fear that she’d passed tore through him, followed by relief when he noted her shallow breathing. Ben lay down beside her, pulling her into the crook of his arm. Her hair smelt of roses, fresh and pretty, and he cursed the ailment that would take her life. “I have ye, lass.”
“Ye always did,” she said as her last breath left her body, and she stepped into the hands of the Lord.
Ben pulled her hard against him and did something he’d never done before in his life. He cried.
Chapter 1
Present Day, Scotland
Kenzie looked up at what was left of Castle Ross. It was hers. As of today, this massive structure, in need of a multitude of repairs, was all hers. She smiled down at the deed to the dilapidated castle.
Thanks, in part, to her own estate that she used as a bed and breakfast, and let out for weddings, and weekend cooking tutorials. Not to mention her large stable and acreage that allowed people to stable their horses for a suitable fee. After taking on Elderridge, a name her mother termed their home, Kenzie had ensured its survival by making it do what a lot of other estates were doing. She took opportunities when they came along, invested in the house, and now, thanks to her hard work, Castle Ross was hers.
In time, this too, would earn its keep. Although she was a couple of years and a lot of hard work away from such a thing.
She squealed and ran to the gate house that still stood, after all its years of sitting on the edge of collapse. Kenzie pinched herself, unable to believe it.
Now, she just had to work with the English National Trust and have them approve all the repairs she wanted. Luckily, she wanted to keep the building exactly the same as it was when it was first built in 1435, although she was looking to add a modernized kitchen, bathrooms, and electrical work throughout.
“I cannot believe you bought this place. And I cannot believe you were allowed to.”
Kenzie smiled as her oldest friend, Ann, slammed her car door shut and joined her at the gate. “I suppose you’ll need help building it and bringing Castle Ross back to its past grandeur.”
“Are ye offering to help me then?” Kenzie asked, smiling at Ann as she looked about the fallen walls and the tree that was well established within what was once the great hall.
“Perhaps, on weekends at least. It’s not like I have a life, so I suppose I better keep my friend, who also does not have a life, company.”
Kenzie laughed, wrapping her arm about Ann’s shoulders and squeezing her. “Thank ye, sweetheart. I knew I could count on you.”
“Hmm,” Ann said, walking toward the front doors of the building, which was really just remnants of the old entrance. “I gather with this new business venture that you’ll not be working at Castle Druiminn for the Laird Macleod anymore. Is he happy with you branching off in this way?”
“Richard is happy for me, and I only helped out at Druiminn while I got my own business up and running. It was only a temporary thing.” Kenzie walked through what was left of the front door. There wasn’t much left of the place, but Kenzie had support on the way. In two months, university students studying archaeology and architectural studies were due to arrive and help her restore the castle. It was a fantastic program that allowed her free help from skilled students, which in turn, allowed them to use their abilities to restore period and historical buildings.
Not to mention, she planned on opening Castle Ross to the public for tours and hopefully, bring the castle back to its former glory so in the long run, it would pay for itself.
The castle itself wasn’t overly large, certainly smaller than Druiminn castle, her ancestor’s estate up near the Isle of Skye, but it was not a small dwelling either. And with the support of her cousin, the laird, she’d gained consent to purchase the castle, under strict rules that she would have to abide by in the reconstruction.
Everything she used to restore the building would have to be the exact material used during its construction. Any stone that was required to replace missing or broken stone must be hand carved, sourced from the same quarry or the closest if said quarry was no longer available. The mortar would need to be a mixture of lime, sand, and seashells, since