Page 15 of Refuge for Ailsa

“Oh, but Ailsa, honey, we really want you to stay!” Bonnie whined, and Ailsa wanted to punch her. Talking about Mason wasn’t something she ever really wanted to do. It hurt so much that it was hard to breathe every time his name was mentioned, but she got the distinct impression that even if Bonnie had known, she would’ve forged ahead anyway. She’d thought it a little odd that there seemed to be something slightly timid about Tavish, but the reason had been made crystal clear during lunch. If you couldn’t relax and have a nice meal with family without them wheedling you, who could you do that with?

He could do it with her, and she aimed to show him that he could. “Thanks, but I think I need to get going. Good to meet all of you. Thanks for inviting me, Maureen.”

“Thanks for coming. Hope I see you soon,” the young woman said, then mouthedI’m sorryto Ailsa.

“Sure. All good. Thanks again. Bye.” She turned on her heel and headed to the front door as fast as she could, and she’d almost made it to her car when she heard footsteps behind her.

She wheeled to find Maureen three inches from her, and the younger woman gave a little jump. “Oh!”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you. Just heard you behind me. What’s up?”

Maureen leaned in like there were fifty other people out there and she needed to keep things quiet. “Do you like Tav?”

Shit! Now what?Ailsa asked herself. “Uh, yeah. He seems like a great guy. Why?”

“Because I can tell he likes you.”

“Oh yeah?”I definitely want to hear more of this, a voice in Ailsa’s head whispered.

“Yeah. Absolutely. Look, I’m sorry about my mom and dad. They can be assholes sometimes. They’re not always nice to Tav, and it really, really pisses me off.”

“Why are they like that?”

“Because Mom got pregnant with him and they had to get married.”

Ailsa folded her arms across her chest. “How is that his fault?”

“Exactly! It’s not. I get really aggravated at them for pushing his buttons like that. I don’t think they’ve ever once told him they’re proud of him, or that they think he made a good choice of careers, or anything. Never anything positive. And somewhere along the line, he finally quit trying to please them and just takes it. I wish he wouldn’t. I wish he’d fire back at them, but he won’t, and it kills me. Just, please… Don’t hurt him, okay?”

Ailsa stared at Maureen with slitted eyes. “I wouldneverintentionally hurt him. I’d never hurt anybody, for that matter, and I sure wouldn’t hurt him. I’ll try very hard not to hurt him accidentally either.”

Maureen pressed her palms together and did a little happy dance on her toes. “Does that mean you’re going to pursue him?”

“No. I’m not going to pursue him, but if he acts like he wants me around, then yes?I’ll definitely try to make a relationship with him, even if it’s only as a friend or a fuck buddy.”

Maureen’s eyes went wide and her brow wrinkled. “Wow. You’re pretty direct.”

“Yeah. I am. Right now I’m lusting after your brother something fierce, but I think there’s a lot more to him than hotness.”

“There is. He has a lot of friends who all think well of him and all his coworkers like him. He’s a very likeable guy, and he’s a very good guy. Give you the shirt off his back, walk through fire for you, things like that. He’d never ever pass up a chance to help somebody. I just wish people would do the same for him.”

“You’re talking to somebody who will. Now, I’ve gotta get going. I’m not sure he realized I was going out to his house, but I’m hoping I get there before he leaves.”

“Me too!” Maureen was grinning like a loon as Ailsa slipped behind her Chrysler Crossfire’s steering wheel. “Good luck!”

“Thanks. See ya. Good meeting you, Maureen.”

“Call me Maur! Everybody else does!” Maureen shouted after her as she backed out of her parking spot and headed down the driveway.

When she slid onto the roadway, she tromped down on the accelerator and stared at the rearview mirror to watch the wing on the back of the little car pop up. God, she loved that! That car was her most prized possession, and she took excellent care of it. They weren’t made anymore, and it had to last her. Not only that, but the significance in her life was huge, and she’d sworn the day her parents gave it to her that if anything happened to it, it would be fixed to drive again. Totaled. Burned. Flooded. Didn’t matter. That car would always be with her.

At first she thought she’d taken a wrong turn, but she kept driving and familiar things popped up here and there, things she’d seen on the earlier drive as she’d ridden there with Tavish. She almost missed the driveway, but she’d noticed the rock cairn beside the mailbox post which he’d no doubt put there. The drive wasn’t filled with potholes, but the tire tracks were deep, and she drove carefully, hoping to avoid bottoming out the low-profile car. A busted exhaust system wasn’t something she was eager to deal with.

As soon as the little sports car emerged from the tree line and into the sunlight, the front door opened and he stepped outside. When he leaned against the door jamb on his shoulder, arms folded across his chest and ankles crossed, a bolt of white-hot sexual energy coursed through her, and her mouth watered in an almost obscene way. The guy had absolutely no idea how incendiary he was, but her panties were already on fire, and she hoped the rest of her clothes would follow. It was impossible to wipe the grin from her face as she stepped out of the car and closed the door behind her, never taking her eyes from him. “I wondered if you’d still be here.”

The smile he gave her was lazy and sexy as hell. “I wondered if you’d ever get here.”

“Whatcha been doing out here all by yourself?” Ailsa stepped up to him, inches from his chest, and batted her eyelashes.

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