the political heart of Scotland. From what she’d read, Edinburgh Castle was an ancient fortress, built on a huge rock, that dominated the city’s skyline. Gramps had booked reservations for her at an inn on the outskirts of town.
The Bonnie Inn, with its red-tiled roof and black-trimmed gables, had all the charm she’d expected, and more. Janine’s room offered more character than comfort, but she felt its welcome as if she were visiting an old friend. A vase filled with fresh flowers and dainty jars of bath salts awaited her.
Eager to explore, she strolled outside to investigate the extensive garden. There was a chill in the April air and she tucked her hands in her pockets, watching with amusement as the partridges fed on the lush green lawn.
“Janine?”
At the sound of her name, she turned, and to her astonishment discovered Zach standing not more than ten feet away. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Me? I was about to ask you the same question.”
“I’m on vacation. Gramps gave me the trip as a gift.”
“I’m here on business,” Zach explained, and his brow furrowed in a suspicious frown.
Janine was doing her own share of frowning. “This is all rather convenient, don’t you think?”
Zach took immediate offense. “You don’t believe I planned this, do you?”
“No,” she agreed reluctantly.
Zach continued to stand there, stiff and wary. “I had absolutely nothing to do with this,” he said.
“If you hadn’t been so rude to me the last time we met,” she felt obliged to inform him, with a righteous tilt to her chin, “you’d have known well in advance that Gramps was sending me here, and we could have avoided this unpleasant shock.”
“If you hadn’t been in such an all-fired hurry to leave my office, you’d have discovered I was traveling here myself.”
“Oh, that’s perfect! Go ahead and blame me for everything,” she shrieked. “As I recall, you were furious at my being anywhere near your precious office.”
“All right, I’ll admit I might have handled the situation poorly,” Zach said, and the muscles in his jaw hardened. “But as you’ll also recall, I did apologize.”
“Sure you did,” she said, “after you’d trampled all over my ego. I’ve never felt like more of a fool in my life.”
“You?” Zach shouted. “It may surprise you to know that I don’t make a habit of hiding women in my office.”
“Do you think I enjoyed being stuffed in that…closet like a bag of dirty laundry?”
“What was I supposed to do? Hide you under my desk?”
“It might’ve been better than a pitch-black closet.”
“If you’re so keen on casting blame, let me remind you I wasn’t the one who left my purse in full view of your grandfather,” Zach said. “I did everything but perform card tricks to draw his attention away from it.”
“You make it sound like I’m at fault,” Janine snapped.
“I’m not the one who popped in unexpectedly. If you had a job like everyone else—”
“If I had a job,” she broke in, outraged. “You mean all the volunteer work I do doesn’t count? Apparently the thirty hours a week I put in mean nothing. Sure, I’ve got a degree. Sure, I could probably have my pick of a dozen different jobs, but why take employment away from someone who really needs it when so many worthwhile organizations are hurting for volunteers?” She was breathless by the time she finished, and so angry she could feel the heat radiating from her face.
She refused to tolerate Zach’s offensive insinuations any longer. From the moment they’d met, Zach had clearly viewed her as spoiled and frivolous, without a brain in her head. And it seemed that nothing had altered his opinion.
“Listen, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s obvious to me,” she said bluntly, “that you and I are never going to agree on anything.” She was so furious she couldn’t keep her anger in check. “The best thing for us to do is completely ignore each other. It’s obvious that you don’t want anything to do with me and, frankly, I feel the same way about you. So, good day, Mr. Thomas.” With that she walked away, her head high and her pride intact.
For the very first time with this man, she’d been able to make a grand exit. It should have felt good. But it didn’t.
An hour later, after Janine had taken the tourist bus into Edinburgh, she was still brooding over her latest encounter with Zachary Thomas. If there was any humor at all in this situation, it had to be the fact that her usually sage grandfather could possibly believe she and Zach were in any way suited.
Determined to put the man out of her mind, Janine wandered down Princes Street, which was packed with shoppers, troupes of actors giving impromptu performances and strolling musicians. Her mood couldn’t help but be influenced by the festive flavor, and she soon found herself smiling despite the unpleasant confrontation with her grandfather’s business partner.
Several of the men who passed her in the street were dressed in kilts, and Janine felt as if she’d stepped into another time, another world. The air swirled with bagpipe music. The city itself seemed gray and gloomy, a dull background for the colorful sights and sounds, the excitement of ages past.
It was as Janine walked out of a dress shop that she bumped into Zach a second time. He stopped, his eyes registering surprise and what looked to Janine like a hint of regret—as though confronting her twice in the same day was enough to try anyone’s patience.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, pinning her with his dark intense gaze.
“And I’m equally confident that you don’t.” She held her packages close and edged against the shop window to avoid hindering other pedestrians on the crowded sidewalk.
“I came here to do some shopping,” Zach said gruffly. “I wasn’t following you.”
“You can rest assured I wasn’t following you.”
“Fine,” he said.
“Fine,” she repeated.
But neither of them moved for several nerve-racking seconds. Janine assumed Zach was going to say something else. Perhaps she secretly hoped he would. If they couldn’t be friends, Janine would’ve preferred they remain allies. They should be uniting their forces instead of battling each other. Without a word, Zach gestured abruptly and wheeled around to join the stream of people hurrying down the sidewalk.
A half hour later, with more packages added to her collection, Janine strolled into a fabric store, wanting to purchase a sizable length of wool as a gift for Pam. She ran her fingertips along several thick bolts of material, marveling at the bold colors. The wool felt soft, but when she lifted a corner with her palm, she was surprised by how heavy it was.
“Each clan has its own tartan,” the white-haired lady in
