Read Online Deepwoods (Book 1) by Honor Raconteur - Free Book Online

are turning blue.”
    She turned a glare on him. He looked fine, and the
unfairness of it rankled. That Northern blood of his made him almost immune to
weather like this. “Wolf, don’t you ever get cold?” she demanded, almost
whining.
    He grinned at her in a quick flash of slightly crooked
teeth. “Not like you do. Let me see to the rooms, alright?”
    “Make absolutely sure they come with hot baths,” she
insisted.
    Patting her shoulder lightly in reassurance, he opened the
door with a slight creak of hinges and pushed through, bellowing as he went,
“Master Gramms! We need rooms!”
    Gramms, looking as burly, surly, and round as ever, turned
from where he stood near the bar and bellowed back in a rough voice, “You best
be willing to make do with three of ‘em! It’s all I’ve got left!”
    “They come with baths and dinner?”
    “They do.”
    Wolf turned slightly and cocked an eyebrow at her. She
nodded confirmation. They’d make do. They’d done so before. If Hammon hadn’t
gotten comfortable with their party yet, he would need to do so quickly, as he
would be bunking down with at least two of them.
    “Stop hovering in the door, then, and letting in all that
cold air!” Gramms commanded, bushy eyebrows pulled together.
    Beirly stayed in the driver’s seat long enough for everyone
to scamper off and gather their bags before he went through the narrow pass
with the cart to the inn’s stable yard in the back. Two young boys, Gramms’
sons, came out and took their horses and led them the same way, letting the
cold and weary party enter the inn. The close confines of the tables, already
loaded with customers, made it hard for them to cross the room without bumping
into anyone. A few gave them curious glances but did nothing more than that.
    Everyone had plates of food in front of them and the sight
and scent of it filled her head in a sweet, intoxicating way. The aroma set her
stomach to rumbling petulantly, reminding her she’d only had cold fare for
lunch several hours ago. But the thought of food came in a distant second to
the idea of soaking in a large tub of scintillatingly hot water.
    By the time Siobhan made it across to Gramms, her skin
tingled painfully. Gramms had three keys in his hands, but he watched her
instead of handing them over, dark eyes looking her over carefully. “Hot baths
before dinner, I think.”
    She managed to move her frozen muscles into a semblance of a
smile. “That obvious?”
    “With you, at least.” He gave the keys over and pointed up
the stairs. “Back three rooms on the left. Women’s and men’s baths have hot
water in ‘em, and towels and soap, so come down when you’re ready.”
    Never before had she felt like kissing the innkeeper as much
as she did now. “Bless you.”
    “I’ll have Maddie bring up pallets and such,” he promised,
shooing her on her way.
    She trudged up the stairs, her pack bumping along on her
back, sorting out the keys in her hands as she went. They were simple black
cast-iron keys with a ring on them and a small leather square with a number
embossed. It didn’t take any brains to put the right key to the right room, and
when she did, she left the key in the doorknob to let the boys sort themselves
out. She would take the far back room, the one that sat over the kitchen. She
had absolutely no intention of being cold tonight.
    Siobhan entered the room and took a glance around. Two narrow
beds, one on either wall, with enough space for a pallet on the floor between
them, a fireplace that sat cold but with logs ready to be lit, and a single
washstand holding up the corner. Large enough for the women, certainly, but she
didn’t know how Tran or Wolf could begin to fit on those beds. They normally
had the larger rooms when they stayed here. She’d never seen Gramms so full
before. The storm’s doing, perhaps?
    Choosing the bed closest to the door, she set her pack down
and started rummaging through it for a set of clothes that would