Page 52 of A Scottish Lighthouse Escape

‘Was.’

‘What genre do you write?’

‘Did. Romance.’

‘Ach.’

‘Exactly.’

When I finished talking, I slumped back in the chair, mentally drained by it all.

Reece contemplated everything I’d told him. He was silent for a long time. Then he finally spoke again. ‘Do you know how proud your grandma was of you?’

I jerked my head to look at him. ‘She told you about me?’

‘Aye, she did indeed. Quite a lot actually. She mentioned you often in our Facebook messages.’

I let out a brief bark of laughter. ‘So, you knew about me being a writer, but never said anything?’

He shrugged. ‘We were still getting to know one another. I’d already frightened you half to death and I didn’t want to come across as some deranged stalker.’

Our conversation was interrupted by a sudden, insistent knock on the door.

‘Excuse me a second.’

Reece remained seated in the art studio, while I hurried up the hall to open the door. Bronte was yapping behind me.

I jerked open the front door to be met by Mitch and Kane. He gave me a little salute. ‘You, okay?’

I took in his angular mouth and glinting eyes. My stomach did a weird, wriggly movement, which caught me off-guard. What on earth was that? I swallowed and tried to reset my thoughts. ‘Yes, thanks. How are you?’

‘Och, not bad.’ He hesitated. His attention lingered on my face. ‘Are you sure you’re alright?’

His eyes were glowing back at me in that stunning, bright sea colour. They spangled from under his ebony, long lashes.

I cleared my throat. ‘Yes. Why do you ask?’

‘It’s just I was walking past the corner shop just now and the woman who works in there … Rita?’

‘Rhea.’

‘Aye. That’s right. Sorry. Rhea. Well, she saw me passing, dived out and said she was up here with her Pekinese for a walk a short while ago and she thought she saw a man she didn’t recognise, hanging round.’ He delivered a hint of a devilish smile. ‘So, Captain Birdseye decided to don his cape and make sure everything was okay.’

I found myself blushing and smiling at the same time. ‘Ouch. I asked for that one.’

Mitch continued to lock eyes with me. A quiver of something tumbled through my stomach. I banished any thought of it. Nope. Not even going there. I’d had enough of being let down and hurt to last me a lifetime, and not even a tall, dark, handsome lighthouse keeper could persuade me otherwise.

I pushed any lingering thoughts about how gorgeous Mitch was firmly to one side. ‘Yes, it’s all good, thanks. Honestly. I was expecting Reece, so everything’s fine.’

An unfathomable look zipped across his stubbled face. ‘Oh. Okay. Right.’

My heart gave an odd little squeeze of gratitude. ‘Thank you for checking up on me. Really. That was very kind of you. I appreciate it.’

But to my surprise, Mitch was already walking away, Kane lumbering at his heel. His voice was brisk over his shoulder. ‘No worries. I’ll leave you to your company then, Rosie.’