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“Stay in touch,” Lauren said, giving Paige her own hug. “Remember you’ll always have a place here.”
“Thank you. For everything,” Paige whispered, reluctant to let go. She couldn’t recall the last time someone hugged her. Tears welled once again, and she fought to hold them back. Shouldn’t she be out of tears by now? Quickly, before anyone saw them, she slid into the driver’s seat of her rental car and rolled the window down to let in the soft breeze. Wanting to give Reginald and Taran time to say their goodbyes, she fussed with her keys as Lauren moved to the porch.
“I expect tae see ye again, 66,” Reginald said in a low tone.
“Aye,” Taran replied. “If the Fates are kind.” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “Back then…”
Paige felt awkward as he lowered his voice as well, but there was nowhere she could go to give them more privacy. Though she’d only known them a few hours, they seemed extremely close. And so much alike. Not just because they both resembled rugged Highland Warriors right out of the history books, with their shoulder-length hair and traditional kilts. But also in their mannerisms, speech patterns and…something undefinable, that set them apart.
“…did ye ever let yerself believe we’d get this second chance?” she heard Taran ask.
Reginald gave a single negative shake of his head. “No’ until it actually happened. No’ until Soni took McEwan. The first tae go.”
Paige turned her back, pretending not to hear as she adjusted something in the back seat.
“Aye. And after that we all watched and waited for her tae come again, vying for position, hoping we’d be next.”
What did Taran mean? Next for what?It sounded like multiple men were competing for one woman’s attention. Soni? That was her name? Well good, Paige thought, yanking on the strap of her suitcase hard enough to break a nail. Taran had a love interest. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about becoming too friendly.
Strictly business. That’s how she wanted it. Determined to remain patient, she turned back around in her seat and took a swig from the water bottle Lauren had given her.
“What ye have here, McColl—the life, the land, even the love,” Taran said, glancing at Lauren, “ ’tis envious, indeed. But ’tisnae how I see my future playin’ out. I plan tae see the world and partake of all it has tae offer. I cannae fathom bein’ tied down again.”
Again?Had he been married? You’re a fool, Paige. He’s a full-grown man. Of course he’d have some history. She just hoped it wasn’t full of baggage that would interfere with her search. If so, she’d have to drop him somewhere and continue on her own. She couldn’t allow anything, or anyone, to derail her.
“Wherever ye go, I wish ye well,” Reginald replied, clapping Taran’s shoulder and pulling him into a brief hug. “Though I’d enjoy ye givin’ us a call or droppin’ us a line now and then tae update us on yer adventures.”
“That, I can do,” Taran assured him.
* * *
So far,the drive to Inverness had been mostly silent. Paige’s questioning look when Taran got in her car with naught more than his wee backpack, had been the most she’d interacted wi’ him thus far.
He cleared his throat, looked out the window, and shifted in his seat to face her. “I ken we’ll be spendin’ a lot of time together, searching for yer brother, so mayhap we should get tae know each other a little better?”
A full minute passed in silence as she focused on the road. But he dinnae miss the furrowing of her brow. Had he overstepped?
“I agree,” she finally said. “If we’re going to work well together, we should understand each other. I’m sorry you were pulled away from your friend before you got a proper visit. You…seemed to have a lot to catch up on.”
“Dinnae fash. We spent a great deal of time in each other’s company, in the past. ’Twas nice tae see him settled and tae meet Lauren, but ’twas never my intention to spend any amount of time there.”
A nod was her only response. Several long minutes passed before she spoke again. “Do you think it will be difficult to locate Mr. Harris? I wasn’t told the tour company he works for. Are there many of them in Inverness?”
Taran scrambled for an answer. He needed something other than,‘I dinnae really ken since I havenae been alive verra long. In fact, no’ for a few centuries.’
He should have thought this through a little more before volunteering to be guide and protector to a stubborn lass who, it seems, willnae accept defeat where her brother is concerned. He’d be expected to explain things he dinnae yet understand. Mayhap ’twould be best to tell her the truth now and save them both a lot of fuss and anxiety. But if he did, she’d be right back where they were when he volunteered in the first place, alone and at risk.
Nae, he’d have to play along. Hopefully they’d find her brother—preferably alive and soon, then they could all get on wi’ their lives.
“The last I was in Inverness, I dinnae have occasion tae need a guide, so I’m no’ familiar wi’ how many companies there are. But we can ask around. It shouldnae be too hard tae find out.”
She gave him an exasperated look. “Why don’t we just Google them? My phone is on the console if you want to look it up and get a map.”
Taran glanced down and sure enough there sat her talking device, much like the one Ivy used that held an impossible amount of information for such a wee, skinny device. ’Twas foolish of him no’ to learn how to use one before he left the ranch.
What now? She’d think him beyond useless, and she’d likely be right. If he was to get along in this century, he had to become part of it. But he couldnae do that in the next few seconds. He picked her phone up and turned the glass to face him, as he’d seen others do. Naught happened. He shook it slightly, hoping Paige wouldnae notice. Still nothing. But he had to dosomething.
Leaning toward the door, he pretended to accidentally drop the thing, try to recover it, and ultimately lose it between his seat and the passenger door. “Och!” he groaned, reaching down as if to recover it. Instead, he shoved it as far under the seat as he could reach. Groaning and fussing a bit more, he finally turned to her with a shrug. “I’m sorry, lass. ’Twas terribly clumsy of me. I’m afraid yer phone slid beneath the seat where I cannae get to it. I’ll retrieve it at our next stop.”
