

The worst time in Jake's life, as well.

His mum swore Jake was too young to know what was happening, and too young to remember, but the thought still plagued Gabe. There his wee son was, in the care of his grands because the parents were too wrapped up in their own miseries no' to be selfless enough to raise him with the proper care. Gabe had always loved Jake, from the moment he first laid eyes on him.

He thanked God every day he had left that destructive life behind.

And for the family and friends who pulled him through it.

Allie's hand reached over then, and took his. So much smaller than his, softer, delicate, yet Gabe felt a powerful strength radiating from her. It frightened him.

She looked up and smiled, the sun falling through the leaves and onto her face. She had the smallest of freckles on her nose, and when she smiled, her eyes squinted into the most adorable half-moons. She took his breath away every time he looked at her. He couldn't remember ever noticing such detail on a woman before.

Truth be told, that frightened him, too.

He was beginning to think he was a bloody chicken.

“Tell me about your family,” Gabe said, wanting to relieve his mind of old ghosts. “Sean says you claim your sisters are even more gorgeous than you.” He pulled her close. “Which I refuse to believe.”

Allie giggled. “Emma is two years younger than me. She's smart, very serious, tall, and has my mother's hair—a lovely auburn. Like Jake's. And she has hazel eyes.” She thought a minute. “Boe—short for Boedine, which she
hates
, and she cringes whenever one of us calls her that—is the wild child of the bunch. My father insisted on naming her after his grand-mother. Four years younger than me, strawberry blond straight hair with blue eyes like mine,” Allie said, batting her eyes. “She is a marine biologist.”

“Really?” Gabe said. “Interesting.”

“Tell that to my mother. Boe's specialty is sharks and it freaks my poor mom
out
.”

They came to an enormous fallen pine, and Gabe stopped and smiled down at Allie. “And the last sister?”

Allie sat, and Gabe followed. “Ivy. We've always called her Sika, though. She looks more like my father, with dark hair and green eyes. Quite a looker. She helps run the B and B my mother owns. She's a gourmet chef and good
God
, that girl can cook.”

Gabe picked a piece of loose bark, studied it, and tossed it onto a patch of mossy ground. “You miss them, aye?”

Allie nodded, stretching her legs out and studying her Wellingtons. “Yes, I do.”

“So why do you stay in Raleigh?” he asked.

Brushing the tree bits from her hands, she rested them on her thighs and blew out a sigh. “I guess I don't know. After my dad died, my mother tried to make a living in Raleigh with us girls, but it was hard on her. The memories were difficult, and my mom had always been a stay-at-home mother. She searched and searched for something she could make money at and still give her daughters a good life.” She smiled. “She's a great mom. And when she inherited a B and B from her great-aunt, she jumped at the chance.” She shrugged. “That chance happened to be in Maine.”

“Long way off.”

“Yes. So I worked hard at my grades and got a full scholarship to NC State University. My mom and sisters stayed, of course, in Maine.”

Gabe cleared his voice, lifted her hand, and studied her long fingers. “Can you tell me how 'tis that a gorgeous woman like yourself isna taken?” He looked at her and waited.

“You're crazy,” she said quietly, but she smiled. “The usual story, I guess. My heart's been broken, so I've been majorly cautious, involving myself in loads of work. Before that, I was busy in school, and I suppose most guys probably thought I was a little weird. I never partied, never went to clubs, didn't belong to any school organizations or athletic departments. I had friends, but I wasn't
involved
. You know? I was
that
girl.” She shrugged. “Maybe because I'd sort of found my
calling
, if you will. With spirits.”

Gabe gave what he hoped was a comforting smile. “Lucky me.”

She shook her head and stared at her feet. “Crazy.”

He didna want to bring it up now—he'd wanted to wait, until later. But he found he couldna help himself. “Will you continue to stay there, Allie Morgan? In Raleigh, alone with your ghosts?”

A soft breeze wafted through the trees, and it lifted a long strand of curls from Allie's shoulder. She tucked it behind her ear and shrugged. She didna look at him. “I don't know, Gabe.”

Now she looked at him, those wide blue eyes full of question. “I could say a few things that would probably make you take off running for the hills.”

Gabe's heart lurched. He dared to hope for anything. He didna want to sound like a wee lad who'd never had a girl. Didna want to sound overly anxious. So he calmly took a breath and looked at her. “So try me, Allie Morgan.”

 

Allie stared out across the forest, then up at the tall canopy of trees overhead. God, she must be insane to risk telling Gabe her feelings. Guys didn't want feelings.

But then again, not all men were like Gabe MacGowan.

Just because she held out hope he would be interested, even a smidgen interested, in what she
felt
, didn't mean Gabe was anything but macho. He was definitely that. He wasn't a shouter; she hadn't seen him get into any fistfights yet, but still—he was one proud Scotsman. Strong, a powerhouse of muscle, and fearing nothing that she could see, Gabe, to her, was the perfect guy. He had his imperfections—and he'd been man enough to be honest and share them with her. He was a strong but loving father—a single father at that and doing a fantastic job. He loved his family and treated the females in his life as if they were pieces of gold.

Yeah, Gabe MacGowan had numerous marks that made him a very fine man.

She glanced at him.

He was grinning.

She heaved a gusty sigh. “You're making me nervous.”

He glanced away, but in his voice she could still hear him smile. “Sorry.”

Another sigh, and Allie kicked at a clump of dirt. “I guess, Gabe, you've sort of gotten to me. Somewhat. Well, a lot, really. Actually, I can't stop thinking of you.” She swore under her breath—one of the nice Gaelic ones Wee Mary and Laina had taught her—and turned to him. “You, your son, your family—those bloody Odin's ghosts. Sealladh na Mara.” She kicked another dirt clod, her voice sounding angry to her own ears. “I guess I've fallen for all of it, Gabe. Every last bit of it.” Then she muttered, “For you.”

Gabe sat silent—didn't say a single, solitary word for God knew how long. It seemed like bloody forever.

Only the wind through the treetops rustled the leaves, making a crisp, crackling noise that would normally soothe and relax.

Allie could hear the hands of her Timex
tick-tick-tick
ing as the seconds rolled by. That tiny sound rose above the wind and leaves, just to annoy her. To irritate her.

And scare her to death.

Had she just made the wrong decision? Gabe was too silent, was taking too long to respond. And she was too chicken to take a peek. God, she wished mightily she could take it back and stuff it into her big ole mouth.

Just when she thought she might scream out loud, Gabe took his knuckle, hooked her chin, and turned her face toward his. Usually so open, she now felt embarrassed. Or afraid to see the rejection in his eyes. She just wouldn't look . . .

“Open your eyes, lass,” Gabe said, his voice deep, his words perfectly gauged. He cleared his throat. “Now.”

Slowly, she did.

And fixed her gaze directly over Gabe's shoulder, to the nice rowan bush he'd shown her earlier.

“Look at
me
.”

Allie shifted her gaze. Gabe's eyes, those mesmerizing, intoxicating eyes, had turned smoky, yet with so much depth and clarity Allie thought she could see all the way through them. She didn't say a word, just locked on to Gabe.

And then he spoke.

“You thought that would have me runnin' for the hills?”

He moved his knuckle over her cheek, and then gently gripped her jaw with one hand. He lifted it, just a bit.

“I dunna know how, lass, because I damn well wasna expectin' it,” he started, and Allie noticed just how thick his accent had grown. “But it happened.” He scooted closer. “That night, when we first kissed, and you told me to breathe, and to look at you?” His gaze dropped to her lips, as though maybe he was remembering that kiss, and then lifted back to her eyes. “I knew then. I know it now without a doubt.”

Allie sat completely still. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

“I'm in love wi' you, Allie Morgan,” he said, and his deep voice cracked, just a fraction. “Christ knows I'm in love with you.” He leaned to her then, and his lips brushed hers as he spoke. “You make me feel alive, whole again. And I desperately dunna want you to go away.”

Allie's heart soared. Inside, she quivered uncontrollably, and pressed her lips to Gabe's. That small motion grounded her.
He
grounded her. With her eyes still open, she whispered, “I am so in love with you” against his mouth. “I don't want to go, either.”

Gabe laughed, threw his arms so fiercely around Allie that they both tumbled backward off the log.

Allie squealed as they landed on the soft, mossy forest floor, laughing.

After a moment, Gabe gently pushed Allie to her back and braced himself on his elbow above her. He looked down at her, and his eyes moved over her face, studying it closely, before meeting her eyes with his. He lifted his hand and brushed her lips with his thumb. “I know this is right,” he said. “I feel it here.” He took her hand and pressed it over his heart. “With every bloody thump, I feel it.”

Allie's eyes burned with tears and by God, she fought hard for them to stay in their ducts. But they slipped out and trailed down her face.

Gabe brushed them with his finger, and then lowered his head. Against her mouth, he whispered in Gaelic, “
Tha gaol agam ort
.” He kissed her. “I love you.” Again, he kissed her, long, thorough. “I dunna want to ever let you go.”

Allie kissed him back, loving the feel of his lips against hers, the pounding of his heart pressing against her chest, and those sweet, brogued Gaelic words washing over her.

She knew Gabe MacGowan was a man of his word.

He meant
everything
he said.

She wrapped her arms around him and clung tightly.

Finally, she'd found
home
.

Chapter 24

G
abe's heart had never felt lighter. He had Allie Morgan in his arms, on a soft Highland forest ground, and the sun was shinin'.

She loved him.

His mobile vibrated on his hip. Actually, between his and Allie's hips.

“Well, well,” Allie said, wiggling her brows. “Can't say I've ever had that reaction from a guy before.”

He grinned, shook his head, and reached for it. Bracing himself on one elbow, he checked the caller—Sean—and flipped open the phone. “Aye?”

“Drew says you'd best take care with our Allie,” he said with a laugh. “Honestly, Gabe. Control yourself, lad.”

Gabe frowned and glanced round. “How the bloody hell does Drew know what we're doin'?”

Allie snorted.

Sean laughed.

Allie thumped his chin. He rubbed it and gave her a mock glare. She simply smiled.

“So things are goin' well, aye?” asked Sean.

Gabe looked at Allie.
His
girl. “Aye. How's Jake?”

“Fine. We're goin' bikin' here in a bit. So we're off. Try and behave. Or Drew's goin' to tell Mum and Da.”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “I'm thirty-two years old, for Christ's sake.”

Sean laughed. “Doesna matter and you know it. You kids be good now.”

With that, Sean disconnected.

Gabe shook his head and hooked his mobile back on the clip.

“What?” Allie asked, raising herself up on her elbows.

Gabe reached over and plucked a leaf from her hair. “Apparently Drew and the others dunna trust me so much.”

“I can't imagine why.”

With a laugh, he gently threw her back to the ground and kissed her until she couldna breathe.