Chapter 7
When they returned to Mia’s house, she sent Kevin straight to the bath to get all the pig filth off him. He ranted the whole way home about not getting to see the parapets, even stretching Conall’s infinite supply of patience. When he was freshly scrubbed, he ran into the kitchen where Conall was searching for something to cook.
“Pizza! Pizza!” he chanted.
Mia followed him, an exhausted look on her face. “No pizza. Not until I get a few paychecks anyway.”
She squeezed past him to inspect the pantry, which he’d already found wanting. With a frown, she went to the fridge.
“Rather bare, aye?” he asked. “Not even enough eggs left for all of us. I’m fine with plain bread.”
She held up the bag of bread, revealing a lone crust. “Not enough of that, either. You know what that means?”
“Boo,” Kevin whined. “It means we have to go to the shops.”
Mia turned to Conall. “You’ll be glad when your Soni shows up, won’t you, with him being so cranky?”
“Mum, I nearly got ate by a mad pig. You’d be cranky as well.”
Conall turned and gave the lad the sternest look he could muster. “All your own fault,” he said. “Now be grateful your ma doesna put ye to bed without supper as my own woulda done had I acted so outrageously.”
“That’s right,” Mia said, nodding. “Children had to go hungry when they were naughty back in Conall’s day.”
“And get whipped until our skin was raw,” he added, sorry for it when both their faces paled. “Good thing times have changed so much, aye?” he said quickly. “It’s a good thing children are no longer beaten. Now get your shoes on so we may get to the shops before they close.”
Kevin slunk off and returned with his shoes on his hands and a huge grin on his face.
“Ye didna say where to put my shoes on, did ye?” he said.
“Nay, that’s true. Your accent is coming along fine, lad. But ye should also be proud of who ye truly are. If someone doesna like ye because of where ye were born, that only speaks poorly of them, not ye.”
“But I wager if I keep living here, I’ll talk like a Scot anyway,” he said. “Without pretending. Mum, let’s live here forever, aye?”
“I wouldn’t mind it, sweetie.”
She exchanged a look with him and he knew she was hoping she wouldn’t have to keep running from her ex-husband. If only he had more time he’d see she could live wherever she liked for as long as she liked.
They made it to the village proper and while Mia and Kevin went into the grocery store, he found his way to the historical museum. He was pleased to see Archebald Bancroft, the man who’d come after the stolen gun, was puttering about at a display.
“Oh, hello,” he said, looking up. “I thought for certain I would have seen you at the camp by now,” Archebald said by way of greeting. “Your plaid is one of the most authentic I’ve seen in a long time. Clan Alexander is it?”
“Aye, that’s right. And it is authentic. I’ve this as weel, if ye’re interested in it.”
He pulled his beloved knife out of his sock and held it out by the blade to the historian. Archebald leaned over it and gasped.
“Early 1700s?” he asked. “And in near perfect condition. The carving on the handle is exquisite. Yes, that is definitely something I’d be interested in.” He waved to his displays. “Normally I and the other reenactors buy up such things for our own use but something so fine should go in the museum.”
“I’ve no interest in donating it,” Conall said. “It’s modern money I’m after.”
“Wait a tick, then,” Archebald said, hurrying toward the back.
A moment later a pretty dark-haired woman leaned over the knife. She turned it to and fro and whipped out a magnifying glass to study the blade.
“You say it’s authentic, Archie?” she asked.
“Authentic and in the best shape I think I’ve ever seen.”
Conall looked down to hide his smile. The blade had been a gift from his father, right before he’d left to take up the Bonnie Prince’s cause. It was far more expensive than his poor Da could afford so he’d treasured it, cleaning it carefully after each use and sharpening it regularly. It wasn’t much more than a year later and he’d been killed with the knife tucked firmly in his sock, never needing it again. He offered a silent thanks to Soni for restoring it along with his body.
Archebald and the woman moved away, whispering back and forth before returning.
“I’m afraid all I can offer is six hundred pounds,” the woman said.
He managed to keep from staggering backwards, but just barely. He’d thought he might get enough to treat Mia and the lad to the pizza he so wanted for supper.
“I’ll need it in sterling,” he said.
They laughed heartily. “You reenactors can break character every once in a while, you know,” the woman said, shaking her head. “Would cash be all right?”
He wished Mia was there to advise him but he longed to surprise her. He had a sudden disheartening thought that perhaps six hundred pounds wasn’t so much in this time. What if it wasn’t enough for the pizza? No, that couldn’t be right. He was almost positive it was only eleven pounds to get into the visitor center at the moor. A small fortune in his time, but the tourists handed it over without much problem. Surely a pizza wouldn’t be more than that.
“Cash will be fine,” he finally said.
It didn’t sting as much as he thought it would to hand over his knife. What would he do with it where he was going, anyway? His fists would work just fine on the prince, and after that? Nay, it was better to be useful to Mia. And he longed to make her smile.
He signed a paper and was given the money. He’d never had so much in his living life and he thought it would be a lot more climactic than the six bills the woman handed to him.
It was when he showed the money to Mia that he felt the surge of happiness he was hoping for.
“Where did you get this? Oh my goodness, it’s definitely enough for pizza.” She threw her arms around him. He twirled her, giddy with the success of his surprise. Until she dropped her arms and slid to the ground. “But I can’t accept it.”
“Why?” he said, gobsmacked.
“Yeah, why?” Kevin said, squeezing in between them to gawp at the bills in her hand.
“Go to the car,” she said, pointing to the curb where she’d parked.
She handed him the small bag of groceries she’d bought and kept pointing until he sighed heavily and marched to the car.
“Mia, lass. Ye must accept this gift or I’ll be sore unhappy.”
“It’s much too much. How did you even get all this money?”
“I sold my wee knife at the historical museum. They were eager to have such a fine artifact from the distant past. So, it is a good amount, then?”
“It’s a good amount, yes.” She stared up at him in awe. “You shouldn’t have sold your knife.”
“Bah, what will I do with it, or this money? I dinna believe there’s shopping in the afterlife.”
She gripped his hand. “Do you really want me to have it? You don’t know how broke I am. This money will help us so much until I get my first paycheck.”
“I only wanted the lad to be able to have his pizza, so I’m pleased it’s so much more than that.”
“It’s a lot more.”
She put her arms around his middle and squeezed, tipping her head back to look at him with eyes full of gratitude. He thought his heart might explode, it felt so full. She gasped and pushed away, looking around.
“What is it?” he asked.
He was sorry not to have her close anymore but more worried about what had shocked her into jumping back like that.
“What if this is it? You saved Kevin and now you’ve pretty much kept us in groceries until I get paid. How much more could you help us?”
He swore and hurried to the car. “Let’s get away as quick as we can.”
She continued to look around. “Not yet,” she said to the sky, cheeks blazing. She went so far as to shake her fist then got in the driver’s seat. “I suppose she’s not coming,” she said.
Her voice was relieved but her face was screwed up with anxiety. The yet hung in the air between them.
“Let’s no’ think of it,” he said, patting her hand. “I’d like to eat this pizza of yours for the first time without a heavy heart.”
“You’re in for a treat, Conall,” Kevin said from the backseat.
Not yet, he silently entreated Soni. Please, just a wee bit more time.
***
The delicious pepperoni and warm crust smell of the pizza filled the car and soothed her nerves somewhat. By the time they reached home, she thought she might be able to pretend they were just a normal family. Thinking it caused a stab of regret. She’d made some pretty stupid mistakes in her life, but nothing so daft as starting to fall in love with a ghost.
There. She admitted it to herself. It stung, but she didn’t shrivel away. She might though, when he was gone. He was generous, brave, selfless, gorgeous. Everything she ever wanted in a man. And if she didn’t stop thinking about how much she was going to miss him, she wouldn’t be able to eat a bite of pizza.
No sooner had she placed the box on the table and went to get napkins and plates, there was a pounding at the front door. It had to be Evie, keen to hear the latest news. She sighed, not wanting to discuss Kevin’s accident with the ornery pig at the castle.
The pounding grew louder, rattling the door on its hinges and she turned to look at Conall. The pounding grew louder still, sounding like kicks now. That couldn’t be an eager neighbor. It could only be her ex on a rampage.
“Go to your room, Kevin,” she said, surprised she could speak. “Lock the door behind you.”
Pale and trembling like a leaf in late autumn, he ran to his room without a word of dissent.
“Ye get to your own room,” Conall said, already heading toward the door. “I’ll take care of this.”
She shook her head. It was time to face him. She was certainly glad she didn’t have to do it alone, but she was in the right. And she was sick to death of being afraid.
He sighed and motioned for her to stay well behind him as he strode to the door. Before he could reach it, it flew inward, splinters of wood flying everywhere.
She always envisioned him as a monster, complete with jaws and claws and red eyes, and he looked that way now in reality. He roared as he shoved past the broken door, stopping short when he saw Conall, his eyes widening. That made Mia smile.
Unfortunately he saw the smile, which was like pouring gas on a flame.
“You filthy whore,” he shouted. God, what will the neighbors think? she couldn’t help worry. “Where’s my son? I have a right to see him.”
He hurtled forward, getting stopped short by Conall’s big fist knocking him in the chest. Thankfully the entry hall was narrow, so if he wanted to get past Conall he’d have to start hitting and she knew he only felt comfortable hitting people much smaller than himself.
“You don’t have any such right,” she called over Conall’s shoulder. “Did you forget you lost custody? And you can’t be here. You know there’s a restraining order.”
Continuing to hold him back, Conall turned and asked, “What’s this restraining order, lass?”
“He can’t come within a hundred feet of me or Kevin. And he knows it.”
“Then I suppose ye should leave, aye?” Conall asked jovially.
He may as well have waved a red flag at a bull. Her foul ex tried once again to shove past Conall, reaching forward as if he could already feel her neck in his grasp. Conall had him face down on the floor in a second, his hands pinned behind his back.
“I said I’d get ye the chance to kick him if I could,” he said proudly. “That restraining order is only against him I’m supposing. Ye can get as close as ye like, is that right?”
If she hadn’t already admitted to herself that she loved Conall, she knew it with all her heart now. She stared down at the wriggling worm at his feet, searching her soul for the ability to forgive. She so wanted to be the better person.
She looked down at her summer sandals. “Hang on,” she called, marching toward her room.
Searching through her mess of half-unpacked clothes, she found a pair of hiking boots. She was the better person. She always had been, no matter what he tried to make her believe. All of the name-calling, all of the accusations that she deserved what she got. She was about to firmly— very firmly— put it all behind her.
She finished lacing up the heavy boots and pounded back into the entry hall.
“You’d bloody well better not, you—”
The rest of his sentence came out in a yowl when she slammed her reinforced toes into his ribs. She felt hot tears streaming down her face and shook them away.
Once more. She could still take the high road after that. She kicked him again, this time in the belly, remembering all the times she had to wear long muumuus to the pool with Kevin so no one could see her bruises.
He grunted in pain and she wished it would have felt better to hear it. But she wasn’t a monster like him, who enjoyed hurting the helpless. She stumbled away from him and nodded at Conal.
“I’m done. I’m going to call the constable.”
“I’ll leave,” he croaked, coughing and moaning. “I’m over it, you stu—”
This time he was silenced by Conall’s fist to the side of his head. “If I let ye up, ye better not give me any trouble. Nor should ye trouble Mia or the lad again. I didna hurt my hand at all on your soft head, and wouldna have any problem hitting ye some more if I felt it was needed.”
“It’s not needed,” he said, going limp and lying on the floor until Conall freed his hands.
Conall blocked the hallway while he pulled himself up. Holding his ribs, he limped out the door without looking back. When she heard a car engine start up at the end of the drive, she finally breathed. Within seconds she was enveloped in Conall’s strong embrace.
“This has to be it, lass,” he said.
She clung to him with all her might. Already worked up from releasing some of her pent-up rage, she meant to continue fighting.
“I won’t let her take you,” she said.
He was silent and she realized with a heavy heart that she had no say. As much as she’d struggled to take the high road, she had needed to deliver those kicks. Needed it badly. How could she possibly ask him to give up his chance to face the man who had not only been responsible for his death, but the deaths of so many others?
They held onto each other in silence until she heard feet padding from the hall. Kevin stuck his face around the corner. She hated seeing such fear etched there and pulled away from Conall to reassure him it was all over now. He burst into tears.
“What is it?” she asked, trying to wipe away the deluge.
“I don’t want Conall to go,” he wailed.
Struggling not to cry herself, she put her arms around him. Conall joined the hug and it was almost more than she could bear. What if her life had always been like this? It wasn’t worth thinking about. It hadn’t been and it wouldn’t continue to be. Conall would leave soon. In fact, she was surprised he wasn’t already gone.
“Maybe you don’t have to go, after all,” she said tentatively. As if she might be tempting fate, or Soni, with her little bit of hope.
Conall looked around and shrugged. “Perhaps,” he said slowly.
She imagined he was disappointed. At least somewhat. As much as he might have grown fond of them in their short time together, she knew he needed to face Prince Charlie. None of it even seemed fanciful to her anymore.
“You can’t go,” Kevin said, grabbing their hands and leading them to the living room. He pushed them both onto the couch and settled himself on the floor, arms crossed stubbornly. “Nobody leaves this room.” With a nervous glance around, he added, “Or comes into it.”
Conall chuckled. “Ye dinna need to fear anymore, lad. Ye willna be bothered again, even after I go.”
Mia nodded and leaned over to smooth his hair. “Yes, you don’t have to worry, okay?”
Kevin huffed in outrage. “I’m not worried. I don’t want to keep him around because I’m worried. I like him! He’s fun and kind and teaches me things. Like a real dad. Da, I mean.” He scowled and she could see he was fighting new tears. “Do you only want to keep him because he’s a good bodyguard?”
That stumped her good. She risked a glance at Conall who looked back at her with great interest. Did she only want to keep him around because he guaranteed she’d never have to fear her wretched ex again? Did she want to keep him because he would make a great father for Kevin? Sure. Of course. But she knew it was so much more than that. So much more than the tingles she got when he touched her hand or held her tight. So much more than the kisses, though she didn’t think she’d ever get enough of those.
Yes, it was a done deal. Hook, line, and sinker, her heart was his.
“I don’t only want to keep him because he’s a good bodyguard,” she admitted, getting lost in Conall’s tender gaze.
He cut a look to Kevin and hopped to his feet, clapping his hands together briskly. “Come along to bed, lad. Nothing more will happen this night. It seems I was mistaken when I heard I’d get only one or two days.”
“But the pizza!” he argued.
Mia knew it was still too early for his bedtime and she certainly couldn’t send him off without supper. But she didn’t believe Conall had misheard his instructions. He was far too thorough and it was far too important. She knew as well as he did that he might get called back any time now. She greedily wanted that time to be hers alone. She’d deal with whatever guilt came after.
“Take the box with you and do as Conall says. It’s been a harrowing day, to say the least. An early night will do us all good.”
He looked like he might argue, but after looking back and forth between them, he nodded once, then went to the kitchen for the pizza box. He paused in the hallway on his way to his room.
“I left you some slices,” he said with a conspiratorial smile. “Have a lovely evening.”
The young fiend was playing matchmaker. She returned his smile and rushed to the doorway to give him a goodnight kiss.
“You’re my number one, always and forever,” she said, grateful to have such a clever child.
He shrugged but didn’t wipe away her kiss like he often did these days. He peered around her shoulder at Conall, who nodded fondly and saluted at him. Kevin crisply returned the salute.
“I suppose I’d be willing to share the title,” he said.