Free Posh Doc, Society Wedding by Joanna Neil Page A

an arm around her, steadying her as he led her along the footpath towards the kitchen garden.
    ‘I knew you’d appreciate the wine,’ he said with a smile. ‘It has quite a kick if you’re not used to it.’
    ‘You must have known that when you kept filling up my glass,’ she accused. ‘It’s just as well that my on-call time finished an hour or so back, isn’t it? At least I don’t have to think about it again until morning.’ She glanced at him, wondering how it was that the Buchanans were blessed with such strong features—the square jaw, the beautiful grey-blue eyes that looked at you and made you feel you were the only person that mattered in the whole world.
    She tried to shake off that heady sensation. It was all in her mind, wasn’t it? ‘It looks as though you grow most of your own fruit and vegetables, here,’ she murmured, gazing at long rows of planting.
    ‘Well, we have a team of gardeners,’ he said. ‘It helps that they’re all very good at what they do.’
    They walked away from the kitchen gardens and around the side of the castle to a raised terrace, bordered by stone pediments and wrought iron balustrades, where they stood and looked out over the loch. The view was stunning. ‘This is my favourite place,’ Ross said softly.
    ‘I can see why.’ She gazed out at the gently rippling water, letting her glance move over green-clad hills and distant mountains shrouded in mist. ‘It’s so peaceful here. You can look out there and forget your troubles. It’s so serene. I don’t know how you can have stayed away.’
    ‘You’re right,’ he said, wrapping his arm around her and drawing her close against the faint breeze. ‘I often stand here and think perhaps things could have been different. It appears to be timeless here. I could havesimply whiled away my days, looking out over the water and letting my thoughts drift.’
    His hand stroked her arm and she laid her head on his shoulder, snuggling into the warmth of his body. Every part of her was content, loving this moment of deep quiet and calm. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to be standing here with him.
    Except that it wasn’t, of course. A cool wind blew across the loch, stirring the soft tendrils of her hair, and she looked up at him, blinking to bring her gaze back into sharp focus.
    This was Ross Buchanan who was holding her close, shielding her from the cold. The same Ross Buchanan who had encouraged Alice to spend time in the castle and forget that her family was his sworn enemy. What was she thinking of, letting him ply her with wine and lead her out here to this beautiful place, a spot just begging for sweethearts to pledge eternal love? This was madness, being here with him.
    She eased herself away from him, her head clearing rapidly in the cool breeze. ‘I should go,’ she said.
    His glance moved over her. ‘Are you sure?’
    She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
    ‘All right. I’ll gather up the children and drive you back to the cottage.’
    He didn’t seem at all put out by her need to leave. Had she imagined the intimacy of his warm embrace, the way he had held her so tenderly? He’d just been keeping her warm, steadying her because the drink had gone to her head, hadn’t he? Anything else was pure supposition on her part.

CHAPTER FIVE
    ‘B YE . Thanks for the lift home.’ Izzy raised a hand, waving as Ross turned the car on the drive and headed back along the road.
    She walked inside the cottage, her mind busy turning over the events of the last couple of hours. At least she was able to think more clearly now that the mist in her head had begun to dissolve. That fruit wine was sheer sin masquerading under a veil of innocence.
    ‘Did I just see Ross Buchanan drop you off outside?’ Her father confronted her as she stepped into the kitchen.
    She sent him a startled look. ‘Oh, hello. I didn’t realise that you were here. Is your car at the front of the house?’ Perhaps her faculties