Auld Lang Syne: Highlands Holiday Novella by Rebel Carter

Author:Rebel Carter [Carter, Rebel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-26T22:00:00+00:00

“What was that shite?!”

Callum whirled around to face me. We stood in the printing press front room, arms crossed and glaring at one another.

“That’s what I should be asking you!” I exploded, not budging an inch. The walk to the press from the town square had been quick and silent. The only bright spot had been the warm feel of Callum’s hand wrapped around mine, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it the few minutes we’d held hands had almost made our public argument worth it.

“You picked a fight with me and you have the nerve to—” Callum broke off and shook his head hands going to rake through his ginger hair. “Are ye mad, woman?”

“Stop calling me woman! I’ve got a name!”

“Damnable, maddening woman,” Callum spit out, making me see red.

“Me? Damnable? You started treating me like shit for no reason. Agnes was right! You are a bawbag,” I shot back.

“And what does Agnes know, eh? She’s running her mouth about the fey folk and ye’ve been here not three days and you’ve set yerself to encouraging it.”

“What?” I jerked back from Callum as if his words had bitten me. “What are you talking about?”

Callum’s eyes narrowed. “Ye ken exactly what I’m talking about. I know my aunt is eccentric but ye dinna ‘ave to agree with her.”

I gaped. “That’s what this is all about?”

“What else would it be about?”

I went silent. Save for our conversation the day before, we hadn’t come into contact again until his appearance in the bakeshop, when I had gone along with Agnes’s claim that fairies would help her bake through the day’s orders. Somehow Callum had been angered by it.

There had to be more to the talk of fey folk and their family. I understood family drama, and whatever their particular issue was was, I had stepped into the middle of it. I sucked in a deep breath, preparing to apologize.

“Callum,” I began, “I didn’t think—”

“That’s right, ye dinna think. If ye had ye woulda known not to encourage an old woman with an imagination that’s always gotten her in trouble,” Callum growled, the venom in his voice making my hands clench. His expression was stormy, all dark eyes and clenched jaw.

And yes, I was angry with him too, but what shocked me more was how much I wanted to wipe away the crease between his brows, run my hands over his hunched shoulders, and tell him I was sorry.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want him mad at me, but rather that I didn’t want him mad at all. I wanted to wipe the worry and hurt from him, to erase whatever had happened between him and Agnes—and that shocked the most of all.

“I’m going to go now,” I said, my voice shaking.

Callum said nothing as I turned on my heel and strode toward the door that led to my apartment. I didn’t stop walking until I was alone, and only then did I sag against the door and let the first hot tears spill from my eyes.

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