The Accidental Scot by Patience Griffin Read Free Book Online Page B

quarter.
    â€œEverything’s fine,” she said. If only it were.
    â€œIs your father still the decision maker?”
    â€œHe’s perfectly in his right mind. Now come along and don’t keep him waiting.”
    Pippa stepped into the parlor. Her da seemed a bit better this evening. He rested in his wheelchair in front of the fireplace, one foot and one arm in casts with metal pins surgically placed in both appendages. Ribs had been cracked and his back messed up during the accident, too.A can of oxygen sat in the corner but her father refused to use it.
    â€œCrusty ole bastard.” Pippa walked over and kissed the top of her da’s head before laying a protective hand on his shoulder.
    The McDonnell peered over his glasses. “Is this him?” He motioned to Max. “Come closer so I can get a good look at ye.”
    Get a good read on him was more like it.
Max McKinley would be toast then.
    The McDonnell had the gift—he could discover a person’s character within the blink of a gannet’s eye. It didn’t matter that her father was injured, he could still recognize a bullshitter from a kilometer off. Da would get to the bottom of things.
    â€œSit here beside me.” The McDonnell motioned to the love seat next to his wheelchair.
    Confidently, Max walked over, acting as if he had nothing to hide.
    He stuck out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” And the two shook.
    At one time, Pippa had been sure she had the gift, too. But that was before she’d had any real dealings with the opposite sex in the romance department. As it stood, her track record was horrendous at best, and she no longer trusted herself when it came to choosing men. Heck, she no longer trusted men, as a rule. Except her da.
    For a long moment, the McDonnell gazed into Max’s eyes. He finished with a satisfied nod.
    â€œWell?” Pippa asked.
    â€œYour fears are unfounded, daughter. He’ll donothing to hurt us.” Da gave her a look of finality like there would be no more said on the matter.
    â€œFine.” She felt dismissed and looked up to see Max frowning at her as though he understood her depth of mistrust.
    Her father held out his design notebook for the Yank. “Take a look at what I’ve been working on. It’s an idea I had this afternoon for a new control valve. Tell me what you think.”
    Pippa blocked Max as he reached for it. “Don’t, Da.” She glared at her father. The American was the wolf in sheep’s clothing, no matter what her father might have seen in his heart.
    Max tilted his head toward her. “She’s right. If your chief engineer isn’t comfortable with me seeing your designs, then I don’t want to see them either. Besides, I came here tonight to show
you
something—just some little improvements—things you could implement now at your plant to increase your efficiency.”
    Her da nodded, satisfied with the interaction, and set his notebook on the side table. Max didn’t even glance toward it, which must’ve taken a Herculean dose of self-control. Everyone knew the McDonnell had vision when it came to engineering innovation.
    â€œI’ll get you both something to drink if you promise, Da, not to give away the farm before I return.”
    â€œDon’t worry, daughter.”
    Before she left altogether, she addressed their guest. “And you, Mr. McKinley, don’t start talking about those plant improvements without me.”
    Max smiled at her and she felt discombobulated and a wee bit uncomfortable. She made her way to thekitchen to pour them all a soft drink. For the hundredth time today, it hit her that maybe inviting the American to dinner wasn’t such a good idea.
    During their meal, she did a better job of keeping an emotional distance from the Yank. While they sipped tea afterward, Max laid out his ideas—booting up the offline conveyor to move parts from one side