A Highland Heist A Contemporary Highland Romance Book Three (21 page)

Thorsen looked over at him, his brows drawn together in question. Conall sighed and shook his head. He was sure Thorsen would grill him once they were alone.

Damn it. He cursed himself for being such an arse. She was one big step closer to getting her brother back. She was happy. And she loved him. Yet he was being a fool and a bastard, upsetting her when she finally had some hope.

The rest of their dinner was spent with Maggie saying barely a word, and everyone’s good mood stifled. By the time they got back to his house, Maggie was already looking to leave. “I’ve got work to do. If you could just keep me updated on what’s going on with my brother, I’d appreciate it.”

Thorsen gave them some space, deciding he’d take the dog out. The moment they were alone, Conall grabbed her hands. “Stay just a wee bit longer, Maggie. I’m sorry if I’ve been difficult.”

She sighed and gave his hands a squeeze. “Ye haven’t been difficult, Conall. Not at all. I mean, I’m going to be getting my brother back and that’s because of you. It’s not yer fault things didn’t work between us. Ye have every right to be tentative after all ye went through with Janet.”

He chewed on his bottom lip as his mind and heart raced to decipher the tumult of emotions and thoughts running through him. Things were suddenly feeling very final between them. “Still…I wish it could be different.”

She shrugged. “Like I’ve said, ye have to live your life to the fullest. There’s no point on wasting your energy on a relationship that won’t work for ye. But…Conall, this is it. If ye turn me away now, it’s truly over between us. I love ye with all my heart, but I can’t waste my life away pining for ye. This is your last chance.”

“’Cause life’s too short.” It felt like his heart was in a vise. He should take another chance on her. On them. Yet he couldn’t get the words out, the pain and heartache preventing him from speaking the words that would keep her from leaving. “I love ye, Maggie. Surely ye know that.”

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, yet she stood tall, her gaze locked on his. “And yet it’s still over, isn’t it?”

“I wish it wasn’t, love.”

***

Conall nursed his drink as Thorsen shook his head, his jaw slack with disbelief. “Conall…you’re the smartest man I know, yeah? But I’ve got to tell you, you’re being a goddamned idiot.”

“You of all people know what I went through with Janet. I was hesitant to get involved with anyone at all, but took a chance with Maggie, only to have her lie to me. She couldn’t trust me even though she knew I might be able to help. Can ye really blame me for not wanting to get burned again?” Conall took another long swig of his whisky, annoyed with himself and the situation he was in. Why the bloody hell couldn’t anything be simple. A kidnapping! Of all the things to sabotage his relationship.

“But Maggie isn’t Janet. Not by a long shot.” Thorsen sat forward, folding his long frame in half as he propped his elbows on his thighs. “And if her brother’s life is on the line, then you have to cut her some slack. It’s not like she’ll have dealt with that sort of situation before.”

“I get it, Thorsen. I really do. I understand why she did it, and I don’t blame her for it. But…” Conall ran a rough hand through his hair and down his face. “But I feel like there’s this huge chasm between us now, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to cross it.”

“Well, you better figure out how to build a shagging bridge before it’s too late and she’s gone for good. ’Cause let me tell you, she’s not going to stay single for long. Hell…you’re just lucky you’re like my brother.” He shook his head, wearing a crooked smile. “A girl like Maggie? Smart, sweet, and gorgeous? Wars have been started over women like her.”

“It doesn’t matter, one way or another. She’s moved on. She gave me one last chance and I turned her away.” Speaking the words out loud left him feeling like he’d just been given a death sentence, not quite believing he’d done such a fool thing. “I really do wish I could find some way of making it work, but-”

“But nothing, man.” Thorsen’s lips were pursed into a thin line, anger sparking in those blue eyes. “You’re being a fool, Conall. Pull your head out of your arse and figure it out. Figure out a way to get past whatever’s holding you back, ’cause I can tell you now, this will be a regret that will haunt you the rest of your life. It’s not too late, but for fuck’s sake, don’t drag your feet on this or she will be gone-gone for good, and you’ll have ruined any chance you have at happiness.”

It felt like the earth had crumbled out from under him, and he was suddenly falling into a black abyss.
Maggie…
What the hell had he done? A fool indeed.

And yet…

Conall took a deep breath and held it until his lungs burned. “Let’s get her brother back safely first. Then I’ll speak to her about trying to make things work between us.”

“And you don’t think it’ll be too late by then?” Thorsen shook his head, still looking at him like he was an idiot. “You’re taking a risk, Conall. But hey, it’s none of my business. Just know that if she’s still available a month from now, she’s fair game as far as I’m concerned. I might have a fool for friend, but it doesn’t mean I’m daft. Not when Maggie’s the prize.”

Despite knowing that his friend was trying to spur him into action, his jealousy flared. “Ye really know how to push my buttons, Thorsen.”

Thorsen shrugged, his lips curled into a goading smile. “So? What are you going to do about it?”

***

With Thorsen off to Dublin to help get Aidan back, Conall couldn’t help but mull over his friend’s words. He loved Maggie. Of that he had no doubt. And Thorsen was right. Maggie was nothing like Janet and the circumstances were extreme. Whatever had been holding him back, whatever tore them apart-he couldn’t let it continue to come between them. She was too important, and it wouldn’t be long before she moved on. If she hadn’t already done so.

Her words now haunted him and a panic settled in his gut, spurring him on to find her. It had been less than a day since she’d asked him one last time if they could make it work. Less than a day since he’d turned her away. Less than a day-and somehow it felt like he was already too late. Like that day may as well have been an eternity.

He drove to the cottage, but there was no one there, so he tried the bus and found Liam. Still no Maggie, though.

Liam shook his head as he propped himself against the doorjamb, his jaw tight even when he spoke. “Look, I appreciate your help in getting Aidan back, but just do us all a favor and stay clear of Maggie. She’s trying to get over ye and will manage it just fine, but only if you’re not trying to confuse her. She deserves better than to have her head and heart messed around with.”

“I’m not toying with her, Liam. And I need to talk to her.” Conall tried not to get frustrated. He knew Liam was just trying to protect his sister, no different than what he would do as a big brother. “Things went wrong between us, but I’m here to do right by her.”

“Yeah? Well, good luck with that,” Liam scoffed with a shake of his head, making Conall wonder if he was indeed too late. “She said it was over between ye-and I hate to tell ye,
laddie
, but that doesn’t bode well for your chances if ye now think you can get her back. Once she moves on, she does just that.”

Conall swore under his breath, and tried to stay calm. He’d make her see sense. He had to. ’Cause he couldn’t live with the alternative. “I don’t suppose ye know where she’s gone to?”

“Nah. Didn’t say, though she took off on that bike of hers. Said she needed a distraction.” Liam ran a hand across his stubbly jaw. “May have headed to Glasgow. There’s a pub she likes to frequent when we’re in the area and she’s looking to get herself into a bit of trouble. The Dun Cairn, I believe.”

“That’s nearly two hours away.” The woman was mad. Certifiable to be going there on that deathtrap of a bike, with dark approaching and the roads almost always slick with wet. And the thought of her looking for a bit of trouble set him on edge, knowing exactly the sort of distraction she might be looking for. “If she calls or shows up, I’d appreciate it if ye had her call me.”

Liam shook his head with a sigh. “I’ll tell her.”

He sat in his car and tried her cell. With any luck, she stayed closer to Dunmuir rather than venturing all the way to Glasgow, since news of her brother was imminent. Not that he could get through to her. Maybe she decided to head into town for a pint. It’d be easy enough to spot her bike, and with a renewed hope of finding her, he pulled out onto the road and drove towards town.

He didn’t get that far. Her bike was parked on the side of the road near the trail that led to the standing stones. Pulling in behind her bike, he parked his car and got out, the cold wind whipping around him as it came in off the sea. He followed the trail as it snaked its way through the heather and up to the crest of the hill where the ancient stones stood.

When he found her sitting on an outcropping of rocks, he let out the breath he’d been holding, some of the tension in his chest easing even if the hardest part was still ahead of him. “Maggie.”

“Hey. It’s not about Aidan, is it?” She bit her bottom lip, her brow furrowing as her eyes darkened with concern.

“No. I’ve yet to hear from Thorsen. Perhaps tonight or tomorrow.” He sat down next to her, his heart tripping out an uneven rhythm. By the gods, he hadn’t been this nervous in a long time. “Can we talk?”

She shrugged with a sigh. “What is there to say, love? Ye’ve made yerself abundantly clear and ye need not worry. I just need to get Aidan back, and then I’ll be out of your hair in the upcoming week. I’m nearly done with most of the security, and Liam will stick around to wrap up the tail end of things.”

It felt like a punch to the gut. She was leaving. In less than a week she’d be gone. He could barely get the words out past the fear of losing her. “Don’t go, Maggie. I made a mistake, and for that I’m sorry. I want things to go back to the way they were.”

She shook her head with a laugh, though there was no humor in it. “If only it were that simple, love.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Maggie felt numb. She should be ecstatic-Conall wanted her back. So why did it still feel like it was over between them? One deep breath after another, she took in the cool and pungent sea air, hoping it would help calm her, hoping it would slow her racing thoughts. She pressed her palms against the rough rock they were sitting on, hoping to ground herself in the ancient place, as if the wisdom of the centuries might aid her in her plight. Yet the voices of the old ones were silent, nothing but a thrumming that rode on the cold wind, their whispers offering up nothing.

Conall took her hand in his, making her heart ache with a desperate pain that threatened to overtake her. She pulled her hand from his, shaking her head and not quite believing she was going to push him away.

“I can’t do this, Conall.
I can’t.
You weren’t the only one taking a chance. You weren’t the only one taking a leap of faith with this relationship. My brother was kidnapped, damn it.” She swiped at the tears that escaped down her cheeks. “You’d think, given the circumstances, that ye’d see past my mistakes. I needed a bit of understanding and did all I could to make things good between us. Yet ye still turned me away.”

He cupped her face in his hands and brushed the tears from her cheeks. “Och, love. I know. I’ve been an arse. But…I love ye, Maggie.”

“I get that it was hard for you to trust me, but in the end, you threw up yer hands and walked away from what we had. So what about the next time there’s a problem between us? Will ye walk away then? ’Cause I need someone who’ll stick around, Conall, through thick and thin-and I’m not sure that’s you.”

“That’s where ye’re mistaken. And I’ll prove ye wrong if ye’ll just let me.” He shook his head, his eyes pleading with her. “We both made mistakes, love. And it would be yet another mistake-the biggest one of all-if we didn’t give this another try.”

Still holding her, he brushed his lips against hers and kissed her until her objections faded, her pulse racing just under her skin. He left her dizzy and wanton, her heart aching for him like it had never done for any other. His kiss deepened and she melted into him, her heart pushing out all logical thought, all warnings. She could do no more than lose herself in him, in his touch, in his kiss.

Her head dropped back as he tangled his fingers in her hair and nipped down her jawline to her neck, her chest pressing against his muscular form with each breath. When he spoke, his words were but a whisper against her skin, her lips. “I love ye, Maggie. With all that I am, I love ye.”

She pulled away enough to look into those gold eyes of his. “And I love you, Conall. But…” She took one last kiss and then put some distance between them, her head swimming with uncertainty and confusion. “I just don’t know if I can do this.” Her voice cracked on those final words-as did her heart.

He shook his head, his jaw set tight. “I’m not letting ye go, Maggie. I was a fool once, but I’ll not be a fool again. Ye can’t just give up on us, love.”

“It was you who gave up on us, damn it.” She wanted to pound on his chest, frustration and hurt knotting up her insides.

His cell phone rang, the sound of it nearly swallowed by the wind. He held onto her a moment more, before pulling away to dig his phone out of his pocket. “It’s Thorsen.”