Page 13 of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle (Coorie Castle Crafts #2)

Mack strode towards the lock-up, cursing himself. He didn’t need any more work in the summer months, so why was he going back out on the loch when he should be going home and relaxing with that beer he’d promised himself? He was getting hungry, too.

‘Excuse me? Excuse me!’

The sound of footsteps accompanied the voice, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Freya hurrying after him.

‘I don’t think this is such a good idea,’ she said.

Neither did Mack, and his response was gruffer than it should have been. ‘You were all for it a minute ago.’

‘I was. I mean, I still am, but I’m not dressed for it.’

Mack stopped and turned to face her, trying to keep his gaze neutral as he scanned her from head to foot. Damn, but she looked good in those jeans. ‘You’re dressed fine.’

‘I’ve only got trainers on.’

He wished that was true. A naked Freya Sinclair would be a sight to behold.

Och no, he shouldn’t have thought of her naked, because now his libido had woken up and given him a prod.

‘Trainers are OK,’ he replied, his voice coming out somewhat strangled. Dear Lord, if this was what thinking of her naked did to him, God help him if he actually did see her without clothes on. He suspected he might spontaneously combust.

Thank God she couldn’t read his mind, because she’d either think he was some kind of lech, or a teenage boy who hadn’t kissed a girl yet. Neither image was one he wanted to convey, and he hoped his expression wasn’t betraying his thoughts.

‘But you’ve got rubber boots on,’ she pointed out.

‘I’ve just been hosing the boat down.’

‘Ah, yes, OK.’

Acutely conscious that his chest was bare and that she was staring at it, Mack was about to resume his march to the lock-up, only for her to say, ‘Shall we arrange it for another time?’

Hell, no! ‘We may as well do this now. Cal will want a decision from me soon.’

Without looking, she called to Cal over her shoulder, ‘You can wait a couple of days, can’t you, Cal? Cal? ’

She turned around and her huffed-out sigh told him she’d finally noticed that Cal had left. Something Mack was already aware of.

‘He’s gone,’ she said incredulously. ‘You’re going to have to give me a lift home.’

Oh, was he now? He didn’t think so. ‘No can do. Not yet.’

‘When?’

‘After I’ve taken you out in the boat.’

‘What if I refuse to go?’

‘Then you wait on the quay until I come back.’

‘You’d go out anyway?’

‘I would and I will. It’ll give me a chance to think about what these creative types might want to see, if some of the largest creatures on the planet aren’t enough for them.’

‘It’s not so much about the wildlife. It’s more about the—’

‘Seaweed,’ Mack finished for her.

Freya’s expression was defiant. ‘Have you looked at seaweed? I mean, really looked?’

‘I’ve been up to my backside in the stuff,’ he said. ‘And it’s all over the place, so… aye, I’ve seen seaweed.’

‘Seeing isn’t the same as looking,’ she retorted.

‘I thought you taught ceramics, not semantics,’ he shot back.

‘I do,’ she replied slowly. ‘Which is partly why I know the difference between the two. You see, I’ve been heavily influenced by Skye. I still am, to an extent. But…’ She smiled, and it lit up her face. ‘I think I need a refresher course.’

Mack considered her response, then said, ‘So a boat trip right now is a good idea, then?’

‘I suppose. I wish I’d brought my camera, though. My phone doesn’t take good enough shots.’

‘You can borrow mine.’

‘Oh. Thanks.’ She didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic or grateful.

Mack smiled to himself, guessing she might be assuming it would be a cheapie supermarket special. Was she in for a surprise!

After a quick glance at the boat to make sure his crew was on board and preparing to cast off again, he turned to the lock-up’s door and yanked it open.

As he stepped inside, he realised Freya was right behind him.

Stopping, he turned around to tell her to go wait by the boat, and Freya walked straight into him.

Her arms came up reflexively and her palms landed on his chest.

Mack sucked in a sharp breath at the electrifying feel of her hands on his bare skin. Her touch jolted through him, sending sparks travelling along his nerves to centre in his stomach.

Her face flushed pink and she hurriedly stepped back. ‘Um, sorry. I didn’t expect you to stop suddenly.’

‘I didn’t expect you to follow me inside.’ Covering his confusion with banter, he quipped, ‘But you’re more than welcome to watch me change into some dry shorts.’

The pink deepened to scarlet. She looked incredibly sweet when she blushed, and he wondered whether her kiss would be equally sweet. He also wondered whether he would ever get to find out.

Freya was backing away, her expression one of profound embarrassment. ‘Sorry,’ she repeated. ‘I’ll, um, wait by the boat, shall I?’

Mack realised he was being a bit of a dick. Softening his voice, he said, ‘I’ll only be a minute. You’ll enjoy the trip. I promise.’

He didn’t blame her for looking sceptical after his less-than-stellar performance during the past few minutes.

Quickly changing into dry clothes, he grabbed his camera.

He used it mainly to take marketing shots for his website, and he often took it out on the boat.

The Nikon hadn’t been cheap, but he’d spent an absolute fortune on a telescopic lens, because he’d discovered that trying to photograph a black blob of a dolphin with a normal lens was nigh on impossible.

It seemed it was going to come in handy again, and he was curious to see what kind of things would get Freya’s creative juices flowing. Hell, he was curious about her, full stop.

When he got to the boat, Freya was chatting with Angus and appeared to have recovered from her embarrassment.

‘I brought you this,’ Mack said. ‘It can get chilly on the water.’ ‘This’ was the fleece he rarely wore but kept in the lock-up, just in case. He hoped it was clean.

‘Thanks,’ she said, slipping it over her head and pulling it on.

He passed her the Nikon. ‘Will this do?’

She took it from him and studied it. ‘Mine’s a Nikon, too. The exact same one.’ She looked through the viewfinder, then down at the LCD screen.

So much for his theory that she’d be impressed by his camera.

‘They take some decent shots, don’t they?’ she said.

‘Aye. Let’s get you on board.’ Mack jumped onto the boat first and offered her his hand, which she took after the briefest of hesitations.

Once she was safely on the boat, he nodded to Angus.

Mack trusted his first mate to know what he was doing, and he wanted to concentrate on Freya’s creative process and what she wanted or expected to get out of this trip.

But what Mack really wanted was to get to know her better.

Much better.

Wild and windswept, her hair a tangled mess from the stiff breeze scudding across the open water, and with her face glowing from that same breeze and the evening sun on her skin, Freya felt more alive than she’d done in ages.

She zoomed in on the almost-black colour of the still water on the leeward side of a rock, the rock itself glistening with a thousand droplets.

Then her eye was caught by the iridescent shells of the mussels, shimmering pale blue to the deepest navy, pearlescent in the early evening sun, and she leant over the side of the boat to get the best angle, her finger clicking the shutter time and time again.

Mack pointed out a piece of driftwood, mostly submerged, with barnacles clinging to it and strands of seaweed so fine and green they could be a mermaid’s hair. Tiny fish darted around it.

Surrounded by the sights she’d forgotten, Freya took photo after photo: redshanks wading at the loch’s edge, so called because of their distinctive red legs; a little egret on the wing, its snowy-white plumage gleaming and its bright yellow feet making it look like it was wearing a pair of little rubber boots; the streaks of cirrus cloud high in the pale blue sky above, reminding her of horses’ tails in the wind.

She must have taken a thousand photos and her brain was buzzing with ideas.

The only sour grape in her overflowing fruit bowl of excitement was the knowledge that she wouldn’t see them come to life until she returned to London.

Throughout the trip, Mack had been a quiet, unobtrusive presence by her side, only speaking occasionally to the guy at the helm to tell him where to go, and now and again asking her a question.

‘Do you think it was worthwhile?’ he asked her, when the boat was chugging back towards the quay.

‘Definitely. I’ve got so many ideas!’

‘Is this for your teaching?’

‘No, it’s for me. Although, I don’t know when I’ll have time to make any new pieces if I take the job I’ve been offered in New York.’

‘New York, eh?’ Mack’s eyebrows raised. ‘Doing what?’

‘Working for the Black and White Art Academy. Their ceramics course director is retiring shortly, and basically, I’ve been headhunted.’

‘It sounds impressive.’

‘I’m still pinching myself. It’s one of the leading art academies in the US and a dream job.’

There was a pause, then he asked, ‘So you’ll be moving to the States?’

‘I hope so. They’ve only just made an offer and I’ve not seen anything in writing yet. And I have my dad to consider.’ How often could she feasibly fly over to Scotland to see him? Maybe he’d like to visit her, and they could take it in turns.

‘When will they let him out?’

Freya laughed. ‘It sounds like he’s in prison, doesn’t it? And I’m sure he thinks of it that way; he’s not the easiest of patients. I’m hoping they’ll discharge him in a day or so.’

‘Give him my best. He used to let me help on his trawler sometimes. Paid me peanuts, of course, but he taught me how to handle a boat.’

‘I didn’t know that.’

‘You’d left for uni. Can I drop in on him when he’s home?’

Freya beamed. ‘I’m sure he’d love to see you.’ She ignored the voice in her head telling her that she would like to see Mack just as much as her dad would.

She must phone Hadrian, she reminded herself.

Mack said, ‘I’ll drop you at home, then send you the photos.’

‘I can’t wait to see them.’ She’d brought her watercolours and sketch pad with her from London, and she was itching to start designing.

How could she have allowed herself to forget how wild and beautiful her homeland was?

‘Thanks for insisting on taking me out in your boat,’ she said as they drove away from the quay a short time later. ‘Are you going to take Cal up on his offer?’

‘Maybe. I haven’t decided yet. It seems like a lot of bother.’

‘My experience hasn’t convinced you?’

He gave her a sideways glance and shrugged, as he pulled out onto the road.

Oh well, it was his business, his decision. Nothing to do with her.

‘Have dinner with me?’ His suggestion startled her, and she didn’t know what to say.

On the one hand, she was hungry, but she knew that as soon as she stepped through the front door, she would get out her sketch pad, and food would be the last thing on her mind. On the other hand, she needed to eat, and she knew she’d regret it later if she didn’t.

However, considering how attracted she felt, having dinner with Mack was dangerous, and she suspected that food would still be the last thing on her mind.

‘I’d better not,’ she said.

‘OK.’

To her irritation, he didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. And it was his lack of concern that made her change her mind.

‘On second thoughts, I don’t feel like cooking, so it might be a good idea.’

‘Up to you.’

‘I will, then. Thank you.’

Having anticipated going home to shower, change and sort out her hair, Freya let out a yelp as Mack executed an eye-wateringly fast U-turn and headed back the way they’d come.

‘Where are we going?’ she demanded. ‘The village is that way.’ She jerked a thumb over her right shoulder.

‘I know. We’re going to mine.’

‘What? Why? ’

‘Because that’s where dinner is.’

‘I didn’t agree to have dinner with you in your house ,’ she spluttered.

‘What’s wrong with my house?’

‘What’s right with it?’ It struck her that she was in a stranger’s car, being taken to his place, and no one knew where she was.

Mack sighed. ‘What has Cal told you? Whatever it is, he’s lying.’

Freya bit her lip. ‘He hasn’t said anything.’

‘My place might be a work in progress, but it’s perfectly liveable. And while I’m making dinner, you can download the photos.’

Freya’s panic subsided into mild concern. ‘This is a working dinner, then?’

‘Kind of. It’ll save me doing it later.’

‘Promise to take me home afterwards?’

Another sideways look. ‘I was hoping you’d spend the night.’

‘ What?! ’ Her shriek was loud enough and shrill enough to shatter glass.

Mack slapped the steering wheel with his palm and guffawed. ‘Got you going,’ he crowed. ‘Of course I’ll take you home.’

Freya glowered. She didn’t find his joke funny in the slightest. ‘What if I want to go home right now?’

‘Then I’ll take you home right now . Just make up your mind, because I’m hungry.’ Pulling into the side of the road, he twisted in his seat to look at her.

‘What are you planning on cooking?’ she asked.

‘Thai prawn curry with rice.’

Freya’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t been expecting that. A rib-eye steak or a pork chop maybe, with chips. Peas, if she was lucky. Thai prawn curry sounded delicious, and she was quite hungry, so… ‘OK.’

‘OK, what?’

‘Please.’ Cripes, it was like being a kid again and having her parents drilling manners into her. He needn’t be so snotty, though.

‘I mean, which do you want to do – go home now, or come to mine for food?’

Ah, right. ‘Yours.’ And with a wry smile at her silliness, she added, ‘Please.’

She and Mack were clearly not on the same wavelength. They had nothing in common, not even a sense of humour, which was fortunate, considering how attractive she found him. For a brief fling, he would be ideal – good-looking, considerate, sexy as hell – but not for anything more serious.

However, as she wasn’t in the market for either, it was irrelevant.

Reminding herself she had a boyfriend who was far more in tune with her than Mack could ever be, Freya resolved to enjoy the meal, then put him firmly out of her mind.