Highland Hearts. Eva Hamilton Maria

      “But I’ve just come,” Cait pouted.

      “We’ll have time together.” Logan pinched her cheek. “You don’t think we’d let you go anywhere alone at this hour, do you?” Logan stepped toward his brother. “I’ll take you back. So we’ll catch up then, right?” Her good humor resurfaced before she turned to face her older sister.

      “I know this is asking too much, but what about Cait?” Angus whispered, safely out of earshot. “We could never leave without her. And we have practically nothing to sell to raise money.”

      “Angus, I’ve made arrangements for seven of us to go. I would never think of leaving Cait behind. I’ve always considered her my family, too.” Logan squeezed his brother’s shoulder, but Angus looked strangely discomfited.

      “I don’t understand.” Angus stared down at his fingers, using them to calculate something. “I count one extra person. We’re only six.” He looked up at Logan, his face full of confusion. “You, me, Nessia, Ewan, Duncan, and Cait. Six.”

      Logan smiled at him. “You’ve forgotten Sheena.”

      Angus took a small step back in bewilderment. “You expect her to go with you?”

      “I expect a lot from her, and marrying me is at the top of that list.”

      “Logan, Sheena’s mother never thought of you as a good match for Sheena. You’ll have a difficult time convincing them otherwise.” Angus shook his head.

      “Aye. So I’ve come to find out since being back.” Logan’s mind floated to his meeting with Sheena at their waterfall. “More than you know.” Logan lowered his head toward his brother to make sure he would hear him even in his hushed tone. “I might as well tell you now. We’ve only got two weeks left in Scotland before we set sail.”

      Angus’s jaw dropped, but Logan kept talking. “A few of us promised the other men we’d bring letters back to their families, so we divvied them up and I took the bunch for Glasgow. I should have already delivered them, but with Gordon McDougall’s death, I had to come straight home to Callander. Now we have just about a week to say goodbye to this village before we head to Glasgow. Our ship departs from there and I need time to deliver these letters.”

      “A week. Only a week?” Angus raised his eyebrows. But Logan didn’t even know if Angus could keep up a coherent conversation anymore, because he just kept mumbling, “a week.” Nevertheless, Logan nodded once to Angus’s rhetorical question before Nessia broke into their huddle.

      “I don’t know what you two are talking about, but Cait must be returned to the Montgomerys’ house immediately. She’s only allowed a limited amount of free time on Sundays. I can’t believe she risked her job to come here on a Saturday night. She should have just waited to see you in church tomorrow, Logan. If someone finds out she is missing, she will lose her post. Then what will she do?”

      Angus and Logan exchanged a knowing look. They knew exactly what they wanted Cait to do.

      Chapter Four

      “So what are the Americas like, Logan?” Cait asked as they made their way to the Montgomery household.

      “I stayed mostly in a place they originally called New Inverness, and even though it shares the same name as Inverness, not much else is the same as the Highlands. For one, it’s a lot warmer there.” Even on this spring night, he hugged himself against the wet chill soaking into every inch of his body. “Anyway, now they call it Darien, and it’s in one of the most southern colonies in the Americas, known as Georgia.”

      “I can’t even imagine it.” Cait shivered as she sighed. At least it had stopped raining. “I wish I could envision it all.”

      Logan looked over at her. “Would you like to go there?” He broached the subject carefully.

      “Are you joking?” Cait rolled her eyes. “I’d give anything to be able to live life the way I want to. Have my own home with a husband and children, instead of working in someone else’s house as a parlor maid.” Cait blushed. “Like Nessia.”

      “Aye, Nessia and Angus are lucky.” Logan looked straight ahead into the darkness—he wanted the same blissful life with Sheena. “You’re still young, Cait. Do you even have a young man?” Immediately Cait looked down at her shoes, shaking her head. “You don’t?”

      “I think I would know if I did, Logan.” She crossed her arms. “Please don’t tease me about it. I already feel terrible that in all my twenty years no man has ever seen me the way Angus looks at Nessia.”

      “Cait, I didn’t mean to tease. The right man will show up someday.” Logan smiled at her. “But I am happy to hear that you’re unattached.”

      “Logan, you are not the type of person to take pleasure in the unhappiness of others.” Cait still didn’t look at him.

      “Nay. You know me well enough. But you do not know my plans.” Logan let out a whistle into the quiet night air.

      “Please tell me.” Cait grabbed his arm, making Logan unable to keep her in suspense any longer.

      “I want us all to go to the Americas together. Angus, Nessia, their wee ones, you and Sheena. I’ll pay your way, Cait, if you want to come with us.”

      Logan watched Cait’s expression and she beamed. “If Nessia’s going, so will I.”

      “Perfect.” Logan’s face shone, too. “Angus still has to consult with Nessia, but hopefully she’ll see it as we do. It will be a better life for all of us. And there are lots of unattached men in the Americas, so you’ll have your pick of eligible bachelors.”

      Cait shot him a less-than-amused look, but perked up quickly enough. “This is like a dream. It just doesn’t seem real.” Logan thought she might actually break into a jig. Not that he would stop her.

      “We’re leaving Scotland.” Cait giggled. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

      “I’m glad to hear it.” Logan’s spirits lifted. “Not the sleeplessness—that’s not what I meant.” He laughed, but Cait didn’t even notice, as she seemed deep in thought about something else.

      “I can’t believe Sheena never told me anything about these plans. It was only too kind of her to tell me that you came home, but she left this part out entirely.”

      “That’s because she doesn’t know yet. I haven’t actually been able to talk to her about my idea.” Logan lowered his voice. “It seems a lot has changed with her since I’ve been gone.”

      “Aye. You hurt her so much when you left. But you must not give up on her. Get her to forgive you. You have loved her your whole life. And I know she loved you, too. You must get her to love you again.”

      “So you know she does not love me anymore?” The words tasted bitter coming out of his mouth.

      “Nay, I think she still loves you. Even if she may argue differently.” Cait stopped and grabbed hold of Logan’s shoulder. “Logan, I must let her tell you herself what has become of her, because she swore me to secrecy. But I can tell you this, on Monday her aunt Jean came from Glasgow to visit for a week or so. Jean’s been doing this on and off for almost a year now. But this time Jean brought Sheena some news that changed the course of Sheena’s life.”

      Cait let go of Logan’s shoulder, shaking her head. “If only you had come a month earlier, Logan. Then maybe none of this would have happened to her.”

      Logan couldn’t bear waiting to find out what news Cait withheld. But he couldn’t ask her to break Sheena’s trust. He knew what keeping a secret entailed. He’d kept one all this time at Sheena’s father’s behest.

      “Don’t look at me like that, Logan. I can’t tell you. But Sheena will. Just give her a chance, and remember—when you do find out,