Highland Fling (16 page)

‘That bad?’

‘Treble it and you wouldn’t even be close to how bad!’

‘So ... what are you going to do?’

Lizzie looked perplexed. ‘Do? Nothing. What can I do? It was a fling. We both knew it, except I saw the rose petals and champagne as usual whereas he just saw a cake on a plate.’

‘Oh Lizzie. I really am sorry.’

Lizzie shrugged. ‘C’est la vie – and all that crap. I’ll get over it I guess.’ She let out a strangled laugh. ‘It did one bit of good though, I suppose.’

‘Yeah. What’s that?’

‘It made me realise I’m no longer in love with Max. I couldn’t have done it if I was.’

‘Well. Thank heavens for small mercies. At least that’s something right?’

Lizzie glanced down at the wedding band and diamond solitaire, sparkling mockingly up at her from the third finger of her left hand. She took a deep breath and in one swift movement, she pulled the rings from her finger and shoved them on to the third finger of her right hand. Then she let out the breath she was holding in a long, deep sigh.

Jane looked doubtful. ‘Are you sure?’

Lizzie nodded. ‘It’s time. And it’s time I stopped being so stupid about men. I’ve got a good life here – when the roof’s not leaking – and I must put the past behind me once and for all. I still love Max but I’m no longer in love with him and there’s no going back. It’s time we both accepted that and moved on.’

‘Good for you!’

Lizzie stood up abruptly, almost knocking the chair over in her haste. ‘And I’m not going to put it off for a moment longer.’ She strode towards the hall.

‘What are you going to do?’ Jane asked, concerned by her friend’s sudden rash behaviour.

‘I’m going to call Max and tell him.’

‘Over the phone?’ Jane was a little surprised, although she completely understood that it might be easier that way.

‘Of course not. I’m going to see him in London.’

Jane jumped up so quickly that her chair did fall over and the loud thud it made when it hit the floor made Alastair jump from his basket and give out a loud, startled bark.

‘Sorry boy,’ Jane said, ruffling his furry head, then racing into the hall after Lizzie. ‘Lizzie wait! Don’t do something you might regret later. It’s been snowing all morning so there’s going to be transport problems before too long. Why not think about it – just for today and if you still feel the same tomorrow – I’ll go with you if you want, for moral support.’

Lizzie hesitated, her hand on the phone.

‘Please Lizzie. You’re really upset and you’re angry. Don’t take out your anger on Max when it’s directed at someone else.’

‘You’ve changed your tune. You’re the one who’s always telling me I should end it with Max once and for all.’

‘Yes, and I still think you should but not like this. Not today. Look, it’s twelve o’clock. Let’s open a bottle of wine and get drunk watching weepy movies.’

‘Thanks but no thanks. I’m having enough trouble keeping it together sober. I suppose you’re right though, it can wait until tomorrow.’

Lizzie didn’t want to say that part of the reason she had decided to go to London today was because she didn’t want to be in the house. Jack’s face seemed to be everywhere she looked and in just two days he’d created more memories for her than Max had done, visiting her over the last two years. She really must be losing her mind. 

‘It’ll be okay Lizzie. Everything will work out fine, you’ll see.’

‘You always say that and it never does. No, I’ve just got to keep busy that’s all, keep my mind off it and focus on something else. I’ll start cleaning their rooms and washing the bedding and ... oh Hell! No I won’t. Open the bottle. And then, tell me all about last night and Iain. I take it this time he will call.’

Jane beamed. ‘Abso..bloody..lutely!’

‘Hello-o!’

Iain Hamilton’s deep voice startled both Jane and Lizzie. They were curled up on the sofa in the second sitting room which housed the television, tartan throws wrapped over their legs, boxes of tissues balancing on their laps, tears streaming down their faces.

‘We’re ... in ... here,’ Jane called out between sobs.

Iain stood in the doorway, his solid frame almost filling it.

‘I knocked but no one ... Oh God! What’s happened? What’s the matter with you?’ He rushed to Jane’s side.

Jane sobbed again and pointed to the television. They were watching “The Last of The Mohicans”. She pressed the pause button.

Iain relaxed visibly. ‘A film! I thought something had happened! Where are the men?’

Lizzie let out a strangled sob and Jane put her arm around her.

‘They’ve gone back to London. I’ll explain it later,’ Jane said, shaking her head to warn Iain off the subject. ‘What are you doing here anyway? Don’t you have a farm to run?’ She was grinning between her tears.

‘Seems I couldnae keep my mind on it. Fraser can cope for a wee bit. Thought I’d pop over and take a look at the boiler Lizzie said was playing up.’

Another strangled sob as Lizzie remembered the radiator, the heart, Jack naked, Jack ... the flood gates opened and Lizzie got up and fled from the room with a handful of tissues pressed firmly against her nose.

Iain looked stunned. ‘What did I say?’

‘She just needs a bit of time on her own I think,’ Jane said, patting the sofa to indicate he should sit next to her and when he did, she curled up to him and he put one strong arm around her and kissed her on the forehead.

He still couldn’t believe how good it felt to put his arm around this beautiful woman who loved him and it sent a strange sensation shooting through him. A mixture of pride, love and pure, raw passion.

He lifted her chin with the fingertips of his free hand and stared into her huge, green, watery eyes. He brushed a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb and an overwhelming urge to kiss her took him almost by surprise. He bent his head and his mouth came down on hers in a gentle kiss, slowly building into something more. He remembered where he was and reluctantly pulled away, his hazel eyes filled with longing.

‘Seems I cannae keep my hands off you woman,’ he said, his voice thick with passion.

Jane smiled at him and he nearly threw caution to the wind but what she said stopped him.

‘Lizzie is really upset over Jack. I won’t go into details but something happened between them and now this morning, it seems as if it meant nothing to him and he’s gone back to his fiancée in London.’

Iain was silent for a moment. ‘Well, I only met the man last night but, apart from myself,’ he kissed Jane on the forehead again, ‘I’ve never seen anyone so besotted with a woman as he was with Lizzie.’

Jane glanced up at him. ‘Really? Well, I thought so too. I think we all did. But either he’s a really good actor or he was besotted and then this morning when he heard about the accident, he realised he loved his fiancée more.’

Iain held her away from him, his eyes filled with concern. ‘What accident?’

Jane shook her head. ‘Oh, of course, you don’t know. Well Jack’s fiancée was involved in an accident and she’s in hospital. She’s okay but Jack had to go back, which I think was the right thing to do but Lizzie said he said he isn’t going to break off the engagement now so –’

‘What? Are you saying he told Lizzie he was calling off the wedding – for her?’

‘Yes and no. I mean, he had told Lizzie that he was going to call off the wedding but he didn’t say it was because of her, he said he’d realised he didn’t love his fiancée enough to marry her or something, which I also think makes sense but Lizzie thinks he lied and used it to get her into bed ... oh!’

Iain’s face darkened with rage. ‘You mean the man took our Lizzie to bed then ran back to his other woman this morning?’

Jane looked sheepish. ‘Yes, but I hadn’t meant to tell you that bit. Don’t tell Lizzie I told you, she’ll be so embarrassed, you know what she’s like ... and ... technically, Lizzie was the other woman and –’

‘Auch. It doesnae matter who was the other woman. What matters is the man shouldnae ha’ done it. I wouldnae ha’ believed it of him!’

Jane loved the way Iain reverted to his Scottish tongue when he was really fired up. Last night when they were in bed he’d said several things to her in his Scots drawl that she couldn’t quite understand but which had sounded really sexy in the heat of passion.

‘I agree with that ... but ... actually, it does matter who the other woman was – and you’re never going to believe this – you know Max had an affair with his secretary ...’

‘Aye, that’s why Lizzie came up here two years ago.’

‘Well ... and even I still can’t believe this ... it was the same woman. Kim Mentor, the woman who had the affair with Max is now Jack’s fiancée!’

Iain blinked several times in disbelief. His voice now calm he said, ‘What the hell do they put in the water down there? I’ve only been to London the once but it’s a pretty big place. There must be more than one woman to choose from.’

Jane shook her head. ‘I know. It seems bizarre but actually, the City’s a pretty small place. Everyone seems to know everyone else – or at least, someone who does, if you see what I mean. Kim was Max’s secretary so that’s how they had the affair and Phil, one of the guys on this weekend, works with Max at the bank, so he knows Kim and from what little sense Lizzie was making earlier, Phil told Lizzie today that he and Jack were in their local pub and Kim came in and joined them. It must have been just after Max had ended the affair with Kim because Lizzie had found out.’

‘Clear as mud,’ Iain said, pulling Jane back into his arms and hugging her tightly to him. He was very glad she had left London. ‘So, Phil knew Lizzie was Max’s wife and he knew Kim was the bit on the side and now Jack’s fiancée and he still came here?’

‘Oh. Um No. I mean. I don’t think Phil knows about the affair. They had booked somewhere else but it burnt down or something so this was a last minute thing. I think Max was just being Max and trying to be the hero. He knew Lizzie was a bit short of cash and he knew the guys were looking for somewhere to go so he suggested here. You know, Max saves the day as usual, and I don’t believe for one minute that Max knows Kim is Jack’s fiancée. There’s no way he would have let the guys come here if he knew that. Bit too close for comfort, especially as he’s trying to get Lizzie to go back to him.’

‘So it’s all just one huge coincidence, is that what you’re saying?’

‘Or fate ... ’

Iain tipped his head to one side so that he could see Jane’s face. ‘So you believe in Kismet sweetheart?’

Jane glanced up at him. ‘Don’t you? If my aunt hadn’t left me the croft and if I hadn’t spent the summers there as a child and had happy memories of it, I wouldn’t have come up here and if I hadn’t come up here I wouldn’t have wanted to live here and if I hadn’t decided to live here – I wouldn’t have met you, and last night wouldn’t have happened, or Valentine’s night, and –’

Iain’s kiss interrupted her. ‘Well,’ he said, several minutes later, ‘then I’ll believe in Kismet too and I would have asked you over for a repeat performance tonight, only Fraser –’

‘Oh God! Is Fraser upset? I didn’t think –’

‘Sweetheart, no!’ He kissed her on her nose. Fraser is very happy for us both. In fact, his very words were, “I don’t know what took you so long, dad, Jane’s perfect for you” and that’s a direct quote.’

Jane’s mouth fell open. ‘Fraser said that? Really?’

Iain stroked her cheek with his fingers. ‘Really. What I was going to say was, that Fraser’s invited some friends over tonight –  one of whom is a wee lassie he’s definitely got his eye on, and if last night was anything to go by, I don’t think having his dad and his dad’s sweetheart upstairs making love all night is going to work somehow.’

Jane smiled coyly. ‘You could always come over to me,’ she said, fiddling with the top button of his shirt.

Iain shifted his position and started to get up, pulling Jane to her feet and wrapping his arms around her. ‘That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say, sweetheart,’ he said, kissing her again. He took her hands in his to stop her undoing his shirt button. ‘Now you keep your hands to yourself until tonight lassie or I’ll have no option but to ravage you here and now.’

Jane grinned devilishly. ‘I rather like the sound of that,’ she said, leaning her body into him.

Iain’s eyes were dark with passion. ‘I’ll be round at six,’ he said reluctantly pulling himself away. ‘I don’t suppose Lizzie will want me messing around with the boiler right now. Tell her I’ll do it whenever she wants.’ He blew Jane a kiss from the doorway and turned to go, then turned back. ‘Will Lizzie be all right though? On her own I mean. As much as I love you, if she needs you to be here I’ll understand. I can spend the evening under a cold shower.’

Jane’s eyes filled with love for the large, rugged man. For someone built like a mountain and with hands to match, he was incredibly gentle and kind.

‘Do you know how much I love you Iain Hamilton?’ she said huskily.

He was across the room in one second flat and had swept her up in a kiss so passionate it made her head spin.

‘As much as I love you,’ he said when he finally pulled away. ‘And Fraser’s right – about everything.’

‘Oh God, Iain,’ Jane gasped still getting her breath from that kiss. ‘I’ll speak to Lizzie and call you but either way, if you don’t make love to me at some point today, I think I’ll go mad.’

‘Me too sweetheart. I want to make love to you every day for the rest of my life. Call me as soon as you can. I love you Jane Munroe.’ And with that, he was gone.

Jane stared after him for at least ten minutes. She felt enveloped in love as if some fairy godmother had wrapped an invisible cloak of it around her. Unless she was very much mistaken, Iain Hamilton had just told her he wanted to spend the rest of his life making love to her. That was almost as good as a marriage proposal and it took her a further five minutes before she had her emotions under control enough, to go and find Lizzie.

Chapter Ten

Lizzie had made a decision. She knew what Jane and Iain were like and she knew that they would be worried about her and that wasn’t fair to them. She could see how much in love they were and was astonished that she hadn’t seen it before.