Page 23 of Kilts and Kisses at Highland Hall (Kilts and Kisses #1)

Before Bex took Lorna through to show her the state of the study, there was one more thing she needed to do in the kitchen, and that was to find coffee.

‘I just don’t understand how he doesn’t have something. Just a jar of instant,’ she said once she had opened every cupboard in the new section, only to find several cloth napkins and half a dozen mugs – which seemed to have been placed there with the sole purpose of mocking her need for caffeine.

‘I think Fergus is more a whisky and water person,’ Lorna replied.

‘Well, I am very much a coffee person,’ Bex said. ‘I guess I’ll just have to drive up to the village later and get some. Come on, let me show you the chaos I’ve got to work through.’

Ruby had now taken up a spot in the hallway outside the study, as if she knew that was where Bex was going to be for the rest of the day. After shuffling the dog to the side, Bex opened the door, and Lorna let out a little whistle as she stared at the scene in front of her.

‘Wow. I mean, wow. You’ve got to go through all this?’

‘I do. I thought I was just coming up here to deal with the finances, but everything has to be organised before I can even think about doing the accounts. I’ve no idea how long it’s gonna take.’

‘Wow, well, I should probably let you get on with it. And go and apologise to Duncan. After I give him another bollocking, that is. Don’t forget about the croissants, will you?’

Bex smiled. ‘Don’t worry. I don’t forget about breakfast. Ever. And thank you again for the candle. It was a really lovely gift.’

* * *

It turned out that Bex wasn’t the only one who didn’t forget about breakfast, and once again, the end of her croissant went to Ruby, although given that she had over-cooked them slightly, she wasn’t fussed at all.

‘I take back what I said,’ Fergus said, poking his head around the doorframe a little later. ‘Eight o’clock, and you’re already in here. Let me guess, you’re planning on clocking off early, then?’

‘Clocking off?’ Bex laughed, gesturing to the stacks of paperwork, notebooks and general detritus around her. ‘With all this? I think I’d be here all night if I’m not careful.’

‘Good plan,’ he replied without a hint of humour. ‘Well, if you need anything, I’ll be just next door.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, turning back to her work, although when she looked up again, Fergus was still in the same position, staring at Ruby.

‘Funny thing,’ he said, gesturing towards the dog. ‘Doesn’t normally take to people, that one. Wonder if that’s a good sign or bad.’

With that, he turned around and left. He really was a strange old man, with his constant blowing hot and cold, but she guessed that could happen when you lived on your own as long as he had done.

A little while later, the grandfather clocked chimed ten o’clock.

Though Bex’s stomach was still full from the croissants, a dull throbbing had settled behind her temples and it was more than a little irritating, distracting her from the work she needed to do, not to mention slowing her down considerably.

What was even more irritating, though, was that the more she managed to clear in the study, the more she realised there was to do, and it wasn’t like she even had access to it all.

‘Fergus?’ Bex opened one of the windows when she saw Fergus standing out there on the ground with the four remaining dogs.

She had been considering going outside to find him, but hadn’t wanted to lose all that time.

The fact that he had appeared outside the window at the very time she needed him was a godsend.

‘Let me guess, you want me to take that dog off your hands,’ Fergus said as he trundled towards her.

‘What? No, she’s fine,’ Bex said, glancing at the sleeping dog. ‘Although she probably needs a walk.’ She knew Labradors were renowned for sleeping a lot, but Ruby had got it down to an art.

‘Aye, well, kick her out then. Now, did you want something?’

‘Yes.’ Bex pointed over to the desk in the centre of the room.

‘The bottom two drawers are full of ledgers. But the top drawer appears to be locked. I don’t suppose you know where the key is?

There’re probably some important documents in there.

I won’t need it for a couple of days, but it would help to have access to everything when I get started on the accounts. ’

While Winny’s colour-coordinated ledgers left something to be desired, it was clear she had worked hard to try to keep things in order. That meant there was a good chance she had chosen the top, lockable drawer of the desk to place the most important documents in.

Fergus scratched his nose, looking mildly uninterested. ‘Aye. Key’s probably somewhere. But I don’t think there’s anything you need in there. Just stuff that’s not all that important.’

‘Right,’ Bex replied, trying not to scoff. ‘I don’t mean to be funny, but I just found last year’s bank statement in the wastepaper basket and an electricity bill wedged under one of the tables to stop it from wobbling. I’m pretty sure there’s relevant stuff all over this room.’

‘Fine.’ Fergus sighed. ‘I’ll have a look. But mind you, don’t go touching anything you don’t need to.’

‘I won’t,’ Bex assured him, fully aware she was lying through her teeth. The only way she was going to get through this project was by going through absolutely everything, and if that meant finding old family heirlooms along the way, so be it.

By half past eleven, Bex had finally found a rhythm.

She was making piles: one for ledgers, one for bank statements, another for invoices and receipts.

She had also found a black bag from the kitchen to shove anything she was certain was rubbish in.

There was still masses to go through, but at least she had some sort of system now.

Having a system and plenty of work helped distract her from the throbbing pain in her temples.

She was going to have to go out and buy some instant coffee.

And if she ended up staying here long enough, she might just have to order herself a coffee machine and charge it as an expense.

Nigel had told her she could have whatever she needed to get this job done, and what she needed was caffeine.

By some miracle, she was over two-thirds of the way through one of the filing cabinets when Ruby started barking.

‘You can’t do that. Not with my headache… I’ll send you back to Fergus if you’re not quiet.’

‘So, you have a new friend?’ Duncan stood in the doorway.

Her breaths shallowed. Somehow, he seemed to have grown ever more attractive overnight.

His hair was loose and damp, which accentuated its curl, while he was dressed in tight jeans and wellington boots, which had no right to look as good as they did.

Aware of the silence that was burgeoning between them, she opened her mouth to ask if he’d made any progress on the plumbing when her eyes caught the object in his hand – a familiar white cardboard paper cup.

‘Is that… coffee for me?’ she asked, eyes widening.

‘Double-shot cappuccino,’ he said with a grin. ‘Full-fat milk, same as yesterday.’

‘Oh my God,’ she breathed, taking the cup gratefully. ‘Have I told you yet that you’re the most perfect person?’