Pepper, the Highlander & the Dead Guy

“She learned in self-defense of three annoying brothers,” Amy said as if that explained it all. “Let’s get some ice on your jaw.”

“And that makeup off,” Margo called out as she headed toward the door with all the other curious people.

“You all right, Pep?” Ian asked, his hand going to rest at my waist.

“I am and I hope Beau is. It’s so eerie in this part of the lodge and when I turned and saw those red eyes glaring at me I reacted without thinking. Colored contacts, right?”

Ian laughed. “Beau will survive though ah dinnae know about his ego. What were you doing in this part of the lodge?”

“I think I took a wrong turn, then I thought I saw someone enter here and I followed.”

Ian shook his head. “There’s no reason for anyone to be here. This section is under construction.”

“Ian, your phone won’t stop ringing. The name registers Willard Hughes,” someone shouted from beyond the open door.

“Go,” I said, giving him a shove. “I’m right behind you.”

Ian took off and I took a deep breath and shook my head as I went to follow. Could I have been wrong in thinking someone had been there? I stopped suddenly, spotting a torn piece of paper just a few steps away. I scooped it up and stared at the one word.

Longforgan.

The name was familiar. Where had I heard or seen it? It struck me fast. It was the place Robert Struthers had his solicitor’s office. With all the people that had rushed in to see what was going on, any one of them could have dropped it. Or it could have been stuck to the bottom of someone’s shoe.

One thing was sure though, whoever it belonged to had to have somehow known of Robert Struthers.

A sudden noise had me leaping in the air and this time I didn’t wait around to see who it was. I took off.

18

I woke the next morning to Mo’s wet nose in my face, Roxie lying on my chest staring at me, and my cell phone dinging with several messages.

“Have to go out?” I asked, looking at Mo and he stepped back from the bed letting me know I’d gotten it right. I looked to Roxie. “You’re hungry, right?” She jumped down and I grabbed my cell, got my feet into my slippers, and left the bedroom, both animals leading the way. I let Mo out the back, then got busy fixing both of them breakfast. I really was curious about all the messages I had received, but I’d have no peace to read them if I didn’t feed Mo and Roxie first, especially Roxie. I also thought of myself and set the kettle to boil.

Mo was at the French doors in no time and this time I took note of the cloudy and chilly day.

Finally, I settled with a cup of oolong tea on the couch and grabbed my cell phone off the table just as it rang.

“That was the most fabulous night,” Amy practically screeched into the phone. “After, of course, you knocked Beau out.” She giggled.

I shook my head. “No one is ever going to let me forget that.”

“I think Beau more appreciated that you insisted it was a freak accident, and that you really couldn’t have knocked a man of his size out. I didn’t tell him that I saw you do the same thing to Josh one time. I don’t know how you do it.”

“Neither do I,” I admitted.

“Anyway, those photos of you are fabulous, especially the one where Ian winked at you, and you turned a smile on him that lit your face like I’ve never seen before. Garth, the photographer, caught it perfectly.”

I thought about that moment. I had seen Ian enter the room and he smiled and winked and there was something about the way he did it that shot such happiness through me that a sudden smile rose in response.

“But nothing can beat those pictures of you in that black dress and Ian in that tuxedo,” Amy sighed. “They’re magical.”

I hadn’t wanted any pics in the black dress, but Amy had insisted. She convinced me that there might come a time I would need them, so why not do it now and be done with it? I grudgingly agreed. What I hadn’t expected was Ian stepping into the shoot and taking me into his arms. I actually had fun and couldn’t stop smiling as he switched me from arm to arm and dramatically dropped me back and bent over me to bring his lips near mine to faintly touch.

I shuddered, the tingle I felt last night returning to rush through me once again.

“Your mom invited me to join you two at the diner for breakfast this morning,” Amy said. “She is going to love the pics. I’ll see you there in thirty.”