Page 17 of Wild Scottish Gold (The Enchanted Highlands #7)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Kaia

I ’d passed another challenge.

The day after securing the brooch, I discovered another slender copper band in the handle of the chisel I’d taken to carrying around everywhere with me.

I figured it didn’t hurt.

Not that I was particularly confident about what I could do against a two-story Kelpie with a small hand tool, but hey, best to be somewhat protected, right?

Either way, I was proud to have passed another challenge. Murdoch told me he was proud of me as well, and I gave myself a mental pat on the back as I got out of my car at the castle. I was meeting Thane on-site today to discuss a few design elements and then heading back to the forge to start implementing our first round of designs. I was itching to start creating, because I loved nothing more than seeing a project come to life.

Tires crunched next to me and I squared my shoulders. Turning, I pasted a polite smile on my face. I hadn’t spoken much to Thane outside of anything to do with work the last few days after he’d asked me to leave Loren Brae again during a business meeting. Luckily, it had been just him and me in his office when he’d done so, otherwise I’m not certain I’d have held my temper in check. Instead, I’d simply stood up and requested he give me space.

Thane had followed my request.

Which had left me feeling oddly bereft the last few days. This, in turn, also made me annoyed. I wasn’t someone who played games. It wasn’t really in my wheelhouse to try the whole “play hard to get” thing, and if I did, I’d likely lose pretty fast based on my past experiences with the inability to see red flags. So I told him to leave me alone. And he did. And yet it annoyed me. I didn’t tell anyone that it annoyed me. But I would say that a small part of me, which I wasn’t particularly happy with at the moment, was having a tiny temper tantrum at his acquiescence.

Yes, I’m aware this was not logical.

It just was.

This was why I’d left the dating pool entirely. I didn’t like games, and I was horrible at dealing with conflicting emotions. And right now, it felt like every other thought I had simply served to be contradictory to the other.

Yup, super fun times all around in my brain at the moment.

“Good morning,” I said.

Damn it. He looked really good today. He wore one of those soft chambray button-down shirts, rolled up to reveal strong forearms, and dark trousers with cargo pockets. Something shifted behind his eyes when he saw me, a storm brewing, but he just gave me a polite nod.

“Good morning.”

Great, here we were. This is what I had asked for. This was what I wanted. A colleague I could be polite with and build beautiful things together.

“It’s a nice morning. I’m looking forward to seeing the progress they’ve made at the distillery.”

I was told some of the cabinetry had gone in at the tasting room, so we could check our measurements for some of the wrought iron gated doors we’d be doing.

“As am I.”

And that was it. No extra chatter, no small talk.

Murdoch gave a low knocking sound from the trees, but I ignored him, not wanting to remind Thane of the magick I’d told him about. I still wasn’t sure where he stood on that front, but at least I knew he hadn’t spoken of it to anybody at work because everyone still treated me the same. If not a little overprotective of me since I’d come in with bruises. Even though I’d reassured everyone it truly had been just an accident, I could tell the men at the shop were watching me more closely.

It was mildly annoying, but I knew they were just doing so because they cared.

“Och, now there’s a handsome lad if I’ve ever seen one.”

I skidded to a stop as Thane yanked me to his side, and we both gaped down at a tiny diva dressed in a pinup dress with curves for days. A female, um, gnome to be exact. A tiny talking female gnome that was currently strolling out of the bushes with her eyes set on Thane.

“Care to take me for a drive, darling?” The gnome blew a kiss up at Thane, and I slowly turned my head to look at him, my eyes wide.

“Och.” Thane cleared his throat. “It’s a crying shame that I can’t, miss. But I’ve a work appointment.”

“Gnora!” I jolted as another gnome shot out of the bushes, this one in a biker vest and with tattoos running up his arms. “Stop flirting with that man.”

“I was just seeing if he’d take me for a drive, Gnorman. You know that I love a good ride.” Gnora fluttered her lashes at Gnorman, and his face flushed an angry red.

“He will not be taking you for a ride. I’m the one that gives you a ride. You, sir, will leave my girl alone.” Gnorman raised a fist in the air at Thane.

“Understood,” Thane said gravely, and I bit back a hysterical giggle that threatened to surface. What in the hell was going on? “We’ll just get out of your hair.”

“That’s right. Run along!” Gnorman brandished his arms and Thane tugged me forward.

“We should go?” Thane asked and I realized I was still standing there, gaping at the gnomes.

A bark sounded and the gnomes froze. I gasped as they morphed from living and breathing beings to statues, as Harris ran over to greet us. Reaching down, I accepted his exuberant lick on my hand. Turning, he gave the same attention to the gnomes, swiping his slobbery tongue over both of their faces.

I was quite certain I heard a muffled shriek.

Choking on a laugh, I dove for them both when Harris lifted his leg to pee and pulled them out of the danger zone just in time.

“Bloody dog!” Gnorman shouted from my arms, coming to life so fast I almost dropped him. Gnora turned and wiped her face against my sleeve.

“Thanks, doll. That could’ve gotten ugly.”

“Sorry about that. I wasn’t sure if it was rude to pick you up, but I figured you couldn’t abide the pee.”

“What I can’t abide is Gnorman talking to some hussy.” Gnora stuck her nose up in the air, and I looked up to see Thane grinning at me.

“I asked her what mulch she was using for her roses,” Gnorman said, his face thunderous.

I have no idea what to do , I mouthed over their bickering heads at Thane.

“There you two are!” Shona strode around the side of the hedge. “I’m sorry, are they bothering you?”

“Um, I have no idea how to answer that,” I said. “So these are your gnomes?”

“Yup, and they’re a pain in my arse. I was just dropping some supplies off for Lia and they insisted on coming. They don’t get out much.”

“Seems there’s some drama.” I handed them over to Shona and she dropped them both into the tote hanging over her shoulder. The bag muffled their argument, but didn’t stop them. It looked like dumping two cats in a bag, and when a muffled giggle erupted, Shona just sighed.

“Och, they just like to create a little excitement for themselves. A bit dramatic, they are. I’ve gotta run, but it’s nice to see you again. Thane, all good with you?”

“All’s well. Good to see you, Shona.” Thane gave her a nod, and Shona bustled away, taking her gnomes with her, and I just gaped after her.

“I have no idea how to respond to what just happened,” I finally said, tearing my eyes away from where Shona scolded her tote bag, and looked up to Thane. “I have no frame of reference for that.”

“Nor do I.” Thane’s grin was wide and normal, and some of the awkwardness between us eased. Or at least the tension I’d been feeling eased. I couldn’t really speak for him.

“Hi,” Orla called, stepping out in front of the distillery. She walked out and waved us to follow her around the front of the construction site. “Come with me quick to look at this old cottage. We’re going to convert this as well, but I wanted to show Kaia what I found.”

“How’s the progress going?” I fell into step next to Orla, Thane at my side, as we rounded the converted stables that were forming the new Common Gin distillery and stopped in front of a rustic stone cottage that had seen better days.

“Good. Honestly, I couldn’t be happier with it.” Orla walked over to the door and tapped a small crest on the doorframe, a diamond ring on her finger winking in the light. I hadn’t realized she was engaged to Finlay, but that made me even happier. The way he looked at her made me believe in true love.

Did Thane look at me like that?

Pushing that thought aside, I leaned in to look at the small plaque.

“I think this is a hearthward. Perhaps made by your ancestor.”

“Really? Do you really think so?” Excitement bloomed and I reached up to carefully remove it from the frame.

“A triskele,” Thane murmured and I turned to look at him. He gestured to the plaque. “The Celtic design. Meant for balance and harmony.”

“Do you feel any power with it?”

I blinked at Orla when I realized she was asking me the question.

“Um, I’m not …” I stuttered, unsure how to answer the question, and slightly embarrassed as I still wasn’t sure what Thane thought of all this magick.

“The lads talked with each other, hen,” Orla said.

“Just give it a moment, Kaia. See what you feel,” Thane said, and I stilled, surprised he was open to this. Closing my eyes, I held it and reached inside to find that thread of magick. Though the triskele warmed slightly in my hand, I couldn’t feel much power in it. Almost a memory of power, maybe, like the last residuals of paint that had faded from wood over the years.

“I feel like there are some hints of it, but no, nothing very strong.”

“That tracks,” Orla said, pursing her lips. “There was a very unhappy and pretty unhinged ghost living here for a while. I don’t know that she would have gotten in here had the protection triskele still been charged.”

My lips rounded. “Oh?” First gnomes, now an unhinged ghost?

“What do you mean charged?” Thane asked.

“Magick doesn’t always hold forever. Same with protective wards. They need to be refreshed through the years. In fact, I’d like to have you make some for the distillery, and if you don’t mind, a few for my crew’s and my homes.”

“Right.” I looked down at the little plaque and then back up at Orla. The design I could do. It was the magick I was nervous about. “Do you think it will really help?”

“Can’t hurt at this point. We’ll take all the protection we can get.”

“I’ll help.” Thane touched a hand lightly to my shoulder. “We can knock a bunch out later tonight. We’ll make extras for the town too. As gifts.”

“It will take some time. I don’t want to set us back on schedule.” I worried my lower lip. What if I couldn’t do the protection magick?

“That’s the other thing. We’ve had a delay. Cabinets aren’t up yet because flooring isn’t in. So you’ll have a few days. Think you can do this in the meantime? Maybe fifty of them if you’re doing the town as well? I’ll pay you, of course.”

“No problem, Orla. We’ll get it done for you.” Thane gave Orla a confident nod, and she beamed at him, while I just stood there wondering how I was going to make fifty of these in a few days. Let alone imbue them with magick.

“Great!” Orla chattered on about the construction project and I followed them in a daze, wracked with concern. I wasn’t sure why Thane had promised making fifty of these plaques. Hand forging one would take hours.

By the time we said our goodbyes my stomach was in knots. I stopped Thane by his truck.

“Thane,” I hissed, grabbing his arm. “How could you promise fifty of the triskeles? It will take far longer than a few days.”

“No, it won’t.”

“Yes, it will.” What was the man thinking?

To my utter shock, he reached out and booped a finger on my nose.

“Trust me.”

“Did you just boop me?” My mouth fell open.

“Och, I believe that I did. But I didn’t make the ‘boop’ sound when I did it, so I’m certain it doesn’t count.”

Torn between laughter and a slight meltdown, I got into the driver’s seat and started my daily argument with my car. By the time I pulled into Blackwood Forge, Thane was already in his office.

“Kaia, you’re looking well.” Ian was just leaving the office, and his eyes searched my face with concern.

“Yup. All healed up. I promise I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“See that you do, lass. You had us all worried.” Ian squeezed my arm before taking a folder across the room to chat with one of the men hammering a piece in front of a blazing forge. I stepped through the door to Thane’s office and closed it behind me.

“Thane,” I hissed, arms at my waist.

“Yes, Kaia?” Thane gave me a look as though he was speaking to Audrey, which infuriated me further.

“You can’t possibly think we can get those triskeles done in time.” I glanced over my shoulder and moved closer to his desk. “Not with me having to add magick to each one. It’s going to take time. And I’ll have to do it, you know, after hours. Away from others.”

“We’ll do molds,” Thane said, evenly, and I stopped what I was about to say.

“Molds?” Damn it, why hadn’t that occurred to me?

“Surely you’re familiar with molds? Sand casting?” Thane crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair.

“Of course I am.” I didn’t do them much, but I was familiar. It was a process where you’d pack special sand around a pattern to create a mold, pour molten iron into the cavity, let it cool, and then break the sand away to reveal the solid metal shape. It made slightly rougher-edged designs, and the pieces would require some sanding and sealing after, but it was doable. “Even so, that requires a significant amount of time. And molds.”

“Have you seen my back warehouse?” Thane asked and I shook my head. I’d been pretty focused on my little corner of the shop. “I have about one hundred flasks, in varying sizes out there, and loads of foundry sand.”

“Oh.” Some of my anxiety eased, and I walked over and dropped into a chair in front of his desk. “But we’ll still need to make the molds.”

“Aye, but the good thing is that a triskele is a fairly common Celtic symbol. I have the mold ready, it will just be packing the sand. If we get the lads together and take the rest of the afternoon to pack them, I reckon we’ll be ready to pour by late tonight or early tomorrow.”

I wasn’t only gobsmakced by Thane’s offer to enlist his whole company in this venture, but I was learning that this was who he was. Thoughtful, kind, genuine. Good.

“So, you have thought about this.” I gave him a tentative smile. “I hate promising something if I can’t get it done.”

“I never promise what I can’t deliver.” There was something about the way he said it, his rough voice sending shivers across my skin, which made liquid heat pour through me. I was well aware what the man could deliver.

Ian knocked and eased the door open.

“Permission to enter?”

“Aye, Ian we’ve got a special project for the distillery. Any chance some of the lads can spare the afternoon to help us prep some flasks?”

“No problem. I think we’re at a pretty good spot for most of the projects.” Ian checked his watch. “Shall we crack on with it since it’s just about lunch and we can get them started after break?”

Thane glanced at me. “Good by you?”

“Yup, that works. Let’s get started.” Nerves made my hands tremble, and I concealed it by digging my fingers into my palms. I hadn’t done a lot of magick yet, and I still needed to grow my confidence with it. Fifty molds seemed like such a massive project. Would I be able to do it? Would it help? Frankly, I didn’t have any idea whether the Kelpies could leave Loch Mirren or not, but maybe they had other powers we didn’t know about—like flooding or calling down lightning. Either way, if I could do anything to help—to be a true part of the team—then I was going to do my best.

Even if it meant burying every ounce of attraction I had for Thane and working side by side until this project was done.

Maybe the attraction would wear off the more we worked together and simply acted like colleagues. I was certain things would smooth over in time. They had to.

Or at least that was what I kept telling myself.