“I saw you heading toward the loch?”
He nodded.
The mechanic grinned. “Great. I’ll come with you. I need to speak to Ery about her Defender.”
Lachlan knew Fergus was working on a Defender Eredine had saved from the scrap heap. He was doing it during his downtime, between his work on the estate cars.
Together they walked to Eredine’s studio, Fergus prattling on about the Defender, his words going in one ear and out the other. Lachlan nodded and made noises of agreement now and then, but he had absolutely no clue what the mechanic was talking about. His mind was on Robyn Penhaligon and the stalker threatening the peace at Ardnoch. His mind seemed to be on very little else these days.
Climbing the porch of the studio, he could hear Robyn’s husky voice. Lachlan held a hand up to Fergus to stop him from entering the studio, and he quietly pulled open the door to look inside.
While the broken windows were taped up as they waited for the new ones to arrive, the mirrors were cleaned, and all damage had been repaired as quickly as possible. The studio was usable again.
Something Lachlan couldn’t quite understand moved through him when he saw Lucy and Eredine locked in a grapple while Robyn stood beside them, hands on hips, calling out instructions.
Eredine trained with her.
Eredine, who trusted no one but his family.
Lachlan’s attention drifted from his pseudo sister’s expression of concentration, past Lucy, to Robyn. She’d performed a miracle.
“That’s it!” Robyn called out, clapping. “You’ve turned Lucy’s strike against her. You have her trapped. Now, if she were a man, you would pull her forward—pull her forward, Eredine—that’s it, and this is where she, or more likely he, is open to a knee strike. Do you see? Yes, like that. If Lucy were a dude and you’d actually hit him, he’d be in extreme testicular agony right now.”
He heard Eredine’s chuckle and Lucy’s snort, but for some ludicrous reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off Robyn. She wore workout gear, much like the other ladies, except she wore a full tank covering her slender torso. No cleavage on display, though the tank was tight enough to reveal she had an ample bosom. And she was tall for a woman. Maybe five seven, five eight. Her legs went on forever.
She turned and bent down to grab a bottle of water, providing him with an excellent view of a perfect, heart-shaped arse.
“Lachlan!” Eredine called.
Robyn whirled, and he yanked his gaze away, locking eyes with Eredine. He gave her what he hoped wasn’t a guilty smile. “Just wanted to check on things.”
“Can I go in yet?” Fergus said at his back. “Or are you done ogling?”
Lachlan cut him a dirty look over his shoulder. “I wasn’t ogling. And do you want to be fired?”
He grinned, dark eyes bright with mirth, because he knew there was no way Lachlan would fire him. Little fucker.
Fergus pushed by and into the studio. “Hullo, ladies.”
Lucy and Eredine broke their grapple to stride over to them. Lachlan avoided Robyn’s eyes.
“You decided to train.” He cuddled Eredine into his side.
“It’s fun.” Her gaze cut to Robyn. “Robyn’s a great instructor. I told her if she stays, she should open a class.”
“Hear! Hear!” Lucy tapped her eco water bottle against Robyn’s. “And I told her if she ever wants to come to LA, I will pay her good money to turn me into a badass.”
“You’re already a badass,” Robyn returned, flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder. “You don’t need me for that.” Her eyes met his. They were so large, filled with so much expression. This morning, he’d taken time to look at Mac’s eyes and he’d realized, Lucy was right. Robyn had his eyes.
But they looked different on her.
Robyn’s were ever changing.
Unpredictable.
She was unpredictable.
“So, why are you here?” Eredine nudged him. When he looked down at her, she wore a knowing smirk that confused him.
“I’m here to check on you, and Fergus is here …” Lachlan gestured to him.
“About the Defender. I have paint and interior samples for you to see. But first, I feel I should introduce myself to our lovely guest.” Fergus stared at Robyn with open admiration. It was a bit much. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to women more beautiful than she was roaming the estate.
They were in a room with two of them.
Then why the fuck can you not stop staring at her?
Disgruntled, Lachlan focused on Fergus. “This is Robyn, Mac’s daughter.” He might have emphasized that last part with an unspoken “off-limits.” Mac wouldn’t want men sniffing around his daughter while he wasn’t here to keep her safe. That job had unfortunately fallen to Lachlan by default.
“Robyn, I’m Fergus, the mews mechanic.” He shook her hand vigorously, and she offered him an amused grin.
Then something changed in her expression. “The mechanic who found the message painted across the Land Rover?”
Jesus, she was a bulldog. “Robyn—”
“The very one.” Fergus stepped into her space. “I didn’t know we were telling people about that.”
“Robyn isn’t people,” Lachlan cut in. “She’s police. And investigating on Mac’s behalf.”
“I thought the DIs from Inverness were investigating it?”
“They are.” He heaved a sigh. “But Mac would feel better about it if Robyn investigated too. That means we’re still not talking about it with anyone off the estate, Fergus. Understood?”
At his biting tone, Fergus stepped back, arms raised in defense. “You know I wouldn’t spread gossip.”
Eredine gave Lachlan a little shove in admonishment and stepped out of his hold toward the mechanic. “Come on, Fergus. You can show me the samples.”
“I’ll come too,” Lucy said, following them out. “You know I love giving my opinion even when no one’s asked for it.”
The three of them left the studio without even saying goodbye.
Leaving Lachlan there.
With her.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and met her confident stare. “Fergus is a family friend.”
Robyn crossed her arms over her chest, drawing attention to it. He kept his focus firmly on her face. “Oh?” she
