The Highlander's Bargain Read Online Free

something sweet to bring her spirits up. She popped the remaining bit of apple in her mouth and sorted through her options.
    Going to her mother for help was out. She and stepdad-number-four were going through another rough patch , and no doubt her mother would soon be single and impoverished again herself. She’d be coming to her daughter for help. It was too late to take out a larger student loan for the semester. Did she have anything to pawn? Nope. She’d just have to float some bills and find a new roommate in a big fat hurry.
    Dipping another apple slice into the dark-golden sweetness, she caught movement from the corner of her eye and lifted her gaze, squinting a bit. About five yards from where she sat, heat waves shimmered and rose from the dirt like something radiating off a blacktop road, only way more defined and about a yard wide. As she watched, the anomaly grew even stronger. “What the heck?”
    She set her snack aside and pushed herself up to investigate. The moment she rose, the undulating waves took on color. Bands of pale pink and green radiated upward. “Huh, a mini aurora borealis right here in the middle of the grass on a bright sunlit day?”
    She moved closer, glancing around to see if anyone else had noticed. No one had. All alone and standing an arm’s length away, she fought the urge to reach out and see what would happen if she stuck her hand into the mirage. “Probably not a good idea,” she muttered, mesmerized by the dancing light show.
    Something changed. A form appeared behind the shimmer. A man? Erin gasped a second before the impact sent her flying. Flat on her back with the wind knocked out of her, she found herself pinned beneath him. She stared into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Her mouth went dry, and her heart pummeled her rib cage. Frightened out of her wits, she blinked a few times, hoping he’d disappear and everything would go back to normal. It didn’t.
    Impossible! Men didn’t just fall out of the air. She struggled to regain her breath, and for a moment, he looked as dazed as she felt. “Wha—?” Stunned, all she could do was stare and gasp for breath. “What just happened?” She shoved at his chest. He didn’t budge.
    “’Tis fortuitous indeed that you are here. I’ve just come through time.”
    He grinned, revealing deadly gorgeous dimples on either side of his sexy mouth, a mouth that was only part of the best-looking, totally masculine face she’d ever seen. Tawny blond hair hung to his shoulders, and slightly darker stubble covered his cheeks, chin and throat. He wore a billowing saffron shirt, and an earth-tone muted plaid kilt draped across his chest and over one shoulder. Supporting his weight on his elbows, he stared down at her, his gaze roaming her face. “What year is it, lass?”
    Again with the wicked-dimpled grin, stealing her ability to think straight. “Through time?” She struggled to get out from under him. “That’s impossible.”
    “Aye. From the past. What year is it?”
    She pushed against his rock-hard chest. His scent, all male, slightly smoky and tinged with an outdoorsy freshness, filled her senses. His heavy weight pressing against her so intimately disturbed her, stirred her up in ways she didn’t want. He could be some kind of a con. She should not be reacting to a complete stranger like this, especially a stranger who appeared out of thin air. She should be calling for help, not getting turned on. She pushed again. “Get off me!”
    “Will you abandon me if I do?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “You saw, lass. The doorway through time. You saw, aye?” For a second, she glimpsed a flash of anguish play across his face.
    She had seen. He’d appeared out of the shimmering, waving aurora borealis thing and slammed right into her. “Not possible,” she muttered again, her heart clogging her throat. She tried to force it back where it belonged. “Please get off me.”
    He canted his head, peering into her eyes with an