As she and Jo left the hothouse, Thomas MacGregor loomed under the arbor-vined path. It looked like he was trying to fit his giant body in a floral bedazzled Barbie House. Jo stiffened, but I’d already taken her hand and gave her a squeeze of encouragement.
“I saw you crying, Jo... Ms. O’Connor,” he corrected.
Ahh, River felt slightly vindicated on her friend’s behalf. This wasn’t a reaction from a disinterested,You’re only a job, man.
Jo, however, wanted a shield, and River would damn well be that safeguard. Chuckling, River shook her head in a self-deprecating way. “I gave Jo all the details of Patrick’s proposal. He was extremely romantic, and Jo got choked up.”
Macgregor looked unconvinced and upset when Jo wouldn’t look at him. “Hey Jo,” River said, “should we order in or eat at the hotel’s restaurant. I checked out the dinner menu, and they have a breaded cod with all my favorite veg sides I’m dying to try.”
“Let’s eat at the restaurant. We can check out the bar for drinks and dessert after we eat. We aren’t leaving early in the morning, so we might as well live it up tonight.”
River knew why she’d picked the hotel. Less ‘alone’ time with a certain bodyguard to contend with.
34
Dougal Donaldson was a... character. He was five feet ‘nineish’ inches of arrogance, rudeness, and crudeness, and... he was also obscenely talented if the stunning pieces of furniture thrown haphazardly about his workshop/giant old barn were anything to go by.
The black-bearded pirate was surly, and that wasbeforeRiver introduced herself and said it was nice to meet him. Now, he was toeing the intolerable line. River silently thanked Hugh O’Faolain for inadvertently teaching her to weather several variations and styles of mantrum.Foreigners didn’t appreciate ‘the process.’ Women were a pain in every Scotsman’s ‘arse.’ The indignity of ‘plebeians’ asking about his art.
Shocking! Commence inner eyeroll.
Donaldson huffed and puffed his way the length of his shop and back again.
After Mr. Donaldson cursed River and Jo eight ways to Sunday for asking to see some of his current work, or rather, it sounded like cursing. MacGregor, who had up until this point stayed quiet and still against the heavy barn wall, said, or what River thought he said... “Yer doin’ me nut in, ye lavvy heided tadger.”
Dougal stopped his posturing, now looking at Thomas with interest. “Oh, aye?”
“Aye.”
“Well then, I’ll hae ye in for a cuppa and show you me latest.”
River and Jo exchanged looks, hoping the men reverted to a form of English more familiar to the women but ecstatic at being allowed in the man’s inner sanctum. Whatever MacGregorhadsaid to the grump must have been magic. The guard went from Petting Zoo Honey Bunny toAladdin’sGenie. MacGregor was her current hero.
* * *
River waseuphoricas they drove away from Donaldson’s farm. It was the only adjective capable of describing the current high she was riding. Dougal turned out to be not lovely by any stretch of the imagination but... friendly? All thanks to MacGregor’s efforts.
Jo was driving because her guard had had a few shots with their host. ‘Necessary’ to cement the new relationship, according to the men. It was very nice to see Thomas loosen up. He must miss his family and country. River didn’t believe it was necessary for Jo to drive as the owner of a security firm would never allow himself to become inebriated on the job, but she’d insisted, and Thomas relented.
Dougal had offered them tea, which turned into lunch. Since River loved cooking, she helped his housekeeper/cook, Rose, prepare the meal, then snacks, then more snacks, and finally the whisky shots. In between kitchen duty, Dougal gave River and Jo a tour of his completed pieces and allowed them to peruse no less than ten sketchbooks of his newest designs.
Dougal Donaldson was an extraordinary talent. Extra, extra extraordinary. His pieces ranged from heavy and sturdy to light and elegant. All were expertly crafted works of art. He mixed woods like painters mixed color— elm and ash, Scottish sycamore and yew, oak and walnut.
The gems in his work were the carvings. On many pieces, they were hidden. On one oversized chair made from straight grained ash, Dougal had carved a dragon crawling under one armrest, the tips of its claws the only part visible at first glance. However, there were two pieces that had caught her eye and held every ounce of her fascination. The first was a rocking chair made from pale Scottish sycamore and carved from tip to rockers in flowers— roses, daisies, thistles, heather, bluebells, lavender, and everything in between. The second was an armoire. It was made from American Black Walnut with a French Oak Tree of Life inlay.
Neither piece was sold. She wanted that rocker for her Nan and the armoire for Matilda. So, River did what she had to do. She called Hugh O’Faolain. She wanted to buy the chair as a wedding present for Nan from her, Raven, and Rowan. She wanted Hugh to buy the armoire to give to his mother, Matilda. Rowan had taken a keen interest in helping Hugh’s mother with a family tree memory cabinet. This one would be perfect for the project.
Of course, he was next to Bran and Patrick, who instantly wanted to know why River was calling their dad. Hugh put her on speaker, she explained what she wanted, sent pictures, Hugh asked to speak to Dougal, and that was that.
“Okay, guys, to celebrate MacGregor winning over that woodworking genius, I’m ordering the menu to be delivered to our Garden Suite and booking massages.”
“Have I told you lately that you’re my favorite Byrne,” Jo laughed. “Nothing sounds better!”
“Thomas, would you like a massage as well? If you don’t want a full hour and a half, they can do target areas like neck and shoulders.”
River watched Thomas grow tense. She was in the back seat and watched a blanket of stress wash over him. Damn, massages were supposed to cause the opposite reaction.
“I agreed to only one guard on this trip, so that means I need to be alert while strangers are in the cottage with you two. If you could email me the hotel’s massage therapists’ information, I’ll have my people start on background checks immediately.”
