Chapter 3

Cameron's blue eyes were wide with astonishment, and he was speechless as he watched the departure of the hateful little man. He shook his head in disbelief as he looked down at Ava.

"How did ye do that?" he asked incredulously. "I tried to reason wi' him. I begged, then I lost my temper, but you only spoke tae him an' you got him tae agree wi' my suggestion. How did ye do it?"

Ava shrugged. "Womanly wiles?" she suggested with a mischievous smile.

Cameron threw back his head and laughed. "I believe ye!" he cried. "He is a vain, stupid creature, an' a wee bit o' attention from a pretty woman is enough to have him eatin' out o' your hands. Thank you very much, Ava. I could never have done that without ye."

"I was happy to help," she replied. For a few seconds she found herself completely unable to look away from Cameron's turquoise blue eyes. She had the strangest feeling that he could see into her mind and discern her thoughts, but a moment later he looked away.

"I only hope I can work hard enough to keep him happy," he said doubtfully, sighing. "It seems there will no' be enough hours in the day to do everything he wants me to do."

"But you can do it." Ava was encouraging. She put her hands on his shoulders. "Look at these. You have pulled plows wi' these shoulders and arms. A wee bit more hard work will no' bother ye at a'."

Cameron's love for Ava surged like a bright flame inside him, but how could he tell her when he had nothing to offer her? No woman could live with him on a piece of farmland that was barely big enough to support him. He could never raise a family on it.

Now that he was working for McCluskey he would likely not have enough time to gather in his own crops, and Jimmy would probably not have enough hay to sustain him all through winter. The more he thought about his situation the worse it seemed to become. He gave a deep, involuntary sigh, wondering if Ava thought as little of him as he thought of himself.

"Ye look so sad, Cam," she said suddenly, and he jerked his attention back to her again.

Her amber eyes were gazing at him worriedly. "Has that fool upset ye?"

"Aye, a bit," he replied. "Or maybe I am just feelin' sorry for myself, Ava. Nothin' seems tae be goin' right. First the crops, now the money." Then abruptly he stopped and looked at her, and said the first thing that came into his mind. "You are such a good woman," he said warmly. "When the time comes ye will be a wonderful wife an' mother."

Ava caught her breath. What was he going to say next? However, she waited in vain, for he turned away again. "It is very early for you to be here," he observed. "Did ye finish your work quick today?"

"We wanted to do somethin' nice for ye," Ava replied. "Now, Rona wants ye to give her all your mendin', because she can sew it for ye."

"That would be grand!" He said happily, his face lighting up. "I can never do it right."

"As well as that -" she went on, then paused for dramatic effect.

"Tell me!" he demanded at last, laughing.

"Well, it seems as though I came at exactly the right time," she said slowly, her eyes twinkling. "Because we were goin' to give you some of our hay."

"You were?" His normally deep voice almost became a squeak of surprise. "I - thank ye, Ava! I don't know what tae say." Abruptly, he pulled her into his arms again for a hug that was so tight she could not breathe for a moment.

Ava could have stood where she was forever, but she did not dare. It would be too tempting to become lost in him. Gently, she pushed him away and smiled. "You will have to come and get it yourself, though," she informed him. "We don't have a horse or a cart as ye know. We can give ye enough tae keep Jimmy happy for a while till ye can cut your own."

"I can't believe it," Cameron said, shaking his head. "It is wonderful to have such good…friends."

"Cam, ye have done so much for us," Ava said gently. "Ye have sacrificed so much o' the wee bit o' free time ye have for us that it is the least we could do. Ye helped us with the plowing, patched up the roof o' the cottage, an' even helped us tae bathe Da sometimes. We didn't want ye to think we were ungrateful."

He smiled and said gently, "Never. I would never think that, Ava."

For a moment, she was lost in his bright eyes. "I have brought a ye wee bite to eat."

"What have I done to deserve a' this?" he asked, surprised. "Come for a ride wi' me." He gestured towards his horse and helped her to mount. She waited while he climbed into the saddle behind her, and felt his hard body pressed against her back. The sensation gave her a frisson of delight all the way down to her core, and she closed her eyes, savoring it for a moment, glad he could not see her face, which she was sure was giving away too many of her feelings.

They moved out of Cameron's field and he steered them towards the little loch that bordered the Kilcarron Castle.

Cameron was acutely aware of Ava's soft woman's body in front of him. His manhood had already stiffened in response and for a split second he contemplated raising his hands to cup her breasts. Somehow, he felt that she would not object.

Presently, they came to the edge of the loch, and looked across its calm surface to the castle on the other side. It was tall and imposing, rising turret upon turret to a tower in the very center which sported a flagpole from which hung the blue and white Saltire, the Scottish flag, and another with the Lewis clan crest.

Ava had often felt jealous when she looked at it, wondering why she and her sisters had never had the good fortune to be born into wealth and privilege, but it was no good dreaming. Life was not fair, and never would be.

Ava set the basket down on the ground and took out half a loaf of bread, a flagon of ale, as well as a half wedge of cheese, then she gave him a small leather bag, which he opened to see a juicy bunch of fresh blackberries.

He gave her a beaming smile. "Ye are an angel," he whispered. "How did ye know that blackberries were my favorite?"

"Because ye told me," she replied, giggling. "An' I can pick them just about anywhere at this time o' year."

"Thank you," he said, smiling. "You have been so good to me, Ava. Will ye share some of this delicious food with me?"

"I will have some ale," she replied. "But ye will have to manage the rest by yourself. It is no' much for a big man like you."

Cameron looked down at the food, then up at Ava, and frowned. "I hope you are no' depriving yourself." His voice was a little doubtful. "If you are, I will no' accept it."

Ava shook her head. "No, Cam. We are fine."

Cameron smiled at her, then began to eat. He tried not to make himself look like a glutton by wolfing the food down as quickly as he wanted to. He had watched the Struthers sisters eating, and although they were hardy farm girls, they had obviously found out how to eat delicately, like ladies.

He was aware of Ava sipping her ale and watching him, and suddenly, she asked: "would ye like me to cut your hair?"

"No," he replied. "I like it this way, and it keeps my ears warm in winter. Do you think it is too long?" He reached up to touch it.

"A wee bit," she replied, "it is hangin' over your eyes, an' I wondered how ye could see out of them sometimes. But it is your own hair an' I cannot tell ye what to do wi' it." Ava had no real desire to cut Cameron's hair; she merely wanted the chance to plunge her hands into its soft silky mass. Even the thought sent a thrill through her right down to her core.

"You can cut it in spring," he promised. He finished his meal and swallowed the last of the ale, then patted his stomach. "Thank you, Ava." He looked at the soft curves of her lips, imagining how it would feel to kiss them. How long had he felt this way? Years, he realized.

He could remember the first time he had seen her as a woman and not a girl, when she had been carrying a bucket of water from the burn and tripped, almost spilling it. He had rushed over to help her and noticed for the first time that her body had changed. Instead of her usual, flat-chested, slightly boyish shape, he could see that her hips and breasts had become rounded and feminine.

"Are you all right?" His voice was anxious.

"Fine, thank ye - just wet!" She laughed as she looked down at her skirt, and he was glad that she was not too proud to make fun of herself.

As he had helped her to her feet, he looked into her eyes anxiously and saw that they were a shade of hazel that was almost amber, fringed with long chestnut brown lashes, and that was when he had begun to fall in love with her. That had been five years ago, five years of hoping and longing, five years of dreading the thought that she might fall for another man, five years of being frustrated that he could not offer her the life she deserved.

"Cam?" He came back to reality when he saw Ava waving her hand in front of his face, giggling. "Are ye daydreamin'?"

"Aye," he said ruefully. "Wishin' I was rich. I feel - powerless. My mammy left me a wee bit o' land an' the cottage after she died because it was a' she had, but even though I have tried hard, I have never been able to do anythin' on the land or in my life that would have made her proud o' me." He thumped the ground with his fists in frustration. "I have run up debts that I cannot pay, and you an' your sisters have had to rescue me. I am a failure, Ava."

Ava felt her eyes begin to sting with tears, which she blinked away. She put her hand over his where it rested on the ground. "We want to help ye because ye deserve it, Cam," she said gently. "Because ye are a good man. You have done more than that for us, an' we owe ye far more than ye owe us."

"Thank you, Ava," he murmured. "But I don't feel like a good man."

"Can your father no' help you?" she asked, then realized it had been the wrong thing to say.

For a moment, Cameron's face took on a thunderously angry glare, then he closed his eyes and passed a hand over them. When he opened them again he shook his head. "He is dead to me, Ava," he said dully. "I buried him long ago."

Ava was one of the few people who knew Cameron's history. He was the last of his line. There would be no one of his name after him, and it broke his heart to think of it, not because of his name, but because he was so lonely. Dalziel was his mother's surname, for his father had disowned him and would not share his name with his son, his bastard. He only thought of himself.

However, if Cameron died, the Struthers sisters might mourn for a while, but they had their own lives to live, and they had each other. No one would miss him.

Then suddenly, as he looked up at Ava, he was horrified at his self-pity. She and her sisters were going through a much worse experience than he was. He had never really known or loved his father, but she loved hers, and was watching him die a slow and horrific death. He felt completely ashamed, and looked away as he turned his hands around to clasp hers.

"I am sorry, Ava." His voice was grim. "I am bein' selfish. I have no' got as much to worry about as you do. Forgive me."

"My Da will die whatever we do. Everybody only has a wee bit o' time on this earth an' his is nearly up." Ava's voice was sad and resigned. "An' no amount o' misery will stop that, Cam. But we must care for the livin' as well. My sisters an' I will have a life after he dies, an' so will you. You have a good future - I believe that - but you must look after yourself, an' we can help you to do that."

Cameron swallowed nervously and ran his thumbs over Ava's fingers. She was watching him, he knew, waiting silently for him to say something he did not feel able to say.

What would have happened next, they had no idea, since they both looked up at the sound of horses' hooves and men's voices yelling at each other.