6. Chapter 6 - Lochinvar

Finally the door opened, Ash came out, and called over her shoulder, "See ya later, Don!"

I stood as she walked up. She had a bonny smile that lit up the night. I looked down on her, she was verra beautiful, makin' it difficult tae ken what tae say.

She said, "You waited for me, I wasn't sure you would."

"Aye, I waited, I said I would."

"Cool, cool." She nodded looking up intae m'eyes, renderin' me speechless, still.

There was a long awkward pause then she said, "So was that group of people, your um... family?"

"Aye, Magnus and Fraoch are m'brothers. We are all in the same clan."

Her eyes squinted. Then she said, "I heard he was really rich."

"He is a ki— a laird, aye, he has a great deal of wealth and much land, aye."

She walked over to the wall and put her bag down on it, placed her keys beside it, and leaned there.

"And what do you do, Lochie?"

"Dost ye want tae sit down? Ye must be worn from the work."

"Yeah, actually, yeah." She perched on the wall and I stood in front of her.

"I work for m'brother..." I searched for a way tae express what I did without sayin' I fought in the arena for him, I said, "I help him keep his lands."

"Like a groundskeeper, or an assistant?"

"Aye, I assist him, if he needs me... I do what is required."

"Do you go to Scotland a lot?"

"Verra often, tis a beautiful land — hae ye seen it, Mistress Ash?"

"No, I've been a few places in the US, but never overseas, and nowhere as beautiful as that — you know, you can just call me Ash if you..." Her voice trailed off.

I shook my head.

She said, "I do kinda like it when you call me ‘Mistress Ash', it makes me feel fancy, and... yeah, I could use the boost, it's been a tough year."

"Och nae, what has been tough on ye, Mistress Ash?"

She smiled up at me, lightin' a blaze in m'heart. "It's nothing really, I was in the army?—"

"The army…?"

"Yeah, the military and?—"

"Ye were a soldier? I daena understand…"

She squinted. "Lochie, yes, I was a soldier, I mean, I was in the military, my job was?—"

"Ye fought in a war?"

"No, I worked on a base."

"Oh."

She said, "Have you ever met a woman soldier before Lochie?"

"Nae, never."

"There aren't women in your military in the UK?"

I shook my head, then because I wasna certain I said, "At least I hae never met one."

She grinned. "Now you have. I'm out now, a reservist, I can get called up if a war starts, but I'm out, so I came back here, started a job, but you don't want to hear about all my dramas..."

I said, "I do, I want tae be the one who ye share yer dramas with..."

"Oh."

There was a long pause. I was unsure what tae say.

Then she said, "I ought to go home, I had a long night."

"Och, aye... of course, I..."

She pulled her phone from her pocket. "What's your number?"

"Och nae, I daena..."

"You don't have a phone?"

I said, "I daena hae it on me."

She dug through her bag, uncapped a pen and wrote upon a small scrap of paper, ‘Ash' and then a string of numbers. She passed it tae me, saying, "This is my number if you want to call."

I looked down on the page. "I would like that verra much." Then thought tae ask, "Do ye work tomorrow? I could come wait for ye again at the same time?"

She said, "I would like that."

I picked up her hand and bowed over it and kissed her knuckles.

She mumbled. "Wow."

"I will see ye on the morrow, Mistress Ash."

"I will see you tomorrow, Lochie."

She picked up her bag and keys and walked away down the sidewalk tae her car.

I went tae the truck, and climbed in the back beside Kaitlyn, sittin' with the scrap of paper still in my hand.

She asked, "She gave you her phone number?"

"Aye, she said I might call her, but I was also given permission tae see her on the morrow — here at the same time."

"Well done, Lochie!"

He grinned. Then his face fell, "I will need a phone."

"Yep, it seems like time."