Page 164 of My Fake Dating with the Grumpiest Highlander
Something ugly and irrational.
“Who the hell is that?” I mutter.
“Jamie MacNeil. The village’s old vet.”
I hadn’t even realized Ewan had approached carrying two crates of beer.
My stomach tightens.
“The old vet,” I repeat.
“Yeah. Ran the clinic before Mary. Left six months ago. Nobody really knows why.”
Ewan watches me curiously.
“You didn’t know he was coming back for the Games?”
“No.”
Why would I know the former village veterinarian was returning home?
Ewan shrugs.
“Well, gotta go.”
He walks off, leaving me alone with Ragnar and a jealousy I absolutely refuse to acknowledge.
I stare at Jamie MacNeil.
His hand is still resting on Mary’s shoulder.
The touch is familiar. Comfortable.
Intimate.
Ragnar lets out a deeply disapproving bleat.
“You hate him too, huh?” I mutter.
The sheep looks at me with what feels suspiciously like masculine solidarity.
I should leave.
Go check the medical station. Inventory supplies. Do something useful.
Instead, I stay where I am and keep watching them.
Jamie and Mary start walking toward the stables.
Toward me.
They’re so busy talking and laughing they don’t notice me hidden in the shadows against the stone wall.
“It’s honestly impressive what you’ve done with the clinic,” Jamie says. “In such a short time.”
“I didn’t exactly have a choice,” Mary reminds him. “You disappeared without warning.”
There’s accusation in her voice.
