Kat and The Ring , livre ebook

Brown Dog Books - Lisa Stewart

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153 pages

English

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Description

Kat, a young librarian, surrounds herself with books. When Kat's neighbour, Dusty, clears out her attic she comes across a valuable ring, seemingly plucked from Loch Assynt more than fifty years ago. The ring is engraved with the romantic plea 'Marry me Jess? Love Hamish'. Kat is pressed into returning to the remote village with Dusty, in an attempt to return the ring to its rightful owners.On their way to the Scottish Highlands, Kat and Dusty pick up hitchhiker Logan - a forensic psychology student who is determined to make his mark as chief investigator. This unlikely trio of teenager, grandmother and student, has three days to uncover the mystery of the engagement ring.One weekend. One ring. One chance to find its story.

Informations

Publié par	Brown Dog Books
Date de parution	16 août 2021
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781839523038
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

First published 2021 Copyright © Lisa Stewart 2021
The right of Lisa Stewart to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright holder.
Published under licence by Brown Dog Books and The Self-Publishing Partnership Ltd, 10b Greenway Farm, Bath Rd, Wick, nr. Bath BS30 5RL
www.selfpublishingpartnership.co.uk

ISBN printed book: 978-1-83952-302-1 ISBN e-book: 978-1-83952-303-8
Cover design by Patrick Knowles Internal design by Andrew Easton
Printed and bound in the UK
This book is printed on FSC certified paper
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 1
It was no use, Jane Eyre was stuck firmly on to The Man With The Golden Gun . Kat eased them apart with a butter knife as the pink bubble gum stretched into stringy blobs.
‘Excuse me.’ She heard an awkward coughing noise.
Kat glanced up from where she’d been kneeling on the floor, wrestling with the returns.
‘Yes?’
‘I wonder if I might get some help locating these books?’ The young man waved a piece of foolscap paper in the air. She frowned at him, sweeping the fringe out of her eyes. He wore the same monogrammed top as last week; his hair was a mess of untamed curls, his legs exposed below baggy shorts.
‘Isn’t anyone else around?’
He shuffled in the unlaced trainers and mumbled something along the lines of ‘Not really.’
Kat sighed, stood up and wiped her hands on her skinny jeans. She replaced the unlikely matched pair on the trolley. Her dark eyes flashed with irritation. ‘Fine. What are you looking for?’
The student gave a grateful smile and read from his list. ‘Okay, so the first one is called Partial Differential Equations and it’s by Fitz John.’
‘Right, well I’m guessing it’ll be in our mathematics section. Have you tried looking there?’
‘I, er, I … well, I wasn’t sure.’ He trotted along behind Kat as she zipped between the tall wooden racks of books. She took a sharp left and stopped abruptly. ‘All the maths stuff is here.’ She indicated two shelves with a slender hand.
‘Great.’ He gave a sheepish thumbs up.
‘Next?’ She checked her watch. It must be nearly lunchtime.
‘Righty. So the next one is historical. Mary, Queen Of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley . It’s by Alison Weir.’
Kat tutted. ‘That’s right over at the other side.’ She set off down another aisle, past the children’s section where a toddler had his nose pressed against a glass cabinet displaying local nature finds.
Kat strode over to the shelves under the high windows. She could lay her hand on any section in her sleep. ‘This is where all the Scottish history is kept. Is that everything?’ She noted with anxiety that the toddler was now licking the glass.
‘Just one last book – a novel this time. Winning the Cowboy’s Heart by Karen Rock.’
Kat raised her eyebrows. ‘I wouldn’t have you down as a Mills and Boon fan.’
‘It’s for my gran.’ He blushed. ‘I’m definitely more a Scandi Noir reader.’
‘If you say so.’ She double backed down the aisle, crossed the library and ran her fingers along a shelf of plastic-covered books. ‘Here’s our romance section. If we have it, it’ll be here.’
‘Thank you so much … Katharine ,’ he said, squinting at her name badge.
‘It’s Kat.’
‘And I’m Angus.’ He held out his hand but she’d already turned to walk away. ‘If you feel like grabbing a coffee?’ he called after her. ‘I work next door at the Coffee Shack. If you ever have a break and want …’
Kat ducked under the wooden counter and began searching the cupboards underneath.
‘You might at least have thrown him a bone,’ Morag said, smiling as she unpacked a delivery of recycling bags.
‘What?’ said Kat. ‘What do you mean? A bone?’
‘I mean, you might have given the lad a chance. He comes in every week and follows you about like a devoted mongrel. I’m sure he just makes up obscure titles to get your attention. I bet those books lay unopened all week.’
‘Don’t be daft,’ Kat muttered. She gave a sly glance at Angus, who had his head twisted sideways as he read the spines.
‘What are you after?’
‘Who’s moved my antibacterial spray? Oh, there it is.’
Kat scooshed some on to the glass case, rubbing at it with a cloth.
‘Anyway, you go for first break, Kat. I’m keeping my eye on Mr McAuley over there. Last week he tried to make off with The Complete Fishing Manual .’
Kat replaced her overworked spray. ‘Fine.’
‘And if Angus needs any more help shall I come and fetch you?’
‘Please, no!’ Kat hurried off towards the staff room, conscious of being observed from the romance section.
‘What you got today?’ Janice asked with her mouth full.
Kat peered into her plastic container. ‘It’s supposed to be beetroot, feta and rocket salad but it looks like a hamster’s been bludgeoned in a field.’
‘Nice. I can’t be doing with a salad when it’s so bloody cold outside.’
Kat shrugged. ‘But it’s warm in here. Why would it matter what the weather’s like outside?’
‘S’pose,’ Janice nodded, biting into a sausage roll. Flakes of pastry stuck to her lips, which she brushed on to the floor. Kat examined a fork on the draining board before washing it and picking up her lunch. She sank into the armchair across from Janice, her phone in one hand.
‘Did you hear I’m getting moved back to Gilmerton?’ Janice asked. She gulped from a can of Irn Bru, burping out loud. Kat remained focused on her phone.
‘Cos Sarah’s coming back in a couple of weeks and I was only meant to be covering for her op. It’s not my fault she had complications.’
‘Mmm,’ Kat mumbled.
‘This is way over the wrong side of Edinburgh for me. I only offered as a favour but it’s been nearly three months. Did you hear they left something inside her?’
‘Sorry?’ Kat looked up.
‘Yes!’ Janice announced with wide eyes. ‘Apparently the surgeon left something behind.’
‘Not his Rolex, I’m guessing?’
‘Ha! No. I think it was a swabby-thing. Anyway, they had to open her up again and get it out. She won’t be back at work yet but I can’t keep getting two buses here. It takes me nearly an hour. Jaffa cake?’ She held out a packet, waving it under Kat’s nose.
‘No, thanks.’
‘Not on a diet, are you? Scrawny little thing like you. You ought to eat more pies. Men like to get a grip of something in bed.’
‘Janice!’
‘S’true! You’d be like a slippery eel. Of course, I’ve got plenty for Dave to get a hold of but it’s like he’s just got a new sofa deal.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘No interest for two years,’ Janice sighed.
‘Isn’t that your break nearly finished?’
‘Morag said she’d come and swap when time’s up. Oh, aye – that’s her now. Here, take the rest of the packet.’ Janice winked before heaving herself out of the chair.
Chapter 2
‘I’m home!’ Kat called as she threw her jacket over the newel post. Getting no response she jogged up the stairs, pushed open her bedroom door and flopped on to her bed. The luminous stars she’d stuck on the ceiling as a young teenager remained above her head. She’d painted the ceiling black and the walls purple and had chosen the only black carpet on offer – apparently usually reserved for exhibition areas. She gazed out of her window, which, during the summer, overlooked her neighbour’s lush silver birch trees. As they headed into September the leaves began to crisp and drop.
‘Kat!’ her mother, Dell, shouted from the bottom of the stairs. ‘ Kat! ’
She heard impatient footsteps pounding up the stairs.
‘There’s a kettle on the pavement,’ Dell announced, barging into the bedroom. ‘I think it must be Dusty’s. Can you go and ask her?’
Kat sat up, swinging her legs round. ‘What?’
‘Didn’t you see it when you came home? There’s a kettle appeared on the pavement. It looks like it might belong to Dusty but we’d better check.’
‘Why don’t you ask her?’
‘Don’t be like that.’
‘Like what?’ Kat frowned.
‘All belligerent. Anyway, I’ve got my hot yoga tonight and I’m already late.’ Dell removed her cardigan and unfastened her straining skirt with a pop !
‘What about Dad?’
‘He won’t be home until it’s dark and we can’t leave it on the pavement. Someone might take it.’ Dell stepped out of her skirt, the tan tights wrinkling at her feet.
‘Maybe that’s the whole point? Maybe it’s getting collected?’
‘It’s not rubbish day. Just go.’ Her mother tugged at Kat’s hoodie. ‘Come on – now!’ She turned to leave the bedroom, tripping over a stack of library books. ‘Flip’s sake, Kat! I just about broke my neck. What’re these doing here? Isn’t it enough that you’re surrounded by books all day?’
‘They’re decommissioned. We get first pick. Some of them have got pages missing but they’re still good books.’
‘Honestly, Kat, I despair.’ She bundled Kat down the stairs and pushed her out the front door.
Kat picked up the cream-coloured kettle and rang the doorbell of the house next door. An elderly lady, dressed in a baby-pink tracksuit and white plimsolls, opened the door. Her choppy white hair was held in place by a sweatband, her face flushed scarlet. She puffed as she leant on the door frame.
‘Hi, Dusty,’ said Kat.
‘Oh, hello …’
‘Kat.’
‘Yes, I knew it was Kat! I was just getting my bearings. I’ve been working out with Davina McCall. She’s quite a tas