Page 200 of My Fake Dating with the Grumpiest Highlander
Rosita bleats once.
The room falls silent.
“Is that…” Keira says slowly, “Finn’s stethoscope?”
“Finn is going to panic when he realizes it’s missing,” Emma murmurs.
“Rosita stole his medical equipment,” Jane says while trying very hard not to laugh. “That’s a very serious offense.”
I pick up the stethoscope with trembling hands.
“He needs this. For patients, for consultations…”
My voice cracks.
Hamish bleats proudly from his corner as if congratulating Rosita, who joins him and settles nearby.
“They’re working together,” Keira says, thoroughly entertained.
“It’s honestly kind of beautiful. And completely insane,” Emma adds.
“These animals are way too intelligent,” Jane mutters. “They understand far too much, and they’re always exactly where nobody expects them to be.”
“At this point it’s basically witchcraft,” Emma jokes.
I tighten my fingers around the stethoscope.
“He doesn’t love me. He told me so. He said everything was one huge mistake.”
The tears spill over now.
Impossible to stop.
Jane slides closer on the couch and pulls me into her arms.
“Men say horrible things when they’re scared.”
“Lachlan told me I was too young to know what I wanted,” Emma reminds me.
“Callum told me our marriage would never become real,” Jane adds.
“But you all had signs,” I whisper desperately. “Moments where you knew they loved you.”
Keira leans toward me, her voice firm.
“Mary, I saw the way he looked at you during the ceilidh.”
“And the way he held you,” Emma adds softly. “Like you were precious.”
“A man who feels nothing doesn’t look at a woman like that,” Jane finishes.
Suddenly, loud panting echoes from the hallway followed by the scraping sound of something heavy dragging across the floor.
Hamish Junior trots proudly into the room.
He’s hauling something enormous behind him with determined little grunts.
My stomach drops.
