Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
“Thirty-two years is an awfully long time to love someone, Monroe. That won’t just go away because you decide to go away. It will follow you, and I’m afraid you’ll regret not taking the risk. I … if it were me, I would stay.” She reached over and squeezed my fisted hand. “Plus, you’re my closest friend here, and I selfishly don’t want to lose you.”
I covered her hand with mine. “Thank you.”
“Does that mean you’ll stay?”
I thought of where I was mentally and emotionally when I applied for the job down south. Then I considered what life in Ardnoch would be like if I took Brodan out of the equation. If he did decide life in the Highlands was too small for him. What would I be left with?
Friends.
Friends I hadn’t had before.
Sloane and Arran and Arro. My colleagues at school. Flora. Belle.
They were all part of my life now.
Ardnoch wasn’t home without Brodan, but it was something like that, even with him gone. I just had to trust that I wouldn’t need to worry about that. That Brodan meant it when he said he loved me. That planning the house and taking my opinion into account in the design was because he was adamant I’d be living in it with him.
I want to, I admitted, heart aching.
I wanted to come home to Brodan every evening and lie in his arms on the couch, watching crap television and moaning about my day.
I wanted to make love to him in the dark hours of the night and fall asleep beside him, feeling cherished and needed.
I wanted what I’d had for the last few weeks, and I wanted it to last forever.
“Something tells me you just made a decision,” Sloane guessed, her gaze searching.
“I think I did.” Smiling at her through bright tears, I shook my head. “I swear to God, that man is turning me into mush.” Exhaling, I waved a hand. “Okay, less of that now. Let’s talk about you. I don’t want to pry and you can tell me to mind my own business and I promise I won’t be offended … but why the Highlands?”
If Sloane had looked exhausted before, she suddenly seemed completely drained as she nodded solemnly. “Okay. What I’m about to tell you has to stay between us.”
I tensed but replied, “I know how to keep a secret, Sloane. I grew up in a village that made it difficult, so trust me, I’m a vault.”
She nodded, the muscle in her jaw flexing. And then she began to tell a tale that shocked and dismayed me.
By the end, I felt nothing but relief that she was here and safe. Both her and Callie.
I vowed, now that I’d decided to stay in Ardnoch for good, that I would do whatever it took to make sure Sloane and her daughter flourished here. To make sure they stayed protected.
My pulse raced like mad as I let myself into the cottage later that afternoon. I was doing it.
Even though I was still terrified, I was doing it.
I was going to tell Brodan that I was in love with him, too, and that I was staying in Ardnoch for good.
“You would not believe what it takes to launch a distillery,” Brodan announced as I shut the door behind me. He had the fire blazing in the grate, and it warmed my cold cheeks. Shrugging out of my coat, I felt myself deflate from being hyped up to tell him I loved him, only to be halted by his greeting.
He stood from the computer and gestured to it. “Never mind the millions of pounds it’ll take, there are things to consider I never even realized. For a start, the land we thought might work for the distillery will need investigating because we’ll need a consistent water supply from it all year round. A distillery on one of the islands has suspended production a few times because of droughts on the island. Land with a consistent water supply is a must.” He gestured emphatically, eyes a little wide with excitement or fear, or both, maybe.
“And there’s a five-year waiting list for the copper stills we’ll need. I mean, we could probably shop elsewhere, but these are the best companies in the world, and we’ll want the best. And waiting for the best costs time and money. Then we’ll need to finesse the whisky itself, get it how we want it, which will also take time, and then it needs a minimum of three years to mature. We might as well build the main distillery while we create the actual whisky off-site somewhere smaller. We’ll have to get around this copper stills thing because we can’t wait eight years to get it off the ground.” He rubbed his forehead, suddenly looking exhausted.
All thoughts of telling him I loved him were put on hold as I rounded the couch to rub a soothing palm down his arm. “Hey, you know you don’t have to go ahead with this if you don’t want to. But … you have the money and the palate, Brodan. And you’re learning patience very quickly, handsome.”