Page 9 of Chasing a Highland Dream

Bella sat silently watching the two women putting the world to rights while stroking Marley’s back. ‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ she told them and stood to leave the room.

As she left the bathroom a few moments later, Kerr approached her in the hallway. ‘Hey, have you got a minute?’ he asked as he twisted his hands in front of him.

Bella scrunched her face and glanced in the direction of the kitchen, worried about who would see them talking. Seeing the coast was clear, she returned her attention to him. ‘Sure, what’s up?’

‘I’ve been thinking about my relationship with Olivia and… I think you may be able to help me get to a better place with my sister.’

She narrowed her eyes. ‘How so?’

He inhaled deeply and blew the air back out. ‘Okay, so I know Olivia has asked you to deal with the event invites. And I was thinking I could help.’

‘Oh…’ She shook her head and tried to find a way to let him down gently. ‘I don’t think Liv would go for it, Kerr, she asked me to do it as part of my role as her PA.’

He ran his hands through his hair and hung his head. ‘I know you think I’m a joke, Bella. Most people do. But I want to help. In spite of what people think, I’m great at organising and I know all the right people to invite. I really think I could be useful.’

Bella widened her eyes. ‘But… the thing is it’s such an important task and she’s trusted me with it all… I couldn’t simply tell her I’d handed it over to you⁠—’

He held out his hands. ‘Don’t tell her until the job’s done. Then you can admit I helped and she can see how useful I’ve been. It might help my case as a born-again big brother. You can trust me, Bella.’ His expression was filled with sincerity and she thought perhaps it would help the siblings get back on the right track.

‘Can I trust you? You wouldn’t do anything crazy, would you?’

His brow crumpled again and his expression filled with hurt. ‘I can understand why you’d think that way. I… I wanted a chance to do something good for Olivia. To show her I’ve changed. But I get it. I really do.’ He turned to walk away.

Regret ate away at Bella’s resolve. The genuine pain in his eyes had tugged at her heart. ‘Okay. You can help. But you need to know how much this event means to your sister so bear that in mind, okay?’

He turned to face her, his expression filled with hope. ‘I promise,’ he assured her with a smile. ‘And thanks for the chance.’

4

Thanks to winter storm damage to the castle, poor Olivia hadn’t felt like celebrating her birthday back in April. Even though Brodie had tried to cajole her into it, she’d had too much on her mind. So, at the end of the second week in June, Brodie and Olivia returned from their few days away – a belated twenty-ninth birthday treat for Olivia – just in time for the Birthday Bash Brodie had insisted he was throwing for her.

Brodie had made all the arrangements prior to whisking Olivia away and he had asked for the long gallery to be set out with tables and chairs in readiness for their return. He had even hired in a catering team so Mirren could have the night to enjoy herself and had sent out invites to as many of Olivia’s friends as he could.

He had organised live music in the shape of a local band who were, to use his words, stonking. And he had organised her favourite traditional Scottish food – haggis, neeps and tatties but with a twist – plus plenty of single malt.

The long gallery was decked out like a high-end party venue and Bella was excited to see it looking so incredible; a glimpse of what the future held for the beloved castle. Fairy lights were strung around the potted trees edging the room and each table was lit with candles and had a MacBain Tartan table runner. Bella was impressed with Brodie’s organisational skills to say the least and only a tiny bit envious of her best friend.

After she had eaten more than her fair share of haggis bon bons, Bella let her gaze scan the room. Mirren and Dougie were chatting with Olivia’s Uncle Innes by the buffet table and the rest of the grounds team were already sitting around a table together. Kerr was standing, whisky glass in hand, with Adaira as she appeared to be telling him an intriguing story by the look of concentration on his face. Things were clearly still ‘on’ between them.

Bella stood with her friends, Skye and Ben, as they sipped their drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere bringing the gallery to life. Olivia joined them and linked arms with Bella as Brodie took to the stage.

‘Ladies and gents, can I have your attention, please!’ Brodie called out over the PA system. ‘I want to thank yous all for coming tonight. As you all know, things were a bit fraught around Olivia’s birthday in April, so we had a very quiet celebration. But I want my girl to have the party she deserves! So happy belated birthday, Liv!’ Everyone lifted their glasses and toasted Olivia. ‘Annnnd, it’s also selfish because I’ve been looking forward to a really good knees-up. So, I’d like to introduce you to this evening’s entertainment. But you’d better be on your best behaviour because they’re all officers of the law! Please give a warm Drumblair welcome to Coppercaillie!’

The gathered crowd of friends and family whooped and cheered as four men and one woman took to the stage. ‘Cheers, Brodie, evening, everyone,’ a bearded man holding a violin and bow said at the mic. ‘I’m Harris and I’ll be your MC tonight. We’ve got Melanie on keyboards, Bruce on the bodhran, Craig on the guitar, Gordy on the accordion and whistle, and yours truly on the fiddle.’ Everyone applauded and Bella’s eyes widened in shock. It was the policeman her gran had tried to set her up with. He looked completely different up there. He continued, ‘Now, we’d usually be doing a ceilidh but instead, tonight we’re sticking to rock and pop tunes for a change, as per Brodie’s request. So, while yous all chat and drink, we’re going to kick things off with a wee gentle one. It’ll sound a bit different to the original but hopefully you’ll enjoy it. Taking the lead on vocals for this one is our keyboard player Mel, AKA PC Sherburn.’ Everyone applauded and Mel took a bow. ‘This one is Fleetwood Mac’s “Gypsy”.’ Another round of applause ensued.

Bella tugged on Olivia’s sleeve. ‘That’s the policeman my granny keeps trying to set me up with!’

Olivia squinted. ‘Which one?’

‘The beardy one at the microphone!’

Olivia grinned. ‘Ooh, he’s handsome, why won’t you go on a date with him?’

Bella scoffed. ‘I’m not being set up by my eighty-five-year-old granny.’

Skye leaned in. ‘Why not if he’s a catch?’

Bella scrunched her nose. ‘He’s not my type. I’m not into beards.’