Page 22 of A Scottish Love Story
‘I reckon the feeling is mutual.’
They chatted easily as they got on with the milking, with Ciaran telling her a bit about his own father and how he missed his advice on many aspects of the arable side of the farming. By the time young Vic, the general worker, arrived to start hosing down the concrete in the gathering area, he couldn’t believe they were already finished milking, or that Ciaran had a young woman and she was actually helping him. Vic couldn’t wait to tell Billy, who believed he was the only one capable of milking cows.
* * *
Roxie genuinely felt the combined gift of an evening dress was far too much, but she went with Jenny to the shop as arranged. The one Jenny had asked to be set aside was a perfect fit and she loved the colour. Jenny insisted she cast an eye over the remaining dresses to make sure it was the one she would have chosen herself, but there was nothing she liked as much. She bought herself a pair of navy patent court shoes with higher heels than she normally wore and she already had a small matching handbag that was adequate for evening. She could now look forward to the New Year’s dinner dance with a lighter heart than she had had since the fateful day of Tommy’s wedding and her father’s accident.
Chapter 8
When Ciaran called to collect Roxie for the dinner dance, he came in to see his mother before they left.
Amy greeted him drily. ‘I know you’ve come in to check up on me, Ciaran, but Roxie has made sure I have everything I could possibly need. You’re looking very well tonight. Go and enjoy yourself for once. I don’t believe you’ve had a good night out since Donald and Jenny were married, and that’s nearly two years ago.’ She broke off as Roxie came into the room. ‘Aah.’ She caught her breath. ‘You look wonderful, my dear!’
Ciaran turned to look at Roxie. His eyes widened, then darkened in admiration. ‘You do look lovely, Roxie. I can see I shall have a job fighting off the competition tonight,’ he said, unusually serious.
‘You leave me breathless, Ciaran Baxter. I was not expecting a handsome man in a kilt as my partner tonight,’ Roxie murmured demurely.
‘There will be quite a few in kilts tonight.’ Ciaran laughed. ‘It is Hogmanay, remember.’
‘The pair of you make a lovely picture.’ Amy sighed. ‘Could you fetch me my camera, please, Roxie?’
‘Now there’s an idea.’ Roxie retrieved it from the sideboard. ‘I need a picture of you in your kilt, Ciaran,’ she said gleefully. ‘I shall send one to my friend, Lucy. She keeps asking if I have met any men in kilts yet.’
‘But I would like one of you together,’ Amy said.
Ciaran grinned happily and clasped Roxie around the waist, drawing her close while his mother clicked several pictures on her small camera.
‘Now, away you go, the pair of you. Have an evening to remember and welcome in the new year.’ Amy sounded a littlehusky and Roxie glimpsed the sheen of tears in her blue eyes. On impulse, she bent and kissed the elderly woman’s cheek.
‘I shall look in on you later,’ she said softly.
Ciaran helped Roxie into the passenger seat. He tucked the material of her dress in carefully.
‘That colour does suit you, Roxie. Are you pleased now that Jenny organised it all?’
‘I love the dress and the colour, and I know it was kind of you all to buy it for me, but I feel a fraud accepting so much.’
‘As far as I’m concerned, you are worth every penny. I’m proud that you agreed to be my partner for tonight,’ he said as their eyes met and held for a moment. ‘Why should you feel a fraud?’
‘We-ell, I would never have expected any of you to make me so welcome so soon, even less pay as much as you did for a Christmas present. You have only known me for a few months.’
‘The way you fit in so well, we feel as though we have always known you,’
‘I feel a bit like that too, but if Jenny had told me about the dinner dance I would have considered payment of my ticket was a generous gift in itself. You see, apart from earning a generous wage from your mother, I do have some money of my own since m-my f-father died. I ought to have paid for the dress myself. I know you want to spend any spare cash on grading up your herd and my father would have approved of that wholeheartedly. Then Jenny and Donald will have their baby this year and it costs a lot by the time they’ve bought all the equipment and baby clothes. So...’
Ciaran took one hand off the steering wheel and clasped hers for a moment. ‘We all know you are not a fraud, Roxie,’ he said quietly.
‘Will it repay you a tiny bit if I offer to drive us home tonight? Presumably everyone enjoys a few drinks when it’s New Year’s Eve.’
‘That’s true. Hogmanay has always been a great time to celebrate up here. Surely you will enjoy a drink or two yourself, though?’
‘Jenny will not be drinking on account of the baby so she will drive Donald home. If I have a small glass of white wine with my dinner, I don’t think that will do me any harm by the time we’ve danced the night away, do you?’
‘No, but we all have a drink at midnight to welcome in the New Year, as well as several as the evening goes on. I wasn’t going to drink so I didn’t book a taxi for us.’
‘There’s no need as I am happy to drive us home. I will have something non-alcoholic for the toast. So, are we agreed?’
‘You’re a wee gem. I didn’t expect you to chauffeur me. I was prepared to abstain for this Hogmanay so long as you agreed to be my partner. There will be lots of fellows wanting to claim you for a dance, but I hope you will save at least the first and last dances for me.’ Roxie was sure his blue eyes darkened with desire in the dim street lights as they passed through one of the villages.
