The House on the Shore (38 page)

“I’m not going far, just up to the bothy and back.
I won’t be long—perhaps three-quarters of an hour—an hour at most, that’s all.”

“A bothy?
What’s that?”

“It’s a kind of shelter,” Anna
replied
fastening the hood of her jacket.
“There are a few on the estate.
Most of them are tumbledown ruins inhabited by sheep.”

“
I still don’t like it.
I’ll go with you.”

She rested a hand on his arm.
“No, you won’t.
I’
ll be back before you know it.”

“
I
f you’re not here when I finish checking the yacht, you know I’ll come looking for you.”

“Luke, that isn’t a good idea, not in this mist.
I don’t want you getting lost.”

“Be careful.
Promise?”
He kissed her cheek.

“I will.”
Anna untied the dinghy and handed him the line.
She called the dogs to heel and walked off in the direction of the waterfall, her mind full of the e
vents of the previous evening.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t understand why Alistair continued to show interest in her, especially after Morag’s revelations about his playboy lifestyle in France.
She certainly wasn’t his social calibre.
Her wardrobe consisted of jeans, sweatshirts, and chain store clothes.
She didn’t know the names of current designers, let alone own any of their creations.
Yet, there was a certain att
raction to his half-said offer.

He’d behaved oddly.
She’d hoped he might have forgotten about the invitation to dinner, but she wasn’t surprised when he brought the subject up again.
S
omething
about his manner
had
warned her against accepting
.
W
hy did he keep on saying that the estate
and his lifestyle could be hers?
It was as if he was proposing marriage w
ithout saying the actual words.

Marriage.
Something she
never allowed herself to dream about.
No one had ever asked her.
Not even Mark.

She wondered if Luke had thought about it.
He’d been engaged before, so
wasn’t opposed to the idea
.
Did he ever think of it with her?

Was she just a summer distraction, or did he love her?
While she longed to hear his answer, she lacked the courage to ask him.
Besides, no matter what the duration of their relationship, she couldn’t betray him by having dinner with Alistair, at least not right now.
All of which left her no option but to let th
ings take their natural course.

Oblivious to the fine rain soaking her hair, s
he trudged on through the bracken and heather towards the old sheph
erd
’
s bothy high up on the hill
.
Stone built and with a corrugated-iron roof, it was originally constructed to provide shelter for the estate’s
stalkers
.
Rarely used now, except by hillwalkers as a place to camp out in overnight, it was devoid of furniture and although never locked, the door stood ajar.

Curious, she signalled the dogs to wait in the porch, and cautiously stepped inside.
She gasped in fright at the sight of a strange man standing by the fireplace.
Middle-aged,
with a deeply creased face
;
he dangled
a
half-smoked cigarette from the corner of his mouth.
His unshaven face looked as if it had been carved
, badly,
from granite.
A tattered wax
ed
jacket was thrown on the floor, and the tweeds he wore,
she
noted, were
well worn
and splattered with mud.
His eyes were the colour of flin
t
—as grey as the sky and the sea—a
nd they were hiding something.

She cleared her throat, and tried to sound much braver than she felt.
“Good morning.
I h
aven’t seen you around before.”

He doffed his cap, revealing a round
,
bald head.
He stubbed o
ut his cigarette on the floor.

“Sorry if I started you miss.
Name’s M
a
cKinnon.
I’m the new factor on the estate.
I’ve been tracking an injured stag.
I got caught o
ut by the weather and thought I woul
d shelter in here until the worst passes.
That’s not a problem, is it?”

“The bothy is on estate land.
I can hardly object.
Did you put the poor beast out of its misery?”

“Aye, miss, that I did.
A bullet straight through the heart
.
I
t’s the only way to kill ‘em,” he replied, deliberately stroking the barrel of his gun wh
ere it rested against the wall.

“I
didn’t see a stag outside.”

“It’s down the hill a way.
I’m just waiting for the lad with the garron
,
the Highland pony.
Once he arrives, we’ll load up the carcass and carry it back to the estate.”

Anna shivered and nervously bit her lip.
M
a
cKinnon’s emotionless voice made her flesh creep.
He suddenly took a step toward her.

“Have no fear of old Mac.
I’d never lie to you.”

She stepped back.
“
Well, you have everything under c
ontrol.
I’ll leave you to it.”

“Wait!
You’re soaked to the skin.
Why don’t you stay here until the worst of the downpour is
over?
The last group of walkers left some kindling and logs in the porch,
I could light a fire.
I’ve even got a drop of the hard stuff to help keep out the chill.”
He pulled a sma
ll silver flask from his pocket
and gave her a twisted smile.

“T
hat’s…er very kind of you, Mr.
M
a
cKinnon…but I really should be going.
Friend
…my friend back at the house will be wondering where I am.
And the dogs
they’ll be getting restless and bored, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be getting on my way.”
As calmly as she could, Anna turned and walked away, her pace mat
ching her increasing heartbeat.

She kept walking until she judged she was out of sight of the bothy
and
then broke into a run.
The dogs ran beside her.
She didn’t stop until they reached the top of the waterfall.
She bent over, hands on knees
,
winded
,
but feeling safer.
She sat down on a boulder and patted the dogs’ heads.

“I know you love running, girls.
I j
ust wish I did too.”

She glanced back toward the bothy, now far from her line of sight and wondered why Alistair was employin
g such a dangerous looking man.

Anna drove into work later that afternoon
, and
met Morag walking along the
tree
-lined drive.
Pulling the old Land Rover to a halt, she pushed open the passenger
door and called to her friend.

“
What on earth are you doing walking in this weather?
Hop in, and I
’
ll give you a lift.
”

“
Thanks, Anna,
” Morag said
,
as she shook the rain from her umbrella and climbed into the passenger seat
.
“
I was hoping to bump into you or one of the other girls before I got soaked to the skin.
”

“
What made you choose today, of all days, to walk to work?
”

Morag frowned.
“
Well
,
I didn
’
t wake up and decide it was a nice day for a stroll, that
’
s for sure!
The truth is I forgot to put petrol in the
pickup
.
Do you know that
’
s the third time this month I
’ve done it?”

“
It
’
s easily done.
That
’
s why I keep a spare can of diesel at the croft.
It was a good
c
eilidh,
”
Anna said,
setting the vehicle in motion.

A smile creased Morag’s face.
“
Yes, lass, it certainly was a grand occasion.
The food was wonderful, and the band
Mr
.
Alistair hired from Glasgow was very good.
Although I must say, I didn
’
t expect him to invite so many of the gentry, especially as the
c
eilidh was supposed to be for the tenants.
Someone told me the Chief of Clan Grant was there, although I didn
’
t see the man myself.
”

“
Really?
I did spot that racing driver…the one who won the last Monaco Grand Prix. Alistair has certainly moved up in
the world to be hob
nobbing with the likes of them.
”

“
That may be, but he should be spending less time with his fancy friends and more on the affairs of the estate.
Do you know old Mrs
.
Ferguson reported her roof leaking six months ago, and it still hasn
’
t been repaired despite the fact her rent has increased?
”

Anna
parked
the Land Rover
outside the kitchen door and turned to her friend.
“
I guess the ol
d Laird let things slip
.
N
ow Alistair is in control
,
I
’
m sure things will improve, unless the rumours are true and the estate has financial difficulties.
It would certainly
explain
why he felt the need to
increase
the
rents.
W
hy hold a hugely expensive party if it is?
It doesn
’
t make sense.
”

“
You’re right
, it doesn
’
t
, u
nless you
’
re trying to impress someone, such as a prospective buyer
.
O
r trying to keep up appearances,
”
Morag said

“
Did I mention he asked me to dinner?
”

Morag glanced at Anna
.
“
What, the Laird?
And what did you say?
”

“
Why, Morag, I said no
,
of course.
”

“
Even though Luke will be returning home soon?
”

“
Yes, even though Luke will be
leaving
,”
Anna
said
.
“
I can
’
t go behind his back and have dinner with another man, no matter how innocent the invitation may be.
Besides, he
’
s not my type.
”

“
Who
’
s not your type?
Who are you
talking about
,
Luke or Alistair?
”

“
Are you being deliberately obtuse, or are you just trying to annoy me?
Why Alistair, of course.
He
’s too
smarmy
.
To
o false, if you know what I mean.
”

Morag’s brown eyes sparkled.
“
Does this mean
romance is in the air?
T
hat you
like
Luke?
”