‘ALL RIGHT IF I hang out with Euan and Fenella until we set off?’
‘Go for it,’ Esme chirped a bit too enthusiastically, trying to resist the urge to touch Max’s arm, his hand, his anything really because each time they so much as brushed a pinkie finger…fireworks. For her anyway. Twenty-four hours in and, despite her best efforts, that same heated attraction that had lit her up from the inside out the first time she’d laid eyes on him refused to be tamped down. If anything…it was worse.
She watched from a distance as Fenella and Euan showed Max the tricks they’d just learned in the clinic. They ‘shot’ their dogs to get them to play dead. He laughed appreciatively. Then they ‘shot’ him, after which he picked Euan up and tried to carry him away, only to have Euan’s dog cut in and ‘save’ him as they’d done in one of the practice sessions. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought he was a father trying to do his very best by his son. Did he want children of his own? Marriage? Though he came across as gruff and spiky with her, Fenella and Euan clearly adored him. They must think he was heaven sent. They probably thought a lot of things. None of which probably included being scooped up in his arms, flung onto a four-poster bed and having their wicked way with him.
Nope. She hadn’t thought of that once.
He glanced over and caught her eye. The gold sparks that lit up his brown eyes whenever he let himself relax became shadowed.
Well, then. At least she knew who, of the two of them, wasn’t fizzing with frissons.
‘Shall we get going?’ She rubbed her hands together then pointed towards the path they would be taking.
Max passed on the instructions to Euan and Fenella then walked over to her as if she were an obligation to fulfil.
Esme’s heart sank a little. She didn’t want to be an obligation. She wanted to be… Her breath formed into a little cloud as she huffed out a frustrated lungful of air. She wanted to be loved, that’s what she wanted. What she didn’t want was to have it be unreciprocated, so she needed to nip this whole light my fire vibe in the bud.
‘The place hasn’t changed much since I was here last,’ Max observed.
‘Oh, yes!’ She clipped Dougal’s lead onto his collar and tried to match Max’s long-legged stride. ‘I thought you’d mentioned you’d been to Heatherglen.’
He nodded soberly. ‘Twenty-three years ago.’
‘And how many days?’ She joked.
‘Seven.’ There wasn’t a trace of humour in his voice.
‘Sounds like quite a memory.’
‘It was. Is. My mum brought me here.’
About a thousand questions poured into her heart as he scanned the brightly decorated stalls surrounding the ice rink at the centre of the Christmas carnival. His eyes took on that faraway look she often saw in her brother when he was thinking of Nick or their father. It was almost as if she could see the memories shifting past his eyes. First the good ones…then the harsh reminder that there would never be more.
She’d been so gutted when Nick had been killed she’d entirely lost sight of who she was. Her father had become a workaholic. Charles had poured himself into med school as if his life had depended on it. Her mum had filled the empty hours with parties and, eventually, other men. She’d never felt more lonely.
She had became two people. A diligent student determined to become the very best vet she could be and a dedicated party girl who’d thought getting lost in the mayhem of yet another mad night out on the town was the only way to stem the grief she felt. Harding MacMillan, the leader of Glasgow’s most elite pack of party people, had sensed her weakness, her desperation to feel loved. She’d stepped straight into his web of lies and deceit, willing it to fill the dark void of loss in her heart.
‘Are the stables the only thing that you’ve revamped?’
Neutral territory. Phew.
‘Apart from some of the medical elements we’ve added to the castle, you’re exactly right.’ Esme pulled a knitted hat out of her pocket and put it on. ‘My parents were big fans of tradition so Charles and I tried to keep everything as it was. As you can see, the skating rink’s a bit bigger, but…’ she held her hands out as they approached the entryway to the carnival ‘…it’s still toffee apples, chainsaw sculptures and mulled wine for all!’
Euan ran over, with Ajax in tow. ‘Are we going in?’
Esme smiled at his undisguised enthusiasm. If Max had been anything like this as a kid, no wonder the memories had stuck. ‘We’re going to save the Christmas carnival for another time, if that’s all right. We’ll definitely have a go as we need to help you operate in crowds and tricky situations together. We’ll also head into town one day. Maybe take you to the Christmas market. And there’s always the Living Nativity to think about. Who thinks Max would make an excellent Joseph?’ Esme shot him a playful smirk. Her first in the past twenty-four hours.
He shot a ‘yeah, right’ look back at her and there it was…that buzz of connection that crackled between them like electricity. If a right place and a right time for a kiss presented itself…
This way danger lay.
Esme nodded at the dogs. ‘Are you two all right with them? Happy with the training so far?’
A chorus of ‘Yes’ and enthusiastic ‘More than’ filled the wintry air. Esme and Margaret had already done a lot of one-to-one work with them. Esme focused on the drills Fenella’s seizure dog knew whilst Margaret had been tasked with showing Euan all the tricks of the trade his dog could help him with when he was feeling panicky or depressed.
The grin on Euan’s face near enough hit ear to ear. ‘I love him!’ He dropped down low so he was eye to eye with the golden Labrador he had been assigned. ‘Ajax and I are going to rule the world!’
Esme laughed good-naturedly. ‘How about we see how the two of you do on a woodland walk first? Plenty of distractions out there. Squirrels, hares, deer. Maybe reindeer.’
Ajax gave Euan’s face a lick and when he raised a paw to shake hands with the boy, he laughed without an ounce of the self-consciousness he’d arrived with. Now, that was satisfying.
‘Do I have to keep my dog on a lead?’ Fenella asked.
Esme nodded. ‘Everything we’re going to be doing for the next week ensures you are developing a relationship with your dog.’
‘Do you think Ajax would like cake?’ Euan’s gaze travelled over to a parade of food stalls at the Christmas carnival. ‘I love cake.’
Esme laughed. ‘Cake is definitely not on their menu. Think of Ajax as an athlete. You want him to be in top health, right?’ Euan nodded solemnly and blocked Ajax’s view of the cake stall. It was easy to see he would let no harm come to his new furry friend.
Esme pointed to a path leading off into the woods. ‘I thought we could go down to the pond for now. Another big lure for Labs and goldendoodles. Even in the winter. But remember! You’re in charge. Let’s see how well you two can do at making sure they resist all of the temptations along the way.’
