Fire Maidens Scotland (Billionaires & Bodyguards #6) - Anna Lowe Page 0,32
the estate?
“You don’t think Natasha will sell the estate, do you?” she asked.
Lachlan didn’t answer immediately. A bad sign.
“Perhaps Trevor left the property to someone else.” Hope crept into Lachlan’s voice. Was he as fond of the place as she?
She eyed him as they passed the turnoff to his father’s estate, located fifteen miles down a side valley. His nostrils flared the tiniest bit, and at the last possible moment, his eyes darted to the turnoff. Then he tightened his hands around the steering wheel and stared straight ahead.
Holly folded her hands, feeling sorrier for Lachlan than ever. The love and joy her parents had instilled in her was something she could carry for life. Lachlan, on the other hand, had been raised with duty and career beaten into his head — not just by his father, but probably by military school as well.
Doesn’t have to be that way, her dragon murmured. We could teach him about the things that count.
She clasped her hands tightly. Could she ever get Lachlan to see beyond the limits of what he’d been taught?
Mungo started pacing in anticipation, recognizing home.
“Good boy, Mungo. We’ll be there soon.”
The road climbed higher, then reached a low pass, where Lachlan rolled to a stop. For a moment, they both looked out wordlessly.
“So beautiful,” she whispered, gazing down the length of the glen.
A crack in the clouds opened, allowing sunlight to stream down in bold shafts. A long, shimmering loch lay straight ahead, with a craggy castle ruin on an island.
“There.” Holly pointed to the house at the near end of the lake. “Look, Mungo. Do you see it?”
Mungo’s eyes were more focused on the hare darting away through the rocky countryside, but that was okay.
Lachlan eased into gear and headed down the home stretch.
“Beautiful,” she murmured as they passed the castle. Trevor’s ancestral home stood on an island in the loch, linked to the mainland by a graceful, three-arch stone bridge. The castle had burned before Trevor’s time, and the ruined tower was long since overgrown with ivy. But even as a ruin, the castle was beautiful.
The family had moved to a nearby manor house, but Trevor started over after Ava died by converting the sprawling stables into a luxury home. Lachlan steered toward it, another half mile down the road. Holly looked from side to side, trying to memorize every detail of the estate while ignoring one. The millhouse. The very place she and Lachlan had spent one sizzling night all those years ago.
She turned her face firmly away from the building. But no matter how hard she tried to forget, her face heated, and images filled her mind.
We’re made for each other, her dragon whispered, echoing the words she’d first uttered that very night.
And dammit, she couldn’t help but peek as they drove past. The millhouse stood slightly upslope from the driveway, its wheel still, the windows devoid of light or life. Beside it, a babbling creek tumbled down the hill and into the lake. If she looked closely, she’d bet she could see the path she and Lachlan had walked along that magical, starry night… The door they’d pushed open in their rush for privacy… The wall she’d put her back to before he’d lifted her up and let her wrap her legs around him…
She interlaced her fingers tightly, willing the images away. Lachlan was just as quiet. Luckily, Mungo thrust his head between them, panting at the scent of home.
“Good boy,” she murmured softly. “Good boy.”
But a moment later, Mungo stiffened. A growl built in his throat, and his eyes darkened.
Holly nearly followed suit when she spotted the figure waiting in the driveway. A tall, dark-haired beauty in a fancy coat and…high heels?
The moment Lachlan spotted Natasha, his dragon growled.
Told you she’s up to no good.
No doubt about that — at least when it came to coveting Trevor’s inheritance. The question was, would Natasha go so far as to target Holly? But if so, why? Did she not trust Trevor to pass the estate on to his nearest kin?
Lachlan slowed down, tempted to turn and drive away again. Mungo, meanwhile, barked furiously. Maybe the dog did possess some sense after all.
The car wheels crunched over gravel, and he slowly rolled to a halt.
“What’s she doing here?” Holly muttered.
Exactly what Lachlan wondered. He glanced around. No sign of anyone else, other than Mrs. Killin, the housekeeper, guarding the front door of the house with her hands on her