Free A Scot Like You (The MacLarens of Balmorie, 2) by Kam McKellar Page A

than she expected. The size of a canoe but wider in the middle with one bench at the back near a small motor. The rest was open. "Sara, my daughter, used ta fill it with pillows and blankets, take a book, and spend all day lazin' on the water."
    Kate was already envisioning how lovely that would be, just floating on the water, napping, reading, staring up at the sky and watching the clouds go by. The way the loch was shaped, with its curves and coves, she'd have no trouble finding a bit of privacy.
    "Fran made ye this." Hamish pulled a large picnic basket from the passenger seat and then placed it in the boat. "Around the point there," he said gesturing to the tree-lined bit of land jutting into the water, "and ye'll come upon a small sheltered bay. There's an island in the middle. The lads used ta camp there. A good place ta stretch yer legs, have supper, and watch the sunset."
    Kate wasn't sure what to say. His and Fran's generosity was humbling. She wasn't used to people she barely knew going out of their way for her. "I don't know what to say, Hamish. This was really nice. Thank you. And please tell Fran the same."
    "Was no trouble at all, lass. For either of us. Just enjoy yer day."
    "Thank you. I will," she said with a smile.
    It didn't take her long to fill the boat with pillows and blankets. She grabbed her jacket and quickly scanned the small selection of books in the cottage. She'd read some, others were heavy classics that weren't right for the day she had in mind, and the rest were travel books and guides. She chose a book of poetry by great Scottish poets and then grabbed Highlander's Harlot .

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 10
     
    The rest of her day passed by in a sun drenched dream. The sky was blue and dotted with white clouds. The loch was smooth and quiet, reflecting everything off its surface like the finest of mirrors. Trees hugged the waterline, competing for space with large boulders.
    Reading Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scot in Scotland, on a loch, in the highlands filled her with a deep sense of wistfulness and romanticism. Kate reclined in the boat, propped her feet on the top edge and tucked her hands behind her head to stare at the clouds above her. Her thoughts tried valiantly to steer clear of Devin, but he was in the forefront of her mind and, unfortunately, in her heart.
    Why not let go? Why not take happiness where she could find it? She was in one of the most beautiful spots on Earth, in a place she loved to the very core of her being, and maybe she wasn't really living life to the fullest. Holden had done a number on her, but she wasn't washed up. She was young and healthy and, yes, a romantic at heart. And there was a broad-shouldered Scot who looked at her with hazel eyes filled with solemn strength, intelligence, and desire—the deep, dark, intense kind, the kind that had the same force as a comet blazing across the sky.
    With a sigh, she sat up, and picked up the paddles, not wanting to break the mood by using the motor. The island was behind her, the sun would be going down soon, and her stomach clenched with hunger.
    When she finally made it to the tiny pebbled beach, she used the paddles and dug deep into the floor of the loch to push the boat as close to the shore as possible. It wasn't close enough, so she took off her sneakers, threw them on shore and then jumped into the calf-deep water.
    Yep. Still cold.
    Hurrying, she grabbed Double H, the basket and blankets, and then made her way onto the beach to a cleared area that had obviously seen a lot of use over the years. The interior of the island was filled with tall pines and she could see an old fort and some crude looking benches just inside the tree line. Kate smiled. She could imagine the MacLaren boys playing there as children. What a rough and tumble bunch they must have been.
    In the clearing where she stood there was a small pile of sticks and logs next to a fire pit. Too bad she hadn't thought to grab some matches.