Page 113 of Love Bomb

“If I tell you what to say, it won’t mean anything,” Rona said with a growl. “Stop talking. I’m going to sleep.”

And then she lay down on bed, turned her back to him, and did just that.

Rona was not in a good mood later that morning, when they were summoned before Invertary Council. She’d been in the same clothes for twenty-four hours. Her cat was probably starving. And the idiot she loved was incapable of loving her back.

Sex.

He wanted her to stay for sex.

Nothing else.

Rona wondered if she could talk Matt into keeping him in jail until he grew a brain.

The council, for reasons only they understood, had decided to have an open hearing of their crimes. Okay, it wasn’t a court, but it felt like one, even though it was basically just a town meeting where Rona and Bain were supposed to explain themselves.

Dougal had gone over the whole thing when he’d come to the jail that morning. Unlike Rona, he’d been allowed to go home, sleep in his own bed, and change his clothes.

Rona wasn’t feeling too great about Dougal either.

The meeting took place in Dougal’s conference center instead of the Presbyterian church hall where they usually held town meetings. Dougal explained that this was because the new minister wasn’t happy that people kept breaking into his church. It was a fair point.

On the stage in the conference center’s large main room was a row of chairs. Each held a member of the council—including Caroline McInnes, who was back from Paris.

Rona was pleased to see her. She’d always liked Caroline, so she gave her a cheery wave and smiled brightly. Caroline smiled back with a shake of her head.

“I see you haven’t changed,” Caroline said, as Rona and Bain took their seats in the first row.

“I like to think I’ve matured,” Rona said.

Bain snorted.

The room was packed to capacity. Even her parents were present. They sat at the other end of the front row, with matching scowls on their faces. Guess there had been no need for them to go to court now that the folly was gone.

Dougal took to the stage, stepped behind a narrow wooden lectern, and banged a gavel for order.

“Quiet,” he boomed.

Eventually, silence fell.

“As you know,” Dougal said. “I was involved in last night’s events.” A wave of murmuring went through the crowd. “Because of this, I am recusing myself from today’s proceedings. I will neither lead this meeting, nor will I vote in the council’s decision afterward. So, for the rest of the meeting, I’m handing over to the town secretary and head of the historical society, Caroline McInnes.”

Then, shamefaced, head low, he went down the steps and joined Rona and Bain in the front row.

Caroline took her place at the lectern. She still looked like Grace Kelly, although she’d swapped out the cheap, gray skirt-suits Rona remembered, for a classier and more colorful wardrobe. Not Dougal colorful, but tasteful colorful. She wore a pair of silver dress pants and a lavender sweater, and her blonde bobbed hair was perfectly styled. She looked good.

“As you know,” she said into the microphone. “The council takes its duties seriously. And one of those duties is to protect the town’s heritage.”

When Caroline meant seriously, she was speaking from experience. She’d cared so much about the castle that she’d married to look after it. Although, she did seem very much in love with its new owner, so Rona guessed it’d all worked out.

“Rona,” Caroline said. “I understand that you were recently bequeathed ownership of the folly and, instead of becoming its custodian, you decided to destroy it. Would that be correct?”

There was a whir of motorized wheels before a mobility scooter appeared in front of Rona. Betty McLeod, who was somewhere upward of ninety, handed Rona a microphone.

“Well done, lassie,” Betty said. “Couldn’t have done a better job myself.” She cackled and rode away, just as Rona remembered that the locals called her Satan.

Rona got to her feet. “Yes, I decided to blow up the folly,” she said into the microphone.

“Could you tell us why?” Caroline asked, rather calmly.