Page 102 of The Moon Sister
‘I can be, yes. Why?’
‘Because I just turned down Zed’s job offer. He wasn’t very happy, to put it mildly, so then he said he wanted to buy the Kinnaird estate, so either way I’d end up working for him and . . . then I showed him a photo of him with one of my sisters in a magazine, and he dated my other sister too, and . . . God, Cal, I seriously think he’s mad!’
‘Whoa, Tig, you’ve lost me. What was that about him buying Kinnaird?’
‘He just told me he was going to. Oh Cal!’ Tears sprang to my eyes. ‘He was talking about putting in a golf course and retail outlets and . . .’
Cal sank into a chair. ‘Surely the Laird would never sell? Especially not to someone like Zed.’
‘We can both guess how broke Charlie and the estate are. Even if we get the maximum amount of grant money, it’s still going to be touch and go.’
‘Jesus,’ he breathed, ‘that would be the end of an era for sure. Never mind my dreams of marrying Caitlin and buying a cottage of our own.’
‘The worst thing is, Zed would just be buying the estate as a plaything – maybe just to spite me.’
‘You think you’re worth a few million, do yae, Tig?’ he teased me, and I blushed, which lightened the atmosphere a little.
‘I didn’t mean it like that, but I just feel like he’s out to get me whatever I do.’
‘Aye, he does seem tae have a strange fixation on you. And you say he’s been out with two o’ your sisters as well?’
‘Yes, and Maia didn’t have a good word to say about him. God, Cal, I’ve just turned down a twenty-five-million-dollar budget to spend as I wished,’ I groaned. ‘And – if he buys Kinnaird I’d have to leave, I really would.’
‘I really don’t think it’ll happen, Tig.’ Cal shook his head. ‘Mebbe you should speak tae Charlie about it.’
‘Maybe,’ I shrugged. ‘Anyway, I’m going to take myself off to Tain for the afternoon and see Margaret. Then I’m going out to watch over Pegasus tonight. Zed knows where he is. You don’t think . . . ?’
‘Jesus! An’ there’s me arranging target practice for him. You sure about going out again later, Tig? There’s a blizzard comin’ in,’ Cal said to me as he studied the benign blue sky through our cottage window, the midday sun sprinkling a glitter topping on the layer of snow that covered the ground all winter. The view was Christmas-card perfect.
‘Yes! We just can’t take the chance, Cal, you know we can’t.’
‘I doubt even the Abominable Snowman’ll be out tanite,’ Cal muttered.
‘You promised we’d keep watch,’ I entreated him. ‘Look, I’ll take the radio with me and contact you if there’s any trouble.’
‘Tig, d’you really think I’m going tae let a wee lassie like you sit alone in a snowstorm while there’s a possible poacher with a rifle prowling the estate? Don’t be a dafty,’ Cal growled at me, his ruddy features showing irritation, then finally compliance. ‘No longer than a couple o’ hours, mind. After that, I’m dragging you home by the hair. I’ll not be responsible for you ending up with hypothermia again. Understand?’
‘Thanks, Cal,’ I replied with relief. ‘I know Pegasus is in danger. I just . . . know it.’
*
The snow had fallen thickly around us in the dugout and the tarpaulin roof had buckled under its weight. I wondered if it would collapse altogether and we would be buried alive under the sheer weight of snow above us.
‘We’re leavin’ now, Tig,’ said Cal. ‘I’m numb to my innards an’ we’ll be struggling tae drive back. The blizzard’s eased for a while and we need tae get home while we can.’ Cal took a last slurp of lukewarm coffee from the flask then offered it to me. ‘Finish that. I’ll go an’ clear the snow off the windscreen and get the heat going.’
‘Okay,’ I sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing.
We’d sat in the dugout for over two hours, watching nothing but the snow hurl itself to the ground. Cal left and headed towards Beryl, parked beyond a stone outcrop in the valley behind us. I peered out through the tiny window of the dugout as I sipped the coffee, then turned off the hurricane lamp and crawled outside. I didn’t need my torch as the sky had cleared and now twinkled with thousands of stars, the Milky Way clearly visible above me. The moon, which was waxing and within two days of being full, shone down, illuminating the pristine white blanket that covered the ground.
The utter silence that came just after fresh snowfall was as deep as the sparkling carpet that claimed my feet and most of my calves.
Pegasus.
I called him silently, then walked slowly towards the trees, begging him to make an appearance so I’d be able to go home and sleep, knowing he was safe for one more night.
He appeared as if from nowhere, a mystical sight as he raised his head to the moon, then turned, his deep brown eyes fixed upon me. He began to walk hesitantly towards me, and I to him.
‘Darling, Pegasus,’ I whispered, then saw a shadow appear on the snow from the cluster of trees. The shadow raised a rifle.
