Sweet Christmas Kisses (128 page)

"See you in a few weeks, then.  Safe travels." Ross laughed. "And don't forget to bring that date."

****

The manager and Lucy returned from the back room just as Brodie walked into the reception area of the bank.  He could see several thick, letter-sized Tyvek envelopes were now tucked in Lucy's purse

She shook the banker's hand, then nodded to Brodie and headed for the front door.  "Is there any place to go for good coffee around here?"

He rested her fingertips at the small of her back as they went outside.  "McConnell's.  They're known around here for their Scottish pastries as well.  Three doors to the left."

Out on the street, she looped her arm into the crook of his elbow.  "My treat.  Thanks for driving again...and for keeping me company."

"Did you find what you expected?"

"Just two envelopes.  I hoped there'd be more, but I haven't actually opened them yet."  She looked up at him.  "You were right, you know.  Yesterday I was upset about what I found out.  I felt...betrayed. Like everything in my life had been a big lie.  But I now see it's a blessing, and an opportunity."

"Glad to hear it."  Her arm felt exactly right, looped through his, and he felt his own spirits lift.  "Maybe a bit of a mystery as well?"

"That too. Just a week ago I assumed I had no one left in this world.  And now, that world is expanding beyond what I ever dreamed."

At the little stone building housing the coffee shop he directed her inside, glanced at the scattering of customers sitting at the tables by the front window, then led her to a booth in the back.

After the lone waitress appeared at their table and took their order, Lucy pulled the two envelopes from her purse and stacked them on the table.

"So, what surprises lay in store here, I wonder," she mused. "Treasure maps...lost civilizations...or maybe a few long forgotten grannies?"

He'd been focusing on her long, thick lashes and mesmerizing green eyes, trying to remember why he'd ever thought them similar to Trisha's, and it took a moment for her words to register. "Treasure maps sound good."

"You and I both wish.  I'm sure it's all just some dry genealogy...maybe copies of old death and birth records."

The waitress delivered cups of coffee and a plate of shortbread bars layered with chocolate and caramel, then went back to the kitchen.

When she picked up a bar to take a bite, Lucy's eyes widened with delight, then closed in pure pleasure.  "These are incredible."

"You'll find them all over the U.K."

"Mmmmmm.  I've got to get this recipe before I go home."

The reminder of her short stay here gave him a stab of disappointment.  "Ye could probably Google it and find a hundred variations. The best have a thicker layer of caramel and a thinner layer of milk chocolate on top."

She shot a teasing glance at him.  "So you're a connoisseur."

"Absolutely."

She brushed the crumbs from her fingertips, then broke the seal on the envelope marked "Open First" and dumped the contents onto the table--a stack of sealed, yellowed Airmail envelopes addressed to Anna Davis, all stamped Refused except the newest, dated four years ago, which was stamped Deceased.  There was just one envelope Anna had sent to Maura from the U.S., dated six months after Lucy was born.

"Oh, my." Lucy sifted through them, her expression stricken.  "I always knew my mother was bitter about the past, but I never realized how much. She wouldn't even read these letters."

"Maybe now you'll find out why."

"That, or I'll be opening a Pandora's box of secrets that I'll regret." She hesitated, then picked up the one letter addressed to Maura.  "At least Maura had the good grace to open hers."

"Can ye imagine how hard she was praying to hear about how her wee babe was doing?"

Lucy paled as she scanned the letter, her hands shaking and her eyes widening with shock.  She looked so fragile that Brodie wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and offer his strength and comfort.  "What is it, lass?"

"The gist of it?  Unrequited love."

"Ouch."

"I know.  Apparently Anna loved a boy with all her heart and dreamed of the day he'd finally notice her. Instead, he fell head over heels for Maura, who was apparently prettier, and younger.  Anna blames Maura for playing up being a fragile invalid so she'd be spoiled by everyone and always get everything she ever wanted--including the only boy Anna ever loved." 

Lucy moved to the second page.  "She says Maura got just what she deserved, getting pregnant so young.  And that she was stupid to let it happen, because everyone feared the pregnancy and birth would overstress her weak heart and kill her."

Lucy looked up, her eyes filled with sadness.  "Anna's anger just leaps off the page.  It's like she chose to take me far away as an act of jealousy--even revenge.  What a great reason to adopt an innocent little baby.  Retaliation."

"And she got it, by making sure Maura never got to see you again."  If Anna Davis could now stand in front of him, wrapping his hands around her throat would be hard to resist.  How had such a despicable woman managed to raise a daughter as sweet and kind as Lucy?

"But it hurt my mom--Anna--too.  You can't hold poison in your heart and not be affected.  I don't think she was ever truly happy."  Lucy shook head.  "And I grew up thinking she was down because I wasn't ever good enough.  Or because it was too hard being a single mom."

Aye, if Anna were here today he'd definitely want to strangle her. 

"Well, my main goal in coming to Scotland was to find out more about my family."  Lucy smiled wryly and took a sip of her coffee, then untied the ribbon around the stack of letters Maura had written.  "So now I'd have to say that goal has been met, in spades.  I'll bet you haven't had this much drama in your family tree."

"Not the same, certainly.  Are ye sure ye want to open anything more?"

"Only if you don't mind the time."  She glanced out the window where rain was now coursing down the glass, then looked up sharply.  "But we need to get you home, so you can get back to work.  How is it going, by the way?"

"Well."

"Well?"  A corner of her mouth tipped up. "So what does that mean, exactly?"

"It depends on who's asking.  If ye were my fellow profs back at university, you'd think I was throwing away my education, my future and selling my soul to the devil."

Her eyes lit up in delight.  "You're doing it then--writing something fun?"

He laughed. "That I am, though if they find out back in Edinburgh, I might be looking for a job."

"Then I can look at all of these other letters another time.  You need to get back to that computer, because I can't wait to see it done."

The rain had changed to light snow by the time they got back to Rosethorn, swirling around the highest peaks of the house and frosting the towering pines just beyond the stone wall.  The wintery air filled Lucy with a sense of nostalgia for holidays of the past.

At home, Christmas would now be a solitary affair, without Mom.  Without Todd.

 Here, she felt as if she almost had family in this house, with Sorcha and Aileen and even Brodie for company.  If only she could stay.

"This snow is so lovely," she said as they climbed out of his car. "Do you get a lot of it here?"

"Depends on where you are." He buttoned up his navy pea coat and wrapped his red plaid scarf around his neck.  "This area has frequent light snow but it doesn't really accumulate much.  Where I grew up there's a lot more."

"Makes me think of Christmas," she said wistfully.  "I'll bet it's beautiful here then."

"Why don't ye spend it here?"

"My four weeks ends December fourteenth.  By then, my neighbor will be well tired of watching over my cats and my condo, I'm afraid, and she has Christmas travel plans herself.  She just e-mailed again, wondering when I'd be home."  Lucy gave Brodie a quick hug and stepped back.  "Thanks for being so kind. My tire is being fixed tomorrow, so then you won't need to be my chauffeur."

He met her gaze and held it for a long moment.  "It's been no bother. Ask any time."

She could hear Maxie barking inside the house, so Aileen and Sorcha had probably come to the windows to see who had arrived.  But the swirling snow leant an air of festive anticipation and intimacy she didn't want to end.  Maybe Brodie felt it too, because his eyes seemed to darken and he almost imperceptibly leaned forward.  Was he thinking of kissing her?  The thought sent a delicious tingle clear down to her toes

He jerked his gaze toward the kitchen window, where Aileen was now waving at them, and the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes deepened.  "I'd better get to work, and you're probably shiverin', lass."

"Right.  Good luck, then.  Happy writing."  Yep, she was shivering...and babbling, but not because of the cold.  Every time she saw him, she felt her pulse leap and her breath catch a little, and she wanted to feel his arms around her and see where that might lead.  Even if it didn't make a lick of sense, when she'd be leaving so soon.

She watched him saunter toward the cottage, a dusting of snowflakes sparkling on the black wool of his coat, feeling a twinge of regret--and then he stopped. Stood still for a moment, and came back.

"I know this probably won't work out for you...but my family called while you were with the banker, reminding me about their Christmas party.  It's the last weekend you'll be here.  Would you like to come along?"

She blinked.  "Your whole family?"

"It isn't as daunting as you might think.  Nothing fancy. There's a big crowd--everyone in the village is invited, and they bring friends and relatives.  Bonfire, a dance, food."  He lifted an eyebrow and grinned.  "Guiness, for those so inclined."

"It could be my Scottish Christmas, just a bit early.  Yes--I'd love to." 

He grinned down at her, then brushed a kiss against her cheek.  "I promise it'll be an experience you'll never forget."

Darkness seemed to fall earlier with each passing day, but Brodie had started coming by the house every afternoon, and then they went for long walks along the loch, or up into the hills.  Maxie followed, staying close at Lucy's heels, until he got tired and begged to be carried.

She'd come to Scotland wanting to find out more about her family, but she'd found so much more--a ragtag family of sorts with Sorcha and Aileen, and even Brodie, the four of them sharing suppers and conversations at night, and a stronger sense of camaraderie during the day.

With just three weeks left to go, she already knew she was going to miss them all so much.

Now, on Saturday afternoon, the sky looked heavy with promise of yet more snow and the hiking path along the rocky shore of the loch was slick with a thin layer of ice. 

She slipped and grabbed at Brodie's arm, and suddenly the landscape seemed to spin and they were in a tangle of arms and legs on the snow covered grass at the side of the path, Brodie beneath her.  "Oof!" she exclaimed, her cheeks warming with embarrassment.  "I didn't mean to flatten you."

He looked up at her and grinned.  "I'm glad you've the weight of a feather, Ms. Davis."

It felt so good, so right, to be wrapped in his strong arms, that it took her a moment to gather her senses and her willpower, and to regain her feet. 

She offered him a hand to get up and started to brush the snow from the back of his jacket, but instead, he turned her around, rested his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes.  "You are an entrancing woman, Lucy.  I wonder if you know just how beautiful you are."

She blushed and ducked her head, suddenly feeling as gauche and shy as she had in high school.  "And you are one very charming Scot," she teased back.

Todd hadn't possessed half of Brodie's charm, and he hadn't ever made her feel this vibrant and alive.  But he'd still managed to make her feel like she hadn't measured up....and then he'd cheated on her and left her behind.  What were the chances that a man like Brodie would ever stick around?  If she started to imagine something more with him, she only had to run a quick reality check. Answer: Slim to none.

Something flickered in his gaze, but then he just smiled and looped an arm through hers.  "I think we'd better head on back before one of us ends up in the hospital."

"Can't have that.  Your clock is ticking, Mister.  How many pages today?

"Twelve, so far."

"And how much to go?"

He sighed. "Probably around two hundred."

"But you still have another what--eleven weeks left of your sabbatical?"

"Which is enough. I will return victorious, having slain my dragons and reaching the goal set in my application.  Everyone will be pleased."

At his dry tone, she looked up at him.  "Except you."

"It's what I've done since I started my doctorate.  It's my career."

"But you've had second thoughts."

"At thirty-five, I think my path is set, lass.  It's what I do."

She thought about her years of following a steady, comfortable path in accounting.  Her foray into human resources for a smaller company, where her boss had turned out to be an embezzling, lying snake who tried to shift blame for his crime onto her, then fired her after she was able to prove her innocence with the documentation she'd saved.  She'd been so excited about a career shift, and it had led to disaster. Who was she to judge or offer advice?  Still...

"But you could do both scholarly writing and something else, couldn't you?" 

He glanced back at the little white Westie, who was trotting along behind them in his red woolen doggie coat.  "You're about as stubborn as wee Maxie.  He no longer wants you out of his sight."

"I'm just curious...and hoping. You just never know what might be around the next bend if you take a chance."

He snorted. "About that insatiable curiosity of yours, have ye given in and read the rest of those letters Maura left ye?"

Despite his light tone, she felt her stomach tighten.  "I...I decided I'd go through them later on.  Maybe."