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"No. My ideas are more elegant." It's my turn to wince. "Though I don't have a fully-formed plan yet. It needs a lot more work."
"This is your first day on the job. Give yourself time to acclimate." He offers me his arm. "Shall we continue to the water wheel? It is the starting point for making whisky."
"Lead on. I'm interested in seeing that wheel, since I've never come across one before."
I accept Thane's arm, and we wander down the path together as if we were a couple. But I assume he's just being polite. The man has opened doors for me, and that's always a rarity these days, at least in America. Maybe Scots are always chivalrous.
After a few minutes, we step out of the woods and into a small clearing that surrounds the water wheel. The old wheel is attached to a small stone building that looks quite old too, though both are clearly in good repair.
Thane stretches an arm out toward the wheel and its house. "This is where a Victorian businessman from Edinburgh tried to make a go of distilling his own brand of whisky. He knew nothing about making whisky, so naturally, his attempt failed."
"How long have you owned this property?"
"I don't own the water wheel or its house. That belongs to a conservation trust that maintains the building for historic purposes." He shoves his hands into his pants pockets as he gazes at the big wheel. "But I thought you should see how whisky distilling used to be done. And I wanted to finish telling you about the importance of the river, which is still a vital element of crafting Collaidh Sgeul-Rùin Black Label."
"I'm ready to hear all about it."
"The soil here is black because of the peat layer that runs beneath this entire region. It's a vital element of Scotch whisky. But I need to explain the process in order, so you won't be confused."
I've been carrying my portfolio, so now I open it and pluck my pen out of its little holder. "I'm ready to take notes."
His lips curl up slightly. "You make taking notes seem almost erotic."
"Let's not go there again. Could you please just be my boss right now?"
"Aye." His lips curl up even more. "Afraid ye cannae keep your hands off me, eh?"
"You kissed me first."
"Then you begged me to shag you."
"Okay, we're even on the quickie-in-the-woods front. Let's move on." I tap my pen on the pad of paper in my portfolio. "Give me the step-by-step process of making Scotch whisky." I wag my pen at him. "No talking about kissing or sex, and no flirtation. Got it?"
"Aye." He winks. "I can do that. But can you?"
"Yes, of course I can."
I said that, but honestly...I have no idea if I can keep that promise.
Chapter Seven
Thane
The lass doesn't seem sure of her ability to resist me, and frankly, I'm not sure I can resist her either. This has never happened to me before. But I know how to control my passions, thanks to years of experience at the MOD. No, I will not explain to Rebecca that my job as a geospatial analyst often involved more than analyzing data. Most of what I did at the MOD is still classified, at any rate. I was never a spy, not precisely, and I certainly never did the things my mate Logan MacTaggart did during his time with MI6.
Right now, I need to focus on explaining the whisky distilling process to the beautiful, sensual, passionate woman who stands in front of me.
I probably shouldn't have thought the words passionate and sensual. That has nothing to do with my distillery.
Be professional, you eejit.
I roll my shoulders back and clear my throat. "The process of distilling whisky begins with water. That's why, in the olden days, every distillery would have a wheel like this one to transfer the water to the main building where all the magic happens."
Rebecca swiftly writes things down on her pad of paper. The pink tip of her tongue sticks out between her lips a wee bit. It's adorable. And it makes me want to kiss her. I want to smack my palm on my forehead to snap myself out of that idea, but Rebecca would think I'm a bampot if I did that. Many people think I'm strange, but so far, none have called me a raving lunatic. I'd like to keep that streak going.
Once she finishes taking notes, she raises her head to gaze at me steadily, waiting for more information.
I start walking up the trail again with Rebecca at my side, mostly so that I won't need to look at her. Aye, I'm a coward. Better that than being accused of sexual harassment. "We're heading toward the main building again, but we'll bypass the areas you've seen already. You're about to see where we begin the process of distilling whisky."
