Spitfire (Puffin Cove) by Carla Doolin Read Free Book Online

soft and alluring, with a hint of jasmine, woods and spice.
    "And glad ol' Sweeney here'll be that they're back . Been a long cold winter lookin' at nuthin' but the likes o' our sorry faces since last fall," Kane argued. "Where would he be, or you for that matter, if we didn't have fresh faces, not t' mention money, comin' through town half the year?"
    "Yeah, well . Doesn't mean I have to like it. And when the hell did you become the fuckin' welcome wagon?" Landon drained his glass and slid it forward. "Fill 'er up, Sween old man. Better get my bottle goggles on and see what this year's crop looks like."
    " Blood, if ye were any sweeter I might have to kiss ye," Kane grinned. How did a young man get such an ornery crust on him? And how the hell did such an ornery young man get so much tail? Not that he minded a bit. Landon was a very great source of entertainment.
    "Like hell, Irish . I wouldn't have your slobbery lips on me if I was paid."
    Sweeney built two more pints for the boys and settled his beefy hands on the bar to watch the coming show. Kane gave the barkeep a wink. He loved Sweeney's pub, and was glad that the padding of his accounts through the summer and early fall kept him afloat through the leaner winter months, and kept his establishment open for the town folk as well as himself. Truth be told, Sweeney was moving a bit slower these days, but Kane would bet that he'd die behind his bar if given the choice. He had told Kane one cold winter's night during his first year here that his life had been lived in this place, learning the ropes from his father before him. Many a tear had been drowned and a glass been raised in celebration in his pub, and he counted himself a lucky man to be doing what he loved. And it showed.
     
    Thank God! Laura voided her bursting bladder and sat for a minute, collecting her breath. Perfect. Such a very nice way to make a first impression. She pulled herself back together and left the stall.
    Grimacing at the mirror, she told her reflection "Get a grip, Spencer. Put on some lipstick and make a pretty face."
    The old doll coming through the door pretended nonchalance, but Laura noticed an eagle eye swiping her up and down and up again, mercurially taking her in.
    "Everything alright, deary? "
    Laura whipped around and her hair clip clattered to the sink.
    "Oh! " she huffed out a chuckle. "Much better now thanks."
    She was still coming down from the adrenalin rush of her near miss with the moose . Her legs were a little steadier, but her hands still shook as she washed them. And Lord! The smell of whatever was on the menu had turned her stomach into a whining toddler.
    The older lady went into the stall as Laura slashed on some lip gloss. She tried to make some presentability of the rat's nest on her head, gave it up for lost, and went back through the door to the pub.
     
    "Mainlander," Moira whispered to George as she slid back into the booth. "Jumpy. Talks to herself, too."
    "For the love of God, woman, " George hissed back. "Must you be the first vulture on the cadaver every time?"
    "Bet your hiney, my love . And don't tell me you haven't been waiting to find out what's what." She patted his cheek.
     
    Laura slipped onto a stool at the end of the bar, sniffing appreciatively, and smiled into Sweeney's eyes. "Whatever your cook is making smells fantastic."
    "The cook would be me, and it's cod and chips today . Sweeney, of the pub of the same name." He stuck out his thick hand for a shake, and folded it around Laura's smaller one.
    "Thanks for letting me be so rude as to blast through your door without so much as a hello . I had a bit of a run-in before town and it shook me up some." Laura shook out the napkin Sweeney handed her and placed it on her lap.
    Sweeney quirked an eyebrow, but Laura didn't elaborate. "Can I get you a drink while I fix your meal? Got a nice Chardonnay, a good Cab-Merlot…"
    "Actually, I was going to have a cup of coffee, but my nerves are so jangled that I