Page 79 of Chasing a Highland Dream

‘Oh, wow! You’re the guy from Inverness? Welcome to Glentorrin. I wish I’d known who you were a few minutes earlier. The bothy used to belong to my friend Jules’s grandparents. She was just in here. I’m Caitlin, by the way.’

‘Ah, that’s lovely. Nice to meet you. I’m Harris and this is Bella. I’m sure I’ll get to meet everyone pretty soon.’

‘So, are you the lucky wife who gets to enjoy our girls’ nights?’ the woman asked Bella. ‘We often gather at each other’s houses for wine and nibbles. It’s great fun.’

‘Oh… erm… I’m not actually his wife. We’ve only just started seeing each other,’ Bella replied, her face warming as she hoped she’d said the right thing. She glanced over at Harris, who was watching her with a contented smile.

Caitlin looked over at Harris and then back at Bella. She gave a knowing smile. ‘Oh, I think we’ll definitely be seeing you at the girls’ nights soon enough. I have a knack for foreseeing these kinds of things.’

Bella’s stomach flipped with what felt like excitement. ‘We’ll see,’ she said and laughed as she handed over cash and took her purchases. ‘Thank you.’

‘Mind how you go now. And if you need anything, pop back in,’ Caitlin said.

‘Thanks, see you soon,’ Harris replied with his usual nod. ‘Well, the people are friendly, that’s for sure,’ he said as they walked away from the bakery.

‘They certainly seem to be.’ They sat on the bench and watched a fisherman washing down the deck of his boat moored to the railings. ‘This place is idyllic,’ Bella said with a sigh.

‘Aye, it is. Now you can see my attraction to the job,’ Harris said.

She inhaled the fresh sea air. ‘Absolutely. I think you’ll be really happy here.’

‘Aye, I think so too. It’s just a shame I won’t be waking up with you every day.’

She turned to see that a shadow of melancholy had washed over his features. His mouth was downturned slightly and a crease had formed between his brows.

‘Isla wants to move to Skye,’ she informed him.

Harris’s eyebrows shot up. ‘What? She’s actually serious about that? Mum mentioned it but I must admit I laughed it off.’

Bella nodded. ‘It’s true. She wants to be with Maeve. She says once her hip is healed, she wants to move to the same sheltered housing. Maeve sent her a link for the place on the WhatsUp.’ She giggled.

‘Wow. I’m shocked.’

Bella shrugged. ‘Not as shocked as my parents were. Although my dad has said he fancies moving away from the city when he retires. So, who knows, they may follow her.’

Harris turned on the bench to face her. ‘That’s it then. You have no reason to stay at Drumblair. You can move to Skye too.’ The hope in his eyes was an improvement on the sadness of moments before.

Bella almost choked on her coffee. ‘You’re kidding, aren’t you? I can’t up sticks, and leave. I have my job, I’ve just started my course.’

‘Bella, you can get another job here, you could even set up your business. Your course is online so can be done anywhere. And I have a feeling about us. I know it’s fast but when you know, you know.’

Bella rolled her eyes. ‘You sound like my granny.’

‘Maybe she’s right.’

She gazed into his eyes and knew the thought of being away from him was not one she wanted to entertain. But it was crazy to rush into something and have it all go horribly wrong.

‘Can I think about it?’ she asked, knowing he had no choice there.

‘Of course you can. But look at this place. I don’t think you’ll take much convincing.’

Once their coffee and traybakes were finished, they climbed back onto the bike and set off for the very short ride to the bothy. It was a squat, whitewashed building that had once housed people who worked the land on the original Glentorrin estate. It had a parking area to the front and a noticeboard. There was no station sign up as yet but Harris informed Bella they wouldn’t put that up until the place was up and running, so as not to cause confusion.

The house was a double-fronted cottage that had been built as an extension of the bothy. It matched the houses they had seen in the village, with a porch over the front door. The wooden windows had been painted sage green, along with the front door. It was quaint and picturesque.

‘Come on. I’ll show you inside.’

Bella loved viewing houses and butterflies set to fluttering inside her. Harris unlocked the front door, and they stepped inside. Off to the left was a dining room and to the right was a living room with a log burner already installed. Ideas for colour palettes raced around her head. Straight ahead were stairs that led to the bedrooms. Through the living room was the kitchen with beautiful real oak units, a small room that could be used as a study, a utility room and the door to the rear garden.