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∞∞∞
Looming large in the spare bedroom of Calum’s waterfront apartment in Tobermory was a fifty-kilogram grappling dummy. Calum rubbed his hands together, warming his palms. The whole room was kitted out as a home gym. Five minutes after getting home, he was dressed in his shorts and vest. Now the ugly dummy was going to be pulverised. As a karate black belt, Calum had the moves and he was good. Too good for Arran Lamond.
These days he reserved his fury for the dummy. And the uncontrollable: Will on his land with that woman. Kick. Kick. High kick. Punch. That woman. Rhona.Christ,why did she have to be such a looker? Kick. It would be much easier to forget her if she hadn’t been so appealing. Punch. Punch. Kick. Those long lashes would be fluttering in his mind for some time yet. With a massive inhale, he launched a powerful thrust of his foot into the dummy’s face.
Chapter 5
Rhona
‘Thanks, Dad.’ Rhona leaned over and kissed him as he pulled on the handbrake outside the Spa Hotel. At the entrance, her friend Kirsten waited, sweeping her long wavy dark hair over her shoulder. Rhona beamed and waved. It had been too long.
‘Just give me a call when you need picked up,’ Alister said.
‘Thank you.’
‘It’s like you’ve never been away. Dad’s taxi is back in business.’
‘The best taxi service.’ Rhona gave him another kiss until he flapped her off.
‘On you go. Kirsten’s waiting.’
Rhona jumped out the car. ‘Hellooo!’ She ran up the steps and pulled Kirsten in for a hug. ‘How are you doing?’
‘Great.’ Kirsten gave Rhona’s back a pat.
‘It’s the weirdest thing being back. I don’t see you much more than I did when I wasn’t living here.’
‘A little bit more.’ Kirsten pushed open the glass doors into the modern foyer. A bright chandelier twinkled overhead. ‘We once went three years without seeing each other.’
‘That’s true and far too long. How are the tours?’
‘Busy as always. That’s why I haven’t had a chance to meet before now.’
‘That’s ok.’ Rhona stepped up to the high dark-wood reception desk. ‘I imagine you want to spend time with that hot fiancé of yours.’
Kirsten smiled and a tinge of pink bloomed in her cheeks. ‘Yeah. When we’re both doing tours, we don’t see a lot of each other.’
‘I’d love to do one of his sea-plane tours.’
‘They’re so popular, they’re always booked way in advance.’
Kirsten nodded towards the reception desk and Rhona turned around. A cheery receptionist greeted them and showed them into the spa area.
‘You can change in here.’ She opened a door and guided them through.
‘I’ve never done a spa day before.’ Kirsten dropped her bag onto a bench.
‘I’ve done a couple.’ Rhona glanced around the wood-panelled room. Stunning prints of Mull waters covered the walls. One very like the beach at Kilnarkie. ‘Mum says this place is amazing.’ She slipped off her jacket. ‘I guess it’s a place of no shame.’
‘Girls together and all that.’ Kirsten sat and pulled off her shoes.
‘I worked with a woman on Crete who used to strip off all the time.’ Annike. Ugh. Rhona’s nails bit into her palms. That horrible woman. How could she have done what she did? Shameless cow. Rhona hadn’t complained to anyone about the stolen report. What to say without sounding whiny and phoney? She hated conflict. If only she hadn’t trusted Annike… or had been a better judge of character. ‘She was a man-eater and a bitch.’
‘Oh my god, she must have been bad, you never talk about people like that.’
‘Yeah. She was awful to me. And she had the figure of a supermodel too, double bitch.’
‘Wow, you really hate her.’
