A Time & Place for Every Laird by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader TXT) 📕

I don’t know who he is or was but Hugh isfreakin’ smart. He’s a survivor. He’ll be fine.”

Clenching her teeth to stop a biting retort,Claire shook her head once more, but knew that all her reasons forgoing were just an excuse. Danny was right. Hugh would undoubtedlyfind his way without her help or anyone else’s. He was brilliantand resourceful, and that charm of his would probably take himanywhere he wanted to go. “But …”

“No buts, Sis,” he interrupted. “I get it, Ireally do. I never thought I’d see you look at a guy like thatagain, but you can’t have him. Not now. Maybe not ever. As long asthey think you know where he is, they’ll follow you. They’retenacious like that. Believe me, I know.”

Claire stared at him, herheart thudding heavily in her chest as his words echoed in her mindand heart. Not now. Maybe not ever.No, she thought, feelingthe tears well once more. Not tears of gratitude this time buttears of loss. How could she let Hugh go? Let him walk away? Heneeded her.

No, that wasn’t it at all, was it? It washer. She didn’t want him to go. She didn’t want Hugh to leave heralone once more, not when it seemed that life—which had long agoleft her standing alone by the side of the road—had suddenly seenfit to pick her up once more.

“Good-bye, Danny,” she said, getting out ofthe van.

“Claire,” he pleaded. “Be realistic.”

Claire pulled the door shut and walkednumbly toward Goose, not caring if the entire NSA saw her do it.Getting in the car, she slammed the door and stared dully out thewindshield. She had to let Hugh go. Truth that it might be, somepart of her refused to digest it.

She couldn’t go through that again.

With a sigh, Claire pulled her phone out ofher purse and turned it on. Thumbing across the pictures, shepulled up a picture of her husband taken the last time he’d beenhome on leave. Matt was smiling that light, teasing smile he hadalways worn. The smile she always thought of when she pictured him.Hugh had been right. Claire had enshrined Matt in her memories,making him perfect in her mind. He had been far from perfect.Claire forced herself to remember that. To remember that they hadfought like normal couples. To remember that Matt had had badhabits. Done things that annoyed her from time to time.

But she had loved him and he had loved her.Claire stroked her thumb across the image tenderly. She had beenhappy and in losing that happiness, had almost been destroyed.

Emptiness had filled her, lived within herfor years. Hugh had been right. She had lived in fear of loving andlosing once more. The anger over his loss and the subsequent fearof trying again had ruled her life. Now, somehow, Claire was filledagain. Miraculously, amazingly filled. Filled with joy andanticipation and love because of Hugh. He wasn’t perfect either,not by a long shot. Hugh was superior and occasionallycondescending. That sense of entitlement had probably beeningrained in him from birth. But he was perfect for her. There wasthat laughter, that challenge—he would always call her out on herstubborn flaws and bad habits! And he challenged her mind aswell.

How was she to give that up willingly? Howwas she supposed to, in essence, hold the door open for it as itwalked away from her again?

The car door opened and Hugh slid into theseat. “I told ye tae wait.”

“Sorry,” Claire mumbled as she swiped thepicture away before turning off the phone and throwing it in thebackseat. “Can we go?”

“Aye. I dinnae see anything suspicious, solet’s make haste.”

Nodding, Claire started Goose up and backedout the parking space, heading through the twilight back toRobert’s. She knew she should be making plans for their departure,needed to do so sooner rather than later, but she couldn’t getDanny’s warnings out of her head. She didn’t want to lose Hugh, butreally, what was more important? Her happiness or his freedom? Ifshe didn’t let him go there was ample chance that they would haveneither.

“Sorcha? Are ye all right?” Hugh asked,taking her free hand between his and chafing it lightly. His handwas rough, hard, and warm. The press of his skin against hers madeher hand tingle. She would have to remember that feeling.

“Sorcha?”

“I’m fine,” she lied woodenly.

“We should pack our things tonight and beready tae leave tomorrow evening,” Hugh said, notrecognizing—perhaps for the first time—the falsehood on her lips,as he was too busy making the plans she could not. “We dinnae wanttae cause undue troubles for yer uncle, so I believe it best if wedinnae leave yer car there tae be found but somewhere else alongthe way before we leave the island. If we’re tae meet this boat bydawn and this Blaine is three hours away, as yer brother said, wewill need tae leave in the early morning hours. What time is thelast ferry?”

“What? Oh, about one in the morning.”

Hugh nodded thoughtfully. “We will have theday then to gather our things with plenty of time to rest ifnecessary before we leave. That would be best, do ye agree?”

“Yes,” Claire agreed stiffly. “Whatever youthink.”

She could feel Hugh’s eyes on her, wonderingat her sudden capitulation no doubt, but Claire finished the drivein silence until the garage door fell protectively behind them.

“Sorcha?” Hugh lifted her chin until he wasable to meet her eyes. “I will keep ye safe, I swear it. I willnaelet any harm come tae ye.”

The warmth of his hand felt like fireagainst the flush of her cheeks. Hard and rough against thesoftness he must feel. Remember it, her heart cried. Memorize itbecause it is all you will have left.

But it wouldn’t be enough.

Yes, even if it killed her to do it, shewould let him go to ensure his freedom, but she needed more thanthe memory of a few gentle kisses, Claire decided. If she was trulygoing to let happiness walk away from her once more, then damn it,she was going have something more spectacular to remember.

Chapter 33

“Sorcha? What troubles ye, lass?” Hughasked, finding her