Hero of a Highland Wolf
Page 47
“He’d been caught driving over the limit on several occasions, and his license had been revoked. He shouldn’t have been driving, but that didn’t make any difference to him.” She shook her head. “If he drowned your father, it seems fitting justice that he died that way, too. I was just glad he hadn’t taken anyone else’s life with him.”
“I’m sorry, Colleen. This has to be hard to learn all at once.”
Yeah, it was. Not because she had cared about her father, but because she cared about Grant’s. “My father had never been a loving dad. The more I learn about him, the less I realize I knew him. I believe the only thing he really loved was his bottle.” She finished her tea and set the cup aside.
“I have to agree with you there,” Grant said stonily.
“Have you ever questioned Archibald about your parents’ deaths?” Not that she thought the man would give up the secrets, but Grant might have noticed a change of scent or posture or mannerisms, something that would indicate Archibald knew something.
“Aye, I have. If he knows what truly happened, he won’t tell me.”
Thinking out loud, she said, “So Archibald thinks to gain the properties through me, then.”
“I suspect he was keeping an eye on your father, and when he learned Theodore had died and you inherited, he was waiting for you to follow in your father’s footsteps. Then he conveniently met you at the airport.”
She stiffened a little, her gaze holding his. He might as well know the truth. “I assumed he was you at first, and that he had come to pick me up and take me to the castle.” She smiled a little. That might teach Grant to allow his enemy to come for her instead. “But then I texted Julia and said I’d arrived, and she told me what you had planned for me. She sent a picture of you and Ian, so I’d know who to look for when I arrived at the castle.”
“Bloody hell, lass,” Grant said with regret. He reached for her hand and squeezed it with a much too tender touch, when she was trying to keep a more businesslike posture, especially because of the way she was dressed. “I’m sorry for not being the one to pick you up. To show you Scottish hospitality like I should have from the very beginning.” Then he frowned. “You couldn’t have thought he was me.”
She chuckled. “Or one of your men. When I said such, his face fell, but I still assumed his meeting me there was just by chance. Does he have a pack?”
She realized she’d never really talked to anyone about her father like she had with Grant. Her cousins had been terrified of him; her mother covered for him.
“Nay. Five men stick with Archibald. He and his father and grandfather never had a following. So if he mated with you and took over the properties, he’d be the owner and tell me what to do.”
She shook her head, not even considering the possibility. “And make life miserable for you.”
“Aye.”
“But you and your pack could leave,” she said, just speaking in general. Not that they would have to.
“And go where, lass? This is our home. This is what we know how to do well.”
Grant looked as though they would fight and die before they’d leave their home. Colleen thought about that as she stared into the golden flames and realized this really was their home. Not just a place they managed. But theirs. And had always been.
Between the fire, the stew, and tea, and Grant’s knees brushing against hers, she was getting hot. But she wasn’t backing away from him as much as she knew she should, while she wickedly enjoyed the intimacy of their touch. Wishing in a naughty way that they could do more.
“It will never happen,” she said emphatically.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Grant said, his voice somber, his eyes dark.
He sounded so sincere that she was really taken aback. He really must have had a change of heart.
She smiled a little. “I have nearly a year before I do. Maybe in that time you’ll change your mind.”
“Nay. I should have gone to America and brought you home to Farraige Castle so you could have been with your grandmother,” he said, again so serious, as if they’d finally made a connection—a tentative friendship.
“You should have,” she heartily agreed. “I wish I’d known her.”
“Then I wouldn’t have wasted all that time not getting to know you.”
She raised a brow. Was he serious? “And you wouldn’t have tried to scare me off when I first arrived,” she teased.
“I never expected you to stand there recording us, or that my brothers would join you as if they were your bodyguards. I should have known I’d already lost the battle.”
She smiled. “You had. As soon as Julia gave me a heads-up, you had lost. Well, except when it came to the whisky, but that was my fault. I should have known better.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry about not welcoming you like I should have,” he said again, his voice full of regret.
“Truly, I don’t believe we’d be here like this today if you hadn’t. I might have thought you were terribly dull.”
He chuckled.
“I would love to run in the glen over the hills as wolves sometime.”
“Aye.”
She wanted him to know from the bottom of her heart that she would never have replaced Grant or his pack. She reached over to pat his hand. “Archibald would never have run the estates.”
Grant rose from his chair and took her hand gently and pulled her from her seat. “You can’t know how I felt when I saw you and Ollie in the sea.”
“I’m sorry, Colleen. This has to be hard to learn all at once.”
Yeah, it was. Not because she had cared about her father, but because she cared about Grant’s. “My father had never been a loving dad. The more I learn about him, the less I realize I knew him. I believe the only thing he really loved was his bottle.” She finished her tea and set the cup aside.
“I have to agree with you there,” Grant said stonily.
“Have you ever questioned Archibald about your parents’ deaths?” Not that she thought the man would give up the secrets, but Grant might have noticed a change of scent or posture or mannerisms, something that would indicate Archibald knew something.
“Aye, I have. If he knows what truly happened, he won’t tell me.”
Thinking out loud, she said, “So Archibald thinks to gain the properties through me, then.”
“I suspect he was keeping an eye on your father, and when he learned Theodore had died and you inherited, he was waiting for you to follow in your father’s footsteps. Then he conveniently met you at the airport.”
She stiffened a little, her gaze holding his. He might as well know the truth. “I assumed he was you at first, and that he had come to pick me up and take me to the castle.” She smiled a little. That might teach Grant to allow his enemy to come for her instead. “But then I texted Julia and said I’d arrived, and she told me what you had planned for me. She sent a picture of you and Ian, so I’d know who to look for when I arrived at the castle.”
“Bloody hell, lass,” Grant said with regret. He reached for her hand and squeezed it with a much too tender touch, when she was trying to keep a more businesslike posture, especially because of the way she was dressed. “I’m sorry for not being the one to pick you up. To show you Scottish hospitality like I should have from the very beginning.” Then he frowned. “You couldn’t have thought he was me.”
She chuckled. “Or one of your men. When I said such, his face fell, but I still assumed his meeting me there was just by chance. Does he have a pack?”
She realized she’d never really talked to anyone about her father like she had with Grant. Her cousins had been terrified of him; her mother covered for him.
“Nay. Five men stick with Archibald. He and his father and grandfather never had a following. So if he mated with you and took over the properties, he’d be the owner and tell me what to do.”
She shook her head, not even considering the possibility. “And make life miserable for you.”
“Aye.”
“But you and your pack could leave,” she said, just speaking in general. Not that they would have to.
“And go where, lass? This is our home. This is what we know how to do well.”
Grant looked as though they would fight and die before they’d leave their home. Colleen thought about that as she stared into the golden flames and realized this really was their home. Not just a place they managed. But theirs. And had always been.
Between the fire, the stew, and tea, and Grant’s knees brushing against hers, she was getting hot. But she wasn’t backing away from him as much as she knew she should, while she wickedly enjoyed the intimacy of their touch. Wishing in a naughty way that they could do more.
“It will never happen,” she said emphatically.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Grant said, his voice somber, his eyes dark.
He sounded so sincere that she was really taken aback. He really must have had a change of heart.
She smiled a little. “I have nearly a year before I do. Maybe in that time you’ll change your mind.”
“Nay. I should have gone to America and brought you home to Farraige Castle so you could have been with your grandmother,” he said, again so serious, as if they’d finally made a connection—a tentative friendship.
“You should have,” she heartily agreed. “I wish I’d known her.”
“Then I wouldn’t have wasted all that time not getting to know you.”
She raised a brow. Was he serious? “And you wouldn’t have tried to scare me off when I first arrived,” she teased.
“I never expected you to stand there recording us, or that my brothers would join you as if they were your bodyguards. I should have known I’d already lost the battle.”
She smiled. “You had. As soon as Julia gave me a heads-up, you had lost. Well, except when it came to the whisky, but that was my fault. I should have known better.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry about not welcoming you like I should have,” he said again, his voice full of regret.
“Truly, I don’t believe we’d be here like this today if you hadn’t. I might have thought you were terribly dull.”
He chuckled.
“I would love to run in the glen over the hills as wolves sometime.”
“Aye.”
She wanted him to know from the bottom of her heart that she would never have replaced Grant or his pack. She reached over to pat his hand. “Archibald would never have run the estates.”
Grant rose from his chair and took her hand gently and pulled her from her seat. “You can’t know how I felt when I saw you and Ollie in the sea.”
