It was a perfect little rink.

Agot’s eyes were wide as saucers.

“Now,” he said. “You have to be careful not to trip over the ends. That is why you have to hold my arm.”

“I would like to hold the arm of a prince going around an ice rink,” said Agot gravely, and she sat up in the tractor seat while he tied her laces carefully, and then, after he’d bundled her into her warm clothes, he took her hand and Innes took another, and slowly and steadily, they led the little girl round and round the rink.

Chapter 68

E verybody laughed and cheered as she went round and round, until she finally found the courage to go off by herself, her low center of gravity helping, her tiny knees knocking together.

“I have to get all my friends! For skating! ” she shouted, her cheeks pink in the cold and her eyes bright with happiness and desperate to share it.

The others gradually retreated inside as Eilidh took endless hours of footage, and Flora took Fintan’s arm. He was resistant at first, but she dragged him back over to the dairy, normally busy turning out the island’s sensational butter and with the milk suppliers turning up to take the milk, but quiet today.

Fintan spent no time in here these days; it was run by a lad from the village. But he missed the happy days he had spent in here, experimenting with cheese—fabulous, some of it—tinkering and working and simply being his own man.

“What are you showing me this for?”

“I was wondering,” said Flora shyly. “If . . . if you would like it as a gift?”

Fintan frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Look. Me and Joel have discussed it. I’m useless on maternity leave. It’s not that I don’t love Douglas . . .” she added fiercely.

“Uh, nobody said that,” said Fintan.

“. . . but I love the Rock too, Fintan. I loved what Colton was trying to do, right from the start. It’s where I met Joel. Where I fell in love. Where everyone fell in love. It’s where I’ve had more fun than I can remember. I want his legacy to be right. I want to do it, Fintan. I can do it. If you like . . . I could take over the Rock. As a real job. And you could go back to making cheese.”

He looked at her suspiciously. “What’s the catch?”

“There’s no catch,” said Flora. “The only catch would be if you desperately wanted to keep doing the Rock and didn’t want me to do it.”

“Oh God, ” said Fintan, his face brightening suddenly. “I’d love you to do it! Then I wouldn’t feel like I was letting down Colton by selling it or giving it away.”

“You’ll need to pay me,” said Flora.

“No, I realize that. But I don’t . . . I mean, this is . . . this is . . .” He looked at her, eyes red. “Thank you!” he said. “I thought you were just interfering to be a putz.”