The Wedding Ransom by Geralyn Dawson Read Free Book Online

trip in relative privacy. Our ‘guest’ has become quite a nuisance about interrupting private conversations.”
    “Barlow Hill, the blighter,” said Gus.
    “The bounder,” said Lucky.
    “The bastard,” said Snake.
    “The blackguard,” said Ben.
    Malone shook his head in amazement. “I take it Barlow Hill is the blubber belly? Who is he to you?”
    The papas shared a look, then Ben gestured toward a shady spot a short distance away. “Mary Margaret is right. Why don’t we sit a spell and go over the plan. Malone needs to know how to deal with that dimwit Hill.”
    “The devil.” Lucky sneered.
    “The demon.” Gus spat.
    “The dastard.” Snake snorted.
    Sunlight sparkled off the diamond in Ben’s ear as he headed for the shade. Lucky, Snake, and
    Gus fell in behind Ben. Maggie started to follow them, but Rafe stopped her with a question.
    “You did hear me say this paragon of evil is looking for you?”
    “Yes. He can wait. Barlow Hill isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, blast the bad luck. Come along, Malone. You’ve been saying you have questions. Answer time has arrived.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~
    The buccaneers explained to Rafe that sitting and storytelling was as much a part of their golf game as playing. They’d built benches at intervals all along their short course to accommodate such activity. The men all took what appeared to be their customary seats while Maggie plopped down on the grass.
    Rafe sent Snake a measured look as he stretched out beside her. Snake’s brows dipped menacingly and his gray eyes flashed, but he held his tongue. Gus smirked while Lucky pulled a flask from his back pocket and passed it around. “Bliss water,” he warned when it came to Rafe. He declined the offer and passed it along to Maggie. She took a sip, shuddered, and returned the bottle to Lucky.
    Ben said, “We told you we want you to rescue our treasure, but we declined to provide the details as to why. After speaking with Mary Margaret earlier this morning and learning that during our absence our enemy has taken up residence among us, I have decided it is best you understand our motives. We cannot afford to alienate Hotel Bliss’s only guest, Mr. Malone. Difficult though it is, we—and I mean every one of us—must be nice to the rat, Barlow Hill.”
    “The weasel.”
    “The mole.”
    “The polecat.”
    Rafe slowly shook his head at the pirates’ reaction to the man’s name. Did they do this every time Hill’s name was mentioned?
    Ben frowned fiercely and continued. “He has stolen our home right out from beneath our feet. You see, Malone, we purchased the Lake Bliss property years ago from the family who originally homesteaded the land. We’ve lived here off and on for years. Once Mary Margaret finished school, we decided to settle permanently on our land. We built the hotel and opened it up to visitors, offering our guests access to the same healthful waters and treatments we have long enjoyed.”
    “That’s when the trouble started,” Gus broke in, stroking the scar on his cheek with an index finger.
    Snake nodded, his trio of earrings swaying with the motion. “The vermin saw how well we were doing and decided he wanted a piece of it—the whole piece. Took us to court, he did.”
    “We should have killed him the first time we saw him,” Lucky declared in his raspy voice. “Instead, we cured him. A week’s worth of mud baths and Bliss tonic three times a day completely rid him of that twitch. First time I ever wished Lake Bliss was filled with something other than miracle water.”
    As one, the marauders sighed sorrowfully and passed around the flask once again. Maggie skipped it this time. She looked at Rafe and said, “He claimed we didn’t have clear title to the land. He produced a lien on the property from years ago. The court awarded Lake Bliss and all its improvements to Barlow Hill.”
    “The cockroach.”
    “The termite.”
    “The weevil.”
    “The dung beetle.”
    Rafe’s gaze