Secret Garden

“Excuse me?” Colin the human said.

“Colin,” Paul said to the cat, and he bent to pick him up. “You know you don’t belong here,” he admonished her pet in a singsong voice.

“Wait a minute,” Colin said. “Did you just call that cat by my name?”

“No,” Paul said stiffly, drawing himself up. “You share a name with Rhiannon’s cat.”

“Rhiannon’s cat?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Here, pretty baby.” Colin patted his lap, and her cat obliged, jumping up on him. Again, as best he could, given his age. The little devil would attempt anything to poach cream.

“How old is he?” Colin asked Paul.

“He’s twenty-one, I believe,” Paul said.

Colin was silent for a moment. Then he drew his hand along Colin’s fur, petting him. “I never knew about him.” Maybe Rhiannon imagined it, but she thought Colin looked misty-eyed.

Rhiannon sat again. Colin’s letter was in her pocket. Quietly, she opened the envelope and unfolded the note inside. In a careful hand, he’d written:

Rhiannon, I’m sorry I offended you this morning. You were once an important friend of mine, and I don’t want to lose that. Please forgive me. Colin.

Rhiannon touched it lovingly. Oh, what she had wished for—a letter from him—and never thought would happen.

She’d been utterly shocked when he’d come back this afternoon. Part of her wanted Colin here—but not the part that was in charge. The panic attacks trumped everything, and with them, she could never be normal around him.

More than anything, she needed her control. To be in charge of herself. Colin threatened that control. It was sad, but that was the way she was. To meet with him would be cruel, for both of them. It was best for everyone that he leave as soon as possible.

But what about his father’s funeral? She would have to say something about it. She couldn’t just ignore it, or him.

Just then the castle door opened—Malcolm had arrived, bringing in the smell of the early-summer air. He was dressed in his workday suit, his sunglasses on. Her older brother was a handsome man—always had been—but when Colin stood, the cat still in his arms, he managed to take her breath away.

Colin had changed clothing since she’d seen him earlier, and now wore khaki trousers and a collared shirt. He was shaven, tall and full of life, and he looked so appealing to her that she all could do was stare at him.

“Hi, Malcolm. It’s me. It’s Colin.”

But Malcolm’s jaw tightened. Slowly, he hooked his car keys on a peg beside the wall. “What’s going on?” he asked in his gruff, deep tone.

Colin’s smile wavered. “My father died,” he said in a low voice.

Rhiannon put her hand to her mouth. She felt devastated for him.

Even Malcolm was moved; she watched him exchange a look with Paul.

“I’m sorry,” Malcolm said.

“You didn’t know?”

“Not until Paul told me. But I don’t live here anymore—I live in Edinburgh. I’m only in the area because we own a manufacturing facility in Byrne...well, not far from here.”

“Do your parents plan to attend the funeral?” Colin crossed his arms. “Because my grandmother could really use the support.”

Malcolm shook his head helplessly. “My parents are out of the country. They won’t be back until the end of summer.”

“And Rhiannon?” Colin’s voice went lower. “Is she coming?”

Rhiannon’s heart seemed to pause. What was she going to do?

Malcolm’s hands tightened into fists. Her brother was protective of her, and he probably always would be. It upset her and made her sad, especially because Malcolm was married now and had a new life of his own. Rhiannon didn’t call to check in with him every day anymore, as she used to. It wasn’t fair to him.

She wished Paul hadn’t called him. The last thing she wanted were bad feelings between her brother and Colin.

“Let me talk with my sister,” Malcolm said in a clipped tone. “You wait here.”

CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_c6bf2c0e-8ea6-570b-953c-ae362589a621)

“THANK YOU,” RHIANNON breathed as Malcolm headed up the stairs.

When he appeared on the landing, she intercepted him and put her finger to her lips, motioning him to follow her. Together they climbed the rest of the way, then went around the corner and into the library.

Inside, Malcolm leaned against the doorjamb while Rhiannon paced. She had such nervous energy. Colin’s presence had affected her physically, even without the dilemma she faced regarding his father’s funeral.

“You didn’t need to come,” Rhiannon said to her brother, keeping her voice low so Colin wouldn’t hear her downstairs. “I’ll manage this. I’m sorry Paul phoned you.”

“Well, I’m not sorry. I was going to stop by tonight, anyway.” Malcolm hooked a thumb toward the staircase. “What’s going on with the Walkers? I hadn’t heard anything about Dougie Walker passing on.”

Dougie. Yes, that had been Colin’s dad’s first name. Rhiannon sighed. “I hadn’t heard, either. It’s terrible. But don’t worry—I’ll phone Jessie and lend my support that way. She’ll understand that I can’t go to the funeral.”

Malcolm nodded. He seemed grim-faced. “How about you? How’s everything going with Mum and Dad being gone?”

My life is changing. But she smiled cheerfully at him. “It’s lovely.”

His brow creased. “Have you heard from them this week?”

“No,” she said lightly, “but they’re in the Galápagos Islands by now, swimming with rare Pacific sea turtles, I imagine. Can’t you just see Mum’s face?”

Malcolm chuckled. “Dad’s taking this retirement thing seriously, isn’t he?”

“You sound like an American,” she teased.

“We came back from Vermont last weekend. Kristy’s getting her dual citizenship. Did I tell you that?”

“No,” Rhiannon said softly. “You didn’t.”

They were silent for a moment. Until Malcolm had met his new wife, Kristin—Kristy was his nickname for her—Rhiannon and her brother had kept up their tradition of talking together every day on the telephone. They’d started shortly after she’d come home from the hospital as a child and he’d been packed off to boarding school in New England. Her daily phone call with her big brother had been a key part of her healing process. Sometimes all they’d shared was a knock-knock joke. But it had been enough.

“Rhi, I don’t want you to feel you can’t call me when you need to, just because I’m married. It bothers me that you’re here alone. I told Mum that, but—”