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Her eyes dart to Finlay for only a moment, and then with a small sound that sounds suspiciously like a snort, she goes back to what she was doing.

“So how did you find the pub?” Finlay reaches for the thermos at the center of the table, grabbing a mug and offering it to me. “Coffee?”

I take it, letting him pour me a cup before answering. “It was interesting. The owners are…something.”

“Oh, aye,” Finlay laughs. “The twins are a hoot. I hope they weren’t too ornery with you.”

I shake my head. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

I’m opening my mouth to ask about the museum they recommended, but something stops me. I glance at Brodie, remembering what the twins said about bringing him along. It seems unfair, their assessment of him, but still. I think this might be something I want to experience myself.

“My car should be ready today,” I say instead. “Leo said he would drop it off here this morning.”

“Good man,” Finlay says. “I hope Brodie didn’t let him charge you tourist prices.”

Brodie rolls his eyes, looking sluggish, as if he didn’t sleep well either. “He charged her a normal rate.”

“Good, good,” Finlay says. “Can’t have him taking advantage of my granddaughter.” He makes a face just after he says it, his lip quivering as his eyes start to shine. “Och, look at me. Sorry, hen. It’s just that I never thought I’d be able to say that. Not while you were sitting right there like you are.”

I’m gathering that Finlay is an…emotional sort. He wipes a stray tear forming at his eye, and I pat his shoulder awkwardly. “I’m really glad to be here,” I tell him.

“We’re glad to have you,” he says. He looks back at Rhona. “Aren’t we, Rhonnie?”

Rhona turns with two plates in hand, sliding one in front of Brodie and then holding the other out for me. Her face says anything but her agreement of what Finlay has said, her mouth turned down in a slight frown as her eyes rake over my disheveled state. “Little notice might have been nice.”

“Rhonnie!”

I shake my head, keeping my expression passive. “No, no, she’s right.” I’m determined to win this woman over if it kills me. “I’m really sorry about that. I guess I was just nervous. I went back and forth a hundred times over whether or not I was actually going to come.”

“You don’t have anyone waiting on you back in America?” Brodie asks as he tucks into his food.

I shake my head. “Not really. My old boss was always really kind to me, and he was very understanding while Dad was—” I swallow thickly, finding it hard to go down that road with Rhona staring at me like she is from her place across the table where she’s settled. “Anyway. My friends kind of fell to the wayside with everything. Hard to keep up with people when you’re caring for someone around the clock.”

“And you had to do it all by yourself,” Finlay says quietly, his voice thick with emotion. “Poor lass.”

“Might have had help if we’d known,” Rhona mutters, stabbing her fork into her eggs.

I nod, still determined to keep my cool. “I wish you had known,” I tell her, honestly meaning it. The help would have been nice. “I’m sorry that you didn’t.”

Rhona stares at me for a beat, then ducks her head to take a bite of her eggs. “S’pose it’s not your fault.”

There’s a ringing silence that hangs in the air after, one that I’m not sure how to pierce.

Thankfully, Finlay does it for me. “Now, I promised you a tour after breakfast, didn’t I?”

“You did,” I say with a grin. “I’d love to see the farm.”

“Well, eat up, my girl,” he chuckles. “Because there’s a lot of it.”

My girl.It makes my cheeks heat, but in a good way.

I don’t have to ask if Rhona will be joining our little adventure.

I don’t know if that’s a disappointment or a relief.

“—and over there is the auld barn; it’s been there since we first built on this land!” Finlay exclaims with excitement.

We’ve been walking for over an hour; I didn’t anticipate just howmuchthere is to the MacKay farm. Rolling hills and creek beds and cow after cow aftercow—which I am perfectly content to stay far away from—there almost seems to be no end to the place.