Fraser 03 - Highland Homecoming Read Online Free

rising from her stomach. What was her name? The harder she tried to remember, the more her head ached. Lauren. For some reason this name came to mind.
    Is that my name?
    Shivering as if suddenly encased in ice, she tucked her arms beneath the layer of pelts. Shocked to find she was naked, her eyes flew open. Her gaze darted around the dimly lit croft, but she didn’t recognize her surroundings or the man bending over the hearth—a huge man wearing trews and nothing more. Fear caused her gut to clench as she frantically searched for something, anything, to protect herself.
    An eating-knife on a trencher beside the pallet caught her eye. While not a deadly weapon, it might give him pause for thought if he intended to ravage her. She reached for the small dagger, but in her haste knocked over a tankard, the tinware cup falling to the floor with a soft thud.
    The man whipped around, and her breath caught as he stalked toward her. Her eyes widened and a chill skittered along her spine as he neared the pallet. Panic squeezed her chest, making it impossible to breathe.
    “Tha e mor.” The words about his large size slipped out before she could bring her hand up and cover her mouth. To say he was big didn’t do him justice. He was a mountain of a man, broad in the chest and shoulders, with heavily muscled arms and thighs. A tangle of auburn hair hung loosely around his face and shoulders. While his blue eyes were quite expressive, the rest of his features were hidden by a dense, unkempt beard.
    He stopped at the foot of the pallet and cocked his head to one side. “Och, you’re awake. What’s your name, lass?” he asked gruffly. When she didn’t reply he repeated his questions again in Gaelic. “Dè an t-ainm a tha oirbh?”
    She tugged the pelt under her chin and glared at him. “Chan eil fhios agam.”
    “You dinna know your name?” He moved closer.
    “Nay.” She held one hand in the air, while clutching the pelt at her throat with the other. “Stad! Ma'se ur toil e.” She prayed her plea to stop and not come any closer would be enough to deter him. Given she had failed to retrieve the dagger—not that it would prove useful against a man of his size and bulk—she had nothing she could use to protect herself should he decide to harm her.
    Alasdair halted and held out his hands with the palms facing skyward. “I mean you no harm. Dinna be afraid.”
    “Wh-what am I doing here and where are my clothes?” She failed to hide the tremor of fear in her voice.
    “Dinna fash, lass. I found you on the beach and your clothes were drenched. There was no choice but tae remove them. Otherwise, you’d have caught your death of cold. I hung them by the fire tae dry.” He pointed toward the hearth, then moved closer. “You’re lucky I came along when I did. I—”
    “You removed my clothes?” Her heart slammed against her ribs, his words cutting through her like a dagger. What else had this brute done to her while she was asleep?
    “Aye, then I covered you with pelts and placed hot rocks at the foot of the pallet tae warm you. I dinna know how you came tae be on the shore or why, but when I first happened upon you, I thought you had drowned. When I realized you were still breathing, my only concern was tae get you somewhere warm and dry.”
    “How . . . how long have I been here?” Her teeth began to chatter and she tightened her hold on the pelt, now fisting it with both hands.
    “Two days. You have a lump and a nasty bruise on your forehead. I suspected you struck your head on something, mayhap the reason why you dinna awaken for so long. Do you remember how you came tae be in the water?”
    “Nay.” She squeezed her eyes shut and brought her hand to the tender spot above her left eye. Her head was throbbing, her mind in a foggy haze. She had no idea what happened. When she opened her eyes, he was standing beside the pallet, only inches away.
    “My name is Alasdair Fraser. We were on our way tae the keep of my