Tess and the Highlander by May McGoldrick Read Free Book Online Page B

murder, too.”
    He had the nerve to laugh for a moment. She
shivered as his thumb moved slowly back and forth across her
palm.
    “How old are you, Tess?”
    “Seventy-one this month! Far too old for you
to be looking at me like that .” She pulled her hand free and
practically ran across the room.
    His laughter followed her as she crawled
beneath the blankets. She tried to close her eyes and ears to his
charm.
    If the filthy dogs find a young and bonny
thing like ye on this deserted island, they’ll all be thinking the
same thing, lassie… Charlotte’s warnings were losing their
bite. The fact that he was a Highlander wasn’t even enough to worry
her.
    Tess pulled the blanket over her blushing
face and tried to cool her blood. The problem lay not with the man
who was watching her from across the room. The problem was with her . How had she become so stupid so quickly?
    She knew she was in trouble if Colin
Macpherson didn’t leave soon.
     
    Buffeted by the gusting wind, Colin stood at the
very edge of the rock bluff and scanned the turbulent sea all
around him. Not a ship or a boat for as far as he could see. He’d
taken advantage of a break in the rain at dawn, leaving Tess to the
sleep of the innocent. He wasn’t surprised at the lack of any
sails, though perhaps the easing of the rain was a sign that the
storm was blowing itself out. Once the skies began to clear, he
knew he would see at least one ship on the horizon.
    More than looking for his brother’s ship, though,
Colin needed to get away from Tess. He’d desperately needed some
fresh air to clear his head.
    There was something about her. She was bewitching
him. Young women had always been easy to come by. The Lord
above…and his parents…had blessed him with a fair share of good
looks. He had a good family name. He’d never needed to pursue any
lass. And he’d never seen any need in settling down, either. The
ones who’d come looking for marriage, he sent on their way. Colin’s
plans included no wife—that was certain! He had plans to sail the
seas. Adventure, fame, fortune…those were the things he was after.
And he’d never considered letting his plans be spoiled by one
woman…in one port…in one bed.
    Colin walked toward the chasm that cut diagonally
across the island. Descending, he followed a freshwater spring and
dropped down to a stony beach. The brown eyes of a half-dozen seals
were watching him from the water. Spotting some driftwood that had
washed in with the storm tide, he began collecting some to carry
back.
    He was the youngest son of Alec Macpherson, a
Highland laird, and Fiona Drummond Macpherson. Through his mother,
he was grandson to the great King James the Fourth and cousin by
blood to the infant Queen Mary. Naturally, with lineage like that,
there were certain expectations. Though he’d tried to fight it, his
parents had insisted that he follow in his two older brother’s
footsteps and finish his education at St. Andrews. But now, by the
devil, that was behind him. Now Colin was ready to follow his
dreams.
    From Ireland to Antwerp, Macpherson ships had been
raiding merchant vessels from the continent and from England for at
least five generations. As his grandfather used to say, the blood
of piracy ran in Macpherson blood. Colin’s youngest uncle, John
Macpherson, had been the Lord of the King’s Navy. His other uncle,
Ambrose, a fierce warrior, had also sailed these waters and raided
many ships before settling down to a life of service to the
Crown.
    Colin’s older brother Alexander was master of the
Macpherson ships now. James, the second son, had chosen to
pursue—like their Uncle Ambrose—the life of a diplomat. This left a
world of opportunity open for Colin, for he knew Alexander could
only keep at this for so many years before his time came to assume
the mantle of the next Macpherson laird. When that happened, Colin
wanted to be sure he was ready to take charge of the clan’s fleet
of ships and continue the