Shaking himself free of his thoughts, he gave Cat a quick kiss, happy he could now do so without second-guessing himself. “Come, then. Let’s see where we’ve ended up.”
Iain squeezed past the branches and then held them aside for Cat to exit. He squinted against the light, waiting for his vision to return to normal. When he could finally keep his eyes open, he looked around.
“This way.” He led her through the dense trees and shrubs before finding the path he was looking for. “Right there.”
No more than a hundred yards away was the Bleeding Heart stone. It was one more connection.
Cat squeezed his hand, her face beaming with excitement. “We’re on the right path, Iain.”
He tucked a stray curl behind her ear, resisting the urge to kiss her again. “Aye, that we are.”
By the time they made it home, the weather had started to turn, the sun streaking down from behind billowy clouds. He was looking forward to getting back to the paintings—and Cat. They worked well together, and he hoped it’d just be the start of it all.
His only worry stemmed from the uncertainty of how she’d react to him leveraging the jewels as collateral until he could liquidate his assets—if and when they managed to find the treasure. It’s not like he was selling them—he could never bring himself to do that. But he still didn’t think she’d be happy about him putting them temporarily on the line, even if it was to save his family’s estate and his brother’s arse.
As they came around to the front of the house, Iain bit back a curse. Speak of the devil. “My brother’s here.”
When she looked over at him, there were lines of worry marring her smooth skin. “There’s nothing wrong with your father, is there?”
“I doubt that’s the reason he’s here. He likely wants something.” Already, he’d said too much. The last thing he wanted was to drag Cat into his problems, especially this early in a relationship. The poor girl would go running for the hills if she knew. “It’ll be fine. Don’t go worrying yourself.”
“If you need someone to talk to… I know we don’t know each other that well, but I’m here if you need me.”
He cupped her cheek, his fingers twined in her hair as his heart raced to have her so close. “I know it hasn’t been long, Cat, but I feel close to ye. I don’t know if it’s because of the intensity of our situation or if it’s because you’re so different to anyone I’ve e’er known, but don’t let some calendar tell ye how to feel. I appreciate you being here for me. Truly.”
Once he was sure she was all right, they went in as he steeled himself and his temper. They found his brother in the sitting room. “Malcolm, I hadn’t expected you. Is Da all right?”
“Aye, he’s fine. No worries.” Malcolm turned to Cat, all smiles and charm, making Iain grit his teeth. “Nice to see you again, Cat.”
Before Cat had a chance to greet his brother, Iain put a stop to all the niceties. “You’ll excuse me for being blunt, but why are you here?”
Iain wasn’t in the mood for his brother’s nonsense. He’d dealt it with it all his life and Malcolm had yet to learn from his mistakes. This latest mess had pushed Iain over the edge though. To put everything at risk—and drag their father into it, no less—was unforgivable.
“I overheard your conversation with Da.” Malcolm looked smug, and it did nothing but annoy Iain. “About the Bleeding Heart and the loch.”
“What about it? We’d been on a hike, and Cat was curious about where the Heart got its name.” The last thing he needed was his brother snooping around.
“Well, I found it curious that he refused to tell me what you were discussing, especially if it was nothing more than going for a hike. But you know Da. He’s always so helpful, and though he didn’t want to tell me what you were up to, in the end I managed to convince him to tell me just a wee bit more.”
Iain’s temper flared, but he resisted the urge to pummel his brother. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but you’ve caused enough problems. And I’m not going to let you ruin my time with Cat. Now if you don’t mind, take your sorry arse back home and stay out of trouble. I’m tired of cleaning up your messes.”
Malcolm got to his feet and brushed past Iain, knocking into him with his shoulder. “This is far from over, Iain.”
His brother left, slamming the door behind him. Iain could have strangled him, but didn’t want to get into it with Cat there.
Cat. She must be mortified.
He shook his head, still annoyed. “I’m sorry you had to see that. My brother forgets that his actions have an effect on the people around him—though I’m not sure he really cares either way.”