Page 29 of Summer in the Scottish Highlands (The Scottish Highlands #5)

Faye just stood there gaping at Jake. ‘You’re being serious.’

‘Yep, and it gets stranger still. He didn’t live at a zoo. The Highland Wildlife Park didn’t have room for another bear cub, so they sold him for fifty quid to a retired wrestling champion.’

‘No way!’ Faye exclaimed. ‘Is that even legal?’

‘Well, it must have been back then. We’re talking about the seventies, when people could have all manner of weird and wonderful pets.’

‘But a bear …’

‘I know, right? A big grizzly bear. Hercules lived with the guy and his wife and children in Perthshire for twenty-five years until he died. He was completely tame and loved ice cream.’

Natty laughed. ‘He loved ice cream?’

Jake smiled. ‘Apparently so. After his escape in the wild, he became quite the hit around the world – the news got around about the huge tame grizzly bear who’d much rather sit down with a roast dinner that eat the wildlife.’

‘Like Paddington Bear,’ said Natty, ‘who lives with Mr and Mrs Brown.’

‘But Paddington Bear is a fictional bear, sweetheart.’

Natty frowned at her mother and shook her head vehemently no. ‘Paddington bear is real. He lives at 32 Windsor Gardens with Mr and Mrs Brown, and their children Jonathan and Judy.’

‘And don’t forget the housekeeper, Mrs Bird.’

Faye rolled her eyes at Jake. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, that’s her name.’ He grinned at Faye, knowing what she was really getting at – his encouraging Natty to believe.

Jake had taken Natty to see the most recent Paddington Bear movie, just the two of them, one Saturday afternoon when he’d been babysitting. Faye had been busy with her coursework for the headship. He wished she’d been able to come with them.

‘I wish I’d seen the movie,’ remarked Faye. She changed the subject. ‘Hercules really ate roast dinners?’

Jake shrugged. ‘Who knows. Quite possibly. The one thing everyone knew about the bear was that he only liked cooked food.’

‘How did they find Hercules when he was lost?’ Natty asked. ‘Did the man and woman go and find him like Mr and Mrs Brown went to find Paddington Bear when he was lost in Peru?’

‘Paddington was lost in Peru?’ Faye asked.

‘Mummy, you should have come to the cinema with us.’

‘Ah, it wasn’t quite so adventurous as the movie,’ Jake replied to Natty’s question.

‘Someone spotted him swimming in a loch, and he was reunited with his family. I imagine everyone in the local area knew about his escape into the wild and were on the lookout. I mean, a six-hundred-pound bear isn’t exactly something you’d miss. ’

‘No, I imagine not,’ Faye said, looking at him wide-eyed. ‘A bear who loved ice cream. How do you know all this?’ Faye asked.

‘We started to talk about wild camping, and Natty asked about bears, and then I remembered.’

‘You remembered Hercules?’

‘Yes. You see, my father and I once went camping in a place called North Uist, an Outer Hebridean Island.’

‘Wow, you’ve got a good memory. Not sure what this has to do with the bear, though.’

‘Oh, my memory isn’t that good. I wouldn’t have remembered the name of the island or where exactly it was.

I do remember travelling for quite some time in the car, and then – unusually – taking a ferry to an island, where we camped.

Apart from the ferry ride, why I remember that camping trip, in particular, was that my father told me the story of the bear who escaped and had an adventure on that island.

So, I’ve just googled on my phone to check it out. ’

‘Ah, I wondered why you were on your phone a moment ago.’

‘Yes, you know the bear is buried in the place where he had his adventure in the wild. There’s a statue memorial to Hercules at Langass Woodland where you can learn more about the bear.’

‘That would make an interesting day out,’ commented Faye.

‘Yes, it certainly would. It’s just a very long drive, and a ferry boat ride, so I expect we won’t be able to get around to it this time.’ Jake was disappointed about that. He would have loved to show Natty the statue.

‘That’s not a problem, Jake. It will just serve as an excuse to come back here, to this part of the word, and have another holiday.’

Jake’s heart leapt at the prospect that they were already thinking of their next holiday, the three of them together. He’d be returning to his favourite place in the world, with his favourite people.

‘We’ll just have to make it for longer than a week next time.’

Jake came crashing down to earth. All that talk of staying on for longer, perhaps another three weeks, or even until the end of the school summer holidays, had been just that – talk. Although he had to acknowledge it really was Natty who was pestering to stay on longer.

Natty had run ahead to collect some more flowers, and had been out of earshot, otherwise Jake knew that her pestering about staying at The Lake House would have resumed. She returned to show them what she’d picked.

‘They’re wonderful,’ commented Faye. ‘You know, we’re going to have far more flowers than we need for your journal. I think I’d like to write a journal for this holiday too – then we can press some of these flowers for my journal. It will make a lovely keepsake of our first holiday together.’

Jake had a lump in his throat at what she’d just said, as though their future together was all mapped out and assured.

Don’t screw it up . Patrick’s words came back to haunt him again.

He couldn’t possibly see how that could happen.

This holiday was exceeding all his expectations, and tonight he had their first date to look forward to.

Jake looked at Faye and suddenly felt absurdly nervous.

He knew why – so far, their relationship had revolved around Natty.

What would happen when it was just the two of them, all evening, sitting over dinner?

They’d sat and chatted often enough before when Natty was in bed.

But this was different. It was a proper date.

‘Sounds as though he had quite an adventure,’ said Faye, cutting across his thoughts.

For a moment, Jake had lost the gist of the conversation. Then he realised they were still talking about the bear. They resumed the walking trail, looking for more wildflowers. ‘Imagine, though, if you were out on a walk, and suddenly came across a huge grizzly bear.’

‘I don’t want to go camping,’ said Natty.

‘I second that,’ Faye added .

Jake was disappointed to hear that. He hadn’t camped for years and years, not since early childhood, and the wonderful memories made him yearn to do it again.

But it wouldn’t be the same if he couldn’t share the experience with them.

He sighed, realising that even just one night under canvas in the Scottish Highlands with them wasn’t going to happen.

Although he did have the most bizarre idea.

He smiled ruefully. Perhaps camping wasn’t off the table after all.

‘What are you grinning about?’ Faye asked.

‘Oh, nothing.’

‘It is something.’

‘I’m just thinking about our plans for the rest of the holiday.’

‘Why don’t we just think about today – we’ve still got to find somewhere nice for lunch in Braemar village.

When we drove through on the way to the castle, I thought it was just what I imagined a Highlandvillageshould look like.

Traditional stone houses and a river running past thevillage.

It’s picture-postcard perfect. I’m looking forward to having some lunch in one of the little cafés. ’

Jake nodded, preoccupied.

‘You’re still thinking about what to plan for the rest of the holiday.’

Jake nodded. ‘Sorry.’ He smiled, nonetheless.

‘Well, as long as it’s not camping …’ Faye trailed off.

Jake carried on smiling, ignoring Faye’s comment, lost in his own little world of holiday planning as they walked into Braemar village for lunch. If he could pull it off, his plan would mean a night to remember.