Macgowan Meets His Match

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“No, but that isn’t surprising. I’ve yet to see him at mealtimes.”

“Don’t take it personally. He’s always been taciturn, even as a boy. I used to tease him about being the typical dour Scotsman.”

“It’s difficult for me to imagine Ian as a young boy,” Jenna admitted.

From directly behind her, he said, “It wasn’t a pretty sight, I grant you,” which caused Jenna to jump. To Hazel he said, “See what you can do about getting Hamish out here tomorrow. The leak in my shower has gotten worse.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but you know Hamish. He prefers fishing to working.”

“Do what you can.” He turned and started for the door.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Hazel asked.

“Not now. Later, maybe.”

Jenna was embarrassed that Ian had found her chatting about him with Hazel. She helped herself to some fruit and a muffin from the array of food on the sideboard, poured herself some coffee and with anticipation gazed out the window at the gardens.

Ian had reached the library before he realized that Hazel had followed him. He stopped and looked at her. “What?” he growled impatiently.

“You were rude to Jenna this morning, ignoring her as though she wasn’t there. I was wondering, how are things between you and Jenna?”

“What are you talking about? There’s nothing between Jenna and me!”

Hazel smiled. “I meant, how is she getting along with your work?”

“Oh. Well, she’s very efficient. Impressive, actually. The woman actually knows how to spell as well as punctuate. Will wonders never cease?”

“I thought she looked quite nice this morning, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t notice.” He expected lightning to strike him at any moment. “Is there some point to this interrogation? If not, I have work to do.”

“I won’t keep you, then,” Hazel replied and walked away, a slight smile on her face.

What was all that about? He was doing his best not to think about Jenna. The last thing he needed was to have someone point out her positive attributes to him!

Her laugh seemed to echo through the place as she talked to Hazel. He sometimes wondered when she had time to get any work done. He couldn’t complain there, though. Whenever he went into her office for any reason, she was always working. He’d formed a bad habit of going to her office on a daily basis, ostensibly to check on her progress. He was kidding himself, he knew. He’d discovered that he couldn’t stay away from her.

When he’d seen her earlier standing there bathed in the sunlight pouring through the dining room window, his heart had missed a beat. She looked like a sprite, aglow with joy and life.

What was the matter with him, waxing poetic over an employee? Stifling his irritation with himself, Ian strode into the library to find a reference book he needed.

Jenna hurried outside after hastily swallowing half of her second cup of coffee. As soon as she stepped into the sunshine she stopped and closed her eyes.

Was it her imagination, or was it warmer this morning? She wondered if spring would ever arrive in Scotland. She’d come from summer in Australia without giving much thought to the differences in the climates between the two places. She opened her eyes and took in a lungful of fresh air. The scene was so peaceful that it moved her soul.

With such a beautiful layout of flower beds, she could hardly wait to see the pathways and the fountains surrounded by blooms. She followed a crushed-shell path, stopping to study the different plants and shrubs, hoping to discover what they were.