Read Online Her Highland Fling by Jennifer McQuiston - Free Book Online Page B

it for granted, you ken.” He raised his hand, sweeping it wide. “The title, the castle, any of it. We were not raised to this. My father only came to be earl by a series of unforeseen events.” His gaze pulled to hers, and she was startled to see an almost pleading look in his eyes. “I suppose what I am trying to say is that I intend this opportunity to help the town, not myself. I’ve already been given more than I need.”
    Pen felt a spreading warmth in her chest. “I think I understand,” she said softly. “And I won’t mention you, if you d-do not wish me to.” At his nod of thanks, she smiled. “I only hope they appreciate what you are doing for them. You have g-gone to a great deal of trouble to impress me, arranging this room at the Blue Gander. I am looking forward to seeing it tomorrow.”
    In fact, the thought of having MacKenzie alone, in a room with a bed and four walls and a lock on the door, made the breath grow short in her lungs.
    She imagined he blanched somewhat. “About the Gander,” he said, shaking his head, “I think it might be better to have James show the room to you.”
    Pen’s lips firmed. Why was he trying so hard to avoid her? She was admittedly inexperienced in the ways of men, but every nuanced gesture, every mangled word, told her MacKenzie was attracted to her.
    “I think you are the b-better choice,” she told him. “In fact, I quite insist on it.”
    Finally, he nodded, but he did not look happy about it.
    She refused to feel a twinge of guilt at his clear reluctance. What would it hurt to see where this went? She would be no future burden to him, had no designs to trap him in marriage. She would go back to London with a lovely memory, and he would remain in Moraig with . . . well, with whatever men had after spending a night in the arms of a woman.
    It was all a bit jumbled in her head.
    And she had every intention of unjumbling it before this trip was over.

C HAPTER S IX
    P enelope arrived early to stage the scene of her own seduction.
    She stepped inside the room the innkeeper showed her, absorbing the details with the eye of someone who would faithfully report her findings later. Lace curtains fluttered against the open window, and beyond them she could hear the pleasant sounds of conversation out on the street. There was fresh paint on the walls, a lovely soft blue that made her regret not having stayed here from the start.
    She set her bag down and smiled at the anxious innkeeper. “It is quite lovely.”
    The man pulled a kerchief from his pocket and mopped the top of his balding head. “Well, at the Blue Gander, we pride ourselves on running a clean, respectable establishment. You might mention in your article that the maid, Sally, is instructed to provide the guests anything they might want. They have only to ask.”
    Pen suppressed a giggle, recalling the exchange she had overheard several nights ago. Sally’s offer hadn’t sounded very respectable to her, but perhaps it might appeal to a certain kind of tourist. Namely, the male tourists.
    But she nodded encouragingly, wrote a few things down in her notebook, and then shooed the innkeeper on, determined to have a moment alone to collect her thoughts before MacKenzie arrived and sent them scattering to the winds again.
    She paused a moment, listening to the open window with a cocked ear. The games started tomorrow morning, and already the town’s population had begun to swell in anticipation. By the conversations she could hear swirling on the street, it seemed half the town was betting on Mr. McRory to win the famed caber toss.
    The other half were betting on William MacKenzie.
    She counted herself among the latter, but not only in the matter of cabers.
    She smoothed a hand over the bed’s beautiful coverlet, a patchwork of bright colors embroidered with a Celtic cross. The room felt bright and new, but it also held what appeared to be Caledonian artifacts on the bureau, illustrating the rich history of