And some stares remained on the daddy eye candy. Smirking, I reached for the hamper. “Why don’t you check on Lewis, see if he wants to go down to the water with you?”
“Will do. Say bye-bye to Regan.” Thane waved Eilidh’s hands for her, making her giggle harder.
“Bye, Ree-Ree!” she squealed, and I laughed as they wandered down the beach in Lewis’s direction. When I reluctantly drew my eyes from them, my gaze landed on Michelle, thirsty mom number one, and I didn’t need to see behind her sunglasses to know she was glowering. Her pursed lips gave her away.
Damn these Ardnoch moms and their territorialism.
A little later, after lunch was eaten and food had settled in our guts, when the beach had cleared some and wasn’t nearly so busy, the four of us took Lewis’s ball down near the shore and played soccer. I hated to say it, because I was all about girl power, but Eilidh and I were useless. She and I spent most of the time giggling hysterically at our terrible skills.
“It’s not soccer, Ree-Ree!” Lewis yelled for the hundredth time. He’d taken to calling me his sister’s pet name a few weeks ago. “We call it football here!”
“Right, right!” I held up my hands defensively. “I forgot.”
“You can’t be Scottish if you keep calling it soccer.”
The implication being that he wanted me to be Scottish?
Before I could stew over that, Eilidh ran at the ball, grabbed it in her little hands, and threw that thing with impressive might down the beach. “There!” she yelled, like she’d finally accomplished the goal of the game.
Laughing, I took off after the ball. “I’ll get it!”
I watched as it bounced down the sand toward a guy running on the beach. He saw it and stopped to retrieve it before it went into the water to be lost for good.
“Thanks!” I called and then slowed as I neared.
I then became extremely aware that he was young, shirtless, and built. And not in the way Thane was naturally built. This guy had a freaking eight-pack.
My inner flirt came out before I could stop it. “Good thing you were Baywatching it down the beach.” I took the ball from him. He had the most stunning green eyes I’d ever seen.
He grinned at me. “Aye, good thing. Just visiting?”
“The accent? No.” I turned and gestured to where Thane and the kids were waiting. “I live here. I’m a nanny.”
The green-eyed hottie nodded and then held out a hand. “Jared. McCulloch.”
Having been told the tale of how the Adairs had an antagonistic relationship with Collum McCulloch, the local farmer of Thane’s father’s generation, I grimaced. Robyn said Collum held a grudge against the Adairs because of land the Adair ancestors allegedly stole from his family. “No relation to Collum?”
“Granddad, I’m afraid.” He squinted past me. “Since that looks like an Adair you’re with, I’m guessing you’ve heard that bloody ridiculous story.”
“Yeah, I have. I’m Regan. Robyn Penhaligon’s sister. I also heard that your grandfather helped save my sister’s life, so I’m thankful to him.” It was true. Lucy and Fergus had kidnapped Lachlan and lured Robyn onto McCulloch land. She’d actually thought Collum was behind the attacks on Lachlan, but nope. Collum had helped rescue them that day.
“You would think something like that might mend fences.” Jared sighed.
“You would think. I know Robyn would prefer it.”
“Aye, my granddad’s quite fond of your sister, though the stubborn bugger will never admit it.”
That was nice to hear. I smiled. “Maybe things will get better over time.” Seeing a trickle of sweat run down his neck, I was aware of his half-dressed body again and stepped to the side. “I’m sorry, I interrupted your jog.”
Definite flirtation twinkled in those gorgeous eyes. “I’m quite happy for you to interrupt me anytime.”
“Regan!”
Thane’s bark startled me, and I turned to see him giving me the universal sign of “hurry the fuck up.”
Frowning at his uncharacteristic impatience, I smiled at Jared. “I better go.”
“Yeah, I’m going to head back.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I hope I see you around, though.”
He was clearly a less complicated option than Thane. But despite his beautiful eyes, nothing seemed to penetrate my almighty crush on my boss.
“Yeah,” I replied noncommittally, waved, and hurried back down the beach to the waiting trio.
“Who was that?” Lewis asked, his nose wrinkled.
“Jared McCulloch.” I handed over the ball.
“Collum’s grandson?” Thane asked.
Finally, I looked at him, still confused why he’d barked at me. “Yeah.”
“What did he want?” He sounded sullen and suspicious.
I shrugged. “Nothing. He just saved the ball.”
“He didn’t need to,” Lewis said, sounding as sullen as his father.
Confused by how the jovial atmosphere had turned, I took Eilidh’s hand and followed son and father up the beach. Without discussing it with anyone, Thane started packing up our things.
“We’re going?” Eilidh’s lower lip trembled into a pout. “I don’t wanna!”
“Anna has gone home. It’s time to go back to the house and get cleaned up for dinner at Uncle Lachlan’s,” her father said. “Eilidh, don’t start.” He preempted her tantrum.
“Hey.” I swung her into my arms, settling her weight on my hip. “I can do your hair all fancy for dinner tonight.”
“Yeah?” Her eyes grew big and excited.
“And I bet your dad will let you wear one of your nice dresses.”
Her gaze flew to her father. He gave her a smile and a nod and returned to collecting our gear. Tantrum averted.
Once the kids were settled in the back of the car, I helped Thane load the rear.
Out of nowhere, he said, his voice low, “Jared McCulloch is making a bit of a name for himself around the village.”
I pulled back from tucking the cooler into the back of the car and straightened to meet Thane’s eyes. He’d taken off his sunglasses, but I still couldn’t read his expression. “Name for himself?”
“As a ladies’ man. Made his way through the small pool of single women here and is now working his way through Inverness.”
Understanding dawned. “We were only talking.”
Thane shrugged, like it didn’t matter to him. “I know. I’m just saying.” He slammed the hatch down and I flinched from the almost aggressive action. However, he didn’t say another word, just rounded the car to the driver’s side.
I stared after him.
“Are you getting in or walking?” he called sarcastically back to me.
Without a word, I got into the passenger side and tried to figure out if Thane was jealous or if I was simply projecting how I wanted him to feel.
12
Thane
There was nothing worse than starting the day flustered, and that was exactly what Thane was doing. Eilidh had been sick through the night but was bright and bubbly this morning, confirming his suspicions that she’d eaten too much junk food. He’d finally wrangled the confession out of her that she’d snuck downstairs after he’d gone to bed to eat out of the bags of sweets he’d bought for the kids to take to the Halloween party at school the next night.