My phone pinged with an email, and I unfurled myself from my sunny stone seat in the yard of the crofthouse and stretched out my limbs. A fizz of fear hit me, but I acknowledged then let go the response. I’d probably always have a Pavlovian response to emails after the ones about Dad had done so much damage, but a couple of weeks distance had given me perspective.
Pieces of my life were settling into place.
I’d never been so happy.
The autumn weather was set to be beautiful for the next couple of weeks, and with Rory coming for a visit, I was looking forward to exploring more of the Highlands.
This time, in broad daylight, and not the shadows as I had in the spring.
Smiling, I read my email.
It was from Mom’s lawyer. He’d taken the actions I’d requested to cancel the Huntswoman trilogy, and also confirmed I was no longer in breach of contract.
No kidding. I’d torn that sucker up the first opportunity I got. Even if Mom somehow evaded the charges against her—the arson and blackmail keeping her in custody until trial—she wouldn’t get her business back.
It was dead in the water. Bankrupt. Which meant I’d lost everything I’d worked for, too.
Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to care.
The last line of the lawyer’s message caught my eye.
Brandon Fines: We have also received requests from a number of studio representatives for a meeting. If you wish to proceed, you’ll need to appoint a new agent.
I stared at the name, and my stomach tightened.
“Here you go.” Taylor stepped from the crofthouse kitchen with two tall glasses of lemonade, ice cubes clinking. She’d returned a short while ago and popped her head out to ask if I wanted a drink.
“Ooh, thank you.”
She placed the drinks on the table and slid into the adjacent seat. “Where’s your boyfriend?”
I loved how she did that. Took endless pains to make me comfortable. She could have asked where her son was, but she’d given ownership over to me.
Taylor was sweet, classy, and so beautiful, with her yellow hair and softness. She’d made all the effort to settle me in, including buying me gifts like the little pair of bootie slippers I wore in the cool early mornings.
I had a real mom-crush on her.
“He went to pick his car up from Isobel’s garage. He’ll be back soon.” I pointed at my phone. “I think I’m going to be approached for a movie.”
Taylor widened her blue eyes. “How do you feel about that?”
“Right now? It’s too soon. The court cases could drag on, and I need a break. But longer term…maybe. I used to love acting. It’s in my blood and pretty much my only skill set.”
“Then do it on your terms. Choose your own roles. I bet with all the publicity, multiple studios will be fighting over you.”
After my video had aired, I was front page news everywhere. New revelations kept emerging, alongside others’ stories of poor treatment. Too many women and men had horrible stories to share.
An idea sprang to mind.
I tilted my head. “What if I take a job and give the proceeds to a charity that supports people who had experiences like mine? An ‘I believe you’ type deal? If it exists, that is. If not, I could set it up.”
“I can’t think of anything better.”
An engine roared and, a few moments later, a door slammed then Cameron strode around the house. He smiled when he spotted us. “My two favourite women.”
“How’s the engine?” I asked.
“Purring like a kitten, plus all the wee dents in the bodywork have gone. Pretty much everything replaceable has been upgraded.” He threw himself next to me on the seat then stretched to kiss my cheek.
In the midst of all the drama when the video aired at Braithar, I’d talked to Max and found out he worked at a local garage run by Isobel, another cousin. One quick phone call later, and Isobel had put a hefty charge on my credit card. Enough to pay for any car work Cameron needed for a long while. That, plus the flights for Rory, was as much as I could spend before the cards were cut off.
Finally, I’d been able to repay the car damage. Who knew from such an awful experience what changes life would bring?
Taylor took a sip of her drink then regarded us both. “I need to talk to you. William rang. He had a job offer that we’re both so excited about, but it involves a lot of travel and time away. He’s turned this down once previously, but circumstances are different now.”
“Where is it?” Cameron asked.
“The U.S.” She pursed her lips. “For two months. We never liked leaving Cameron alone for long, so that’s different as you’re here, Elise. But we know the timing is bad. We want to support you, so if there’s any reason you need us to stay…”
She meant me.
Supporting me.
I tried and failed to start a sentence.
Every day, Taylor gave me a portion of her time without question. She checked headlines, spoke to people on my behalf, and gave us more space than was reasonable in her own home. At first, I’d felt uncomfortable with leaning on her, but it had become routine.
His mom was just amazing.
Plus the thought of being alone in the crofthouse, just me and Cameron for a long spread of time. My heart sped.
“We’ll be fine, Ma,” Cameron said for us. He squeezed me. “We could use the time just to get over all the shite that happened. Ye and Da do whatever ye need.”
Her gentle smile spread. “I thought you’d say that. We’ll be leaving in a few days, so it’s somewhat last-minute.”
She told us a little more about the trip then left us to ourselves.
“I’ve got to say, I’m reeling over how your folks accepted me,” I uttered.
Cameron drew a line down my arm with a lazy finger. “I’m not. They knew I was a goner from the first time we met. After that, how could they fail to love ye?”
Easily, I imagined. My own mother had put her business before me. My dad, his love of life. Janelle, her career. But I kept my mouth shut and counted my blessings.
We finished our drinks and set out for a slow walk to Castle Braithar. Leo and Viola had asked us for dinner, and I was looking forward to catching up.
Our route took us out over a moor where the early evening light boosted the autumn golds and ambers and delivered the prettiest scene. The deergrass underfoot had turned to a russet red, and in the distance, I picked out the Scots Pines in the sapling forest Cameron had planted.
I’d get to see those trees grow. My heart swelled with a rush of joy.
“What are ye thinking about?” Cameron asked.
“How lucky I am to be here with you.” I halted and stepped in front of him, gazing up at his so-handsome face. “I love you. You changed my life for the better in every way. I don’t know how I got so lucky—”
Cameron swooped and picked me up, bride-style. He kissed me, holding me close.
“No regrets?” he asked.
“None.”
“Ye don’t want to go back to the States?”
“To visit? Sure. To live? No.”
He spun me around, exuberance in his move. I laughed, my happiness only getting stronger.
Cameron gave a sigh of relief. “With my folks leaving, I wondered if ye would be thinking about getting on a plane, too.”
“Only if you were with me. And then I’d want to come straight back here after.”
It hit me in the gut that he’d been worried, but I could remedy that.
“Listen up, Cameron McRae. You’re mine, and I’m yours. If you’re crazy enough to want me for good, then I’m keeping you. Permanently.”
“Is that a proposal?”
My mirth stilled. “Do you want it to be?”
Emotion crossed Cameron’s gaze, unrestrained and bare.
God, he did.
I’d been half kidding, but if he wanted to marry me…
“Put me down,” I ordered.
“Oh no.”
He marched down the track, still holding me.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
“You’re naw proposing just because I joked about it.”
“Was it a joke?”
“And we’ve only been together a few weeks,” he continued. “That’s insane.”
“Even if we both want it?”
He hesitated in his steps then stopped. “Fuck. Dinna talk like that. My heart can’t take it.”
Wriggling, I slid out of his arms and stood in front of him. I propped my hands on my hips. “Hold up a second. Are you telling me if I got down on one knee now and asked you to marry me, you wouldn’t say yes?”
“I might. I dinna want ye to regret anything, though.”
Now, the hesitation was all mine. I hadn’t lied—I did want him forever. But a better idea was forming. A proposal should be a huge deal, and well thought out. Not on the fly. I could show him how I really felt.
“Fine.” I linked my fingers through his and started off again.
Cameron stumbled after me. “What does ‘fine’ mean?”
“It means wait and see.”
Ideas crossed my mind. Maybe I’d find a sneaky moment to talk to his mom about it. I was pretty certain I’d heard she’d been the one to propose to William. His cousins might have suggestions, too.
At my back, Cameron kept close, grumbling to himself but never losing his grip on me.
One day, he’d be my husband, and nothing could be more perfect.
We made it to Braithar and found the family in the hall. Viola danced over and handed me Finn.
I snuggled the baby close. “Hey, you. Did you miss me? I missed you.”
Finn gurgled, almost a laugh, and Viola and I beamed.
“Uh-oh,” Leo said, joining us. He pointed at Cameron. “Look at the face he’s pulling. Total baby fever.”
He was right. Cameron stared at me and the baby with a soft expression. He blinked then frowned, dispelling the moment.
“One thing at a time, big boy,” I told him.
“Big boy?” Leo choked. “Seriously? Eh, but then I knew I was onto something setting the two of you up.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
The rock star looked smug. “Cameron was a fan of yours, Viola told me. He’s also the best man I know. Single man, I mean. I’d planned to introduce you one way or another, but you coming here gave me an opportunity. You suited each other, even if the timing was wrong. The rest is history.”
“You’re claiming matchmaker?” Cameron shook his head. “I had no idea about any of that, princess. I swear.”
“Princess?” Viola cocked her head. “Oh! Is that because of the princess movie we used to watch when we were kids? Elise, get this. Cam used to complain every time Cait and I dressed up in flouncy gowns and put that film on, but who was there front and centre, hushing us if we spoke over the lines?” She pointed at a red-faced Cameron.
Gordain strode in. “Elise. Do ye have a minute? I’ve got some news.”
I handed the baby back to Viola and followed her dad, a hand out for Cameron to come with me.
Inside Gordain’s office, we sat, and the older man steepled his fingers.
“I didnae want to ruin the evening, so we’ll make this short. We finally tracked the rogue security guard.”
The man who’d spied on me then hurt me backstage. His identity and actions were the final pieces of the puzzle.
“Who is he?”
“His name is Mervin Hughes. The police put out a warrant for him, and a private investigator we hired traced him. After a word from them, he handed himself in. He confessed that Derren was tracking you, a crime in itself, and handed over the details so Mervin could find ye, too. That’s how he was able to grab ye at the festival and then track ye to the house.”
“It was him who broke into Austin’s place?”
“Aye. Austin has been made aware, and I imagine he’ll be pressing charges. The good thing is that Mervin has given all of this up. It’ll add to the charges against Derren. He ordered the man to rough ye up and threaten ye, twice.”
I curled into Cameron, his arms my safe place now. “Derren will go to prison, won’t he?”
“Undoubtedly.”
I’d given the police permission to coordinate with Gordain as my head of security, for my safety. Not that anyone chased me anymore. Alongside my interview, Kessler had taken multiple pictures of me, and they went out with press releases.
From now on, I owned my relationship with the press.
From now on, all my relationships would be healthy ones.
Derren and Mom would do time for their shitty behaviour, and I’d try never to think of them again.
“Great.” I jumped to my feet. “Thanks for telling me. Now let’s go and have some fun. I want to hear all about how Cameron enjoyed my movies as a little boy. Ooh, did he dress up, too, like the girls did? Someone in the family will have pictures, right? I want to see them.”
Gordain laughed, and my grumbling Scot drew himself up and followed me from the office and back into the fun. We sat down to dinner, and I ate, chatted, and played with Baby G until the tiny tot fell asleep in my arms.
If life could be like this forever, I’d be the luckiest woman alive. Which only boosted my reasoning for an epic proposal for Cameron.
In fact…
An amazing idea sprang up, and I nearly giggled out loud. Across the table, Viola raised an eyebrow at me, and I sent her back a knowing look. Later, I’d need her help, and I knew she’d be willing to give it.
Cameron wouldn’t know what hit him.
The rest of my life started now.
I’d been hunted almost into the ground, but now, I was finally free.
