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“Better.”
Eventually, we returned to the path that climbed up and around the crags until we reached the summit of the Storrs. As though seeing its cue, rain fell in heavy drops, splashing against our jackets and welling up in puddles on the trail. The clouds blurred down from the sky into sheets of rain over the mountains, making the view that much more enchanting. Lewis pointed out places of note, but I couldn’t take it all in. The Trotternish Ridge, the Isles of Harris, Raasay, Rona—it was all too much to keep straight just then.
The downpour discouraged us from lingering too long as we walked down from the ridge line. I kept my focus on the rocky path, desperate not to slip. Bea and Rupert pulled retractable walking sticks from their packs and navigated the way down as nimbly as prim mountain goats. Whatever else I sometimes thought about them, they sure seemed to know what they were doing. I kept my footing, but it was slow going.
“I know you said your legs would give you trouble after that bike ride, but I didn’t expect it to be this difficult for you to walk.”
Duncan’s voice came from right behind me, and if the trail hadn’t been so muddy, I would have turned around to catch the smile I knew he wore.
“I’m trying not to take the quickest route down on my backside.” Baby steps, I kept telling myself, baby steps.
“You’re right, your backside should be protected at all costs.”
His laughter buoyed me, even if I didn’t pick up the pace. The path looked slippery as hell.
“You know,” he said, that ruffle of playfulness in his voice, “Bea and Rupert have half a kilometer on you.”
I looked up to see the older couple far below. They’d managed the return path just fine, meanwhile my heart jolted with every wobbly step.
“I’ll half a kilometer you,” I mumbled under my breath. That made him laugh harder, a rich low rumble I wanted to sink into. How could I fall with his deep voice to catch me?
I briefly skidded on stones and sucked in a breath. I had to stop a second to find my balance again. I wouldnothave a repeat of Ben Macdui. “You could be helpful.”
He took my hand, his grip firm and warm, keeping me steady. Outwardly, anyway. Inside? Nothing but a tangle of giddy emotions.
“That was a steep go there at the end,” he said once we’d put the worst of the path behind us.
Why did he sound so surprised? I hadn’t been inching down the path for my own benefit. Well. Actually, ithadbeen for my own benefit. Still.
“Next trip, I’m buying a walking stick. Or two.”
“There’s already a next trip, is there?” He squeezed my hand, the tilt of his mouth one hundred percent smug.
“Definitely.”
twenty-six
Back in the lodge,the time had come to face the call I’d been putting off. But I needed to do it at least once. I arranged myself on my tiny bed and tapped my mother’s contact on my phone.
“Honey! It’s so good to hear from you!” She sounded like it had been a year since we’d last talked instead of only a few days.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier. I’ve been busy in the evenings.”
“Busy evenings aren’t a bad thing.” She sounded so saucy, I had to roll my eyes. “Are you having a good time?”
“Yes.” I could fit whole worlds into that tiny answer. “I’m in love with this country. Everything is as green as you think it’s going to be—and greener. The towns, the architecture, the history—I can’t do it justice. And I’m never going to recover from the food.”
She laughed. “You must be having the time of your life. I can hear it in your voice. You’re relaxed.”
I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror and hardly recognized the woman I saw. Rosy-cheeked and seraphic, I’d become Our Lady of the Highlands. My smile seemed etched on permanently. How could I be so totally at ease when I’d spent every day in Scotland finding new methods of total exhaustion?
And yet, I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt so at peace. It must have been some magical convergence of the fresh air, the grueling physical feats, and close proximity to one particular Scot.
Duncan definitely had restorative properties that required further research.
“I think I actually am relaxed.”
I genuinely couldn’t remember the last time I’d been anything close to this relaxed. Of course, I hadn’t had anything close to this much of a vacation before, either.
