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Donna winced, grateful Mairi was spending the night with Isobel and the kids, and hadn’t been there when she’d called Agnes. Mairi would ha
ve lost her mind if she’d known Keir had been roped in to help. “I’m not sure that would do you any good.”
“No, knowing Mairi, I don’t think it would. Never mind. What do you need us to do?”
“I need to get him inside and into his bed. I can’t leave him here.”
He looked over his shoulder at his brother, who’d climbed out of the truck with Agnes. “Get his legs, Sean.”
Together, the four of them managed to get Duncan into the house, up the stairs and onto his bed.
“This place stinks,” Agnes said as she picked up empty beer bottles and plates of half-eaten food. “We need rubbish bags, heavy duty cleaning solution and a vacuum cleaner.” She stared at the carpet in disgust. “Although, maybe we should just set fire to the room and be done with it.”
“The cleaning stuff is in the cupboard off the kitchen,” Donna said. “It’s marked scullery.”
“Of course it is.” Rubbish in hand, Agnes turned towards the door.
“I’ll help you.” Sean followed her.
“He can’t go on like this. You know that, right?” Keir said, his eyes on her fingers as they brushed Duncan’s hair from his forehead.
She made a mental note to make a barber’s appointment for him, then wondered how she’d get him there once she’d booked him in.
“I know, I should have checked up on him before now. Don’t worry, I won’t leave him alone again.”
She’d been so busy settling into the mansion, and getting to grips with her job, that she hadn’t spared a thought for her grieving boss. All communication about her duties as housekeeper had come from his lawyer. Now, she wished she’d taken the time to find out what Duncan had been doing while she settled in.
Keir’s face softened as he looked at her. “You’ve always had the biggest heart out of you and your sisters, but he isn’t some stray animal you can rescue and nurse back to health. He’s a full-grown man who’s had his heart ripped out. The chances of you getting hurt are pretty bloody high.”
She’d already figured that out all on her own. “I’ll be careful.”
“No, you won’t. You’re too damn soft.” He gave her a knowing smile. “If you need help, shout out. If he scares you, get out of here. You can always call in the professionals to deal with him. Okay?”
Duncan would hate dealing with a stranger. He might be a mess, but he was a proud mess.
“Promise me,” Keir said when she didn’t answer. “Mairi might hate my guts right now, but I still care about her, and her sisters. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I promise. If I can’t help him, I’ll call someone who can.”
On the bed, her boss stirred, and his hand snapped out to curl around her wrist. Keir took a step forwards to intervene, but Donna shook her head to stop him.
“What is it?” she said softly.
“The roses.” His voice was hoarse, his eyes unfocused as he stared at her. “Did I damage the roses?”
“No. The roses are fine.”
As he sank back into the bed, his grip loosened, and his hand fell to his side. “Fiona loves the roses,” he muttered before he passed out again.
Keir gave him a pitying look. “Come on. We’ll help clean up before we leave. In his state, he wouldn’t notice if we drove a tank through here. You might want to get rid of the booze while we do it.”
“Good thinking.” Donna adjusted the pillow under Duncan’s head. “I hate seeing him this broken. He looks so strong on the outside.” His need called to her.
“Sweetheart,” Keir said softly. “Don’t go falling for this man.”
As she nodded, Donna wondered if Keir’s advice might be a little too late in coming.
Chapter 1
