I do have a repertoire of games that don’t require a horse and a mallet to make them fun.’
She made an incredulous sound as Tiago sat back with a confident smile on his face. He continued to regard her steadily, his amused black stare warming her, and even when he looked away to call for the bill a sweet pulse of desire throbbed deep inside her.
DANNY WAS ALWAYS CALM, always measured—at least that was what she told herself—except for tonight, when she was catapulting from one side of her room to the other, trying on clothes and trying to decide how she should wear her hair.
Finally she stood back, arms folded, wondering how it was possible for one person to buy so many sale rejects in the hope that one day she would find just the right accessory to pull the hopelessly mismatched set of items together. She had never pulled an outfit together in her life. She had always been a tomboy in jeans.
And she had around five minutes before Tiago was due to arrive to pick her up and take her to supper.
Why had she left things to the last minute?
She blamed it on the shortbread.
In the spirit of keeping things platonic, and to show Tiago some true Scottish hospitality, she had used her small worktop oven and her grandmother’s secret recipe—sure to melt all but the stoniest heart—to bake him a tray of the traditional Scottish cookies, so he didn’t think she was accompanying him tonight solely in the expectation of a free meal.
Tied up with a tartan ribbon, the small cellophane packet was a humble offering, but it was the best she’d been able to come up with in the time available.
* * *
Tiago took a shower, shaved, and tamed his hair in as much as it could be tamed. He even put on a jacket and tie with his jeans for the occasion. He checked himself over in the mirror. He looked like an undertaker. Ruffling his hair, he ditched the tie, opened a couple of buttons at the neck of his shirt and tugged on a sweater. Better.
Danny was waiting for him in the biting cold outside her front door. Because she didn’t want him to see where she lived, he suspected. The farm seemed even more dilapidated and unappealing to him on second viewing. He didn’t like the thought of her living here on her own.
‘You didn’t have to wait out here.’ He ushered her towards the four-wheel drive
‘I didn’t want to keep you waiting,’ she said, standing back as he opened the door for her. ‘Where are we going?’
‘I can’t say.’
‘You can’t say or you won’t say?’
He smiled. ‘You decide.’
‘Maybe I won’t come with you.’
‘You’ll come,’ he said confidently. ‘You never could resist an adventure.’
He would forgive her anything tonight. Just the fact that she had gone to some trouble with her appearance was enough for his groin to tighten with appreciation—though he would take her straight from mucking out a stable if he had to. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary. Her hair was shining and she was wearing the familiar wildflower scent, and make-up—just a touch, but enough to suggest she wasn’t completely switched off.
‘You’d better not be teasing me with this supper,’ she warned him, frowning in a way that made him want to grab her close and kiss her hard. ‘You tell me where we’re going or I’m not moving another step.’
Maybe the signs weren’t all good, he amended, hiding his amusement. ‘I’m taking you somewhere new.’
‘Tiago,’ she said patiently, ‘there is nowhere new. This is the Highlands of Scotland, where nothing has changed for a thousand years.’
His lips curved with amusement, but he wouldn’t be drawn. Strolling round to the driver’s side, he got into the vehicle.
‘Where is this?’ Danny demanded a short time later, as he swung the wheel to turn the four-wheel drive onto a recently resurfaced driveway lined with majestic snow-frosted pines.
‘You tell me. You’ve lived in Rottingdean all your life—where nothing ever changes,’ he reminded her dryly.
‘But this place has been derelict for years.’ She frowned as she stared out of the window.
‘Not any longer.’
‘When did it become a hotel?’
‘Never, as far as I’m aware.’
She turned ninety degrees to stare at him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I live here. At least I’m planning to spend a good part of the year here.’
A stunned silence greeted this remark.
‘I apologise if this comes as a shock to you, Danny, but as you haven’t been talking to me lately...’ He shrugged. ‘It’s better that you know. I can hardly be your neighbour and spend time at a house down the road without you noticing at some point.’
‘Let me get this straight. Are you telling me that you’ve bought the Lochmaglen estate?’
‘And the whisky distillery.’
‘You’re going into business here?’ Danny’s eyes widened.
‘I like Scotch.’
‘Tiago!’
‘Lochmaglen will form part of my business empire, but I won’t allow any investment to be a drain on my finances. Everything I put money into has to earn its keep.’
‘Is that what you thought about me?’ she asked him lightly.
‘You sent the money back.’
‘Yes, I did.’ She sounded pleased about that.
Tiago continued without comment. ‘I mostly bought this place for the excellent pasture—or it will be excellent once I’ve reclaimed it from the weeds. I’m going to build a new training facility for my horses.’
‘But you’ve got excellent training facilities in Brazil.’
‘On the other side of the world,’ he pointed out. ‘But now I’m setting up in Scotland—to service my European interests.’
This made perfect sense to him, but Danny was shaking her head.
‘Don’t think I’m coming to work for you. I’m very happy where I am.’
‘Good,’ he said flatly. ‘You couldn’t have said anything to please me more.’
Was that a flash of disappointment on her face?
‘Ah, there’s
