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On the day I resolve to discuss the issue with her, we're sitting on the patio behind my house, enjoying the sunshine. Kate lies stretched out on a lawn chaise while dressed in denim shorts and a short-sleeve plaid shirt. It's not the MacTaggart clan tartan, but I forgive her for that transgression. She looks bonnier than ever, with her golden red hair flowing over her shoulders and those sexy legs on display.
"Uh, Kate? Could we talk about something?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"We had talked about whether I might want to go back to being a firefighter."
"I remember." She turns onto her side to face me. "What did you want to discuss about that?"
"Would you, ah…" Suddenly, I can't make the words come out of my mouth. What if Kate says she'll leave me if I go back to my dangerous former job?Stop acting like a numpty and just ask her, ye eejit. "Would you mind if I tried to get my old job back? Not wholetime. Retained, which means I'd be on call. Donnae even know if they'd take me, or if I'm ready for it, but I—"
"Your babbling is cute, but you don't need to be nervous. I will support you in whatever you want to do."
"I don't want to lose you."
"That won't happen. Trust me."
Of course I trust her. I've never had more faith in anyone than I do with Kate. "What about you? Don't you want to get your old job back?"
"Not in Inverness. Maybe I could find something nearby, though I don't think there's a clinic in Loch Fairbairn."
"There isn't. But maybe the village needs one."
She sits up, staring at me like I've declared she ought to become a stripper. "Are you suggesting I should start my own clinic?"
"Aye. You're very clever and dedicated to helping people. Loch Fairbairn would be lucky to have you serving the community."
"That's not a half bad idea. But I'd need to find a place that has enough room for all the equipment." Her shoulders flag, and she slumps against her chaise. "There's no way I could get the funding to start a clinic."
I chuckle. "Ye donnae understand yet, do ye? The MacTaggarts have made you part of the family. That means they will give you whatever help you need."
"But the money involved would be—"
"No problem. Trust me."
She raises her brows. "Are you secretly loaded?"
"I'm not, but my cousin Evan is a billionaire."
"Right. I forgot about that. But I can't ask your cousin to fund my new business."
"Why not?" I slide my legs off my chaise and sit facing her. "Evan owns half the village. He bought the shops and offices of all the people who had been treated badly by Rhys Kendrick. The Welsh scunner threatened to destroy their businesses just to punish my cousin Iain for sleeping with his wife."
"That sounds like a story I need to hear."
"I'll tell you sometime. Right now, I need to know if you would be open to the idea of letting my cousin fund your new clinic."
"Well… Yeah, I'd be okay with talking to him about the possibility."
"I'm sure he would invest in your clinic if that would make you feel better about the situation. I'm also dead sure he would give you the money outright." I lean forward to grasp her hands. "It's your decision,mo chridhe. I'll support whatever you want to do."
She lunges toward me to press her lips to mine. "I know you will. Thank you, Callum. Your support means so much to me."
This is what a relationship is supposed to be like, isn't it? I'd never had this before I met Kate. My brother and my cousins found this kind of connection, but I assumed I never would. Kate proved me wrong.
"Been wondering," she says. "What doesmo chridhemean? You've called me that several times."
"It means my heart."
