Sigh of the Claymore

By Catherine Carson

Chace Lingard had only one thing in mind when he added Claymore Highland Adventure Centre to the Lingard Enterprises portfolio; to dismiss the General Manager, Kass Muir and close the site completely.
It was his penultimate goal to gaining revenge on his estranged Father; who abandoned him when he was ten years old to marry a new wife and create a family which did not include him.
From the moment he arrived in the Highlands things began to fall apart at the seams and his plan no longer seemed as resolute as it once had been…..

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781326425784

Book preview

Sigh of the Claymore

Sigh of the Claymore

By Catherine Carson

ISBN 978-1-326-42572-2 paperback

ISBN 978-1-326-42578-4 eBook

Profile of the author

Born in Scotland I now live with my husband in the North West of England.  We have three children who, between them have given us six wonderful grandchildren.

I studied commercial subjects at school and college and spent most of my working life in the offices of various companies, starting as a junior in a local garage typing invoices for car repairs.   I left Scotland and crossed the border to England to marry the man I met whilst on a holiday with my extended family and eventually became a secretary with a beer bottling company leaving six years later when the first of our three children came on the scene. 

Returning to the workforce when our children were young adults I finally untied the apron strings to join the offices of a large wholesale book supplier and embraced the advancement in technology since I had first learned to type on a manual typewriter and take notes in shorthand.

During the years I became something of a letter writer as friends and family lived in many parts of the country and indeed the world.  Often friends and family would tell me…..‘You could write a book’ to which I always replied…..‘But would anyone read it’. 

When my granddaughter asked if I would write a book especially for her I confided in my good friend Lisa Schmidt and she told me to go for it.  That book became the first of many stories which had been lurking in my imagination for a good number of years.

Once started I found the stories simply kept coming and often an overheard conversation or a glimpse from the passenger seat of the car would trigger a likely scenario which my imagination would then elaborate and weave into a story.

My hope is that my writing brings a little pleasure into the life of my readers and allows them to leave the mundane world behind for a few hours as they meet the characters I adore creating.

www.facebook.com/catherinecarsonbooks.uk

www.catherinerenacarson.jimdo.com

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Other Books by this Author

The Mouse in the Library

Family Ties

Overall Construction          

Wounded Wolf

Coffee and Cakes

Memories Rekindled

Wholesale Love

Hope’s Conflict

Estates of the Heart

Sibling Rivalry

Fighting for Custody

White Knight Black Knight

Through the Garden Gate…

Love Lost and Found

Alphabet Bachelors

A Dreamer’s Tale

A Precious Jewel

Footbridge of Solace

Girl Meets Boy

Demolition of the Heart

When Life Gives You Lemons

Return to the Past

Pretence & Reality

Opening a Can of Worms

Fields of Contention

A Heart Encased In Steel

Russian Revenge

~~~~~~

Tapestry of Love-Bk 1

Twins Exchanged-Bk 2

Highland Feud Bk-3

~~~~~~

Soil, Seed & Betrayal-Bk 1

Desert Prince, Exiled Princess-Bk 2

Body Language-Bk 3

~~~~~~

An Open Book-Bk 1

Afraid to Love-Bk 2

~~~~~~

A Second Chance-Bk 1

Taming the Playboy-Bk 2

~~~~~~

Estranged Husband & Father-Bk 1

Identical Mistake-Bk 2

~~~~~~

Sigh of the Claymore-Bk 1

Beyond Claymore-Bk 2

~~~~~~

Sneaking Into His Heart-Bk 1

Scent of the Heather-Bk 2

Dedication

This book is dedicated to a total stranger who gave me the inspiration to write a story around his actions.  I wish to thank my daughter Helen Cole for her wonderful drawing which became the front cover for this book, she captured the image in my mind perfectly.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names.  They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author and all the incidents are pure invention.

Chapter 1

Kass made her way along the path towards the Reception Office having received a call from Sheena Duncan that a would be guest was trying to pull some sort of name dropping stunt in order to attain a cabin without a proper booking. 

As manageress of the Claymore Highland Adventure Centre, Kass Muir was used to dealing with every contingency during the busy holiday season, therefore someone turning up trying to claim privileged access held no fears for her.

Climbing the wooden steps and walking along the boarded platform she could hear the voice of young Sheena as she tried to remonstrate with whoever was trying to browbeat her into accepting their demands.

Pulling the door open to find a tall dark haired man pulling a platinum credit card from his wallet, Kass felt her blood boil at the arrogance of this man, who thought money could buy him anything he wanted.

‘Good morning Sheena, off you go and have your break.’ 

Seeing the relief on the young girl’s face Kass smiled and lifted the counter and stepped behind the reception area placing the counter back in place.

From the moment the counter dropped Chace knew this woman was not a replacement receptionist but someone who carried some authority.  The previous young woman was dressed in jeans and a blue polo shirt embroidered with a Claymore, but here was a young woman in a very smart black skirt with a white shirt fitted into the waistband.  The lapel of her shirt had a silver claymore pinned in place.  However it was not her mode of dress which caught his attention but her golden hair and emerald eyes, here was the woman who was his sole reason for travelling so far north.

‘Sorry sir, but it is so important to ensure the staff have their breaks at the correct time.  It saves confusion as the day proceeds.  Now if you give me your name and confirmation of your booking we can get you sorted out as soon as possible.’

Keeping the smile on her face Kass looked directly into the face of the man on the other side of the counter.

His hair was so dark it was almost black, his eyebrows looked as if they had been plucked and shaped above piercing ice blue eyes, but Kass doubted this man would allow such a process to take place.  The slightly aquiline nose added to his attraction as did his square jawline, but it was his well-defined lips which held Kass’ attention, as she wondered how it would feel to have those lips pressed against hers.

He certainly was a good looking guy, not in the Greek God classic style, but he had a ruggedness in his features which certainly held an appeal.  Letting her eyes fall to his upper body, which was encased in a tight fitting black T-shirt. She devoured the toned muscles of his chest and wondered if it was covered in the same dark hair which lay so neatly on his head, down over his flat stomach showing above the low waistline of his designer jeans, before returning to look into those piercing blue eyes. She shook her head slightly to clear the thoughts running through her mind, Kass held out her hand to receive the necessary paperwork.

‘Well now that you have finished your appraisal of me, I should perhaps inform you that I do not have a booking form but as I told the young lady before you arrived I am a personal friend of the owner of this establishment and have been assured that a cabin will be made available to me.’

‘Really? Oh dear, I’m afraid you have been misinformed.  Regardless of your friendship with the owner, it really is not possible to grant you access to any of our cabins.’ 

Kass saw his ice blue eyes narrow and those lips compress into a straight line and thought she was going to have to call Rab McKintyre, the Chief Guide and Fencing Coach, to assist her.

‘What is your name young woman because I intend taking this further.  I assure you the owner will be extremely angry I have been treated in such a manner.’ He already knew her name but had no intentions of letting her know that.

‘Och now then, my name is Kass Muir and I am the General Manager of this establishment and I don’t doubt for a second you’re a friend of the owner of this establishment, but as that same owner pays my wages I have to abide by the rules we have been entrusted to carry out on his behalf.  Now if you will excuse me I suggest you try and find accommodation in the village of Laurinston.  If you turn left on leaving here you will find the village is approximately fifteen minutes away, or you could go back into Inverness where I am sure you will find a hotel which will be able to accommodate you.’

‘I trust you don’t live to regret your decision Ms Muir.’

Lifting his valise Chase Lingard left the Reception Office and walked back to his car pulling out his mobile phone as he did so.

‘Thanks Kass.’  Sheena Duncan was an eighteen year old local girl who was working at the Claymore for the summer, prior to taking up her university place in Edinburgh.  She had been listening to the conversation through the door of the adjoining office and admired the way Kass handled the large angry man.

‘No worries Sheena.  I think I better go back to my office in case I get a call from the Management Board because I don’t think Mr High and Mighty was too happy and the call he was making on his mobile phone was probably to the new owner of the complex, whoever that might be.’

Kass had taken a diploma in business management at College before joining her father to be tutored in the running of the Claymore Highland Adventure Centre, so named in commemoration of a man known to be an experienced exponent of the broad sword of the Highlanders.

That had been four years ago and now she had reached the age of twenty-two her father had retired and passed the reins over to her in the knowledge he had taught her everything she needed to know about running the Claymore.

Morag McPherson had started the enterprise when her husband had been killed whilst serving with a Bomb Disposal Unit in the Royal Army, but she had more or less been forced to sell Claymore, in entirety, when her backers pulled out.  The new owner was reported to be an entrepreneur who had put in a Management Board to oversee the running of the Centre.

The staff were unsure exactly what would happen under the new owners and numerous rumours had been bandied about regarding the future of the Centre.

Whoever the new owner was had been the major source of speculation amongst the staff with names of famous English billionaires and even minor royalty being mentioned. Kass had her own theory but until such times as an official announcement was made she would keep her thoughts to herself.

As General Manager, she had been expected to live in the accommodation attached to the main office, but having watched her father be at the constant beck and call of the guests and staff she decided to leave work behind at the end of the day and therefore had chosen to stay with her parents in the village.  Her mobile was always switched on and if anything untoward occurred she could be back on site within fifteen minutes.

She had thought of asking Rab McKintyre if he and his fiancée wanted to move in, but since the Claymore had been sold she thought it best to leave such decisions to the new owner.

On retiring from Claymore some six months ago, Malcolm Muir and his wife Sarah had bought a guesthouse and it was here Kass had her own apartment in the attic of the house.

Access to her apartment was via a wooden staircase at the rear of the building and was a complete unit with the inclusion of kitchen and bathroom amenities.

Leaving the Centre at around six-thirty in the evening she was somewhat relieved she had not received a call from the Management Board, but in her heart of hearts she knew the man who had left the Reception Office earlier had probably lodged a complaint to them or perhaps directly to the owner and no doubt she would be taken to task sooner or later.

Chapter 2

Chace Lingard had not rung the Management Board, he had no need to call them, because he was the new owner of the Claymore Highland Adventure Centre.  He had called his PA, Josh Meldrum and told him to make the necessary arrangements for him to stay at the Claymore.

‘Make sure you complete the Booking Form and have it confirmed before you send it to me in an email.  There should be a printer in the local library which I can use to print the damned thing out.’ 

‘Okay boss will do.  How long do you intend staying at the place, I only ask because Freya has been asking when you are likely to return from the Highlands.’

‘Hell, tell her I will ring her in a couple of days, no forget that, I shall call her tonight when I find accommodation.  I need you to book me into the complex for at least a week so I can assess the staff and in particular the General Manager, who seems to be too damned young and far too officious to be in such a responsible position.’

Telling his PA he would find a suitable place to park until he sent the relevant details to his mobile Chace closed his phone and headed for the village of Laurinston.  Josh told him he would take care of the booking and was relieved he would not have to pass any message on to Freya Hemsworth. 

After obtaining a degree in economics and commerce Chace had started Lingard Enterprises with a legacy left him by his maternal grandmother.  Within five years he had built an empire which had gained him the reputation for being something of a man with the Midas touch.  Now at thirty-two he was well on his way to becoming a multi-millionaire and was much in demand as an escort to any number of women who were happy to share their favours in return for the generous gifts he lavished on them.

Chace was a demanding boss to work for, but Josh was capable of keeping his diary up to date and fending off any unwanted calls on his time, but coping with his lady friends proved a task too far on occasions.

Freya Hemsworth was the latest woman to attach herself to the handsome CEO of Lingard Enterprises and Josh knew she had set her sights on becoming his wife.  He also knew if that did happen, his days working with Chace would be numbered. 

From the moment Freya Hemsworth entered his office the tall brunette had decided he was a danger to her plans.  He watched from the side lines as Chace turned