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EIGHT

Despite the fact that she’d tried to kill them numerous times on the way to Nathan’s Bay—it wasn’t on purpose, but it counted all the same—and despite the fact that she was a giant pain in the ass, Michael couldn’t seem to stay away from Isabel. He kept checking on her to make certain she was okay, which really was ridiculous because she was surrounded by people who loved and cared about her.

The house was overflowing with Buchanans. With all the commotion, Isabel didn’t think anyone, not even Michael, saw her slip out the back door to go for a long walk around the island. It was a beautiful afternoon, and she wanted a little time to herself to clear her mind and think. She had just started down the path to the shore when Kate caught up with her.

“Isabel, wait up. I need to talk to you.”

With a sigh Isabel turned to her sister. Time alone was becoming a precious commodity. “I was just going for a walk,” she said.

Kate didn’t ease into her news. “We can’t go to Scotland Monday. We’re going to have to put off the trip for a while... maybe a month or two.”

“I’m supposed to meet with the solicitor of the estate at Dunross and sign papers that will transfer the land to me. I don’t want to put it off for a month or two. Why can’t you go? What happened?”

“The scented oils for my new line of candles didn’t arrive, and my company has orders to fill. Everything will come to a halt if I don’t go home and fix this. I’m so sorry. I know how much this trip meant to you.”

Isabel’s first reaction was disappointment, but her attitude quickly changed. “We don’t have to put the trip off. You can’t go, but I still can. I’ll go ahead like we planned, and when your crazy workload eases up, we’ll go together another time.” She expected Kate to argue with her but was surprised by her response.

“I can’t say when I’ll be able to get away, but I promise I will see Scotland and Glen MacKenna with you someday,” Kate assured her. She thought for a second, then said, “I don’t like the idea of you going alone. Isn’t there someone you could take with you?”

“I suppose I could ask one of my friends,” Isabel answered, knowing full well her sister would object if she didn’t agree.

“Good.” Kate sounded relieved.

Isabel didn’t like misleading her sister, but the idea of going alone and taking her time actually appealed to her. She knew she was going to love Scotland. She had read so much about the beautiful rugged land.

After fifteen minutes of going over the details of the itinerary and giving her sister advice on traveling to another country, Kate left Isabel to continue her walk.

Okay, Isabel had a new plan. Swim, sail, and party until next Monday, and then off to Scotland on her own. Of course, this plan was all contingent on Detective Samuel allowing her to leave Boston. After their last meeting, she couldn’t imagine why he wouldn’t, but still, she needed to be sure. She’d ask Dylan for his advice. She would prefer to discuss the matter with Michael, but at the moment they weren’t on speaking terms.

There was another worry she wanted to address. She had to find the courage to look at the video of that poor detective falling into her arms. She was hoping she would remember what he mumbled to her. It was probably nothing more than him pleading for help, but she needed to be sure, didn’t she? And how was she going to be able to watch herself killing that man without throwing up?

She walked for a long while then stopped and stared at the waves lapping against the rocks below her. She wondered how life had become so complicated. It was most likely her own fault. She never should have gone for that walk in Boston. Of course, if she hadn’t, Detective Walsh would be dead. As it was, his life was now hanging by a thread, according to the latest report she’d gotten from Nurse Terry, who was now on a first-name basis with Isabel because she’d called so often. Isabel knew she wouldn’t stop worrying about the poor man until he improved, and she absolutely refused to think that he might not make it.

As much as she hated to admit it, Michael was yet another worry. A big worry. She hated being attracted to him, and wanting him to want her. How pathetic was she? He had made it obvious that he didn’t like her much, and maybe that was the reason she kept trying to irritate him. Was it possible to be furious with someone and still be drawn to them? At the police station she should have sent him on his way and hired her own attorney. Michael had only been doing a favor for his brother, and now he acted as though he were stuck with her.

Was she wallowing in self-pity? Of course she was.

She decided then and there to stop mentally whining and concentrate instead on how fortunate she was to have such a great family. Kate and Dylan and Kiera would do anything to protect her, and she would do the same for them. It was unconditional love, which Isabel knew was a rare and beautiful thing. She could count on them, no matter what.

Okay, time to adopt a new attitude. From now on she would think only about positive things that were happening in her life. She loved being on the island. That was a positive. To her, Nathan’s Bay was a paradise. She strolled along the shoreline to the gently winding path that led the way to the Buchanan home. The three-story clapboard house had recently been painted a light gray. The shutters were black, as was the front door. It was pristine, but she knew that in a couple of years, with the windstorms and the ice and snow, the weather would take its toll, and it would need to be painted again. Facing the shore, a wide porch spanned the entire length of the house and welcomed anyone who wanted to sit and take in the beauty of the bay. The lush green lawn was about the size of half a football field. To the south was a large rectangular pool, and to the north was a coach house that had been converted to a guesthouse. The rest of the island had been left in Mother Nature’s care.

Isabel thought it would be fantastic to own her own island. Nathan’s Bay, tucked in its own cove but looking out on the wide expanse of the Atlantic, was a perfect hideaway that provided privacy, space, and safety. It was so peaceful and quiet, yet less than thirty minutes away was Boston. There was such energy there. On Nathan’s Bay you could have both worlds.

Dylan told her that developers had tried for years to buy the island or at least a chunk of it, but Judge Buchanan, the patriarch of the large family, wouldn’t sell. To him the island would always be a safe haven for his six sons and two daughters.

Isabel strolled across the lawn and entered the house, which was still buzzing with the activity of a large family. She had met all of the Buchanans, but the only ones she knew well were Dylan and Jordan, and now she was learning a bit about Michael.

Theo was the oldest and was married to Michelle. Theo worked as an attorney for the Justice Department and also had a law practice where he and his wife lived, in Bowen, Louisiana. They had left their nine-month-old twin boys at home. One of the babies was getting over an ear infection, so Michelle’s brother, John Paul, and his wife, Avery, moved in to watch and spoil the little ones. Michelle’s father was on rocking chair duty. No one had seen much of Theo or Michelle since they’d arrived. They were both so sleep-deprived, they had been taking continuous naps.

Nick, the second oldest, and his wife, Laurant, were also there without their children, Samantha and Tommy. They lived nearby in Boston but decided to leave their little ones with their nanny and have several days and nights of peace and quiet on the island. Jordan told Isabel that none of the brothers wanted to miss any of the celebration. It had been a long time since they had all gotten together.

Noah and Jordan also lived in Boston, but they, too, had moved in for the weekend. When Noah Clayborne married Jordan Buchanan, he was immediately accepted by the rest of the family, which meant he was treated like one of the brothers, and that sometimes translated into “every man for himself.” So the moment he and Jordan arrived at Nathan’s Bay they quickly snagged one of the large bedrooms on the second floor with a king-size bed.

Dylan and Kate grabbed the other premium-size room.

Alec, the third Buchanan son, and Regan had flown in from Chicago the night before. They got stuck sleeping in one of the smaller bedrooms with a queen-size bed. Even sleeping at an angle, Alec’s feet still hung over the bed, but he didn’t mind, as long as his wife snuggled up next to him. The fact was, Alec could sleep anywhere, anytime. He’d been accused by his brothers of falling asleep during a speech—a speech he was giving.

Sidney, the other daughter, was working in L.A. and wasn’t going to be able to make it back to Nathan’s Bay for the festivities. She needed to finish her documentary before the deadline. Although she would miss seeing her brothers and her sister, she had spent a long weekend at home with her parents just the month before and was able to have her own celebration with them.


Tags: Julie Garwood Buchanan-Renard Romance