Highland Lover by Hannah Howell Read Free Book Online Page B

in too deeply,
    but his knowledge of such things was scarce.
    Standing up, Gregor began to more closely inspect the cottage. It took him only a few moments to
    decide that it had only recently been deserted. There was still some peat and wood in a box near the
    fireplace. The fact that the little cottage even had a fireplace was surprising, and he had to wonder what it had been used for. After building up the fire, he pulled a rough bench closer to it and draped her wet clothes over it so that they would dry. He then returned to his explorations.
    The fact that the cottage had a sturdy wooden door should have alerted him to the possibility that
    this was no mere cottar’s hut, he realized. Opening one of the thick shutters on one of the three
    windows, he found glass panes, a true luxury. Although the mattress upon the bed was stuffed with
    straw, it was thick and clean. A poor man would have taken such a fine mattress with him. Gregor
    then recalled how the cottage was tucked deep within the woods with no area cleared for farming or
    the raising of animals. He began to think he had stumbled upon some laird’s retreat, perhaps even a
    place where he housed his lemans out of sight and reach of his wife. It was pure luck that the man
    was between lovers at the moment, Gregor mused.
    He shook his head as he removed his wet clothes, rubbed himself dry, and donned some fresh dry
    clothes. After arranging the second bench in front of the fire, he laid his own clothes over it to dry.
    When he had wished for shelter for himself and Alana, he had never expected to find something this
    fine. The Fates were definitely smiling on them.
    Stepping into the room at the back of the cottage, Gregor found himself in a small kitchen. Whoever
    had lived here last had left only a few things behind, but they could prove useful. He was impressed
    by the fact that the fireplace was actually two sided, the kitchen side being constructed more for use in cooking. Here, too, was a supply of peat and wood. As long as the Gowans did not find them, he
    and Alana could stay here in comfort until she regained her health and strength.
    Opening the door at the back of the room, Gregor saw what had obviously been a kitchen garden,
    and there was a well. Not wanting to get wet again, he set a bucket just outside the door to catch the rain. What collected in it would serve well enough until the rain eased and he could go to the well
    without getting soaked to the skin.
    Just as he began to shut the door, an animal bolted into the house and disappeared into the front
    room, moving too fast for him to see exactly what it was. His hand on his knife, he entered the room
    and stopped to stare at the creature huddled near the fire. Whoever had lived here had left behind
    their cat. The fact that the animal had known exactly where to go to find warmth was reason enough
    to believe it lived here. It was wet, dirty, and terrified, but it did not move as Gregor cautiously
    approached it.
    It took a while, but the cat finally allowed Gregor to rub it dry, which cleaned most of the dirt off its gray fur. For a moment, he had thought that it was growling at him and that he was about to suffer a
    mauling for his care, but he soon realized that the rough, deep noise was not a threat; it was a purr of appreciation. He fetched the cat some water in a battered wooden bowl and cut up a little of the
    venison he had hoarded from his last meal in the oubliette.
    “’Tis fortunate ye are that I have a liking for cats,” Gregor said as he sat down near Alana. “Ye
    havenae cleaned up so verra bad, either. Leaving ye to fend for yourself is a poor way to thank ye
    for keeping the rats out of the meal, aye?” Gregor took a drink from his wineskin. “And ’tis a sad
    day indeed when I am reduced to talking to a cat,” he grumbled.
    The cat blinked its big yellow eyes at him.
    Gregor shook his head and turned his attention back to Alana. He placed his palm against her
    forehead