The Highlander's Hope - A Contemporary Highland Romance (2 page)

“My research has led me to believe that your clan may have played more of a role during the Jacobite uprising than most know.  I’d like to find definitive proof, but would need access to your clan’s documents and estate.” 

The old man’s eye’s
brightened with enthusiasm.  “Now that’s exciting news, lass.  Whatever it is ye need, ye can have full access to it.  And like I said, Iain will be happy to help ye any way he can.”

Cat somehow doubted that.

As if the mere mention of his name was enough to summon the devil, Iain walked in with a tray of tea and set it down on the table between them, sitting by his father’s side with Duncan at their feet. 

Callum
turned to his son to give him the good news.  “Dr. Ross thinks she’s found evidence of our clan playing a more important role during Culloden than originally believed.”

He looked at her with no love or enthusiasm.  “Is that so?”

“It is.”  She tried not to be curt with him, but the man seemed to bring out the worst in her.  How they’d manage to work together was beyond her. “I’m looking into the history of the Jacobites and, in particular, how funding was raised amongst the clans prior to the arrival of Prince Charles Edward Stewart.”

“
I don’t know why ye’d think our clan any different to the others.  The majority of the clans this far into the highlands supported the uprising any way they could, despite the little most had to live on.”  His eyes narrowed in suspicion.  “Given all yer fancy degrees, I’d think ye’d already know that.”

“
Well, yes, my doctorate on Scottish history did require me to actually learn a little about Scottish history—but I assure you the circumstances are a little different when it comes to your clan.  I wouldn’t be here otherwise.” It was impossible to keep the annoyance from her voice. 

“
Don’t mind him, lass.  He’s always had a sharp tongue in that head of his and not enough common sense or manners.”  Callum gave his son a sideways glance that spoke volumes.

“My apologies.  I meant no offense.”
  Except that his tone told her he didn’t mean a word he’d just spoken.  Iain poured the tea, even though his wary gaze was on her rather than on the cups before him.  “So do ye have any proof of this importance and why our clan’s so different?”

She could
n’t risk telling him the true reason, and yet she had no doubt he’d see through any lies.  Iain seemed far too intelligent and distrustful a man, and she was sure he’d miss nothing.  Best to skirt the truth then, and see if it would be enough to gain her the access she needed.

“I’ve
found some information regarding the movement of funds leading up to the revolution and think your clan may have played a significant role in the transfer.  It’s that role that I want to investigate—and the route of the monies.  It could be of considerable historic importance and your clan would have been key.”

Iain
sat back in his chair, his legs stretched out before him as he sipped his tea.  “Ye’ll pardon my saying so, but I’m not buying it, lass.  The war was centuries ago, and I’d imagine historians have looked at every aspect of the war, a dozen times over. So if ye have new information, I’d like to know what it is.”

She could
n’t tell him.  There was still too little to go on.  Not enough clues.  “Honestly, I would love to tell you, but first I need to know that I’m on the right track.”

Iain
let out a scoff and shook his head, but she pressed on, hoping to convince him.  “Truth be told, I can’t do this without your help.  Everything leads to your clan—to this home and this land.  I can’t take the next step without more information.  But I swear, once I’m a bit more certain of what I’ve found, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

It was as honest as she could be for now
.  She just hoped it would be enough. 

“Son
, I probably should’ve asked ye first, but I’ve already promised the lass our help, and truth is I want to help her.  I’d like to know what role our clan played in the uprising.”

Iain
reached out and put a hand on his father’s arm with a sigh, his words still holding onto a hint of his annoyance.  “Very well then, if it’ll make you happy.”

Chapter
Two

Iain wondered what Cat was truly up to.  Clearly, she was being less than honest with them, and yet his father seemed smitten, even inviting her to dine with them for the evening. 

At any other time, he wouldn’t have minded helping her, but his brother had gotten himself into a world of trouble and the last thing he needed was a snooping historian.  If the tabloids found out
the trouble his family was in, they’d have a field day.  Though his reputation as a shrewd businessman was never harmed by the string of models he dated, his brother’s troubles could have a real impact on his business dealings.

Looking across the table at his father an
d Cat chatting like old friends made him want to curse.  He couldn’t deny the old man the pleasure, for there was little to make him happy as of late.  It just meant he’d have to keep a sharp eye on her, and try to make the most of it—for his father’s sake.

With dinner over, he got to his feet to clear the table.

“Here, let me give you a hand.”  Cat gathered the dirty dishes from their meal and followed him to the kitchen, but not before throwing a smile in his father’s direction.  

Curses.

“I appreciate the help.”  Iain put the dishes in the sink, and then took the ones she was carrying.  “Listen, about earlier today—on the road.  I’m sorry, aye?  I’d have been happy to change your flat.”

She shrugged, tucking a dark
curl behind her ear, avoiding his gaze.  “I didn’t really give you the chance.”

“I nearly killed ye.  It left me shaken
.”  By the gods, he’d played it in his head over and over in an endless loop since it happened.  Despite not wanting her around, nearly hitting her had left him mortified.  “I hope ye’ll be more careful next time.  You can’t go parking around blind turns like that.”

S
he may have avoided looking at him earlier, but he now had her full attention, her green eyes locked on his, fire raging within them.

“Really?  You want to have
that
conversation again?”  Her cheeks flushed as she cocked her head to the side in question.  “I can’t believe you’re still trying to pin this whole thing on me.  Maybe if you weren’t driving like a maniac, you’d have seen me.”

He took a deep breath to keep from yelling and did his best to ignore the throbbing vein at his temple. 
“I’ve driven down that road a million times and could do it blind—but only if there’s no one in the middle of the road.  Anyone with a wee bit of common sense would know you don’t park around a turn where ye’ll not be seen.  Even with a flat, you certainly could have driven it another ten feet down the road.” 

“So now I have no common sense
and it was all my fault?  You really are an arrogant jerk.”  With hands on curvy hips and her eyes ablaze, she looked ready to unleash her wrath.

So why was it his lips could do nothing b
ut quirk into a smile?

“What are you grinning at?  Do you think this is funny?  It took me hours to soak the cold and mud from my skin.” 

The girl was furious with him, and yet he could not help himself.  Something about her made him want to push her buttons—all of them.  “I wouldn’t think ye’d have a hard time heating up with that temper.  Yer cheeks have gone so red, yer freckles have gone into hiding.”

She
swore under her breath and then spun on her heels, stalking out of the room.  With a quick jaunt, he caught up to her, gently grabbing her arm to stop her, not quite ready to have his fun come to an end. “It’d be a pity to go before you find what ye’re looking for.  But please, don’t let me stop ye.  I’m sure ye have other ways of finding what ye’re after.”

“
I may need your help for my research, but if you think I’m going to beg and plead, or kiss your
wee Scottish arse
, then you’re going to be waiting a long time.”

A laugh escaped him, despite it all. 
“I’m sorry.  I was just teasing ye.  It’s absolutely true—I’m a total arse.”

He saw the internal debate going on inside that pretty head of hers.  She was still furious with him, and yet there was her research to consider. 
Or was there more to it?  She was putting up with an awful lot. 

His gut told him she was up to something, but what?  Maybe it’d be best to string her along until he could get more information.  S
o he tried again to get her to stay and to avoid the tongue lashing he’d get from his father for upsetting a guest, no matter that he was a grown man.

“I r
eally am sorry.  I take full responsibility for the incident.  I was in a hurry, and being familiar with the road, I wasn’t paying as much attention as I should’ve been.  Truce?”

She let out a weary si
gh.  “Truce.”

***

Iain stared at his laptop screen, cursing his brother for making such a mess of things.  His email back to Malcolm was harsh, but he’d not mince words when the fool had just put their entire estate in jeopardy.  Things were a mess, and it was Malcolm’s fault—and his father’s for being gullible enough to believe whatever lies Malcolm fed him.  Neither their father nor sister knew that things now verged on the brink of disaster.  He’d try to spare them as long as possible, and with luck, he’d manage to turn things around before anyone found out. 

Cat. 
It was as if the gods had decided to play a cruel joke on him.  She could be trouble—in more ways than one.  And though she could prove a pleasant enough distraction from his troubles, she brought out the worst in him.  The only other woman he’d ever antagonized like that was his sister when they were still children.  Yet tonight, he’d barely been able to resist such games, even though he knew better than to let his guard down.

He knew there was more to her
visit than she was telling him, and with the mess his brother was in, he couldn’t afford to have it leak to the media.  His business rivals would pounce, and his clients would second guess his abilities—as if it wasn’t bad enough that he now had to find the funds to bail his brother out of his troubles.  It didn’t sound like the men Malcolm had involved himself with were the patient and understanding sort.

As for Cat’s research... he gave it some thought.  His clan had always been small in number, even before Culloden further diminished their numbers.  Yet despite their clan size, they’d yielded a fair amount of influence in the highlands, and Iain had studied their history enough to suspect what Cat might be after.  She’d mentioned the funds destined for the revolution, and that was enough to tell him she was looking for the jewels. 

Well, best of luck to her.  There was no reason to think his family was connected to the jewels, and others had certainly gone looking amongst the highland clans, only to come up empty-handed. 

Finding any information on the necklace would be a long shot, but if she did find it, i
t might turn out to be the lifeline he needed.  If found on their lands, the jewels would belong to his clan, even if it was her find. 

A knock at his office door had him looking up.  “Da.  Are
you off to bed then?”

“Aye, in just a bit.”  He came in and sat down.  “Will
you be meeting with the lass again?”

Iain
spun his chair around to face his father.  “She’s going to come by in the morning to review any information we have from before and after the time of Culloden.” 

His father pinned him with a stern look.  “I hope
ye’ll be nicer to her this time around.  If I hear ye’ve gone and chased her off, I won’t be happy, Iain.  Yer Ma wouldn’t have tolerated you disrespecting any guest of this house, and I won’t put up with it either.  Ye hear?” 

“
Don’t go worrying yerself, Da.  I promise I’ll try to be on my best behavior and not antagonize her.”  Iain gave his father a reassuring smile. 

Callum
had clearly enjoyed Cat’s company.  Too often it was just the two of them knocking about the empty house, and Iain was usually busy with work to be of any real company. Luckily, he could get most of his business conducted from home, even if he did have to travel from time to time.

Not yet done,
Callum pulled him from his thoughts for another scolding.  “I hadn’t realized ye’d already met—and by all accounts you weren’t much nicer to her then, either.”

Iain
had to laugh, recalling the state of her covered in mud and dripping wet.  “Now that wasn’t entirely my fault, though ye’re right.  I could have been nicer.”

Giving her a bit more thought,
Iain continued.  “When she spoke to ye… did she say what she was looking for?”

“
Nae.  Nothing more than what she said tonight.  Why?  What are ye thinking, lad?” 

Iain
shrugged.  “Nothing.  I was just curious is all.”

Callum
got to his feet.  “Just make sure ye keep yer curiosity honorable, aye?  I may be old, and ye may have been rude, but I’m not blind.  There’s heat between the two of ye, so be sure to behave yerself.”

“She’s pretty, but definitely not my type.  Far too uptight and… scholarly.” 
Iain waved away his father’s concerns, thinking of the proper sweater, her hair tamed up and out of the way with some fancy twist when it was desperate to escape and go wild.  All she needed was a pair of glasses and a string of pearls, and she could pass for a librarian. 

His father scowled at him,
his eyes narrowed in annoyance.  “Aye, ye wouldn’t want someone smart and pretty.  Ye’ve clearly chosen far more wisely in the past.”

Iain
shook his head with a smile.  “Good night to ye, Da.”

With
thoughts of highland treasure and pretty librarians bouncing around his head, Iain headed off to the library with Duncan lazily trailing behind him.  With two levels of books, a catwalk for ease of use, a comfortable sofa and a large stone fireplace, this room was easily Iain’s favorite.

Duncan sat in front of the fireplace, and looked at him in question.

“No, Duncan.  I’m not building a fire this late at night.”

Duncan responded with a noise that sounded like a cross between a yawn and yelp, followed b
y a cock of his head as his sad brown eyes attempted to guilt Iain into doing his bidding.

Iain
ignored him and wandered to the shelf where they kept the oldest books.

Duncan barked
, and then barked again, the noise deafening when backed by the lungs tucked in that massive chest.

“Seriously
, dog?” 

He got a rapid
thwapping of tail in response.  Fully aware the pup would keep bugging him until a fire was lit, Iain quickly got one going with the knowledge he too would enjoy it.  The nights were cold this far north, even if it was only October.

With the dog content,
Iain wandered back to the bookshelf housing dozens of books dating back ages and generations.  It had been years since he last went through them, and though they were in decent shape, he tried not to handle them too often.  When he’d gone through them in the past it wasn’t with an eye for finding anything in particular.  Now, however, he’d take another look, keeping a keen eye out for any clues that might give up their mystery.

It would l
ikely lead nowhere, but Cat had his curiosity going, and if he was stuck with her snooping around, then he might as well make the most of it.  The stories he’d heard regarding the bejeweled necklace had never mentioned his family.  So why did she think his clan had been somehow involved?  He supposed it could be true—or was she looking for something else. 

His ancestors had been loyal
Jacobites.  Then again, nearly every highland clan had supported the cause of Bonnie Prince Charlie and had wanted him to take back the throne.  She had found something—but what?  And could the information be trusted?  Could
she
be trusted?

Time would tell.