There with You (Adair Family 2)

He pushed up off the jamb with a grin and jerked a thumb toward me. “I could hear Disney Princess all the way to my stage office.”

I hung on the ladder, suddenly not seeing the funny in it anymore. I didn’t want to get Robyn into trouble. “I’m sorry. My fault.”

As he slid an arm around Robyn, cuddling her into his side, Lachlan looked up at me and shook his head with a small smile. “It’s fine. You have a lovely voice.”

I beamed. “Why, thank you.” Relieved he was cool with my antics, I turned back to the shelves to caress the row of classics before me.

“Ree loves your library. I told you she would.”

“The song and the way she’s making love to the shelves gives her away.”

I lifted my cheek from the wood. “Hmm?” I turned on the ladder and clutched at my chest dramatically. “Can you fall in love at first sight?”

“I’m starting to see what you mean about her.” I heard him say.

That drew my attention. “What does that mean?”

As I climbed down the ladder, Robyn said, “I told Lachlan you could charm the pants off a Russian dictator. I blame the dimples.”

At her fond teasing, a rush of warmth filled my chest and I jumped off the last rung to face her with a big grin. “What, these?” I pointed to my dimples. “It is not my fault fairies put fairy dust pockets in my cheeks.”

Her eyes widened. “You remember that?”

I shrugged. “Of course.”

Robyn turned to Lachlan. “Is Dad here?”

He shook his head. “Mac’s at home, getting ready for his flight.”

“Oh, shit, yeah. I said I’d stop by before he goes.” Robyn looked at me. “Dad’s got a meeting with a guy in California about some new security tech for the estate. I want to say goodbye before he leaves. Is that okay?”

“Oh, you should do that alone.” I didn’t want to intrude on their farewell, especially since I felt weird about Mac.

“I can give Regan a tour of the rest of the estate and make sure she gets home okay.”

Robyn frowned at me. “I don’t know. Would that be okay?”

Realizing her anxiety came from the fact that we’d just found some clarity with one another, I waved away her concerns. “I’ll be fine. I’ll see you at home.”

“Okay. Thanks.” She turned into Lachlan, reaching up to clasp his face in her hands. “Thank you. And … things are good now,” she said meaningfully.

“Yeah?”

Robyn nodded. “Yeah.”

I chuckled. “You are as subtle as an elephant at a mouse party. Robbie and I had a good chat. We cleared the air. Apologies were made. Begging was exacted on knees. And voilà! We’re loved up again.”

The couple stared at each other for a beat, then Robyn said dryly, “And now she’s back to being a facetious pain in my ass.”

Rolling my eyes at Lachlan’s answering grin, I walked away to study more of the library’s collection while Robyn and her fiancé moved toward the door. I tried to ignore the sound of kissing, which was easy when I spotted a copy of Gulliver’s Travels. It was a favorite of mine, a satirical adventure that was so much more than any movie adaptation had ever made it out to be. Many of the classics bored me to tears. But not Gulliver’s Travels.

The leather-bound book looked old and a little fragile. Handling it with care, I opened it to the copyright page and nearly dropped the thing in heart failure.

“Is this a first edition?” I practically shrieked, holding the book away from me as I turned to see my sister and Lachlan frowning. “Gulliver’s Travels.”

Lachlan’s expression cleared. “Aye. It was my great-grandfather’s.”

“Shouldn’t this be protected in bubble wrap and locked in a safe somewhere?”

He grinned. “Where no one can enjoy it?”

“It’s a first edition. This is the Hope Diamond of books.”

Lachlan chuckled. “Not quite. It’s not worth what you think it is.”

“But it’s worth more than a hundred dollars, right?”

“A fair bit more, yes.”

“And you just have it sitting on a shelf where any Neanderthal can pick it up?”

My soon-to-be brother-in-law seemed to find my horror hilarious. “I assure you my guests know how to treat rare books, Regan.”

I harrumphed, gently putting the book back on its shelf.

“Gulliver’s Travels is one of Regan’s favorites,” Robyn offered.

“Is that so? You can borrow it if you like.”

I stepped away from the bookshelf, my eyes round with terror. “And accidentally lose it or spill coffee on its pages? No thanks.”

My sister, lips pursed with amusement, stepped out into the hall. “I need to go. I’ll see you both back at the house.”

Lachlan reached for her again, like he couldn’t help himself, and pressed another quick kiss to her lips before he finally released her.

Once she’d departed, he turned to me.

I grinned at him. “You may be keeping my sister in Scotland, an entire ocean away from Boston, but … I’ve reluctantly decided to like you.”