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  “She did like you,” Mel said, wanting to suck the words back in as soon as she saw his face light up with hope. “But she has her own life.”

  “Well, aye, but to have her phone completely shut off? I dinna understand why I canna call her or email, or something. Is she never going to visit her brother again? We could at least be friends.” He waved his hand in frustration.

  “I think you’re better off forgetting her,” Mel said.

  “Hey, can I have a front row seat when ye accept your ‘worst advice in the world’ award?” he asked, leaning back against the barn wall, a broken look on his face.

  She snorted, glad he wasn’t going to press for answers to any of his questions. “Ye’ll be fine,” she said, awkwardly patting his arm. “Hopefully we both will.”

  “Aye, let’s hope,” he said dismally. “Are ye feeling low as well?”

  She shrugged, not completely sure what was wrong with her. She didn’t have any more pearls of wisdom or comfort for him, but he still looked so pathetic, she continued to sit beside him. They shared a companionable silence for several moments, while he finished his scone.

  “Ye went out with my brother once, aye?” Shane asked, shaking out the crumbs and neatly folding the cloth napkin.

  Mellie rolled her eyes. “You know the population of the village as well as anyone. There’s about six guys I could date. So, yeah, I went out with your brother once.”

  “How come ye never went out with me?” he asked, nudging her leg with his knee.

  She stared at him coldly. “You’re too young for me, for one,” she said. “And you never asked.” Ugh, why had she added that last bit? She scowled at him, wanting to smack him for his beguiling charm.

  “I’m a year younger. Catie told me her chaperone was four or five years older than her brother and they ended up together, so that shouldna matter.”

  “It doesn’t matter for them, because Quinn is a man, regardless of his age. Whereas you are …”

  “Aw, Mel, why do ye dislike me so much now? It wasna always that way. Remember in school?”

  She did remember him being an annoyance. A fun annoyance though, and he’d taken up for her that one time when Derek McClane and his football cronies tried to hassle her. She shook her head.

  “Why do you even care?” she asked, remembering the reason she was out here in the first place. She’d done her good deed for the day.

  “Is it because of Bridget?” he persisted, kicking at a clump of hay. “Because my heart was broken as badly as hers was when we broke up. I just didna go around the village crying about it like she did.”

  “Aye, well, you got over it. You’ll get over Catie as well.” She stood.

  “Please, at least tell me how to reach her,” he pleaded, and her heart softened a little at his dewy green eyes.

  He truly looked desperate. With a long sigh, she sat back down and stared at him, trying to decide what to do.

  “What is it?” he asked. “Why can’t I have her phone number?”

  “Where she’s gone, there are no phones,” Mel said, then winced at how ominous it came out. “Listen, if I tell you, you have to promise, really promise, not to tell anyone, whether you believe me or not.”

  “Holy crap, is she from another planet?” He grinned, not taking her seriously.

  “Christ, Shane. You have to stop watching so many Korean dramas.”

  “Ah, ye know that will never happen.”

  She sighed. “That is just one reason why I shouldn’t tell you where Catie is.” He’d never make it in the eighteenth century. It was wrong, and she was crazy to think he’d believe her, so she once again got up to go.

  He clamped his hand around her wrist, the smile sliding from his face. “What, then? Mel, is she in trouble? Did they ship her off to some cult?”

  “You really need to stop watching telly, period,” she said. “Your imagination is out of control.” She laughed then, thinking if she told him the truth, he might actually believe her. “Okay, listen. Have you ever noticed anything about Lachlan?” She waited expectantly, but he only shrugged.

  “He works out a lot?”

  She groaned and sat back down. The boy was dafter than he looked and he looked plenty daft. But then again, who could honestly guess such a thing? No one’s mind would go there. “Didn’t you think Catie was different in any way?” she prodded.

  “Of course. That’s why I like her so much.”

  Mellie stared at him with narrowed eyes. He opened his mouth to cajole her some more, but shut it again, and looked away. His hard fought patience decided her.

  “She’s not from this time. Nor is Lachlan. They’re from hundreds of years ago. But Catie went back, which is why you’ll never see her again, and why you can’t call her.” She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the wall, watching him.

  At first he blinked a few times, then his face turned red. He stood up, sat back down. He turned and gripped both her knees, searching her eyes for any glimpse that she was taking the piss out of him. She returned his stare, only nodding once.

  “Seriously?”

  “Aye, and if you think about it, it makes sense. Just give it a minute before you tell me I’m full of it.”

  Shane put his head in his hands while Mellie waited for him to either tell her to stuff herself or bombard her with questions. She knew she should feel guilty for telling, but she felt invigorated. She’d never realized what a burden it was, keeping the secret as she did.

  “How?” he asked.

  This was a sticky bit. She didn’t want him thinking anything untoward about Piper or Lachlan. She shook her head.

  “Does it matter?”

  “Well, aye, if I’m to go after her.” He gave her a disbelieving look. “That’s the whole point.”

  “You know Shane, a few minutes ago I was trying to decide if you were as stupid as you look, and now I know the answer.” She didn’t get up to leave the barn, though. She wondered why she was still sitting there.

  He let her cruel comment roll off his back, and her conscience twisted a little, knowing he was used to it. Ever since he’d broken up with the girl he’d dated for two years, right after his graduation, everyone was shocked, especially when he didn’t leave for college. When it seemed like he’d dumped her for no good reason, the town turned on him.

  Because he was right. Bridget did go about making a right scene over her shattered dreams of marrying him. That was what people in this village did, married the person they dated in high school. Mellie had actually been exaggerating when she answered Shane’s question about going out with his brother. There weren’t even six age-appropriate, eligible boys for her in Castle on Hill, which was why she planned to leave for London or New York as soon as she had a big wad of money saved.

  “I really liked her,” he said in a small voice. “She said she lived on a farm, aye?”

  “Aye,” Mel said. “Near the sea on the other side of the country.”

  “So, just listen to me,” he said.

  He took her hand and clasped it between both of his, until her murderous look made him drop it. Being so casually affectionate hadn’t helped his reputation, and it made her strangely unsettled that he kept touching her, a sensation she’d rather eat a bug than explore.

  “Carry on,” she said, copying the stern tone she’d heard Lizzie use to good effect.

  He raised his eyebrows at her. “I’m supposed to go to school and get a job programming computers, a thing I hate more than anything. I only barely like writing games and I dinna have good enough ideas to make my own. I dinna want to be a cubicle monkey pounding out boring code for the rest of my days.”

  “Okay,” Mel said. “That’s a sad story, to be sure. But where is it heading?”

  She didn’t want to empathize with him, but she did. Having only just discovered nursing wasn’t the fab thing she’d first envisioned, and having already helped to treat multiple stabbings and a gunshot wound, she thought her most e
xciting days in the field were probably behind her. And she hadn’t even graduated yet.

  “The thing I love most is working with the animals. And Catie lives on a farm. In a place where computers dinna exist.” He smiled widely. “How could I not be happy in such a place?”

  “She’s probably going to get engaged to that Englishman,” Catie reminded him. “He liked her as well.”

  Shane smirked, not the least concerned. “Ye dinna think I can make her forget about him?” he asked, completely confident.

  “Smug,” she said, but laughed, really looking at him.

  He was tall and strapping, and did have quite a face on him. She was forced to admit he was sweet as well, and the townsfolk had really gotten out of hand with their treatment of him. She couldn’t blame him one bit for wanting to flee.

  “Please, Mel.”

  She realized he didn’t have the first clue about Catie’s inheritance. It was the one thing Catie worried about, that someone would like her for herself and not the money she’d get when she married. He seemed ready to give up running water just for the chance to be with her and live simply.

  Bloody hell. Was she really going to do this?

  “You must swear again to secrecy,” she said, waiting for him to nod and place his hand on his chest. “There’s no guarantee it will work for you.”

  “Are ye going to tell me?” In his excitement, he reached for her hand and instead of shaking him off, she returned his squeeze.

  She closed her eyes. “Aye, I’ll tell you.”

  ~~~

  Thank you for reading the Lost Highlander series!

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  I’d love to hear what you think. Email me at [email protected]

  Or visit at cassidycayman.com

  What’s next? The wedding, of course, and will Mellie really help Shane find a way to see Catie again?

  More books by Cassidy Cayman

  Lost Highlander

  Reunited

  Revenge

  Sam & Evie

  Reckoning

  Smitten by the Spinster

  Cover art by Clarissa at Yocla Designs