Read The Bedeviled Heart (The Highland Heather and Hearts Scottish Romance Series) for Free Online Page B

through her, and this time, he was the one to wrench away, breathing hard.
    “Ach, lass … ’tis …not a wise thing …” He cleared his throat, apparently finding it difficult to speak. “Women do not … thrive in my company.”
    He looked almost angry.
    Ashamed, she covered her reddening cheeks with her hands. She had been too brazen. “I canna think what came over me—”
    And then, all shame and embarrassment fled as this time, it was he to sweep her close as his lips claimed hers once more but with a softer touch and a tenderness that she wanted to last forever. His hand moved lightly down her back, pressing her close, and then all too soon, he lifted his head and pushed her gently away. Sliding his long fingers down to catch her hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist.
    “Aye, I’ll be leaving now, while I still can,” he said in a deep voice, still holding her hand.
    “Will I see ye again?” she asked breathlessly. She almost didn’t want him to answer, afraid he would say no.
    “Aye, I think we both know that I’ll not stay away,” came the soft reply. “But ye should run the other way the next time ye see me.”
    The desperate words pulled her heart as she watched him stride away into the darkness. But then her spirits took wing, and with a light step, she ran back to the cottage and slipped inside.
    Maura had returned.
    Sitting on a chair before a tiny mirror, the woman brushed her long blonde hair. “There’s to be a feast at the castle soon,” she said. “And I promised Charles that I’d find him several serving wenches. The work is yours, if ye want it, Kate.”
    “Oh, Maura!” Kate’s eyes danced as she ran to smother the woman in kisses.
    “Enough now!” Maura laughed, pushing her away. “Ye can come with me on the morrow. Tend to your father now!”
    Feeling as if she would burst with joy, Kate slipped into her room to find the gruel ready and her father awake. Whistling a merry tune, she slowly spooned the mixture into his lips.
    “And why is your heart so light, my sweet Kate?” her father asked with a weak grin.
    “Oh, father! We are gone from the almshouse, and I’ve work at the castle. I do believe our fortune is changing at last!” She was so happy she wanted to sing.
    “Are ye sure it isn’t that lad that has ye singing?” Her father laughed. “His voice was kind.”
    Kate smiled. She didn’t want to speak of Cameron. Not yet. She just wanted to think of him and to hold the memory of his kisses close to her heart. But then her heart gave an odd flop and she sighed. If only the man wasn’t an outlaw but a good, honest fisherman like her father. Lifting her chin, she wondered if it were something she could change.

Chapter Three - The Court of the King
     

    Cameron returned to the Brass Unicorn Inn, walking slowly, lost in thought.
    Something about Kate lightened his heart. Aye, she was precocious, lively, and given to chatter, but that was her charm. The lass was warm-hearted, filled with life, and the loving tenderness with which she cared for her father was moving.
    He had no business seeking her company.
    Grimly, he turned up the lane, hearing the sounds of merriment drifting from the inn long before he saw it. The noise was comforting. It was the precise reason he kept rooms there. The continual commotion distracted him from his heavy thoughts.
    One of his men waited outside the door, and Cameron hailed him. The dismal conditions of the almshouse had appalled him. He meant to fix it straightway. Dipping his head, he murmured his orders into the man’s ear, and then betook himself to his chambers.
    On the morrow, he must announce his presence to the king in Stirling Castle. It was a miserable thought. He didn’t want to think of court intrigue. He’d much rather think of the lively lass with the sparkling brown eyes who wouldn’t stop talking, but ‘twas difficult to do without a twinge of guilt.
    Settling before the warm,