Page 92 of A Scottish Lighthouse Escape

Bronte snuffled ahead, her pert, little black nose skimming across the top of the damp grass of the woodland floor.

We were just about to reach the other side of the woodland and begin the slow journey back when a voice travelled from behind me. ‘Rosie. Hey!’

Oh no.

My heart swooped.

I straightened my shoulders and turned around, pinning on a smile.

Mitch had Kane with him. On spotting Bronte, Kane picked up speed and they went careering off ahead together amongst the trees.

‘How’s things?’ I asked, feigning a casual air.

What I really meant was, is your glamorous wife still around? But I held it back with all the force I could muster. It was none of my business if Romilly was waiting to drag him to bed when he got back.

The prospect of that, made my heart shrivel. Don’t Rosie. Just, don’t.

‘Aye. Good, thanks,’ answered Mitch, oblivious to my emotions throwing themselves around. ‘Can we join you on your walk?’

‘We?’ I asked, glancing around for shiny-haired brunettes with piercing navy-blue eyes, but trying to look like I was just taking in the scenery.

‘Kane and me.’

‘Oh. Right. Yes, of course.’ Where was Romilly?

I swallowed the question, even though it was burning the tip of my tongue. Mitch slid me a prolonged look from under his black brows. Was he psychic? ‘Romilly’s gone back to London. She set off this morning for her flight.’

I pushed my hands into my coat pockets. ‘Oh?’

I refused to entertain any glimmer of optimism. What did that mean? Had she gone back to sort everything out before moving back to Rowan Bay? Was she going back to London to say goodbye to family and friends, and share the good news that she was back with Mitch?

I didn’t want to ask Mitch, but not knowing what was happening was eating away at me. Oh, sod it. I couldn’t carry on dancing around the topic like this. It was agonising. ‘I suppose there’s a lot for her to sort out.’ There. I’d said it.

‘Sorry?’

‘If she’s moving up here.’

Mitch stared at me, as though I’d just confessed to an armed robbery. ‘Why would she do that?’

Was he going to make this any harder for me than it already was? I tried to gather myself. ‘Well … you know … if you two have got back together…’

Mitch shook his head and let out a shout of laughter. ‘Good God, no!’

I blinked across at him. ‘No?’

‘No. One hundred percent no.’

The rain-tossed sky shifted behind him. ‘Romilly only came up here to tell me she’s met someone else and wants to get married again. Some financier in the city. She wants a divorce, which is fine by me.’

A strange sensation whipped through me. Was that happiness? Relief?

‘She’s always been a drama queen. She could’ve told me all this on the phone, but I think she used it as an excuse to come up and have a nosey at Rowan Bay and see what sort of life her oddball soon-to-be-ex-husband has up here.’

I gazed up at him, admiring his profile. ‘You’re not an oddball, Mitch.’

He laughed, showing off his white teeth. ‘Some may disagree with you on that one.’ He hesitated. There was meaning radiating out of his gaze as he drank me in. My heart was fluttering like a wild bird. My attention kept straying to his lips.

‘Romilly said you were very pretty.’