He shrugged. ‘We like you. It would be a different story if you weren’t so interesting.’

‘Interesting?’ I said with a laugh. ‘Hardly.’

‘You’re a wildlife camerawoman. Beats being a financial director like me.’ He paused, looking me in the eye. ‘Dylan certainly finds you interesting.’

I felt my cheeks flush under his gaze. ‘Not often you find a girl drowning in the middle of your loch.’

He coughed slightly then lifted his marshmallow out of the fire and blew on it, his gaze fixed on it as he twirled the browned, bubbling marshmallow round on the stick. ‘He seems happier with you around though.’

I lifted my marshmallow out too. ‘I’ve only known him a few hours.’

‘I know it sounds ridiculous but really, he seems more relaxed. He’s always so bloody uptight at family gatherings, like a caged animal desperate to get out.’

‘That surprises me.’ I bit into my marshmallow, the sugar sponge oozing over my chin.

‘He travels a lot with the job, helping build lodges around the world. So it’s not often we’re all together. But – I don’t know – he seems to find it all a bit overwhelming at times. If he had his way, I think he’d prefer to see us in our respective homes rather than all together here.’ He looked out at the loch and sighed.

‘That’s a shame. You’re all so great together,’ I replied.

‘I think Mum finds it particularly tough,’ Cole said, peering into a window at his mother, who was clearing stuff away in the kitchen with their maid. ‘God, listen to me being all maudlin,’ he said with an embarrassed laugh. ‘I guess what I’m trying to say is I think Dylan needs some company, someone else here who isn’t family.’

‘He doesn’t bring girlfriends back?’ I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral as Cole handed me another marshmallow.

He shook his head. ‘You kidding? That’ll be the day we know it’s serious, when there’s a lass who does more than keep his bed warm. He likes to keep things casual.’

‘Sounds like me.’

‘Then you’re a match made in heaven.’

I looked at him in surprise. ‘Look at you, trying to marry us off.’

‘It’s selfish really,’ Cole replied, shrugging. ‘Someone interesting to talk to as we guard the fire each year.’ We both took our marshmallows out at the same time and he pressed his against mine. ‘Cheers to good company.’

‘Cheers,’ I replied, laughing as we tried to pull the marshmallows apart.