Page 21 of A Flower for Angus

His eyes narrowed as he studied the flush beginning to replace the color in her face. “If we drive around a bit, we might see if we pick up a tail,” he replied evenly. “The man who just passed us caught yer attention. Is he stalkin’ ye?”

“Yes...no...maybe. I’m not sure,” she grudgingly admitted.

“But thereissomeone stalkin’ ye,” he insisted.

Macy scowled at him. “All right...yes. I believe there is someone stalking me, but I don’t want to talk about it.”

Angus persisted. “If hewassomeone ye recognize, he left early enough to get into place to follow us after we leave.”

Her eyes lit up with worry as she suddenly chewed on her lip. “H-He did seem familiar. His size and body shape, the way he moved, little things like that. But if he’s the same man from Toronto, then he’s cut off his beard and isn’t dressed like he normally would be.”

“That’s normal, if he’s following ye. He would want to blend in with the area,” Angus agreed, feeling like he was finally getting somewhere. His tone softened and he reached for her hand again. “I’ve known somethin’ was bothering ye ever since ye arrived at Neamh. Let me help ye, Macy.”

The sudden confusion and doubt on her face told him that whatever had happened, she felt helpless to do anything about it but run. He was going to reassure her, but then he saw Dorothy coming back so he stood up instead. “Looks like the lass didna fall in after all, so let’s get on out of here,” he teased his daughter-in-law as she rushed up to the table.

“I’m ready,” Dorothy gushed.

They drove around for about an hour, Angus and Dorothy pointing out local sights such as the joining of the River Ness and the Moray Firth. The river Ness flowed from Loch Ness, the legendary lake of the monster the locals called Nessie. The fresh water was a boon to the city of Inverness and sported some of the best fishing in the area. Then it fed into the Moray Firth, which flowed on to the sea. Angus kept a sharp eye for a tail in the mirror.

“I’d love to do some hiking along the Ness River,” Macy said wistfully. “It’s so beautiful, and I love the walkways going into the islands in the middle. Inverness has really grown, hasn’t it?”

“Ye sound like ye’ve been here before,” Dorothy replied curiously.

Angus side eyed Macy, noting her sudden confusion. “Well...a-actually I was...but it was a long time ago,” she confessed. “So much has changed since I was here. And it was only for a few days, so I didn’t get to see much.”

At last, another crumb of information.

He turned right at the next corner near the clock tower. Angus was betting the stranger had rented a car, and that was what he’d been looking for. Unfortunately, there were many car rental places in the popular tourist destination of Inverness, and dozens of rented cars floating around. Even Macy had one.

“Have ye been to Culloden?” he asked her.

Her eyes lit up. “No, but I’ve seen Outlander, so I’m familiar with some of the Jacobite history. I know a lot of men died there.”

“Aye, they did,” Angus replied soberly. “It was a total massacre, not only of men, but of a way of religion, and the beginnin’ death throes of the clan’s way of life.”

“I know Jamie is hot in that movie,” gushed Dorothy.

Angus rolled his eyes and grinned, the solemn moment behind them. “I’ll tell Ben ye said that.”

“Don’t be a jobbie, Dad, Ben doesn’t need to know everything,” Dorothy scoffed, her blue eyes twinkling.

Angus narrowed his eyes in warning. “But he does need to take ye in hand, lass. Ye need to watch yer tongue with yer elders.”

Macy snickered. “What’s a jobbie?”

“It’s a turd, Macy,” Dorothy explained with an unrepentant grin.

Macy shook her head and laughed, and to Angus it was good to hear, even if he was the butt of the joke. Having him sitting next to her felt good too. He liked brushing her arm with his bare elbow, or patting the warm skin of her knee and lower thigh. Since they had been back in the truck, she’d even moved a little closer to his shoulder as if seeking his protection. It made him feel like beating his chest like a caveman and showing her that he could.

And he would.

Dorothy’s cell phone dinged and she pulled it from her pocket. “It’s Ben, speak of the devil.”

“Best let me talk to him,” Angus growled and suddenly grabbed across Macy for the phone, brushing her soft breasts with his arm.

Macy gasped.

“Keep yer eyes on the road, Dad,” Dorothy squealed with a giggle when they swerved slightly. She held the phone out of his reach and put it up to her ear by the window. “Oh...it’s just yer dad being his usual self,” she sang into the phone while giving them both a mischievous side eye.

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