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“Clach na Fìrinn. The Stone of Truth,” Agnes said, her gaze on the loch through the window.
“What in the world is that?” It sounded like something out of the Middle Ages.
“Oh, just the holy grail of stones that holds all the knowledge of the world and could be incredibly dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands,” Agnes said, casually. Too casually for my taste.
“Cool, cool,” I muttered, as the weight of what this little town faced settled on my shoulders. A shiver went through me, like a cold wind careening down the mountain and skimming across the surface of the icy waters of the loch, and I felt something inside me rise to meet it. I’d never been one to back down from a challenge. Maybe it was my Scottish roots, or perhaps my Italian stubbornness, but I’d only just started on this new life path of mine, and I wasn’t going to let some magickal water horses scare me away.
If the flirting granny could live here blithely, well, so could I.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Munroe
“Where are you off to then?”
We’d left the bookstore once a few customers had come in to distract Agnes, not wanting to speak of delicate matters in front of tourists, and now stood at the curb.
“It’s my first day in town. I was planning to just wander about and kind of get a lay of the land,” Lia said, tilting her head at the smooth waters of Loch Mirren. “Think I’ll have any issues with our water friends?”
“I…” I paused and saw my opening. I couldn’t ever remember talk of the Kelpies appearing during the day, however, I would take any opportunity to spend more time with Lia. Yes, my email inbox was overflowing, and even now my phone buzzed with incoming calls. That all could wait. What couldn’t wait was a chance to learn more about Lia and see if she planned to spend more time in Scotland. Plus, anything I could do to put myself in the position to protect her appealed to the comic-book hero nerd buried deep inside of me. “We can’t be sure when they’ll next appear. Why don’t I join you on your walk just in case?”
“I won’t say no.” Lia laughed up at me. “As I said, in the light of day? The Kelpies don’t seem like a big deal. But I was scared shitless last night. I’ll take the offer of company. Tell me more about Loren Brae. You grew up here?”
“Only for summers. My grandparents live up the way.” I gestured to the road that led out of Loren Brae and wound around the banks of Loch Mirren. “It’s a grand village, really. People are friendly, they help each other out, and everybody knows everyone else’s business. I’m sure some people find it annoying or dull, but I have always loved it here. There’s a sense of community…of family.” Despite myself, a wistful note came into my voice. I’d been chasing that feeling my whole life. Maybe coming back to Loren Brae would be equally as good for me as it would be for the village and the business opportunities that I could offer.
“What’s your family like?” Lia asked, as we turned a corner and followed the path that led away from the village and up toward MacAlpine Castle.
Cold. Controlling. Unforgiving.
I couldn’t say those things though. Instead, I shrugged and picked up a couple of smooth flat rocks. Hefting one in my hand, I skimmed it across the surface of Loch Mirren and watched as it skipped, leaving small circular ripples, marring the smooth reflection of the mountains in the distance. I often felt like that rock when I returned home to my parents’ pristine house, where everything had a place, and I was nothing but a disturbance.
“It’s just my parents and me. They live in Edinburgh now, and travel often. What about yours?” I really needed to shift the conversation away from myself so I could learn as many details as possible about this incredible creature who stood next to me, her hands tapping the top of the low stone wall, her wild curls dancing in the wind. “Here.” I offered her a stone.
“My family?” Lia laughed, joy radiating across her face. I caught my breath, transfixed at her unusual beauty, and wished she would smile at me the same way. “I have four brothers. They’re loud, messy, annoying and I love them deeply. My father is Scottish, actually. Mom is Italian. Both first-generation immigrants to the good ol’ US of A. We’re all redheads, which seems to upset my mother once every six months or so. I think she had hoped her Italian blood would run stronger. In all fairness though, I don’t burn in the sun the same way my dad does, so that’s something.”
“And your eyes.” Now that I was closer, I could see little gold flecks glimmering in their warmth. “Witchy eyes. You could hypnotize a man at ten paces with those.”
“What did you say?” Lia turned, and caught my arm, her pink lips caught halfway between a smirk and a smile.
“Witchy eyes? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that to offend.”
“No, no. I get that.” Lia looked up at me with expectation.Did she want to say more?But then shook her head before turning back to the loch. Hefting her stone, she tossed it in a neat arc where it landed with a loud plop. “Huh. Not the best.”
“Here, like this.” I showed her how to turn her body and fling the rock with her wrist. When her next rock careened directly into the water below us, I laughed and moved to stand behind her. Putting my hands on her shoulders, I twisted her body so that she was angled correctly. Then, lifting her arm, I pulled it back and forth a few times without releasing the rock, so she could get a feel for the motion.
And I, inadvertently, got a feel of everything else. Her curvy bum nestled against my thighs and instantly nudged me into hardness. I hastened a step back, dropping my hands, and pulled my coat lower across my waist. The last thing I needed to do was be some creep who rubbed myself against her back like a horny teenager taking any chance to touch a female.
“I did it!” Lia crowed when her rock skipped three times across the water. Turning, she beamed up at me, making everything in my world right, and I found myself leaning toward her lips. Everything about Lia was magnetic, and only when she poked me in the chest, nudging me back, did I realize that I all but loomed over her. “I don’t think we should kiss again.”
While her voice sounded uncertain and she unconsciously licked her lips, I immediately stepped back to give her space.
“I’d be delighted to revisit that thought any time you would like to,” I said, turning to continue our walk. “But care to tell me why?”
“Because I liked it. Too much.”
Instantly, my blood heated, and I had to think about how many galaxies there were in the sky to try and force my mind away from dirty thoughts.
“I liked it too. I wouldn’t have kissed you if I didn’t think that I would.” I raised an eyebrow at Lia, encouraging her to continue.
