Just Wait For Me (Highland Gardens Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

didn’t know better, she’d swear they were near
the sea. West Virginia isn’t near the ocean. A large finger lake
meandered off to the side and out of sight. She cupped a hand at her brow to
lessen the glare from the sun. Tall cliffs rose from the opposite shore, craggy
reflections shimmering on the water’s surface. Pairs of black and white birds
chattered from narrow rock ledges then darted into the air and dove into the
water, resurfacing with small fish in their beaks. She’d find the scene
delightful, if not feeling unnerved.
    They continued along the water’s edge until the terrain
abruptly sloped upward. The children darted ahead. A narrow rock-strewn trail
climbed through a hillside of heather. Some plants still in bloom. Jillian
brushed the toe of a bike shoe across a spike of muted, purple blossoms,
triggering a light floral scent. She hadn’t imagined heather to be so prevalent
in West Virginia. Actually, she’d expected more trees.
    She shrugged and followed the kids. What did she know having
never been there before?
    As the trail became rougher and steeper, the children
scrambled over boulders like little monkeys. Jillian slipped on scree and
cursed her unsuitable bike shoes. Overheating, she removed her wind jacket,
stuffed it into her pack, and then drew the red fleece top she wore over her
head, tying it around her waist by the sleeves. After tripping and falling a
couple more times, short of breath, hands torn and stinging, she caught up to
the kids. They had reached a shelf that ran along the cliff face.
    Not comfortable with heights, she didn’t dare look down.
“Just where exactly are you taking me?”
    “A hidden way into the caves.” Duff smiled from where he
negotiated the ledge at her side.
    Jillian huffed out a breath. “Isn’t there an easier
approach?”
    “Aye, there is.” He shook his head. “Not safe. We dinnae
want to run into bad men.”
    Cripes . “Are there many in the area?”
    He nodded, features grim, but then his face brightened with
a smile. “Dinnae fret. We ken how to avoid them.”
    Just great. She hoped they didn’t find trouble.
    They continued, taking one precarious step after another.
Jillian gulped. The shelf they crept along was getting narrower. She gripped
the rock face with now bleeding fingers. “How much farther?”
    “Almost there.” Duff brushed a wisp of blond hair out of
hazel eyes.
    And then what? Why had she followed the kids? She sighed.
Because there was no one else to help her get unlost. All right then. Jillian
straightened her shoulders. Might as well follow through.
    One after the other, the children leapt over a crevasse, a
perilous drop, then disappeared from sight. Duff waited until Jillian sidled up
close. “Just over this gap is the cave.”
    “Okay.” She watched him jump and disappear same as the other
children.
    Jillian swallowed hard. Easy peasy. Right? Inhaling deeply,
she took a leap of faith and tumbled sideways into the mouth of the cave,
sprawling on hands and knees.
    “Ouch!” Her voice echoed in the cavernous space.
    It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior,
but then she smiled. Blaney and Duff held torches, and three harmless-looking
grandmotherly types stood with the children, concerned expressions wrinkling
their brows.
    “What have you wee urchins brought to our door?” one woman
asked.
    The three wore strange clothing—long gray skirts with gray
over-blouses and dark gray on light gray plaid shawls covering their heads and
wrapped around their chests—as if from a different time period. Actually, now
that Jillian thought about it, the children’s drab rags seemed from a time long
past. Her pulse quickened.
    “Just exactly where am I?”
    One of the women cackled causing gooseflesh to prickle
Jillian’s arms. “Ach, well, these caverns are kenned by many as the Caves of
the Gray Women. Welcome to our home.”
    “Seems the children have brought us another stray soul in
need of help,