“I will.” Leslie came to stand by Angus’s side, took hold of his arm and leaned her cheek against his bicep. “Angus is mine, and he’s staying mine. Aren’t they the sweetest thing, Angus?”
No, Win and Douglas were not the sweetest thing, and Angus had no idea how his life had gone so wildly off the rails. Douglas had always been an outrageous joker, but this was beyond the pale. Why had he even come? He surely didn’t want to marry Win—
Except, now that Angus thought of it, maybe he did. Douglas had always wanted to move to the United States when they were kids. Maybe he still wanted to. Maybe he was looking at Win as a kind of ticket to his dreams.
“What makes you think you can just come here and be on the show, anyway?” Angus demanded.
“He didn’t just come here,” Leslie said triumphantly. “I told Fulsom all about him, and Fulsom said he was the perfect addition to the show.”
“He didn’t tell me,” Boone said.
“It was supposed to be a surprise. Call him—you’ll see.”
Angus wished he had the billionaire in his grip, but he supposed if he shoved Fulsom up against a wall, that would be the end of Base Camp no matter how you sliced it. He itched to go after Douglas. His cousin must have sensed his rising anger because he leaned closer.
“Look, man, you’ve got it all wrong. I’m here to help you. I’ve watched every episode of the show. We all have. We’ve missed you and your sisters, you know. Even your father. Just because Aunt Fiona cut out on you doesn’t mean the rest of us did. You’re family. And family helps each other out.”
“The first time I see you in over twenty years, you come after my girlfriend—and I’m supposed to trust you?”
“I didn’t cause this problem. You two did.” Douglas pointed at him and Win. “And Leslie here said she was going to find someone to romance the mother of your child. Wouldn’t you rather it be me than some stranger?”
“You’d better not romance her.”
“I’m right here,” Win snapped. “And I’m not letting anyone romance me.”
Leslie snorted. “You let Angus romance you every time I turn around.”
“Because I love him!” Win cried.
Angus’s heart warmed, and he relaxed a little. He was making too much of this. Win was too smart to fall for his cousin’s wiles, and if Douglas’s presence made Leslie back off, so much the better.
“I think we all need to take a break, and it’s time for chores,” Boone said. “I’ll call Fulsom and straighten this out.”
“Douglas, you’ll come help us in the greenhouse, right? That’s where your new lady-love works,” Leslie said.
“Be glad to. Always fancied myself a green thumb.” He gave Win’s shoulder a light bump with his own, as if they were old friends already. “Show me the way, lass.”
“I’m not your lass,” Win exclaimed. “This whole thing is ridiculous.”
Leslie smiled smugly. “This whole thing is brilliant.” She led the way to the door. With a roll of her eyes, Win followed her, Douglas on her heels.
“Come on, Angus, it’ll be like old times,” he said.
“It better not be,” Angus growled, remembering Davina.
“Hold it together for a half hour, all of you,” Boone snapped. “I’m calling Fulsom right now.”
When Angus made it outside, Leslie was waiting for him, the other two walking ahead. She lifted her chin and smiled triumphantly. “Told you I would fix everything.”
Win wasn’t sure how she got through that night. Fulsom had declared himself all in favor of Base Camp’s newest inhabitant and said Douglas could stay through the end of the show. After that, they could do what they liked with him.
The bunkhouse seemed much too crowded with Angus and Douglas both bedding down in it, along with Byron, Walker, Avery, Leslie and herself. She slept fitfully and dreamed more than once about bears growling. Each time she woke up, she realized it was Douglas snoring loudly enough to shake the timbers.
In the morning, a quick shower refreshed her a little. Douglas kept a respectful distance for the most part, and when he did talk to her, his tone was light, his banter humorous. He told stories about the small village where he and Angus had grown up and he still resided, his impressions of some of the inhabitants leaving them all in stitches—except Angus. The rest of the cast seemed to find the addition of Douglas to their numbers both hilarious and alarming. Win couldn’t blame them—the two words summed him up perfectly.
When she’d first arrived at Base Camp last summer, Angus had been the jokester of the group. He had a knack for diffusing tension with a quick quip, and when times were tough, he’d put on a strong Scottish accent and soon have everyone laughing.
She could barely remember the last time he’d joked around like that.
That was her fault, and she could hardly bear it.
Douglas, however, was like Angus at his best—funny, loud and uproariously Scottish. He didn’t have to put on the accent, since it was his normal manner of speaking, but he could head out into the weeds of Scottish idiom and leave them all behind in moments when he wanted to. He seemed to want to often. He liked making them laugh. In between he grilled them on everything to do with the United States, interspersing his comments with bad imitations of American actors.
As the day went on, Win decided she liked him despite herself, although she couldn’t fathom his motivations for coming to Chance Creek. He wasn’t Angus, though, no matter how Leslie tried to make her think he was. He was personable and
