Free Heart Melter by Sophia Knightly

Ranald, they would be dressed nicely for her welcome dinner tonight. She put extra effort in her appearance, fluffing her hair, adding her pearl earrings and a swipe of apricot lip gloss. Somehow, she’d have to get through the evening in a cheerful mood without letting on that she had just found the damned flash drive.
    Tonight her acting would be tested to the limit.
     
     

 

Chapter Six
     
    Natasha entered the grand dining room with her arms linked through Maggie’s and Ranald’s. Just as she’d imagined, they were decked in finery with Ranald in a tartan kilt and starched white dress shirt and Maggie wearing a hunter green wool dress. They were in a festive mood and it was contagious. Natasha felt like an honored guest when she saw the gleaming mahogany table set with Wedgwood china and sparkling crystal. Sleek alabaster tapers glowed in silver candelabras in various sizes along the center of the table.
    The cook stood next to it with a silver breadbasket in her hands. Rosy-cheeked and with a head full of cropped white curls, Dugie, short for Dora MacDougal, greeted Natasha with a warm smile. “Welcome, Miss.”
    Natasha smiled. “Thanks, Dugie. It’s good to see you again.”
    “Four settings? Are we expecting someone else, Dugie?” Maggie asked.
    “The fourth setting is for Dr. Ian.” Dugie’s gap-toothed grin widened as she set the basket on the table and rushed out of the room as if she’d just spilled a secret.
    “I thought he wasn’t coming,” Natasha said, trying to calm the wild flurry in her stomach. “You thought wrong." Ian’s voice boomed from the doorway. 
    They turned and stared at Ian as he strode into the room in a black leather bomber jacket and snug jeans with a dark red and blue MacGregor tartan wool scarf streaming behind him. Looking like a hunter come in from the wild Highlands, Ian’s urbane celebrity surgeon persona in America contrasted sharply to the untamed laird he became in Scotland. In his homeland, he was a man’s man who enjoyed the outdoors with gusto. 
    Natasha’s breath caught in her throat when his silver-green eyes zeroed in on her. She met his nod with a smile and was surprised to see a flicker of uncertainty in his keen eyes. The candlelit room did nothing to soften his austere features or the tautness of his jaw, sharp as a Highland peak.
    The moment Maggie rushed toward him with outstretched arms, his eyes softened.  "Welcome home, my lad,” she said, giddily kissing both his cheeks.
    Ian lifted her and swung her around in an arc, laughing at her protests. Natasha couldn’t help smiling as she watched him twirl his plump little aunt in the air.
    "Put me down, naughty pup," Maggie admonished, wiping happy tears from her face. “I’m an old woman.”
    “Rubbish, you’re not old. Why the tears, daft auntie? I haven’t been away that long.”
    Maggie wagged her finger at him. “Too long for sure!” She smoothed her wool dress in place and patted her errant curls. “I’m glad you came in time for dinner.” 
    “Welcome, lad,” Ranald said, clapping him on the back. “Dugie has prepared a feast for our Natasha.”
     
    Ian’s eyes gravitated to Natasha and a jolt of desire held him captive. Her lustrous copper hair fell in soft waves framing a glowing face and sparkling blue eyes. A soft sweater molded her high, round breasts and her narrow skirt hugged her shapely dancer’s hips and long legs. She stood at the sideboard watching him curiously.
    Natasha’s sultry dimple deepened at the corner of her lush mouth as she raised an eyebrow.  “Long time no see, Dr. Who,” she drawled, her melodious voice vibrating through the dining room. 
    Maggie looked surprised. “Dr. Who? I don’t miss an episode! Is that what you call Ian?”
    “Yes, and he used to like it,” Natasha said mildly. 
    Ian barely managed a smile. He was still irritable after his meetings in London. He took Natasha’s arm above her elbow and led her toward the