Read Online Echoes of Edinburgh by Joann Durgin - Free Book Online Page B

love.”
    Shelby turned her head so fast he thought she’d pop something in her neck. “What did you call me?”
    “Um, Shelby love. Sorry, it just slipped out.”
    The smile she gave him was a bit shaky but lovely as ever. “No reason to be sorry. Daddy used to call me that.”
    “Well, then, maybe I should find another nickname for you. Like I said, I don’t want to trespass on any personal boundaries.” Maybe calling her the same endearment as her father wasn’t the most romantic thing in the world. No guy could compete with something like that.
    “I don’t mind,” she said, her tone soft. “Not at all. In fact, I really like it. Especially from you , Harry.”
    His pulse thrummed. That was all he needed to hear. “So, feel like spitting?” He rolled his eyes. If she spat, it’d be on him.
    “Now, Harry, really. Do I look like the type of girl who goes around spitting?”
    “Not sure. You grew up on a horse farm. Horses spit, don’t they?” Brilliant. How could he compare her to a horse, thoroughbred or not? While listening to his idiocy, she’d been working her jaws. Shelby positioned herself above the Midlothian Heart and spewed a wad of spit worthy of a tobacco-chewing major league baseball player. It landed smack in the middle of the heart. What a woman. “Excellent! Let’s give you the grand prize and call it a day.”
    She laughed. “My job here is done. Your turn.”
    “And prove my aim inferior? No, thanks. Maybe next time.”
    Shelby slid one hand down to a slim hip and gave him a saucy grin. “Chicken?”
    “Of course not,” he said. “Competitive are we?”
    “I guess you bring it out in me.”
    “Fine, then. Watch and learn, Miss Harmon.” He did love a challenge. Although Shelby worked with numbers for a living, she seemed fairly adept at reading him. Either that or she worked with enough men to understand how their minds worked—as much as any woman could. That thought sent an unexpected arrow of jealousy through him. Straddling the sidewalk above the Midlothian, he shoved those thoughts from his mind and prepared to aim. A few seconds later, his effort landed beside hers. “Bull’s-eye.”
    “Well, I guess that’s one way to swap spit.”
    Harrison almost doubled over with his laughter.
    Shelby’s cheeks flamed. “I only meant, that’s something my dad used to say. I mean, well, when…” She waved one hand in the air and turned aside. “Oh, never mind.”
    “I could definitely get used to having you around, Shelby love. Time to keep moving along, though, since there’s a lot more to see. Let me tell you more about The Royal Mile.” Taking her gently by the arm, Harrison guided her to one side of the sidewalk, away from other tourists. “Where else can you walk a mile and see a long-extinct volcano with a castle perched on top”—he waved his hand toward Edinburgh Castle overlooking them—“the highest courts in the country, the National Parliament and Royal Palace, churches, shops, and restaurants?”
    “I’m glad I have you to show me around,” Shelby said, sounding more serious. “I could have joined a tour group or something, but...”
    Time to voice his educated guess. “Your turn to fess up. Admit it. You were prepared to bolt from Edinburgh after handing over that envelope to Pops, weren’t you?”
    Shelby lowered her gaze as if afraid he’d see the truth. “But I’m here now .”
    He lifted her chin with one hand. “I’m very glad about that. As the Scots say, bide . Stay longer if you can.” The words rolled over his tongue before he could think them through, but maybe it was another one of those “God things.” Spurred on by a desire to never let Shelby go, he lowered his tone and prepared to deliver one of the most persuasive speeches of his life. “Stay in Edinburgh until your airline ticket says you have to go back to Chicago. But, most of all, stay because you want to. With me. I want to get to know you better, Shelby, and I hope