Page 84 of Highland Getaway
‘Can we throw tatties at him if this partnershipdoesgo ahead, then?’ shouts a man with long hair and an equally long beard. ‘Because we all know heonly cares about himself and his money. He doesn’t care about us.’
There’s a murmur of agreement from the crowd.
‘That’s not fair,’ I shout over the top of it. ‘I suppose you lot knowexactlyhow you’d run a castle this size, if you were in his shoes, do you? I suppose you’ve all got tons of ideas on how to pay the bills with .?.?. with tatties and leeks?’
Silence.
‘We’d do a better job than yer man from Glasgow, anyway,’ mutters the woman in the cat sweater. ‘That’s for sure.’
There’s no conviction in her tone, though, and no one tries to speak up in support of her.
‘Edinburgh,’ Hunter mutters in a voice no one hears. ‘I’m fromEdinburgh.’
‘Look,’ I go on, wishing I hadn’t started this, but feeling like I have to see it through now that I have. ‘I get that you want the hotel to do more to support the village, but surely you can see this isn’t the way to do it?’
More silence; although this time there’s also a shuffling of feet that suggests the crowd isn’tquiteas sure of themselves as they were before.
‘Would you please get down from there, Rosie?’ Hunter says, stepping forward and holding out his hand. ‘You’re making me nervous.’
‘I’m not getting down until everyone here’s agreed to stay and talk this through like adults,’ I say stubbornly. ‘We’re stuck until this tree’s cleared. The power’s still out, and there’s no guarantee when it’ll be back. The road’s impassable. Even if you make it back to the village safely, you’ll have no electricity to go back to. But we have plenty of food here, and I’m sure Hunter would be more than happy to let you stay another night if you have to – which should give you all more than enough time to listen to his point of view, and figure out some way to help him, rather than just attacking him all the time.’
Below me, Hunter’s brow creases in alarm.
‘I wouldn’t be more than happ— I mean, sure, yeah, you’re .?.?. welcome to stay until the power’s back on,’ he mumbles, catching the glare I send in his direction. ‘If you want to.’
‘You heard the man,’ I say, straightening my shoulders like an army general. ‘You’re all welcome to stay, and I, for once, think you should. Now, who’s with me?’
Chapter 34
Most of the villagers, it turns out, arewith me.
Izzie, Ian and a few others, however, are still hell-bent on heading back to the village as soon as the tree can be removed; which, they say, they’re going to make happen, even if they have to haul it out of the road themselves with their bare hands.
‘Come on,’ says Hunter, reaching up and putting his arms around my waist. ‘Let’s get you down from there.’
He lifts me down from the Land Rover as easily as he lifted me onto the pony a few days ago, and I try not to think about how good it feels being close to him as I slide down his chest until my feet are back on the ground.
‘So, that was quite some speech,’ he says as my eyes draw level with his. ‘What on earth were you thinking, Rosie?’
I shrug, not entirely sure of this myself.
‘I thought I was trying to help,’ I say. ‘I thought if I could just make sure they knew how hard it’s been for you, and that you’re not this horrible, penny-pinching city boy they seem to think you are then maybe they’d understand. That’s .?.?. that’s what friends are for, isn’t it?’
Hunter’s eyes crinkle with amusement.
‘Iamtechnically a city boy,’ he says. ‘I’m only a country one in my heart.’
‘That’s the only place it counts,’ I say stubbornly, very aware of the fact that his arms are still around my waist, and that he’s making no move to step away.
‘Ach, Rosie, I wish that was true,’ he says sadly. ‘I wish wanting something was enough to make it happen. You have no idea how much I wish that.’
He looks deep into my eyes, and I’m not totally sure if he’s talking about the city versus the country .?.?. or something else.
‘Youcouldmake it happen, though,’ I point out, breathlessly. ‘You could be whatever you want to be.’
Our faces are almost touching. Not far away, Izzie and Ian are arguing over whether or not it might be possible to cut up the tree with one of the bread knives they brought with them, and two of the other men who stayed behind have started a ‘sword’ fight with two of the fallen branches. But, to me, there’s only the two of us: me and Hunter and the utterly undeniable spark between us that’s making it almost impossible for me to pull myself away from his arms, even though I know I have to.
‘And so could you, Rosie,’ Hunter replies, his voice soft. ‘Have you not worked that out yet?’
