The Vampire Laird (A Ravynne Sisters Paranormal Mystery/Romance) by Merabeth James Read Free Book Online Page A

panels along the back, depicting stags locked in deadly combat. The light from the low hanging brass lamps, hanging from the rafter above it, glinted off a row of glasses dangling from a long wooden rack.
    At a signal from the barman, one of the card players scrambled to his feet and left the pub hurriedly. Not more than five minutes later two men entered.
    They were the youngest men they’d seen in the village so far. One was small and dark, while the other was tall and sandy haired. Both were dressed in jeans and t-shirts and, if their swagger was any indication, they considered themselves the catch of the night.
    “Oh…oh! Would be stud alert!” Meg whispered. “They make the word cocksure a double entendre. Let’s hope they’re looking for their girl friends and leave us alone.”
    But they weren’t that lucky…they made straight for their table.
    “Care if we join you ladies? You seem to be here all by your lonesome and look like you could use a little male company. I’m Vic and this here is John,” the blond stranger drawled, as he pulled up another chair and plunked down.
    “Apparently, we have no choice, Vic. That’s a Texas drawl you have there. What are you doing way up here in the wilds of Scotland?” Charlie asked with a smile that she hoped seemed friendly. These two galoots might be useful. There were a whole lot of holes in the sketchy information they had about the place, but there was only so much a girl could stand even for a good cause and these guys had already pushed a lot of her ‘wrong’ buttons.
    “Yep. Texas it is, though I call these parts home now a days,” he told her with a slow smile she just knew he thought was sexy. “And just what are you two pretty ladies doing here, where nobody ever comes?”
    John was eying Meg’s breasts and she folded her arms defensively across her chest, which made him smile in a really irritating way. “Kin Ah buy ye anither pint?” he asked with a wide grin..
    “I’m not entirely sure what you just said, but whatever it was, I don’t think so,” Meg told him with a frosty smile.
    The sisters exchanged glances just as Vic said, “You don’t really seem too surprised to see us?”
    “We’re not at all surprised. We saw someone go out and get you right after we came in,” Charlie told him around a sip of dark foaming ale.
    “Now that’s too bad. I like to surprise a woman…keeps her off balance just enough to be interesting,” he told her, narrowing his pale blue eyes.
    “Other than amusing yourself surprising women, what else do you do around here?” she asked.
    “I work for the Laird. Most of the village does in one way or another.”
    “And ‘one way or another’ would be doing what exactly?” she asked as sweetly as she could stomach.
    “Oh…stuff. He has his own airfield and flies in what we need here and flies out what needs going,” he told her leaning closer and brushing a strand of silvery hair off her forehead. “Just what makes you so interested, sweet thing?”
    Sweet thing ? She was itching to show him just how sweet she could be, but she said, “Just making conversation. A big man like you would have a pretty good idea about everything that goes on around here, wouldn’t you?”
    “Pretty much. I know you and your sis over there are looking for your brother, who’s up at the manor, hanging around with…never mind all that. You wouldn’t be trying to pump me for information now, would you? If that’s where you’re anglin’, I could help you find the handle. Why don’t you and me ditch these two and and I’ll show you where to look,” he drawled, letting his eyes slide over her.
    Charlie had reached the end of what she could endure. “That would be a waste of time since I don’t have a magnifying glass or a pair of tweezers with me,” she said, evenly, then waited for his next move.
    His chair slammed back as he rose quickly. Clearly, she had just pushed his ‘wrong’ buttons, too, which made her