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learned what a crested tit was. In fact,
a lot of the conversation was about birds. She didn’t know much about them,
other than the myriad of gulls outside were not all the same. But she certainly
couldn’t name them all. Nor did she wish to.
      This
was just the way she wanted to spend lunch. Vaguely unaware of much of what he
was talking about. It gave her a chance to just sit and listen to his voice.
Like everything else about him, it was the stuff of fantasy. Deep, rich,
commanding. The allure of his accent went without saying. She tried her best to
concentrate on what he was saying, but her mind was doing a curious thing. It was
translating every sentence.
      When
he said, “I have spent hours just studying the way a wing moves,” she heard, “I
could spend hours just exploring your body—with my tongue.”
      Likewise,
“You’d be amazed how many colours there are in his plumage,” turned into “You’d
be amazed how many ways I can make you climax.”
      “I’m
sorry. I’m boring you to death with all this bird jabber.”
      “What?
No. I’m learning a lot.”
      He
laughed. “Liar. You’ve been trying to look polite but I just caught you dazed
and smiling. There’s no way my talking about birds did that. You tuned me out.”
      If
only you knew!
      “I’m
sorry. I was listening. But you did catch me drifting for a second. Your words
gave me some very...interesting ideas.”
       Think
quick. What ideas? How do I get out of this one? Got it!
      “Every month I try and bring the
community here for an event. Would you be interested in hosting a birdwatching
talk? You know more about the birds around here than most of us.”
      “You
really think the local people will want to hear about birds from an outlander?”
      “A
what?”
      “Someone
not from here. In Scotland, we call them outlanders.”
      “Well,
around here we have mainlanders. That’s what we call the people in the rest of
Canada. There’s a couple of families here, mine included, that have some
Scottish ancestry, so you’ll be fine.”
      For
an idea that came on a whim, she was now thinking it might be a great event.
The old-timers, and most of the population of Heart’s Ease was over sixty,
would especially love it.
    ––––––––
      I t
also gave her a good reason to join him for supper. And then breakfast the next
morning. It wasn’t until lunch when there was no sign of him that she became
aware of how much she’d enjoyed sharing a meal with him. She had even started
listening to what he was saying, and only sometimes let her mind wander to more
personal musings.
      As
the clock ticked past noon, and then beyond one, she began to worry he might
have had an accident. It was a misty day. Maybe he’d slipped and sprained an
ankle. Or perhaps he’d tripped in the rocks and split his head open. There was
no harm in going to check. She tried not to rush putting on her jacket, but it
seemed that all things Cam made her imagination go into overdrive.
      “I
was hoping I hadn’t missed you. I completely lost track of time.” Cam stomped
his boots on the mat as he closed the door.
      “Oh
God. You’re okay,” she gushed, barely restraining herself from flinging her
arms around him.
      “Ah,
you were worried about me? See, I knew you cared.”
      “Well,
it would be pretty bad for business if you fell off a cliff and died, now
wouldn’t it.”
      “Aye.
It would be pretty bad for me, too. But no worries. I’m as right as rain. And I
should know since I’ve spent all morning out in that horrid wet. I’ll tell you
one thing. I didn’t expect to find a place that could compete with the
Highlands’ unpredictable weather.”
      Upon
closer inspection she saw that he was soaking wet. “You need to get those
clothes off right now.”
      “Well
now, that’s a turn of events. I thought you’d never suggest it.” His grin was
enticing.
      Still,
she was getting used to his banter by