My Highland Lover Read Online Free Page A

been a damn fool to come here. He shouldha known Tamhas would be of no help. How many times had
Máthair
told him her brother had long ago been addled by his unnatural gifts and the loss of the one woman he had e’er dared love?
    Loosening the ties from his belt, Gray pulled free a pouch heavy with coin. He hefted the small leather bag in one hand and returned the old man’s scowl. “I thank ye for the poultice for the burns, but know this, Uncle. Never again will I make the mistake of seeking yer counsel.” He plopped the bag on the table between Tamhas’s fists and turned to leave.
    “She will be here soon,” Tamhas said in a low, ominous tone.
    “Who will be here soon?”
    “The one ye need. Yer answer.”
    Gray shook his head and yanked open the door. “N’more, old man. No. More. Riddles.”
    Tamhas shrugged and turned away to stoke the fire. “As ye wish, m’chieftain.”

Chapter 2
    Hostility. Prejudice. Loathing.
Negative energy flashed an unpleasant tingle across Trulie’s senses. She didn’t bother turning from the shelves of multicolored bottles, beeswax candles, and neatly labeled paper bundles of herbs and soaps. Dark emotions so strongly transmitted before the shop door even opened could only belong to one person: the hateful Mrs. Hagerty.
    A low-pitched growl rumbled from the enormous black dog standing beside Trulie. The warning confirmed her suspicion. Karma, her faithful guardian, liked Mrs. Hagerty even less than she did.
    The tiny brass bell hanging atop the shop door jingled out a cheery alarm that Mrs. Hagerty had invaded the fragrant confines of Trulie’s homeopathic store. The sour-faced woman slammed the door hard and glared around the brightly lit shop. Her nose lifted slightly, as did her dark, painted brows. She short-stepped forward with angry, clicking steps to ensure all in the room properly noticed her arrival.
    “Good morning, Mrs. Hagerty. How are you today?” Trulie pasted a welcoming smile on her face and widened her stance.
You look just as bitchy as usual.
    “I do not have time for your fake pleasantries, Miss Sinclair.” Mrs. Hagerty curled back her chalky, painted lips. Her sneer revealed a startlingly white set of overly large teeth dotted with the same red lipstick smeared around her mouth. Any time the woman spoke, she looked as though she smelled a stink. “Where is your grandmother? I demand to see her this very instant. I’ve a bone to pick with that vile woman.”
    Trulie’s cheeks ached with the polite smile. She’d be damned straight to hell before she gave Hagerty the satisfaction of a reaction. “My grandmother isn’t in the shop today, Mrs. Hagerty. Is there something I could help you with? A soothing tea for your nerves, perhaps? Some lavender oil to help you relax?”
    Mrs. Hagerty stomped to the counter in short, clicking steps. She slapped a plump hand down hard atop the glass. “How dare you mock me.” She slowly swayed back and forth like an overweight adder about to strike. “I know about your family.” Hagerty paused long enough to rake a sneering gaze from the tips of Trulie’s brightly painted toenails to the top of her ponytailed head. “I know what the lot of you really are, and I will not rest until I cleanse this town of you and your trash.”
    Hackles raised, Karma edged closer to Trulie and sounded a guttural warning growl.
    “You better keep that beast away from me!” Mrs. Hagerty jabbed a gaudily painted nail toward the dog’s shining black nose.
    “Karma is harmless,” Trulie replied. She rested a staying hand atop Karma’s broad head. He really didn’t need to bite Mrs. Hagerty. The old bitch was probably poisonous.
    Mrs. Hagerty pressed her round body tighter against the counter and struggled to peer across it at the still-rumbling dog. “Is that one of those pit bulls? Or a Rottweiler? You know I convinced the council to pass an ordinance against those monstrosities. I don’t think you should keep him in a place