“Archer?” Barb laughed and wheezed so hard she sounded like she might have an asthma attack. “He’s so out of it, he probably doesn’t know he’s getting married.”
“I mean it, Barb,” I warned. “If she doesn’t agree to pay—as in there’d better be money in my account by midday tomorrow—I’ll walk.”
Barb sneered. “Empty threats don’t work with me. You signed a contract, too.”
“There’s nothing empty about my threats.” I mentally crossed my fingers. Russian roulette wasn’t a game I’d ever played, or ever wanted to play, but Violet had forced my hand. “Another thing, I won’t fatten her bridesmaids up like sacrificial lambs.”
“And I didn’t think you had a backbone.” Barb picked some flaking red paint off the painting and rubbed it between her fingers. “I’ll talk to her. Don’t expect miracles.”
“I’m sure you’ll do what you can. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.” Holding my head high, I strode from the room and pleaded with my feet not to trip over themselves. My dramatic exit wouldn’t be as effective if I ended up on the floor.
Chapter Fourteen
Keegan
Keeping my mouth shut was tough, but Tessa had done a cracking job without my interference. I was impressed, and I wasn’t impressed easily. Barb was right; she had a backbone—one forged from steel.
When I found her, she was in the kitchen leaning against a wall with her eyes closed.
“Nice work.”
“Did it seem as if I was nervous? Because I was shaking in my boots.”
“You didn’t look or sound nervous.”
“Good.” The constant worry line between her eyebrows creased. “Let’s hope she makes Violet see some sense.”
“Listen,” I said, rubbing her biceps, “how about we get out of here for a while. Walk around the grounds… talk…”
She curled her arms around herself and shuddered. “It’s freezing. We can talk in here.”
“I’ll keep you warm.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
“I have my ways.”
She smiled, and the tension lines on her face faded, and, not for the first time, her beauty took my breath away.
“I’d like to see those ways. Let’s go.”
****
“Warm enough?” I asked and laughed.
Blinding snow carpeted the grounds, and our feet squeaked over the fresh covering. Tessa had wrapped a scarf halfway around her face until only her eyes were visible.
She nodded. I shoved my hands deep into my pockets, and she curved her arm around mine. Such an insignificant gesture shouldn’t have made my heart jump, but it did. This was something a real couple would do, and despite what was happening between us, we weren’t a real couple. Although… No. Some ideas were too dumb to entertain. That was how hearts got broken, and a broken heart wasn’t something I ever wanted to experience again.
I took out my phone and checked to make sure it wasn’t on silent. Shane hadn’t been in touch since yesterday. Niall, his partner, and a few squad cars were hidden on a neighboring farm, ready to pounce. I wanted to get my meeting with Gorman over with so I could stop worrying about him showing up at the castle and telling Tessa all about our connection.
“You’ve checked your phone every minute for hours.” Tessa gave me a playful nudge. “You expecting an important call?”
“Something like that.”
“A watched phone never rings.”
“Isn’t that a watched kettle never boils.”
“Think it’s a watched pot.” She laughed. “Are we seriously talking about idioms? We’ve been sleeping together for less than a week, and we’re already boring. Next, we’ll be doing crosswords and thousand-piece puzzles.”
A hawk cried in the distance, and we both looked up at the mist-shrouded mountains. The place was beautiful, and it struck me how much more beautiful it was with Tessa by my side.
“I’m from a few miles down the road, but I’ve never been on the castle grounds before. Passed it enough, but never came in. Sacrilegious, isn’t it?”
“You’re from Derry, right? I go there a lot. I’m sure I’ve bumped into your family a few times.”
“Probably. It’s a small place. My dad drives a taxi. You might have been in the back of his car.”
“With the way the Universe and fate works, you never know.”
“You believe in all that?”
She shrugged. “I think we all have lessons to learn and that some things were meant to be.”
“You think we’re meant to be?”
“No. You’re a lesson in lies coming back to bite me in the ass. Lesson learned—don’t lie.”
“I don’t remember biting your ass.”
She laughed, the sound muffled behind her scarf. “We’ll remedy that later.”
We came to a turret at the end of the courtyard. “Let’s go down here,” Tessa said. “The staircase leads to the dock by the lough.”
She led the way into the turret and down a set of rusted, winding stairs, and when we reached the bottom, I swept snow from a stone bench so we could sit.
“Can you imagine living here in the old days?” Wistfulness filled Tessa’s voice. “It would’ve been like living in Winterfell.”
“I wouldn’t have taken you for a Game of Thrones fan.”
“You know nothing, Keegan Devlin.”
I rolled my eyes and groaned. “You’re hilarious. It would’ve been miserable. No heating or plumbing.”
“You’re such a romantic.” She gave me a gentle push.
Heat climbed up the back of my neck. “I am. Or I can be.” Not wanting to go down the road of romance, I changed the subject. “Tell me more about your ex. Are the police after him?”
“They were,” she sighed. “There’s a warrant for his arrest, but they’ll never find him. He doesn’t want to be found.”
“He’ll slip up eventually. Criminals
