Page 55 of A Highland Family Affair

They sat in silence for a while. ‘What will you do now?’

Kerr shrugged. ‘Honestly? I have no idea. But me and Charlotte… we’re over. I can’t trust her after this.’ He clenched his jaw. ‘I was falling for her, Liv. Actually falling for her. She’s the first woman I’ve allowed to get close to me. I trusted her and I thought we had a future together. I thought she felt something for me too. Now I know she was just bloody checking me out for my parenting suitability and maintenance payments.’ Olivia couldn’t deny that fact when she had pretty much said that exact thing, although not about the money. He lowered his head and clenched his fists in his lap. ‘So much deception.’ He lifted his chin and his wide eyes met with Olivia’s. ‘Oh, God, and she dragged you into it all too! Lying her way into a job just so she could get access to me to suss me out. That’s so shitty. So underhanded. I’m so sorry you got pulled in, Liv.’

‘Hey, let’s not worry about that at the moment. I’ll find a new assistant. I’m more worried about you and how this is going to affect you.’

He shook his head. ‘I need to get away. I need to think all this through in a place where she isn’t. I have no idea if she’s planning on telling the boy who I am, but I need to be prepared for what comes next and I think time away is necessary.’

‘But Kerr, you’re doing so well with your sobriety, I’m scared that if you go away, you’ll relapse.’

He lowered his gaze again. ‘I searched the vestry for communion wine. There wasn’t any, thankfully. I don’t know why I thought there would be, there hasn’t been a communion service here for years. I’m glad there was none, though. It was a knee-jerk reaction. And I don’t want to relapse. Anyway, I have the tree surgery course. It’s just a few weeks in Yorkshire. I was supposed to go tomorrow anyway. I’ll take that time to think things through. I have some guys coming in to look after the nursery while I’m gone, they used to help Ali so they know the ropes. They’ll keep the weeds at bay and such.’

‘Look, the wedding is in four weeks and… I… I wasn’t planning on doing things this way, but I think you should know that… I want you to give me away…’

He lifted his gaze once more. ‘You do? But I presumed Innes…’ His eyebrows raised as the words sank in and a small smile appeared on his face. ‘You want me to do it?’

Olivia’s chin trembled and she nodded. ‘I was going to ask you this evening. I was going to ask Charlotte to be a bridesmaid too but that’s no longer happening.’

Kerr straightened his spine. ‘The wedding is on 22 April, isn’t it?’

Olivia nodded. ‘And the rehearsal at the cathedral is on the evening of the 19th. Will you be back by then?’

He turned to face her and pulled her into a hug. ‘I wouldn’t miss it for anything.’

20

There was a week to go until Olivia married the love of her life and her final wedding dress fitting had been completed by a seamstress in Inverness. It felt strange putting something such as this in someone else’s hands when she was so used to designing and making clothing for other people.

It was a sunny April Saturday morning and the flowers around the grounds were a riot of rainbow colours. The spring sunshine was uplifting and warmed her skin where it shone through the windows of the castle. Brodie had put on all his walking gear while Olivia dressed casually to go to the office and read through job applications for her PA position.

All. Over. Again.

This wasn’t what she wanted to be doing but how could she have allowed Charlotte to continue working at the castle knowing what she did now? In spite of the way things had panned out with Charlotte she had taken the decision to give her a couple of months pay in lieu of notice. After all, she had Will to think about too.

‘What’s the plan for today then?’ she asked Brodie as he clipped harnesses on to Wilf and Marley.

‘I think I’m going to map another of the tracks up Ben Blair for my new book. It’s a good clear day. Perfect for hiking. I think it might actually be the last one I need to do before I send the book off for editing. Are you sure you don’t mind looking after Sir Lancelot again? I’m just not sure how he’d cope with the trek. The other two are good off lead but he’s Kerr’s dog and he might not take to commands from me, so I’d rather not risk it.’

Olivia reached down and scratched the bearded collie’s head. ‘I don’t mind at all. We’ll be fine, won’t we, Lancey?’ She had grown very fond of the dog in the three weeks Kerr had been away on his course. He hadn’t left her side and was clearly taken with her too. ‘Kerr comes home today anyway. They got everything finished early with there being only a small number on the course.’

‘Great. Well, I shouldn’t be too late home. Aiming to be back by four at the latest.’ Olivia gave him a knowing look. Once he got out there, he usually lost track of time. He cringed. ‘Okay, definitely before the sun goes down anyway.’

‘That’s more like it. Be careful out there,’ she said as she tiptoed up to kiss him.

He reciprocated and said, ‘I always am, sweetheart. Love you.’

‘Love you too.’

He headed down the stairs and out of the main entrance, dutifully followed by Marley and Wilf. Olivia followed but turned to walk to her office. Sir Lancelot plodded on behind her and took up his favourite spot by her feet as she sat at her desk.

After several hours of rifling through what felt like endless CVs, Mirren knocked on the door and walked in a few seconds later with a tray. ‘I’ve brought you some lunch, hen. Although it’s almost three. You’ve been in here hours without so much as a drink.’

‘Aww, thank you, Mirren. You do look after me. I must have lost track of time.’

‘Speaking of tracks, what time’s Brodie to return?’

‘He said around four-ish or definitely before sundown. I’d be more inclined to go with before sundown.’

‘So around seven then,’ she said with a roll of her eyes. ‘Grand. I’m making stovies for dinner.’