A Highlander Walks into a Bar by Laura Trentham

Author:Laura Trentham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Chapter Nine

The next morning, Alasdair found himself tiptoeing out of the house and into the middle of the field of wildflowers with his mobile clutched in his hand. Privacy was hard to come by, especially knowing Isabel was on the other side of his bedroom wall.

The urge to talk to his mum was odd, but the last few days in Highland had brought the past into sharper focus. He tapped her name.

“Alasdair, darling. Are you home?” Their connection was so clear, she might have been only a handful of kilometers away instead of thousands.

His throat tightened and he couldn’t speak. Childhood memories rushed him and fought for his attention. It hadn’t been all bad. Yes, his parents had had a volatile relationship that frightened him, but he remembered walking between them, holding their hands, for fresh scones on a Sunday.

“Is something wrong?” Her voice had pinched with worry. Worry and love went hand in hand.

“I’m fine. I’m still in Highland with Gareth. And the Buchanans,” he added as a picture of Isabel, teasing him in the river last night popped into his head.

“What’s the status of their relationship? Is it beginning to cool?”

“No. But he understands he can’t leave Cairndow forever.” An ache in his chest had him briefly closing his eyes. “I fear both of them will be hurt in the long run.”

“She knows his situation.”

But, Rose didn’t know. He certainly wasn’t going to betray Gareth to his mum.

“What is the daughter like?” his mum asked.

“She’s…” He wondered if his mum could hear the smile he couldn’t contain. “… special. Funny and smart.”

“Pretty?” his mum asked with a sharpness that punctured his bubble of happiness.

How could he confess his confusion and guilt and want when it came to Isabel? If his mum didn’t approve of Rose for Gareth, she certainly wouldn’t appreciate his undeniable interest in Isabel.

“She’s not bad to look at, I suppose. No hairy moles or crazy eyes.” He bit his tongue to shut himself up and cleared his throat. “Anyway, how are you doing?”

She paused, then said suspiciously, “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

With no small amount of shame, he realized how rare it was for him to ask. He was used to her high-handed coddling, and to never returning the favor. “Just wondering if you’re, I don’t know, dating anyone?”

“What’s brought on this interrogation about my love life?”

“It’s been a long time since Da died, and I thought maybe you were dating. I mean, you’re still quite attractive.”

Christ Almighty, could the conversation get any more awkward? He was ready to claim a case of virulent diarrhea to end the call when she said with unusual tentativeness, “Well, actually, there is someone.”

“Bloody hell!”

“Why did you ask if you don’t want to know?”

“No, I do. I’m glad for you. That’s great. When can I meet him?” He cringed, thankful she couldn’t see him.

“We can have dinner when you’re back in London, if you really want to.”

“Of course I do.” No, this was good. His mum deserved another shot at happiness with a man.

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