Page 121 of A Secret Scottish Escape

Rafe dropped his gaze for a moment.

“I don’t know how I got there, through all that grief. It all seems an insane blur now.”

I watched her put the mug of tea to her lips and take a nervous sip. “Emily wouldn’t want to see you like this. I’m sure it would break her heart.”

She turned to me, her face crumpling. I quickly removed the tea from her hand and set it down on the table. Hazel folded into my shoulder, letting out agonising tears against my T-shirt.

Once her breathing had steadied, I dropped my face to her level. She swiped across her eyes with her hand. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She held my eyes with hers, desperate to be believed. “I’m going to take control of my life. For Emily.”

She flicked an embarrassed look at Rafe from under her lashes. “I’m going to return to Australia as soon as I can. Get some counselling and talk to my parents.”

I squeezed her arm. “Emily would be very, very proud of you.”

Once we were certain Hazel was composed enough, I offered to drive her back to her B&B and Rafe called the care hire company and arranged for Hazel’s vehicle to be collected the next morning.

I settled Hazel into the passenger seat of my car and she offered me a grateful but watery smile.

I returned to Coorie Cottage and found Rafe.

I crouched down to stroke his cheek but he sprang backwards in his chair and averted his gaze.

“Rafe?”

“I’m tired,” he confessed, not bringing himself to look at me. “You should go. Drive home safely, and thank you for what you did this evening.”

“Get this down you.”

I eyed the tumbler of whisky Faith was handing me.

“Go on. You’ve almost been run over. It’ll be good for the shock.”

I propped myself up against my pillows. “Since when did you become a doctor?”

“Just drink the bloody thing!”

I gulped the rich golden alcohol down in one gulp and started as the bitter liquid struck the back of my throat. I let out a couple of raspy coughs. “Where did you find this?”

Faith shuffled her bottom as she sat beside me on the bed. “It must have been part of Mac’s secret stash. It was lurking at the back of one of your kitchen cupboards, alongside two bottles of vodka.” Faith narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t you think you should see a doctor?”

“What, for a bruised arse?”

She shook her strawberry-blonde head in exasperation. “For the shock. You’ve really been through the wringer tonight. It’s not every day someone tries to run you over. And you should have rung me,” she stated, her gold bangles sliding up and down her arm. “You shouldn’t have driven home from there on your own after that.”

I picked at the seam of my coffee-coloured duvet cover. “I wasn’t on my own. For some of the time Hazel was next to me.”

Faith looked annoyed. “A lot of people wouldn’t have done what you did. Still, as long as you and Rafe are OK…”

The taste of his mouth still lingered on mine as Faith said his name.

“Oh shit,” I wailed, as a single tear slid down my face and plopped onto my covers.

Faith seized both of my hands in hers. “I know you’ve had a terrible shock, but there’s something else you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”

My shoulders sagged under my purple pyjama top. “Rafe and I kissed.”

Faith’s eyebrows arched. “OK.”

I tipped my head back against my brass headboard. “It was wonderful. I’ve never been kissed like that before. Not even by Mac.”