I glanced over my shoulder guiltily, scanning for movement at Morag’s window. She had to be up at five—an hour that was truly ungodly—but the window remained dark. I turned back to look up at Hamish, and found his lips, warm on my own.
My gasp of surprise was nicely muffled, and we stood there in the dark beside the fallen bicycle. He kissed me, and I kissed him back without any trouble at all.
When we both finally had to pause to breathe, he smiled ruefully down at me. “I’ve got to leave again tonight for a delivery down in Fort William,” he said. “But I wanted to see yeh ‘afore I left, even jes’ for a bit.”
“I’m— I’m so glad you did,” I managed. I ran my hands over his jacket and up to clasp around his neck. “Would you—can you come inside, for a few minutes?”
He pressed his mouth down to mine again, and groaned softly into the corner of my lips. “Geordie’s waitin’ for me at the shop, and I wouldnae put it past him tae come an’ haul me bodily away. I would stay if I could—ye know that, aye?”
Um, yes. And knowing how he felt—feeling how he felt—did not make his leaving any easier. It’s possible my desperation showed in my voice.
“Really? Really? Not for two minutes?”
He shook his head and stepped away, and the cold swirled around me like a living thing.
“Never want to say goodbye …”
He was through the gate before I realized he was singing. It said something about the state I was in that even the fact he was just a little off-key didn’t affect the level of my ardor.
The cow inside the barn lowed again, and I only had time to lift up my hand before Hamish was gone.
Faraway Fellow…
8:00 pm, June 21
Nairn, Scotland
Well, here it is, my favorite day of the year, because it’s the longest. At home, we call it the first day of summer, though here (or so I’ve been told) this day is considered Midsummer. Anyone care to refute this bit of lore?
I would be spending it with my stalwart Scots boyfriend, but he is once again on the road, delivering auto parts all around the north. I miss him!
But now I am late for work, so I will save news of any celebratory bonfires and so on for another post.
- ES
Comments: 23
HiHoKitty, Sapporo, Japan:
Your love is all we speak of in our book club, Miss Emma-san. You are an inspiration to us all. But still you have not shared the truth of how the fire burns between you. This we long to hear.
Gerald Abernathy, Fort William, Scotland:
Well, girl, I think maybe your dreams have actually come true. From your email it sounds like he’s certainly big enough to be Jamie, and a good kisser, too. Don’t sweat the blonde tips and gel——nothin’ wrong with a California boy wanna-be! And maybe all that singing will land him a spot in a boy band!
As for me, I am out of the rest home, feelin’ fine. I’ve decided to stay on here in Scotland for a while. My nurse——you might remember him?——has a sweet little B&B, and when he’s not nursing people back into the land of the living, he’s cooking full English breakfasts in his little cottage. He’s been showing me around a bit, and as there is so much more to see, I’ve decided to stay awhile.
Stay happy, Emma! I am.
Gerald
Jack Findlay, Edinburgh, Scotland:
Well, I will certainly defy anyone who dares to step forward and refute! For you are most well-informed. When measured properly, summer runs from May Day to Lammas on August first, with the end of June therefore being midpoint.
It’s clear from your other commenters at least, that your quest has been successful. In that regard, I wish you both the best. If you plan to be down near Stirling any time soon, I will certainly be delighted to do so in person.
Jack
(Read 20 more comments here…)
I logged off and looked around. Up front, Katy was just packing up her things. I checked my watch. Right on schedule. Now that I wasn’t blogging as often, she didn’t seem to mind seeing me in the library, as long as one or both of us was on our way out when we met.
After getting to know Hamish a little better, I’d learned that he didn’t even own a computer. I was a bit sad to hear he wasn’t interested in reading anything, but at least I didn’t have to worry about him seeing my writing online. I just—I just wasn’t ready to give it up, yet. I felt so connected to my online community. They were all, to a person, completely delighted for me—well, perhaps not to a person. Jack’s comment had sounded a bit stiff and formal, but I put it down to pre-occupation. He must be getting ready for his new book to come out. And since Hamish had been away, I had been reading my way through his backlist. Katy had a whole shelf devoted to Jack Findlay titles, right up at the front of the library, near her desk.