Read For Love or Loyalty: The MacGregor Legacy | Book 1 for Free Online

squinting at Lauren in suspicion. “What is wrong with her?”
    “Naught to worry ’bout.” Malcolm winked with a grin. “I gave her a wee bit o’ medicine to help her with sailing. Had a few reservations, she did.”
    “Will ye need a cabin with other bachelors?”
    “Aye.” Malcolm nodded. “An’ she will be fine with a few single lasses.”
    “Go aboard.” The man waved him forward. “Find her a cabin, and she will be fine.”
    As Malcolm carried Lauren up the boarding plank to the main deck, the gray sky sparkled like a diamond in the east where the sun broke through the clouds. Shimmering light crystallized upon the surface of the sea as small waves rolled into the harbor like rivulets. A moment of fear seized him as he imagined being out in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by water. The idea of those small waves turning into large ones made his gut twist. He coughed to ease his tension. Lauren stirred.
    She wasn’t heavy, but after carrying her such a distance, his arms had grown weary and needed a break. Malcolm found a barrel and sat down for a moment. Lauren wiggled with a sigh but didn’t wake. He pulled her close and stroked the back of her hair.
    “Shush, ’tis all right,” he coaxed her. He wasn’t yet ready to deal with her wrath after she came to her senses.
    “Do not leave me, Da.” Her mumbled words pierced Malcolm’s heart as Lauren snuggled closer and gripped his plaid. In her dreamy state, he saw a vulnerable side to Lauren that he hadn’t allowed himself to consider. For the first time, he saw the woman beyond the Campbell name. He sensed she felt abandoned and unloved by her father. His mouth went dry at the realization she had told the truth. Lauren Campbell really believed her father wouldn’t care enough to come for her. What if she was right? What would he do with her then?
    Thoughts of his mother and sister languishing away in a field somewhere enduring hard labor stole his breath. Carleen was young and strong. She would survive until he found her. But his mother? She was getting old and frail. The years had been hard on her, raising four children as a peasant widow. After purchasing his and Lauren’s passage, he doubted he had enough to purchase his mother’s full indenture, certainly not both hers and Carleen’s.
    He looked down at Lauren and traced her golden hair along the smooth skin at her brow. Like his sister, Lauren was young. She could endure what his mother could not. If necessary, he would exchange her for his mother. It wasn’t fair, but nor was it fair to sell his mother and sister into indenture. He loathed having to do this to Lauren, but what choice did he have? If anyone was to blame, it was her father. Fury rose inside him. If he ever got his hands on the man, Malcolm would make him pay for all the pain he’d caused the MacGregors.
    Determined to ease his temper, Malcolm took a deep breath and let it out slow and easy. He surveyed all the busy activity around them. Crewmen whistled as they checked ropes and folded canvas sails, and others loaded barrels of food. Passengers were either saying good-bye to loved ones before boarding or giving instructions regarding their luggage. Babies wailed, children chatted in excitement, and people on the main deck waved to others waiting on shore.
    Malcolm glanced at the stairs leading below deck. He needed to claim cabin space for them before all the good ones were full. He braced himself as he lifted Lauren. The narrow staircase proved to be his most difficult challenge. He had to turn sideways at an angle to miss scraping Lauren’s head against the wall. By the time he reached the hallway below, he was quite out of breath and took a moment to recover. The quarters were tight, and people were crammed everywhere. It didn’t appear as if there were enough beds for everyone. Malcolm grimaced at the thought of living like this for the next couple of months.
    He came to a cabin and peeked in to see two women