Page 51 of A Scottish Love Story
‘Yes, dear, I am a little weary, but I’m looking forward to seeing Don and thanking him for taking such care of me and for contacting Mr Whittaker so early in the morning. I couldn’t have had better care even if we had gone to Glasgow.’
* * *
Later, as they approached Oaklands, Roxie said, ‘I will make you a drink of tea before you go home for the milking, and I’ll give you the meat pie for your supper, if you can eat it after such a lovely celebration lunch?’
‘I’m not sure I can. Maybe salad would be better. In any case, my darling Roxie, as soon as we’ve finished milking, I thought I would cut across the field and join you here. I shall not be driving so we can drink the champagne I bought. We can have our own little celebration. Would that suit you?’ he asked hesitantly.
‘Oh, Ciaran, I would like that, if you will not be too tired after helping with the milking and everything else.’ She didn’t tell him she had nothing in the house to make a salad. She would manageto pop into the little greengrocer’s in Thornielee before closing time. The butcher would surely have some of the delicious roast ham he cooked on the premises, and maybe some of his free-range eggs. Maybe she should get a crusty granary loaf from the little bakery too. She remembered how she had always worked up an appetite after milking the cows, taking them back to the field, cleaning the parlour and feeding the young calves, even when there were two of them, as there should be tonight with Billy working.
Back at Oaklands View, and with things prepared for their evening meal, Roxie decided to take a shower and wash her hair. It had been an unusually warm day, even for the end of May. She had plenty of clothes to choose from now she had brought everything back with her from Willowbrook. She settled for a summer dress that buttoned down the front. It was white with flowers in pink, yellow and blue, and sprigs of green leaves. She had always liked the material and the style. She picked up a fine wool cardigan in pale blue and took it downstairs with her in case it became chilly when the sun went down. She had a feeling Ciaran would not be in a hurry to leave this evening when they were both on their own. She felt a little thrill of excitement. They had spent so little time together just the two of them.
She glanced at the clock. It would probably be another hour before Ciaran arrived by the time he had washed and changed, and walked across the field. She knew how much he liked lemon meringue pie and the greengrocer had had some fresh plump lemons, which had tempted her. She sighed. She didn’t feel like making pastry. Then she remembered the lemon duchess pudding her mother had taught her to make when she was quite young. It was the lightest of sponges with a tangy lemon sauce underneath when cooked. It would not be so filling and she was certain Ciaran would enjoy it.
Ciaran was whistling happily as he pushed open the back door with his shoulder. He was carrying a bottle of champagne and an empty ice bucket.
‘I couldn’t remember whether Mum has one of these or not, so I brought the one we always had at the farm.’
‘You’re looking fresh and clean, in spite of doing the milking,’ Roxie said, taking the bottle from him. His skin was glowing and his hair still slightly damp from the shower. He had changed into a pair of beige chinos and a blue cotton shirt, which emphasised his blue eyes.
‘Ah, Roxie...’ He drew her into his arms. ‘You look good enough to eat yourself, my darling.’ He proceeded to kiss her as though they had been apart for days instead of hours. Eventually he broke away.
‘The surgeon phoned to say they are not sending Mum home tomorrow, although he felt she was in considerably better spirits than she had been in the morning, and her mind appeared to be perfectly clear and alert now. He is going to introduce her to the nurse who will be coming here to look after her. Apparently she is Mr Morgan’s sister-in-law. I hadn’t realised that.’
‘No, I didn’t know that either.’
‘He says she and his wife are twins, but she is a widow now. She has always enjoyed her work as a nurse. He guarantees Mum will get the best of care.’
‘I do hope she will,’ Roxie said with feeling. ‘It is important that Amy has confidence in whoever is looking after her. Are you ready to eat?’
‘I’m famished, but this all looks appetising and something smells good. Surely you have not had time to cook?’
‘It is only a light lemon pudding,’ Roxie told him cheerfully.
Ciaran grinned. ‘You look as fresh as a daisy and far too desirable for me to spend time eating...’
‘Even so, a hungry man needs to keep up his strength. I will bring the glasses ready for the champagne. I see you already have a bag of ice with you.’
They enjoyed a leisurely meal and toasted each other with generous drinks. Roxie felt relaxed and happy, and a little light-headed.
‘Shall we go through to the sitting room and I’ll bring us some coffee to dilute the champagne?’
‘All right, but I’ll take our glasses through and we can drink the rest of it later,’ Ciaran said, his eyes sparkling.
It was much later and the beautiful day was drawing to a close as Ciaran gathered Roxie into his arms and pulled her on top of him as he stretched out on the long settee. He began to open the buttons on her dress down to her waist. She gave a little gasp of pleasure when his fingers pushed aside her lacy bra and began to stroke her breasts, his thumb caressing her nipple until it rose to greet his eager lips. Roxie felt the hardness of him against her thigh and knew that tonight nothing could keep them apart – she wanted this just as much as he did.
‘Ciaran.’ She gasped softly as his hands became more persistent in their exploration. ‘We must...’
He paused and looked up into her eyes. She read the fleeting disappointment. ‘We shall not have many chances to be on our own,’ he said huskily.
‘I know, but I think we should go up to my bed, rather than leaving any traces down here.’ She saw the joy and desire return to his blue eyes. She tried to raise herself but he put his hands around her waist and lifted her and himself from the settee. ‘My darling, Roxie, I love you more with every minute that passes.’ He lowered his head to find her mouth in a searching kiss.
‘Put me down,’ she whispered. ‘You can’t possibly carry me up those stairs.’
‘I can, and I will, if it means you belong to me — only to me — my darling Roxie. I think I’m the happiest man on earth.’
‘And I think we have both drunk a bit too much champagne to do weightlifting on the stairs. We shall get there quicker if you put me down.’
He set her gently on her feet but he kept his arm around her waist, holding her close as they climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Ciaran lost no time in opening the rest of her buttons and removing her dress, and his eyes blazed at the sight of her in her scanty underwear. He kissed her gently on every part he could reach then slowly removed the remaining bits of clothing before rapidly stripping off his own.
