A Christmas Wish on Arran (Scottish Romances #4)

Chapter Fifty

Callum was at Edie’s house working on the shelves while Molly sat patiently, watching him.

‘If Ruby could see you now,’ he said, ‘she would not be very happy.’ He walked over to her and patted her silky ears. He’d really enjoyed this job, especially as Edie had told him to be as creative as he wanted with the design.

Edie appeared with a cup of tea. ‘I must say, you’re doing a wonderful job. Sorry for the delay. I can’t believe I ran out of milk. I hope the wait was worth it.’ She placed the mug next to him on the floor.

Callum noticed that Edie had already started to unpack some books onto the shelves he had completed. ‘Aw, thanks Edie. I’m glad you like them. And thank you for the tea. Good timing.’

‘I even got you some chocolate biscuits.’ She offered him one from her vintage tea caddy, which now doubled as a biscuit tin.

‘Thanks.’ He reached for one, then pointed at the window. ‘It looks a bit ominous out there, as though it might snow.’

‘Yes, it feels very wintery. It was very quiet this afternoon. Everyone must be staying warm indoors. Mind you, I bumped into the new reporter from the paper.’

Callum was immediately interested. ‘Oh . . . Beth.’ He unwrapped a biscuit.

‘That’s right. I’ve met her before. Lovely girl. Anyway, she was in a bit of a tizz. She took a call from someone telling her that her dad had been rushed to hospital.’

‘Oh no.’ Callum was shocked, putting down his mug of tea. ‘I know Beth. She’ll be so worried. She’s very close to her dad. It’s just the two of them.’ That night of the storm, Beth had told him how she was glad she lived nearer her dad, how she felt guilty that she hadn’t seen much of him these past few years. ‘Where is she now? I should call her.’

Edie raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing look. Then he remembered what Fergus had once told him about Edie. She seemingly had a bit of a knack of noticing things, and was very intuitive. Perhaps she could tell from the expression on his face that he was genuinely concerned about Beth.

‘It seems as though he’s had a heart attack. She’s going over on the next ferry to see him.’

Callum automatically glanced at his watch. The boat was leaving in half an hour. But he could hardly race round there to the terminal and offer to go with her. That would be weird, wouldn’t it?

A glimmer of a smile passed across Edie’s lips. ‘I was thinking, if you wouldn’t mind, if you could nip to the hardware shop in Brodick, I could do with a new torch.’

Callum looked at her in confusion.

‘If you go now,’ she explained patiently, ‘hopefully you will get there before it closes. You might even have time to check in on Beth, if you’re passing and she’s in the queue. She’s taking her car over. I’m sure she would appreciate seeing a friendly face.’

Callum realised what she was suggesting and abandoned his tea and biscuit.

‘I’ll get on with unpacking some of these boxes,’ said Edie innocently. ‘Take your time.’

‘Okay.’ Callum grabbed his keys and headed for the door. ‘See you soon. Thanks Edie.’ He drove as fast as the speed limit allowed. He should have made more of an effort to catch up with her after the storm. If only he hadn’t been ill. Yes, they’d planned to meet tonight, but he needed to see her now and let her know that he cared for her and that she wasn’t alone. Poor Beth.

Thanks to Daisy’s intervention, he knew that she was definitely single. Not that it mattered one jot. Regardless of whether she was single or not, Callum realised that he needed to be in her life, one way or another.

‘Don’t worry,’ Daisy had reassured him. ‘I didn’t make it obvious that I was fishing for information. I just talked about boys in general and how annoying they are. Well, apart from Murray. And you. Though I did say that you had your moments. Anyway, I said I was never getting married or having children. When I asked her if she ever married, she said no.’

His curiosity had been piqued.

‘She said she agreed that guys could be more hassle than they were worth, and she recommended being single.’

Callum remembered that he had felt relieved and pleased when Daisy had told him. Anyway , he thought, giving himself a shake as he neared the parking bays at the ferry terminal, there’s no point in dwelling on that now . He just wanted to check in on her and make sure she was okay. As a friend at the very least. He parked the car and jumped out, turning to the queuing cars and scanning to find hers. He was glad she drove a red car — it stood out amongst all the white and grey that was lined up and waiting to board the ferry. Striding over, he saw her sitting in the driver’s seat, head dipped. Tapping on the window she looked up in surprise.

She opened the window. ‘Callum, I was about to message you. What are you doing here?’

‘Oh Beth, I heard about your dad.’

Her face was pale. ‘How?’

‘Edie.’

‘Ah, that would make sense. She said she had a joiner doing some work at the house.’ She paused. ‘She was great. Calmed me down when I got the call. If it wasn’t for her, I would still be running around like a headless chicken, not sure what to do or where to start.’ She sighed.

‘I’m sorry Beth. Will you be okay?’

She smiled weakly at him. ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thank you. It was a bit of a shock, but I’ll feel better once I’m there and can actually see him.’

‘If there’s anything I can do?’ He wanted to reach into the car and give her a hug. Anything to take away the look of worry and sadness in her eyes. ‘Just let me know. Please.’

Beth unclipped her seatbelt. ‘I’ll get out. There’s a few minutes till we start boarding.’ She pointed at the waiting ferry.

Callum stepped aside to let her open the door.

‘I just hope he’s okay.’ She stood next to him, stubbing her foot against the ground.

‘He’s in the best place.’ He reached for her hand. ‘Think positively.’

Tears were glistening in Beth’s eyes and she took a shaky breath. ‘I know. You’re right. Thank you. And thanks for coming to check on me. I really appreciate it. I’m sorry that I won’t make tonight.’

Just then, huge snowdrops started to fall from the sky. ‘Edie was right. She thought it would snow,’ said Beth.

She looked so vulnerable that Callum couldn’t help but reach for her and gather her in his arms. He felt her soften against him for a moment or two. Then he could hear people starting to turn on their engines. ‘I think you’ve got a good excuse,’ he said softly. ‘Looks like they’re starting to load you on.’ He reluctantly let her go.

Beth forced a weak smile. ‘Thank you. I suppose I should get going.’ She looked at him for a moment, her hair now sprinkled with snow.

In that moment, Callum decided to take a chance. He reached down and kissed her gently on the lips. He was relieved when she didn’t move away. ‘Keep in touch. Let me know when you’re there safely. And drive carefully . . . I’m here for you Beth. I’ll be waiting.’

Her cheeks were pink — she nodded. ‘I’d better go.’ She turned and opened the car door.

He watched as she drove onto the ferry. It wasn’t until her car had disappeared from sight that he turned and walked away. He was glad he’d managed to catch her. It felt like the natural thing to do. And he’d meant what he’d said. He would be there waiting for her. No matter how long it took.