Page 29 of A Summer of Secrets on Arran (Scottish Romances #5)

The next morning, Rosie woke up with a jolt when she heard a loud knock at the door, followed by Coisty’s barks.

She sat up bleary-eyed and jumped out of bed when she saw the time.

She must have slept in. Then her phone buzzed with a message.

She could see it was from Luke and her heart skipped a beat.

She stood up, slightly dazed and momentarily wondered whether to check her phone or answer the door.

But when she heard the knocking again, she pulled on her dressing gown, shoved her phone in her pocket and rushed downstairs.

As she swung the door open, she rubbed her eyes.

Her jaw almost hit the ground when she saw who was standing there.

‘Hey, Mum,’ said Ben, grinning at her.

Rosie gasped loudly and then promptly burst into tears.

Ben grabbed and hugged her tightly. She couldn’t believe her boy was here and she clutched him tightly.

Rosie let herself shed a few more tears then gave herself a shake.

The last thing she wanted to do was go to pieces.

She needed to pull herself together. It wasn’t fair on Ben.

Stepping back and keeping her arms on his, she said, ‘But how . . . what are you doing here?’

‘I was just passing and thought I would pop in and say hello,’ he said jokingly.

‘Am I dreaming? You’re supposed to be in Bali?’ He was wearing shorts, trainers and a light jacket. His face was tanned by the sun and his hair was streaked with blonde. He did not look like a local.

‘Not anymore, Mum. I really am here on Arran with you.’ He reached forward to give her another hug.

Coisty, who had managed to sneak round the ajar front door, jumped up and pawed his legs excitedly.

‘Hey, Coisty. How are you, boy?’ Coisty barked and wagged his tail as Ben bent down to scratch his ears.

Millions of questions raced through her head but she couldn’t articulate any of them. It didn’t matter. The main thing was that Ben was here now for however long and she was going to make the most of it.

‘Come on in,’ she said, opening the door. ‘I see you’ve travelled light. She chuckled as he easily swung his rucksack on his shoulder and walked into the house.

‘I have my world on my back,’ he said. ‘Though I might have to do some washing, if that’s okay, Mum?’

‘Of course it is,’ she said with a shake of her head. ‘Just leave it by the machine and I will get it sorted. Now, what can I get you? Are you starving? Do you want a cup of tea?’

‘Yes, please, a cup of tea would be great. And I wouldn’t say no to a wee snack, Mum.’

Rosie watched as Ben kicked off his shoes in the hallway then hung his coat on a peg next to the door.

Isobel appeared at the top of the stairs looking very bleary-eyed. ‘Am I dreaming or did I hear Ben’s voice?’

Rosie laughed. ‘He’s here. He’s really here.’ She wiped away a tear of joy that had trickled down her cheek.

Isobel ran down the stairs. ‘Och, Ben. What a lovely surprise,’ she said, hugging him. ‘Look at how much you’ve grown.’

Ben grinned. ‘Good to see you too, Isobel. Thought I’d surprise my mum. Looks like I woke both of you up.’

‘Aye, changed days, Ben. It’s our turn to lie in bed till noon.’ Isobel chuckled.

Rosie was still in shock. She had to reach over and grab his arm to make sure it was really him.

‘I’ll go and shower and get organised and leave you two to catch up for a bit,’ said Isobel diplomatically.

Rose smiled gratefully at her as she disappeared upstairs. ‘Come on through, sweetie,’ she said, linking her arm through his as they walked into the kitchen. ‘You know where everything is. Make yourself at home.’

‘I’ll just go and wash my hands,’ he said.

As she waited for the kettle to boil, she remembered her phone and the message from Luke. Pulling it out her pocket, she opened the message and read it. Even though she was already smiling at Ben’s surprise appearance, she felt her grin grow even wider.

‘Just go and relax next door and I’ll bring this through,’ Rosie said as she made two mugs of tea and sliced some tea loaf.

She followed him into the living room, where he was slumped on the sofa.

Coisty jumped up next to him. She sat opposite, still unable to believe that he was actually here.

She waited a few minutes until he had taken a few sips of tea and eaten several pieces of tea loaf on the plate. ‘You’re hungry?’ she teased.

‘Nah, not really. I got something on the ferry.’

Rosie chuckled as she watched him demolish the final piece of cake on the plate. ‘I don’t understand. When did you decide to come back and why didn’t you tell me?’

He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. ‘I had been thinking about it for a while, Mum. Then I saw a flight and decided to go for it.’

‘Dare I ask how long you’re back for? And if everything is okay, love?’

Ben chewed thoughtfully as he studied his mum’s face. ‘I’m not too sure how long. That just depends . . . how are you, Mum? Really how are things?’

Rosie pulled a face. ‘I’m fine, love. I’ve had a good summer with Isobel here and Bella, though that was all quite eventful to begin with.’

‘How come?’ said Ben, putting his mug of tea down on the small table next to him.

‘I’ll fill you in later,’ she said, not wanting to get drawn into that right at this moment. ‘And Ash is coming soon.’

‘I know. Bella told me. I half wondered if we might bump into each other on the plane.’

Rosie chuckled. ‘I didn’t realise you and Bella were in touch.’

‘Um, yes, just a bit. A few messages on Instagram and stuff, you know? It will be nice to see her, once I’m over the jet lag.’ He gave a sudden yawn. ‘But don’t say anything, I want it to be a surprise.’

‘Got you. I will brief Isobel. In the meantime, I think you could do with a nap. Just head up to your room, love.’

‘Thanks, Mum,’ he said with another yawn. ‘I think I will.’

She stood up and hugged him again. ‘This is the best surprise ever,’ she said happily. ‘It’s so nice to have you back.’