Read Online Heart Melter by Sophia Knightly - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sophia Knightly
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know how to respond.
Maggie’s mouth tightened. “God rest his departed soul, but the man was imposing and dictatorial. He didn’t relate to Ian and for some odd reason, it seemed to annoy him that the lad was verra smart and mature for his age. Even as a bairn , Ian had astute vision and a huge heart. Malcolm never appreciated that Ian was born to be a doctor. He wanted his only son to be a ruthless businessman like himself. Selfish. That’s what he was!” she spat out.
Natasha was floored by Maggie’s outpouring of emotion. It was as if she was unloading years of pent-up frustration. “I had no idea it was like that. Ian is brilliant and formidable, and I just assumed that he took after his father since Malcolm was so successful.”
Maggie shook her head. “They weren’t close.”
“No wonder. After the funeral, any time I brought up his father, Ian shut down the conversation. I thought it was because his loss was too recent and raw.”
“Ian is nothing like Malcolm. He doesn’t even look like him. Straight from the womb, Ian was a brilliant bairn . He excelled in all areas, especially maths and science. As a teenager, he spent more time in the science lab and learning to heal animals than at social functions. He was so handsome, the girls swarmed to get his attention. He dated a lot, but never fell in love.” She paused and gazed at Natasha. “Until he met you.”
“Oh,” Natasha said in a small voice, trying not to feel even worse.
“Chin up, lass. All will be resolved soon enough,” Maggie said cheerfully as she rose from the bench. "Will you listen to me ramblin’ on? I'm going inside to check on dinner. Stay awhile and enjoy the fresh air."
“I think I will.” When Maggie left, Natasha’s gaze followed the stone path to the roses named after her. Ian had probably renamed them "heartbreaker" by now. She rubbed her arms as the temperature plummeted along with her heart. Drawing in a shivery breath, she rose from the bench and headed inside.
Back in the bedroom, she hung her clothes in the armoire and neatly arranged her toiletries in the bathroom. Lifting the lid off the glass jar of her perfumed body cream, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. The rose fragrance sent tingles through her when she remembered Ian used to tell her, "your rose scent intoxicates me.”
With a sigh, Natasha closed the lid and turned her attention to the empty suitcases. Where to put them? She closed the smaller one and put it on the bench in front of the bed. When she tried to close the larger one, she noticed the inside lining close to the handle was frayed. She tucked the loose threads inside the seam and her hand touched something hard under the lining. She slipped her hand through the seam and retrieved a small, rectangular object.
Her stomach did a nosedive when she realized she was holding a flash drive.
The missing flash drive!
Stunned, Natasha’s heart lodged like a fist in her throat. When and how on earth had Tony put the flash drive in her suitcase? He’d only been to her apartment a few times! Her pulse pounded a warning beat in her eardrums. Things just got very complicated and she hadn’t even spent one day in Ian’s Highland refuge. She sat on the bed and bent her head forward, gulping deep breaths to calm herself.
Should she tell Maggie and Ranald straight away, or wait and contact Ian first? Or should she call the police? She’d wait until tomorrow to contact the detectives. She ran to her laptop and opened it, hoping she still had battery left. She plugged the flash drive into the side of her laptop and waited for it to load up. Damn! It wasn’t working. She took the flash drive out and slid it back into the suitcase lining where she’d found it.
Natasha shoved the suitcase in the armoire and locked it. Forcing strength in her wobbly limbs, she changed into a scoop-necked, ivory angora sweater and a long black tulip skirt with high-heeled lace-up booties. Knowing Maggie and
Maggie’s mouth tightened. “God rest his departed soul, but the man was imposing and dictatorial. He didn’t relate to Ian and for some odd reason, it seemed to annoy him that the lad was verra smart and mature for his age. Even as a bairn , Ian had astute vision and a huge heart. Malcolm never appreciated that Ian was born to be a doctor. He wanted his only son to be a ruthless businessman like himself. Selfish. That’s what he was!” she spat out.
Natasha was floored by Maggie’s outpouring of emotion. It was as if she was unloading years of pent-up frustration. “I had no idea it was like that. Ian is brilliant and formidable, and I just assumed that he took after his father since Malcolm was so successful.”
Maggie shook her head. “They weren’t close.”
“No wonder. After the funeral, any time I brought up his father, Ian shut down the conversation. I thought it was because his loss was too recent and raw.”
“Ian is nothing like Malcolm. He doesn’t even look like him. Straight from the womb, Ian was a brilliant bairn . He excelled in all areas, especially maths and science. As a teenager, he spent more time in the science lab and learning to heal animals than at social functions. He was so handsome, the girls swarmed to get his attention. He dated a lot, but never fell in love.” She paused and gazed at Natasha. “Until he met you.”
“Oh,” Natasha said in a small voice, trying not to feel even worse.
“Chin up, lass. All will be resolved soon enough,” Maggie said cheerfully as she rose from the bench. "Will you listen to me ramblin’ on? I'm going inside to check on dinner. Stay awhile and enjoy the fresh air."
“I think I will.” When Maggie left, Natasha’s gaze followed the stone path to the roses named after her. Ian had probably renamed them "heartbreaker" by now. She rubbed her arms as the temperature plummeted along with her heart. Drawing in a shivery breath, she rose from the bench and headed inside.
Back in the bedroom, she hung her clothes in the armoire and neatly arranged her toiletries in the bathroom. Lifting the lid off the glass jar of her perfumed body cream, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. The rose fragrance sent tingles through her when she remembered Ian used to tell her, "your rose scent intoxicates me.”
With a sigh, Natasha closed the lid and turned her attention to the empty suitcases. Where to put them? She closed the smaller one and put it on the bench in front of the bed. When she tried to close the larger one, she noticed the inside lining close to the handle was frayed. She tucked the loose threads inside the seam and her hand touched something hard under the lining. She slipped her hand through the seam and retrieved a small, rectangular object.
Her stomach did a nosedive when she realized she was holding a flash drive.
The missing flash drive!
Stunned, Natasha’s heart lodged like a fist in her throat. When and how on earth had Tony put the flash drive in her suitcase? He’d only been to her apartment a few times! Her pulse pounded a warning beat in her eardrums. Things just got very complicated and she hadn’t even spent one day in Ian’s Highland refuge. She sat on the bed and bent her head forward, gulping deep breaths to calm herself.
Should she tell Maggie and Ranald straight away, or wait and contact Ian first? Or should she call the police? She’d wait until tomorrow to contact the detectives. She ran to her laptop and opened it, hoping she still had battery left. She plugged the flash drive into the side of her laptop and waited for it to load up. Damn! It wasn’t working. She took the flash drive out and slid it back into the suitcase lining where she’d found it.
Natasha shoved the suitcase in the armoire and locked it. Forcing strength in her wobbly limbs, she changed into a scoop-necked, ivory angora sweater and a long black tulip skirt with high-heeled lace-up booties. Knowing Maggie and
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