The Highlander's Hope - A Contemporary Highland Romance (3 page)

Chapter Three

Despite the impending excitement of looking for the jewels, Cat would still need a cup of coffee to wake her up.  The anticipation of what she’d find had kept her up most of the night, and she’d only managed to drift off to sleep mere hours before her wakeup call.  Her head was in a fog, and if she didn’t get some caffeine quickly, she’d fall asleep on the way to her appointment with Iain. 

Iain
.  She cursed the smile that tugged at her lips, and reminded herself just how infuriating the man had been.  Absolutely, without a doubt, the most frustrating man she’d met in a very long time.  At least he was willing to help her.  That was huge—and for that, she wouldn’t write him off as a complete jerk.

Needing that cup of coffee and some breakfast, Cat
quickly showered and got dressed, twisting her hair up and out of the way with a pretty clip, before wandering downstairs.

“
Morning.  If ye’re looking for yer friend, he’s having a bite to eat in the dining room.”  Mrs. Gordon gave her a smile while tidying the papers behind the counter.  “It’s a buffet, so help yerself.  And if ye need anything, just let me know.”

Cat was confused.  She thought she was meeting with
Iain at his home.  “Iain’s here?”

“
Iain?  Iain MacCraigh?  Och, no.  He was an Englishman.”  She shook her head and tapped at the computer.  “Says here his name is Dr. James Tanner.”

Cat’s face flushed with anger, as she wondered if he’d followe
d her up from Cambridge.  There was no way in hell she’d let him swoop in and find the jewels when she’d been the one to find the clues.  Cursing under her breath, she stalked into the dining room, immediately spotting him amongst the other few guests.

“What the hell are you doing here, James?”

He looked up from his paper, a pretty porcelain cup held daintily between his two fingers.  “Cat.  What a surprise to see you here.  Will you not join me?”

“You’re a real
bastard.  I can’t believe you actually followed me here.  Only you would stoop so low.  Not that it surprises me after you stole my find and took credit for my work.”  Did he know about the jewels?  Or did he suspect she was onto something and was hoping he could figure out enough to beat her to the punch. 

“
My dear, your recollection of events seems to be different from what actually happened.”  His smug smile only angered her further.

People were starting to stare—
and it probably didn’t help that she looked intent on committing murder.

“You keep telling yourself that,
but people are starting to see past your lies.  Before long, you’ll only have the undergrads to con and seduce into your bed.”

H
e leaned towards her, closing the distance between them so he was infuriatingly close.  “It was a bed you were more than happy to share with me, my dear.  Or have you forgotten all those lovely nights together?”

Her skin crawled at the memory. 
She had been stupid and naïve, but she was seldom a fool twice. “Why are you here? Or are you going to try and tell me it’s just a coincidence that you’ve shown up in the same town I’m in—the same hotel—when you’re a day’s drive from home.” 

“
I cannot help where my research takes me.  Perhaps it is you who’s following me?  Why are
you
here?”  He perked an eyebrow in question, making her want to wring his neck. 

In her desperation to throw him off her track, the words were out of her mouth before she’d thought them through.  “I’m here to visit my boyfriend, if you really must know. So don’t waste your time, James. 
Go. Home.”

She
pulled herself upright, scoffed, and then walked away without another glance.  By the time she got outside, her heart was pounding a deafening beat, and her body was shaking. 

How the hell had he tracked her to
Dunmuir?  The only ones she’d told were the MacCraighs, since she was meeting with them, and Tansy, who’d nearly murdered James herself when that nastiness went down with her previous research project.  He must have followed her when she first came up.  Damn it!

And now that he’d caught whiff of a find?  She’d never
get rid of him—unless he actually believed she was here on a romantic getaway.  What had come over her, she didn’t know, but with luck, he might actually believe her and go back to Cambridge.  In the meantime, she’d channel her anger into finding the necklace.

Before he got the chance to follow
her to Iain’s, she got in her car and headed off, going for a bit of a drive first to make sure he hadn’t caught up to her.  She’d need to find another place to stay too, though that would have to wait until after her meeting with Iain. It’d be impossible to avoid James if they were staying in the same inn.  Problem was, in a place as small as Dunmuir and with the closest city nearly two hours away, she might be hard pressed to find a different place.  Perhaps she could grab a room at a bed and breakfast, though she suspected many of them might not be available in the off season. 

When she pulled down the drive to the
MacCraigh castle—for what else could it really be called—she found Iain hanging around outside with Duncan, the two of them playing fetch.  She pulled up next to his car and got out as Duncan rushed to her side in a full body wiggle.  She gave his head a good scratch before turning to Iain, whose attention was elsewhere.

He tilted his head in the direction of her small spare tire.  “Ye shoul
dn’t be driving around on that thing.  Ye’ll only end up breaking down again.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to get it fixed.  Any
place you’d recommend where they might be able to get it done quickly?” 

Iain
shrugged.  “Guess that’d depend on whether he’s got yer size tire in stock. If he has to order it, it could take a few days.”

“I’ll have to take my chances
on the spare then.  I have no other way of getting here.”

“If that’s all, I could always come and ge
t ye.”  As if that settled the matter, he moved onto the next topic of conversation.  “I went through some of our books last night—the old ones.  Don’t know what ye’re looking for, but I set aside a few interesting things pertaining to the time period.”

“
I appreciate it.” 

Perhaps she’d been too harsh on him and they’d gotten off to a rocky start.  It would be good to have his cooperation and knowledge
of clan history and lore.  So much was often passed down in stories rather than written down.  Indeed, it was because of her Scottish grandmother and the tales she’d heard as a child that she’d become interested in the history of her ancestors.

“Well,
don’t go getting ahead of yerself, lass.  The only way ye’re going to get access to those books is if ye first tell me what yer looking for and why ye’re really here.”

“Look, I’m happy for any hel
p you’re willing to give me, but like I said, I need more information first.  I’m not sure of things just yet, and it’d be premature to speculate.”  Why did it feel like they were constantly rehashing things?  And here she’d gone thinking she’d judged him too harshly.

“No, my dear.”  He crossed his arms and stopped walking, his head cocked to the side with a smirk on his lips.  “Ye tell me now, or ye can find
whatever it is yer looking for without my help or my clan.”

S
he was tempted to walk away.  James had set her nerves on edge, she’d yet to have a cup a coffee, and she was in no mood to negotiate with Iain when Callum had ensured her of their cooperation.

So why was
she was stuck dealing with a stubborn bastard like Iain instead of his sweet father? She wanted to turn and go, yet she knew she’d regret it the moment she did.  It would leave the treasure—
her
find—vulnerable to bastards like James, and that wasn’t a risk she was willing to take.  Treasure hunters would catch whiff and it would all be over—they wouldn’t care about the historical significance or what it would mean to the people of Scotland.  No.  They’d only care about pawning it off to the highest bidder. 

“
Iain, please.  I can’t risk this getting out.  The vultures are already circling.  I’ve done my best to keep it all a secret, but it only takes a single drop of blood to bring the sharks feeding.  And they’re hungry, damn it.”

His smirk faded to a look of concern.  “If ye’re worried I’ll tell others, I’ll not.  Ye have my word.
  But I need to know what’s going on, especially if there are others looking for whatever it is ye’re trying to find.  I have my family to think of and I’ll not jeopardize their safety.”

Now she’d gone and worried him needlessly. 
James was a lot of things, but she couldn’t see him stooping so low as to hurt anyone physically, not even for a treasure as great as The Highlander’s Hope. 

“It’s not like that.
  It’s a colleague—Dr. James Tanner—who wants to take credit for anything I find.  He’s done it before, and I’m afraid it’s made me overly cautious.”

“And
can ye say for sure that there aren’t others?”

Weariness had her letting out a long sigh.  “No, I’m
not sure.  There could be other people looking for it, and they may very well be a hell of a lot more ruthless.”

“And ye’ve brought that to my front door?  I
can’t say I appreciate that, Dr. Ross.”

Crap
.  What had she done? She looked deep into his sea blue eyes, their gaze intense. “I’m sorry.  It’s never been my intention to put anyone in danger.  But I’ve been very careful, and I have to believe that no one knows what it is I’m looking for.  Not even James.”

“
Get inside.  We’re going to sort this out right now.”  He glanced around as if expecting someone to be watching, and then with a hand on her shoulder, got her moving forward and towards the house.

Once indoors, s
he followed him down the hall to a portion of the home she’d not been in before.  Portraits and weaponry hung on the dark wood paneled walls, while elaborate rugs covered the wide plank flooring, and the ceilings soared high above them.  He took one turn and then another, winding around towards the back of the house.  Finally, he pulled open a door, and let her step through.

Her heart pitter-patter
ed in delight at the sight of all the books, despite her recent troubles.  Two levels of full-sized book cases lined every wall, the only interruption occurring where the stone fireplace cobbled its way to the ceiling.  A roaring fire was already dancing in its confines as if in anticipation of their arrival, warding off the damp of the autumnal morning.

Iain
stopped short and spun on her, her reveries over the books dissolving like smoke caught on a wind.  “You need to tell me everything you know.  Now.”

His eyes locked on hers, his jaw stiff as he spoke.  He was angry, but
if he thought he could bully her, he’d soon find out just how wrong he was.

“Look,
I don’t mind sharing some information, but I can’t tell you everything.  This is bigger than all of us, and I can’t risk letting it fall into the wrong hands.  I’m here as a researcher, and I swear I’ll do right by your family, but I need your support.”

“
I’m sorry, lass, but if ye want my support then ye need to trust me with what it is we’re looking for.  You’ve put my family in danger, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to fumble around in the dark not knowing who or what will be coming.  I want answers, Cat.”

“
Look… James might be an ass, but he wouldn’t physically hurt anyone.” 

“
Aye, this
James
seems the trustworthy sort from what ye’ve said of him.  And what of the others?  Can you be so sure of them?”  He ran a rough hand through his thick chestnut locks.

Unfortunately,
Iain was right, even if Cat was loath to admit it.  “Then help me find it before the others figure out what we’re up to.”

He laughed while shaking his head. 
“I’d be happy to, lass—if ye’d tell me what the hell it is I’m actually trying to find.  Tell me what it is we’re looking for and ye can have access to all ye need, and I’ll help in any way I can.  But it’s not going to happen if ye’re keeping secrets from me—especially not when my family’s involved.”

She debated telling him she’d find a way without him
, but there was no point to it.  Especially not when James was on her trail.  Iain had her cornered, and telling him the truth would be the only way to get him to cooperate. 

“Fine.
  We can work together.”  Annoyance still crept into her voice, and she put little effort into trying to disguise it.

“Is it The Highlander’s Hope?” 
When Cat cursed under her breath, he howled in excitement.  “I knew it.  I just knew it had to be.”

He was grinning like the cat who’d stolen the cream, and she was irked to no end.
“So now you know.  Happy?”

“It’s a start
.”  He walked over to a desk, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she was following.  “There’s one more order of business.  I need ye to sign this.”