The Calum by Xio Axelrod Read Free Book Online

number. He didn’t have to do that, right?
    He’s just a good wing
man.
    She flopped back onto the
bed.
    Crap.
     
    ****
     
    When Duff arrived at the
hotel, Lovie was strangely silent. She met him at the entrance with
a quiet ‘hello’, barely meeting his eyes. He ran through the events
of the night before, looking for what could have caused her mood.
“Everything awright?”
    She frowned. “Huh?
Yeah.”
    “ Do I need to apologize
for me gran?”
    “ What? No!” Lovie smiled.
“She was sweet.”
    “ I hope she didn’t offend
ye.” He opened the car door and waited until she was settled to
close it. When he sat down behind the wheel, she turned to
him.
    “ Ginny made me miss my
grams. She died when I was nine.”
    “ Oh, I’m
sorry.”
    Lovie shrugged but sadness
ghosted over her face. “Thanks. And no worries, your gran is
awesome.”
    “ Aye. That she is.” He
started the car and eased it slowly out into the road. “She’s no
got a mean bone in her body. Won’t put up with nonsense, either.
Sees everyone as equal. Raised me ma that way, and me ma raised me,
so...”
    “ So, she’s your mother’s
mom?”
    “ Yeah.” He didn’t want to
get into his family history. Well, me
dad’s in prison, me ma died of a broken heart and I’m a pariah in
my hometown. Not exactly the best
impression to make.
    An awkward silence passed
as they headed toward the motorway.
    “ So, ah, let’s go shoot
some photos. Or we could go to Dunrobin, if that’s what you’d
prefer.”
    “ No, I’m good with
shooting.” She paused. “Unless you’d rather go to the
castle.”
    “ Well, I told gran I’d
take ye.” Lovie gave him an odd look and began buttoning her coat
with swift, angry movements.
    “ You can just drop me off
in town. I’m not a charity case.” She crossed her arms in a
huff. The hell?
    “ Charity? What are ye
talkin’ about?” Duff hit the brake, stopping them in the middle of
the road.
    “ You’re going to cause a
traffic jam!”
    “ Do ye see any other
cars?” Duff couldn’t figure this woman out. One moment she was
normal, and the next...she was just so aggravating. “What’s all
this about charity?”
    She ducked her eyes, but
not before he caught the embarrassment in them.
    “ I-I was just saying that
you don’t have to feel obligated.”
    Ah ha. Duff resumed the drive. What on earth did she have to feel
insecure about? She practically had him panting at her feet. “Gran
would be the first to tell ye that gettin’ me to do somethin’ I don’ wanna do is
akin to bathing a wild cat.”
    Lovie rewarded him with a
soft giggle which hit him straight between the legs. She tucked her
hair behind her ear, something he longed to do. It looked as soft
as a patch of heather.
    “ Where were you planning
to take pictures?”
    “ I was headed up to Fort
George. Ye can get some great views of the sunset from
there.”
    “ Sunset? It’s only one
o’clock.”
    “ Aye, but the sun sets at
three-thirty today.”
    Duff briefly glanced over
to see her checking her phone. “Waitin’ for a call?”
    He’d have been surprised
if she didn’t have a boyfriend back in the States. Though, if she
had, she would be likely spending Christmas with him.
    “ I was just checking to
see if Jo had been in touch.”
    Ah, right. “You known her long?”
    “ Yeah, we met in high
school and went through college together. She’s older than me, by a
year, but she’s like a little sister. Always needs looking
after.”
    He could relate. “Bit of a
dreamer?”
    Lovie laughed softly. “A
bit. I feel kinda responsible for her.”
    Duff knew all about
dreamers. His father had been one, always with his grand plans and
lofty ideas. As a kid, he’d wanted to dream big too. Be just like
him, his hero. Up until about ten years ago when his happy family
imploded, and any remnants of his childhood were blown to
smithereens.
    “ Dreams are dangerous
things,” he said. “ Chasin’ after them can cost ye and