Page 229 of My Fake Dating with the Grumpiest Highlander
A loud crash erupts outside the cottage.
Then Mrs. Finley’s hysterical voice rings across the courtyard.
“Ragnar! Get back here, you thief!”
Mary and I move at the exact same time.
We rush outside and immediately stop dead at the sight unfolding in front of us.
Ragnar is sprinting full speed across the castle courtyard with a massive loaf of bread clenched in his mouth.
Behind him, Mrs. Finley charges after him waving a dish towel like a weapon while Fergus trips over a stone and Jamison somehow manages to hurry forward with dignity intact despite his age and immaculate suit.
Fergus shouts in panic:
“He stole the loaf! And the cheese! And the ham!”
Jamison, trying desperately to preserve what remains of his composure, adds:
“Would someone please stop this… this creature!”
“He’s heading for the stables!” Mary exclaims.
And suddenly we’re all running after a kleptomaniac sheep.
Because apparently emotionally devastating conversations are not complete without a full-scale livestock chase.
Ragnar disappears into the stables.
We arrive seconds later, followed closely by the panting castle staff.
“He went in here!” Mrs. Finley gasps. “I saw him!”
We split up immediately.
Mary checks the stalls on the left.
I take the right side.
Fergus searches near the tools.
Jamison methodically inspects every corner using a flashlight despite visibly wheezing.
Several minutes later, we’re forced to admit the impossible:
Ragnar is gone.
Completely vanished.
Mary stands in the center aisle with her hands on her hips looking stunned.
“At this point I wouldn’t even be surprised if he found a secret tunnel like Hamish.”
I stare at her.
“A secret tunnel?”
She blinks like she accidentally said something obvious.
