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Now I just had to convince her to take a chance on me.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Lia
There’d been no sense in me staying at the B&B after Sophie had discovered that I was in town, and she’d very gently steamrolled me into moving into MacAlpine Castle later that same day. So much for staying under cover in Loren Brae while I scoped the area out.
Lesson number one—it was impossible to hide much of anything, including myself, in a small village. Gossip was rampant, as I quickly learned when Sophie had commended Munroe for buying the groceries for the single mother earlier that day.
Munroe.
My heart sighed. His personality was like the cuddliest of teddy bears, and yet his mouth had brought the most wicked of desires to my mind. Still waters run deep, my mother had always said, and I was beginning to understand that this quiet man who looked strong enough to fell a tree with one hand, might have hidden depths.
And I didn’t plan to become aware of those depths. Not only was Munroe friendly enough with Sophie to drop a kiss on her cheek, but as soon as we’d made our way to the castle, he’d disappeared with Sophie’s boyfriend, Lachlan, to go do “man” stuff, which apparently meant video games and a glass of whisky in some hidden room in the castle. Either way, Munroe was buddies with my new employers, so that was just another reason not to become involved.
And oh. My. God. Thiscastle. It was, like, arealcastle. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the beauty and history of this place. I’d always been proud of the history in Boston and how we had a few cobblestone streets, but they paled in comparison to this building that I now, apparently, lived in. Sophie had shown me to one wing of the castle that held apartments, and I’d been given a key as well as the security codes for the front door. It appeared that half the castle was kept historically accurate and open for public tours, while the other half had been modernized and sectioned off for private use. My entire living quarters were almost as large as my parents’ condo. After my shoebox of an apartment in Boston, my new digs felt like, well, acastle. I know, I know. Suffice it to say,overwhelmedwas becoming my new best friend.
I was, however, chomping at the bit to see the kitchen. Would it also be modernized, or would that be one of my tasks? Sophie had informed me we had a ton of things to talk about, so I simply dropped my suitcases in my apartment and made quick use of the bathroom before leaving to find my way to the main lounge room, where Sophie had said she’d be waiting.
“Moooooo.”
I hit the floor.
Seriously. I hit. The. Floor.
Hands over my head, face to the faded rug, I curled in a ball as I waited for…wait, had that noise been from a cow? What the hell? Peeking through my fingers, I peered up at where a shaggy highland cow tilted its head at me. It stood in the middle of the dim stone hallway that led from my apartment, and my breath caught when I realized I could seethroughthe cow.
“Moo?” The cow stepped forward, and I curled into myself, my heart hammering in my chest. Was this ghost cow going to possess me?
“Mooooo.” This time the sound was so soft, it was as if the cow whispered it, and I dared to look again. This time the cow was closer, its eyes alight with warmth, and its little paws were tapping the floor like it was doing some sort of mad Celtic stepdance for me.Wait, did cows have paws?No, hooves. He danced hishoovesforward and backward as though he was performing for me.
“Um.” I rolled and eased myself to a standing position. The ghost cow stopped dancing and stared at me expectantly. “Hey there, buddy. Nice to meet you.”
“Mooo!” the ghost cow bellowed, just about giving me a heart attack, before winking out of sight. I gaped at the now empty hallway and then down at my trembling hands. I’d never been one for scary movies. I hated those stupid videos people would send around Halloween where you’d think you were watching something cute and then a zombie would pop onto the screen. I was not someone who enjoyed being startled. And yet, twice now in less than twenty-four hours, I had almost wet my pants in fright. This did not bode well for my stay in Scotland. Or maybe it would just toughen me up? Perhaps this was just the norm here. Ghost cows and Kelpies just dropped in and became part of the backdrop of day-to-day life? If so, I needed to work on strengthening my composure or I’d be laughed out of Loren Brae.
The flirting granny probably would have walked right up and petted the ghost cow.
Annoyed again, I found my way downstairs, barely taking the time to marvel at the historical décor, and followed the sound of voices to a large lounge room. There, I found two people I hadn’t yet met, while Lachlan and Munroe argued over a video game on a couch in the corner and Sophie lectured the two dogs in front of an impressive fireplace.
“Hi,” I said, raising a hand awkwardly.
The dogs instantly erupted in a flurry of barking and raced to me, careening in circles around my feet.
“Enough!” a tall, thin man with bushy white hair, assessing eyes, and a fishing tackle box at his feet barked from his chair. Instantly, the dogs went silent and crept to hide under a table that had been set for tea. A round woman with lively eyes and a short crop of hair, strode forward with her hand outstretched.
“Was that Clyde I heard?” the woman asked, searching my face, her hand still holding mine. “I’m Hilda, by the way.”
“I’m not sure who Clyde is. But I’m Lia. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Clyde is our resident ghost coo, and he fancies himself quite a trickster.” The man put his tackle box down and came over to shake my hand as well. “I’m Archie, and I’m lucky enough to call this lovely lady my bride. Welcome to MacAlpine Castle. Hilda and I are the caretakers, though I mainly see to the outside whereas Hilda’s word reigns supreme on the interior.”
“And the outside too,” Hilda stage whispered, and Archie elbowed her lightly in the side. They regarded each other with warm affection, reminding me of the bond between my parents, and some of my tension eased. “If Clyde came to greet you, that’s a good thing.”
“Is it?” I wondered, nonplussed at the casual acceptance of a ghost cow wandering the castle. Although in the case of violent mystical water horses versus dancing ghost cows, I, too, was more likely to accept the resident ghost.
“Aye, dear. Unless he’s in a tetchy mood, but that’s rare for our Clyde, isn’t it. Much more likely for this one.” Hilda looked down to Sir Buster who trembled at her feet.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
