When Megan said the Burns Night supper was to be held at Kindrogan Castle, Faith assumed the castle was a hotel, but it turned out to be the Mackenzie family home. In fact, they owned a whole estate, thousands of acres of the Scottish Highlands.
Any doubts Faith harbored about accepting the invitation vanished at the prospect of being the guest of a real laird, just like in the historical romances she loved. Yet she wasn’t as bedazzled by the prospect as she once would have been.
Her parents had accused her of living in a fantasy world when she’d had a relationship with Liam, and she had to admit now it had been crazy to date a man twenty years older than she, and her boss to boot. When things went wrong, she lost not only the man she believed she loved, but her job as well.
She’d learned the hard way that she needed to keep her feet on the ground, and joining the army had certainly done that for her. There was nothing more grounding than the hard realities of soldiering, even though as a veterinarian she was rarely put in dangerous situations. She still saw the aftermath and dreadful results of the bombs and attacks.
For one evening, she intended to enjoy her supper at Kindrogan Castle and the trappings of a life of privilege, but she would not get carried away like she had with Liam.
The train from Edinburgh rattled in the familiar hypnotic rhythm as it followed the Kinder Valley between two mountain ranges. Snowy peaks towered all around, and in the distance, she caught a glimpse of the steely waters of a loch. As the train slowed on approach to the station, she grabbed her weekend bag before making her way along the aisle to the door.
When she stepped out onto the platform, a blast of bitter wind buffeted her and she hugged her coat closed over her little black dress, but she was already shivering. Up here in the Cairngorms, it was much colder than in Edinburgh.
She had texted Megan twenty minutes ago as instructed and hoped someone was waiting for her outside the train station in a nice warm car. She was the only passenger to disembark and there seemed to be no members of railway staff. Being extra careful in her high-heeled pumps, she made her way along the platform as the train pulled away, the engine humming.
As she stepped out of the station, she collided with someone coming in. “Oomph.” Her startled breath rushed out in a misty cloud.
“I’m sorry.” The man extended a hand to steady her, and she recognized Hew Mackenzie.
Up close and personal, his brown eyes were as intense as she remembered, and he smelled wonderful. He released her and stepped back.
She was good with people, had always been able to chat easily with anyone, a skill she found useful in her job. But something about this man left her tongue-tied.
“You smell good,” she blurted, the first thing that came to mind. Okay, that hadn’t come out the way she intended. “Either you wear cookie-scented aftershave or you’ve been lurking in the kitchen.”
She thought the corner of his mouth quirked.
“Lurking in the kitchen,” he said, then considered for a moment as if judging if she could be trusted with a confidence. “Stealing warm shortbread,” he added. “Nothing beats Mrs. Stewart’s shortbread.”
He sounded friendlier than he had in Edinburgh, but then he had been worried about his missing son when she first met him.
“This way. Careful, it’s slippery.”
She followed him out to the road where a dark green pickup bearing the words Kindrogan Estate on the side stood waiting, thankfully with the engine running. When he opened the passenger door, warmth blasted out. He offered his hand to help her climb up and she gripped his large calloused fingers. He might come from a wealthy family, but he obviously wasn’t above hard manual work—so not like the heroes in her historical romance novels after all.
Hew rounded the back of the vehicle and climbed in, then pulled away smoothly. Snow chains rattled on the road before they turned off down a snowy lane through a tall pine forest. He drove in silence, and Faith began to feel awkward. She was searching for something to say when they left the woodland and took a sharp right turn onto the crest of a hill.
The pickup drifted to a halt at the top of the hill and Hew rested his hands on the steering wheel. “That’s Kindrogan, the Mackenzies’ ancestral seat.” His tone sounded wistful and affectionate.
The awesome vista spread below left Faith speechless. The glassy surface of the loch reflected the snowy mountain peaks, the lower slopes clothed in dark pine trees draped with streamers of mist. At the head of the loch stood the castle, the gray stone towers and crenellated battlements blending so well with the surroundings, it looked like something grown from the rocky landscape rather than built by the hand of man.
“Wow. It’s stunning,” Faith whispered. “To live here surrounded by all this history and natural magnificence must be an amazing privilege.” She finally pulled her gaze from the scenery and turned to find Hew watching her with an appraising expression.
“You like it?” he said.
“I love it.”
He angled his head slightly, his brown eyes thoughtful as if trying to work her out. Then he put the vehicle in gear and they continued down the hill and along the narrow road beside the loch. When they reached the castle, Hew drove around the side and into a courtyard before pulling up at the end of a row of cars, all chunky four-wheel-drive vehicles with snow chains on the tires.
After he cut the engine, he came around and opened the door for her, took her weekend bag, and offered his arm to help her cross the slippery paving stones on the courtyard.
“Thanks for picking me up,” she said.
He met her gaze briefly and nodded.
There was something a little mysterious about Hew Mackenzie, and despite the fact he was undeniably good-looking, she couldn’t decide if she liked him or not. She suspected he was the sort of man it would be difficult to get to know because he kept to himself.
A sound drew her attention to Fergus standing in the lighted open back door, looking like something from a bygone era in his navy jacket with shiny buttons and his kilt.
“Faith, you came.” He grinned widely, a Jack Russell and a Westie pushing past his legs, their tails wagging.
“Hello, Fergus.” She bent to stroke the two eager dogs. “Who are these two?”
“Tilly is mine.” He crouched and wrapped an arm around the Westie’s neck. “And Pup is Dad’s.”
Pup obviously hadn’t been a puppy for a good few years. With anyone else, Faith would have made a joke of the unimaginative name, but she didn’t like to with Hew, uncertain how he might take the implied criticism.
Megan shouted a greeting and rushed across to meet her. Soon Faith was enveloped in the bustle of the kitchen, introduced to Naomi Mackenzie, the laird’s wife, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Stewart.
Faith laughed with them, the effusive greeting reassuring her she was welcome. Not that Hew had made her feel unwelcome.
She glanced around for him in time to see his back as he strode out a door on the far side of the room without another word.
• • •
Hew stood before the full-length mirror in one of the guest rooms at Kindrogan Castle and examined the reflection of himself wearing his navy jacket and Mackenzie plaid kilt. He straightened the top of one of his socks and finger combed his hair.
Annoyed with himself for wondering if Faith would be impressed by his outfit, he turned away, the kilt brushing his knees as he headed along the hall for the stairs.
He hadn’t even wanted to contact the woman who put the message in the bottle, yet thanks to his son and his meddling sister, Faith was here. From what Megan said, she genuinely liked Faith, yet he was sure that wasn’t the only reason Megan had invited her to the Burns Night supper. He was willing to bet she’d be scheming to push him and Faith together.
Faith was attractive, he’d give her that, and he had nothing against her, but he wasn’t interested in romance. He had an excellent relationship with his son, and life was good with just the two of them. Why spoil things?
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Megan hurried out of the kitchen corridor.
“Ah, good, Hew, just the man I need. In ten minutes, I want you to announce that supper is served and herd everyone into the dining room.”
“Who are you planning to seat me next to at the dining table?”
Megan gave him a mischievous grin that reminded him of years ago when they were children. She had always been the one to conceive the mad schemes, yet it was the boys who got in trouble when they went wrong. She rose to her toes, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then hurried back to the kitchen, her long green silk dress rustling.
“Ah, dear Meggie,” he said to himself. Whatever she was plotting, he would forgive her. He couldn’t have wished for a better sister.
Hew checked his watch before ambling to the drawing-room door. The hum of conversation inside was punctuated with laughter, and above the noise, he heard his son’s raised voice. That lad certainly liked to be the center of attention. Everyone said Fergus looked like him, but as far as personality went, they were polar opposites.
Hooking a thumb in his jacket pocket, Hew exchanged nods with some of the people who were members of the Kindrogan Mountain Rescue Team with him. He scanned the crowd and spotted Faith with Fergus, surrounded by a group of people. Megan’s husband, Daniel, was there, no doubt charming the pants off her as he did with everyone.
Hew told himself he wasn’t bothered about being overshadowed by his brother-in-law; he was used to it. Yet despite the thought, a possessive urge spurred him to hurry across the room towards Faith. Nobody could deny he had a claim of sorts on her. He was the one in possession of her message in a bottle, after all.
He grabbed a glass of whiskey from one of the trays Megan had put out, and stepped up between Fergus and Faith.
“Dad,” Fergus said, “I was telling them how I found the bottle Faith put her message in.”
“Were you now?” Hew hated social gatherings. His mind went blank when he had to do chitchat.
“I gave the bottle to Dad for Christmas, didn’t I, Dad? He thought it was a bottle of whiskey. It was really funny to see his face when he unwrapped it and read the message inside.”
And decided not to answer it.
Hew shifted, uncomfortably aware of Faith’s quizzical blue gaze on his face.
To forestall any more awkward conversation about the message in a bottle, he put on his official smile—he always felt more comfortable when he had a purpose—and turned to the room, raising his voice.
“Supper will be served shortly. Please make your way to the dining room and find your assigned seats.”
“You’re sitting beside me,” Fergus said to Faith. “I’ll show you where.”
As Faith walked off with his son, Hew followed them.
Daniel fell in beside him and leaned in conspiratorially. “I give your son top marks for the Christmas present he gave you. Looks to me like he hit the mark.” With a teasing grin, he nodded towards Faith’s curvaceous back view in her tight black dress and stilettos.
“It’s not like that.”
Hew’s quick retort sounded a tad defensive. He was sure Daniel had caught him checking out Faith’s very nicely shaped rear end, and he didn’t want him getting the wrong idea and telling Megan. Hew would never hear the end of it, otherwise.
Daniel chuckled. “Of course not, my friend. Of course not.”