Read Online CursedLaird by Tara Nina - Free Book Online

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doors, which faced the dock, were both opened wide, filling the main room with
light. The sight of the statue in the morning sun gave her the chills. A
glorious warrior stood proudly, ready for battle with his hand upon his sword.
She soaked in the beauty of the greatest find of her life. A centuries-old
artifact, but did it hold a secret? Inside that solid wall of stone was there
really a cursed soul waiting for release?
    The way the sun brushed across his face gave him a strikingly
handsome appeal. The eyes seemed to stare straight at her, which made her
uncomfortable. But not enough so that she looked away. She couldn’t. The
surprised sadness she read within them burrowed into her heart. If the words
Mary spoke were true, a man lay trapped within this cocoon of stone.
    “Morning, lass. Did you get your rest?” Poppa’s voice
sounded as if it came from the statue. It was all she could do not to jump. She
didn’t see him until he peeked from behind it.
    She quickly cleared her throat and shook off the slight
start he had inadvertently given her. “Morning, Poppa.” Caledonia moved to his
side and kissed his cheek. “Aye, more than I needed.”
    “Nay, you needed it.” He held an unlit cigar between his
fingers and a cleaning rag in the other hand. Caledonia snorted at the sight.
He’d given up smoking several years prior to appease Momma, but he claimed he
kept cigars handy to chew on the ends and pretend. But that was their little
secret. She liked the way his short, gray hair shimmered in the morning sun and
his blue eyes held a twinkle in them that hinted he was up to mischief. And he
was with that cigar in his hand. Caledonia grinned. If Momma caught him…
    The back screen door flapped closed and echoed across the
yard. Neither had to look to know who headed their way. The scent of fresh
scones wafted on the breeze, announcing Momma’s approach. Poppa tucked the
cigar into a side pocket of his coveralls. Percy and Abel hurried up the dock,
carrying a large bucket of water from the loch between them. It was an everyday
practice they did for Aileen. She used it to water her garden.
    “Thank you, boys,” Aileen said as they set the bucket in its
normal spot behind the shed. When she rounded the shed, she stopped beside
Caledonia. “So this is the statue.”
    “Aye, it is,” Fin Kavanagh replied, and then moved to kiss
her cheek and acquired a scone in the process. After a bite, he proclaimed,
“Ummm, delicious, just like the woman who made them.”
    Aileen’s cheeks flushed red. Her gaze never left Poppa’s.
Percy didn’t miss the chance to poke a jibe at her poppa like always. The
camaraderie between him and the O’Reillys was better than most fathers and
sons.
    “Don’t be telling me that sort o’ dribble works on the
ladies,” Percy taunted with a wink at Aileen Kavanagh.
    “If’n you and your brother learned a wee bit o’ dribble,
maybe you’d be as lucky as me and you wouldn’t still be living in your mother’s
house and sleeping alone.”
    “Oh that hurts, Mr. Kavanagh,” Abel chimed in as he covered
his heart with his hand and pretended offense.
    “And who says we’re sleeping alone?” Percy teased.
    “Still sharing a bed with your brother, are you?” Fin
quipped without missing a beat and Caledonia burst out laughing.
    “Hey, you’re supposed to be on our side.” Abel shot a mock
frown her way.
    Waving her hands in front of her, she laughingly begged,
“Leave me out of this one.”
    “I set the kettle on before I came down here. What say you
men continue this discussion in the kitchen over tea?” Aileen suggested. When
they agreed, she gave a knowing nod to Caledonia and walked away.
    Their playful argument continued as they strolled across the
backyard, following Aileen and her plate of scones to the house for tea.
    Alone with Struan.
    She sighed and stepped back. When had she started thinking
of the statue as Struan? That’s what Mary called him, Struan, and it