“Hmpf!” Sarinda turned and stomped away, her heels pinging hard against the wood flooring, tapping out her anger in an easily understood Morse code.
Damn. What a shitstorm.Katie glanced over at Sarinda who now had her back to them and was busy at the stove—and from the sound of it, was taking out her frustrations on whatever was in the pan in front of her and had decided to beat the hell out of it. Lydia had disappeared into the pantry with the cloth-covered bread pans as though taking refuge from a pending attack.
Convinced that Ramsay’s mother was making so much racket that she couldn’t possibly overhear, Katie leaned across the table and kept her voice low as she picked at a chunk of bread. “Did I say something wrong to your mother? Was I not supposed to mention the spear?”
Ramsay didn’t answer, just looked askance with nostrils flared and blew out a long-suffering huff of air that would’ve been flames if the man had been a dragon.
“Well?” she whispered after washing down a nibble of bread with a deep sip of wine. This situation definitely called for alcohol.
Ramsay still didn’t answer.
“Was it the spear? Is that subject taboo around here or something? You could’ve warned me, you know?” He was going to answer her one way or another. He didn’t realize it yet, but she was fully capable of pestering the living piss out of him. Stubbornness was her superpower.
“Dinna fash yerself,” Ramsay finally said with a low growl then shoved a chunk of meat into his mouth and shot a fiery glare over at his mother.
“You have to tell me what’s wrong, so I don’t do it again.” She had a talent for putting her foot in her mouth clear up to her hip. Always had. Any pointers on how not to do that would be welcomed.
Her inner archeologist nudged her.Better yet, tell me about that spear. It looks like a relic I’d find on a dig.And the architecture of the place couldn’t be an accident. What about this place? She couldn’t ask him about all that was MacDara just yet but that didn’t mean she was about to give up on learning more about that weapon. It was too authentic to be a modern-day replica. She’d find out the rest of its story one way or another.
Ramsay didn’t answer, just stared down at his plate and kept shoving food in his mouth as though it was his last meal before his execution.
The longer she watched Ramsay focused solely on his food, the more frustrated she got and that was quite a feat since she prided herself on rarely getting mad. Stubborn? Epically so. Easily riled? No.
Of course, today has scored pretty high on the suckitude meter.
Katie managed another small bite of bread and washed it down with the wine, all the while staring at Ramsay. Too much was going on to eat. She amped up her glare at Ramsay to a narrow-eyed,you better talk to melevel, but he remained silent against her efforts. Unfortunately, her powers of coercion sucked just as badly as the day had.
No wonder I’m still single.She tossed the roll back to her plate and turned her empty wineglass in her hand. Where the hell had that thought come from?From the proximity of that delectably surly Highlander sitting across the table and all the sparkly little secrets that are sure to come with him. Damn…enough!She shifted in her chair and thumped her empty glass on the table, trying to get Ramsay’s attention.
Ramsay just sat there. Silent. Chewing. Eyes focused on his bowl as though he wished he could dive into it and disappear.
Fine. Even I can only handle so much.Katie pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. This was exactly why she’d become an archeologist—and why she was still single. Long dead people and ancient civilizations in general, no matter the era, were a hell of a lot easier to figure out than the living, breathing individuals she ran into every day. Spear or no spear, time to retreat.
She turned toward Sarinda who was still working at the stove. She cleared her throat—twice. When Sarinda finally turned and faced her, Katie put on her best smile. “Mrs. MacDara, thank you so much for the meal. It was delicious.” She backed a step away from the table and motioned toward the door with one hand. “Um…you wouldn’t happen to know the number for a cab or an Uber around here, would you? I think I’ve imposed on your hospitality long enough. I’m going to just head into town and find a place to stay until I can make arrangements to continue my trip.”
Sarinda didn’t answer, just studied Katie for a long moment, then turned and glared at her son, giving him an easily readable look that said he was in even deeper shit now.
Katie looked at Ramsay. He and his mother were locked in anI won’t look away until I’m deadstare that would rival any MMA fighters’ pre-bout glare. It seemed like they were arguing—silently—but arguing just the same.
Well, shit. Fine. I’ll just walk to town. My cellphone’s dead anyway and something tells me I’m not about to find one in this place. It can’t be that far, and this part of North Carolina looks peaceful enough—a hell of a lot more peaceful than this damn kitchen.
Backing toward the door, Katie cleared her throat again until both Ramsay and Sarinda broke free of their silent battle-stare and turned to look at her. “Again. Thank you both so much—for everything.” She waved a hand toward the stairs. “I’ll just find my way out.” She paused at the doorway. “You’ve all been great, and I really appreciate the rescue and the meal.”
“Hold fast, woman. Ye’ll no’ be goin’ anywhere this evenin’.” Ramsay spared one last accusing glare at his mother, then rushed to join Katie at the top of the stairs. “I’ll no’ have the town believing that the MacDaras put a helpless woman out on the streets in the middle of the night. ’Tis not done, ye ken?”
Helpless? Seriously? A bit of a ditz sometimes, but I’m a far cry from helpless, dude.Katie opened her mouth to argue but was immediately cut off.
“—Aye. My son speaks true.” Sarinda rushed forward, pausing but a moment to hurry over to the pantry door and stick her head through it. “Lydia. The east wing’s fit for company, aye?”
Katie couldn’t make out what Lydia said, and it really didn’t matter. Shereallyneeded to move on and extricate herself from this weird little situation she’d managed to find.
“Aye, I thought so. East wing it is. No…ye go ahead and tend to the mornin’ bread. Ye ken Emrys must have his fresh baked bread even though ye fix him biscuits as well. We’ll get the lass settled in for the night.” Sarinda gently closed the door, a smug satisfied look on her face. “The east wing is all yers, m’dear. Ramsay will show ye the way.”
Nah…I don’t think so.Enticing Highlander and tantalizing secrets or not, she needed some space to rest and regroup before she attacked this particular can of worms again. Katie shook her head and held up both hands to shield off any further suggestions of her staying the night here in Castle MacStrange. “Thank you so much but that’s really not necessary. I—”
Ramsay’s hand shot up and she could’ve sworn she’d heard him growl. He topped all that with a look that made all the arguments she had in mind disappear. The man was pissed beyond measure, and damn, the look suited him well. Dark, determined, and glowering. If you searched the phrasehot brooding Highlander godin the sexy men database, his picture would be beside it. On a shield. Holding that spear.
“I’ll fetch yer bag from the stairwell below and show ye to yer room. I’m sure yer fair gone weary after the day ye’ve had.” Ramsay jerked a nod toward her with decisive finality and flexed his hands as though he could hardly wait to get hold of her bags and have her safely ensconced in their guestrooms to not only avoid small town gossip but also have her out of his hair and away from his mother.
