Page 14 of A Flower for Angus

Lucerne came up on the other side of Macy with a frown. “Macy, if ye need money, we can give ye an advance on yer salary. And I could use a few things from the grocer’s if Angus can drop ye off there for a little shopping?” She glanced over at Angus with a questioning look.

Darro added to the conversation. “That’s a great idea. Angus, we need a few more salt licks and some additional vitamin E for the south pasture flock. Pick that up while ye are in town.”

Angus rolled his eyes. “See what ye did now, lass? Ye’ve no choice but to go with me, we’ve both been hijacked.”

“Since Lucerne needs some things, I’ll go with you then, but I don’t need a phone,” Macy denied, her eyes flashing.

Macy didn’t seem at all interested in going with him and Angus narrowed his eyes in disappointment. He could have sworn she’d liked him a little when he’d picked her up on the side of the road. Mayhap he’d been mistaken.

Darro took some bills out of his wallet and handed them to Macy. “Here’s an advance on yer salary, which ye’ll have the rest of next week. Get a proper phone.”

Macy’s eyes flashed again. “I just told you I don’t need a phone, there’s no one I want to call,” she sassed back.

Darro’s eyes narrowed and he started to say something, but Lucerne hastily intervened. “It’s all right, Macy, ye don’t have to buy a phone if ye don’t want one, but it’s there if ye need it.”

Darro’s brows hit ground zero and he took his wife by the arm. “In my study, please.”

Angus watched in amusement as Darro practically frog-marched Lucerne out of the kitchen. “Now see what ye’ve done with yer sassy tongue?”

Macy looked bewildered. “What? What have I done?”

“The boss doesn’t like to be disrespected either by his employees or his wife,” he replied with a chuckle.

“I wasn’t being disrespectful, I was just being honest,” she protested.

Angus’s eyes narrowed. “Were ye now? I thought ye had a daughter and a couple of grandbabies. Did I get that wrong? Or are ye estranged?”

“That’s none of your business,” she snapped.

With a dismissive shrug, Angus replied. “I suppose not. I’ll pick ye up out front in fifteen minutes.” He tried not to be offended at her sigh of relief when he turned and went out through the front door. When his cell rang, he plucked it from his pocket. It was Dorothy, his son’s wife calling.

“How do ye fend, lassie?”

“Fine, Dad, we are fine. I tried to call Lucerne to catch a ride into Inverness with her today and she’s not answering her phone. Is she already gone?”

“Nay, she and Darro are having a discussion.”

There was silence for a moment. “Oh...well...I don’t want to disturb her.”

“Don’t worry, ye won’t be,” he replied with a chuckle. “Besides, Lucerne isn’t going into town today, so Macy and I are running the errands. Ye’re welcome to ride with us or we can pick somethin’ up for ye.”

“I really need to shop for myself,” she replied. “I’ll be right over.”

The phone clicked in his ear and he shook his head and dropped it into his pocket. Bo and Misty stuck their noses into his palms as he started off the deck. Chuckling, he fussed with them for a minute. “Misty, it’s too bad human females aren’t as easy to understand as ye are. All ye require is food, a warm place to sleep, and cuddling now and then.” He gave them both one last pat and then pointed at the front door. “Ye both stay now, the master will be out shortly and ye know he likes ye to be waitin’ fer him.”

Both dogs dropped to a sitting position and stayed there as he headed down the steps and onto the flagstone path.

He could have dropped by and picked Dorothy up, but apparently that hadn’t occurred to his daughter-in-law. After all, they were only 10 minutes away. “The vagaries of the lassies,” he muttered to himself as he went behind the barn to get his pickup. “Either yappin’ yer leg off or silent as a tombstone in a graveyard when ye try to talk to it. This might be a good time to stop by Happy Housekeepers and have that talk with Jamie.”

“Talking to yerself is a bad sign, ye know. It means the lass has ye in shreds.”

Angus spun around to see Dal coming out of the other end of the barn, his eyes dancing and teasing. “Ye just be minding yer own business, lad,” he growled. “Get yer arse back to work, ye aren’t getting’ paid to pester the adults.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” Dal replied with a laugh and ducked back inside the barn before Angus could retort.

Angus shook his head with a grin and got into his pickup. If two women together didn’t take at least two hours in the grocery store, he’d be very surprised. Should give him plenty of time to pick up Darro’s requests and have a cup of tea with Jamie before they went phone shopping. If they went phone shopping.

He would have liked to have some time alone with Macy, but at the rate things were going, it would be a long silent drive. Mayhap Dorothy could break up the tension and the ride would at least be pleasant.

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