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“Leave your door unlocked. If you fall in the night, I’ll need to get to you.”
“What makes you think I’ll fall?”
“Have you ever walked on crutches before?”
“No. Have you?”
“Actually, yes. More than once. The last time was after hamstring surgery. I’ll tell you from experience that it makes more sense to follow the doctor’s orders from the beginning rather than risk further injury.”
“Duly noted.”
“Okay then. Good night.” Why were his feet not moving? Perhaps it was the way her soft T-shirt clung to her breasts. Or the unfathomable mysteries hidden in deep blue eyes. What was she thinking?
He didn’t have to wonder for long. She waved a hand. “Go. I promise I won’t bother you in the middle of the night.”
Nodding tersely, he left the room and shut the door, knowing that her words were a lie. She would bother him in the middle of the night. Everything about Bella Craig bothered him.
The question was, what was he going to do about it?
* * *
The following morning, Bella awoke at dawn with her stomach growling and her body aching. Apparently, when she twisted her ankle, she had wrenched other muscles as well. She felt like an old lady.
Ordinarily, she would go for an immediate cup of coffee, but since she had a guest in the house, she was forced to at least wash her face and brush her hair. The long waves were wild from the damp air last night, so she caught them up in a loose ponytail. After that, she slicked gloss over her lips. Seconds later, she rubbed it off with a tissue and glared at her reflection in the mirror.
It didn’t matter one little bit what she looked like at this hour in the morning. Ian Larrimore was no more than an inconvenience to her. Period.
Trying to use two crutches to negotiate the multi-level house seemed hazardous, so she tucked one crutch under her arm and set out. Fortunately, the short, crooked flights of stairs at least had sturdy handrails. Moving slowly, she made her way to the kitchen. Cinnamon looked up, alert and happy, when Bella hobbled into the room. Surprisingly, the dog stayed put. She had obviously taken Ian’s lecture to heart.
“Hello, sweetheart. Sorry I can’t get down and play with you today. I’ll make it up to you when I can walk again.”
The dog’s tongue lolled. Her tail swished briskly.
Bella sighed as she poured her coffee, noting that someone in the house had been up early. “I know you miss Finley. I miss him, too. And McKenzie. I’ve never had a sister. I hope she and I can be friends.”
Cinnamon’s silent encouragement was surprisingly comforting.
“The thing is,” Bella said, sitting down at the table and nursing her drink, “I’ve lost my way. Does that make sense? I thought I had my whole life mapped out in advance. Now I’m not so sure. Look at Finley. He was practically a confirmed bachelor. Then kaboom. He runs into McKenzie on a dark road, and a romance is born.”
Cinnamon rested her nose on her tail and whined.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Bella said. “Finley’s older than I am and ready to settle down. He didn’t know that, though, did he? Until he met McKenzie, all he wanted to do was build motorcycles.”
The one-sided conversation might have continued, but someone knocked at the front door. Bella glanced at the clock and then at her attire. It was early for visitors. When she peeked out the curtains in the living room, she smiled and opened the door. “Hilda! What’s up?”
The other woman cocked her head and studied the crutch. “I think that’s my question, lass. Ye don’t look so well. May I come in?”
“Of course.” Once they were both settled, Bella indicated her foot. “I twisted my ankle yesterday. I don’t think anything is broken. Shouldn’t you be opening up the store?”
Hilda and her husband owned an upscale gift shop in the village. Hebridean jewelry. Beautiful pottery. Matted photographs. It was mostly a seasonal business, but they managed to squeak by in the lean months. She and Bella had met each other on one of Bella’s earlier visits to Skye, and the friendship stuck.
Hilda set a small paper-wrapped parcel on the coffee table. “I made you a loaf of my pumpernickel bread. My mother-in-law has the children today. She’s taking them to Inverness to buy new shoes. It makes her happy and gives me a break. Not to mention my dear husband thinks we’re going to close up shop for the lunch hour and canoodle. He’s a randy old fool, and I’ve told him so.”
Despite the complaint, the other woman radiated smug happiness that only someone in an intimate relationship could display.
Bella smiled wistfully. Hilda’s boys were three and almost five, the image of their father but with Hilda’s freckles and sly humor. “I’m always up for company. Still, why are you here when you could be reading a book with your feet up?”
The wiry Scotswoman was little more than thirty-five, but she seemed older. She leaned forward with a conspiratorial smile. “I thought I’d ask ye face to face.”
