Read Online Once Upon A Highland Legend by Tanya Anne Crosby - Free Book Online Page A

she thought he had uttered some third-grade proclamation, something like, “Callum likes Annie Ross.”
    She smirked. It gave her a curious sense of satisfaction to know that someone else had noticed as well, even if Callum refused to confess it. Seriously, if the situation wasn’t so…bizarre…she might have laughed. What in God’s name was she supposed to say to that? Except that, apparently, she kind of liked Callum back. She smiled tentatively at the man, and he rewarded her with his flask, handing it over after taking another hefty chug.
    Thirsty, tired, cold and grateful for his show of kindness, Annie didn’t hesitate. She greedily accepted the flask and took a quick drink.
    Liquid fire poured down her throat and she swallowed as she choked. She thought it might be whisky, but she couldn’t be sure. It tasted more like gasoline. Good lord! She might have realized water wasn’t a thing here—they probably didn’t know how to boil yet, she thought sardonically. And despite her sour face, her new companion laughed amiably. “ Is ainm dhomh Dunneld, ” he said, offering up his name.
    For a moment, Annie could barely speak past the burn in her throat. She handed the flask back, and said, “Good to meet you, Dunneld.”
    He took another turn with the flask, putting the homemade whisky down as easily as though it were milk. “Ye as well, lass.” His grin widened. “If ye ask me,” he proffered, “ye’re a gift from the gods, fae or no’.” He nodded when she furrowed her brow. “Until ye appeared, Callum was all set to go. Puir lad. He dinna take his da’s passing well. In truth, he’s never been quite convinced of…our…” He averted his gaze suddenly, looking a bit disconcerted as he finished, “mission.” But then he peered back at her, grinning once more, and he shook his head with what appeared to be genuine wonder. “Ye’d best be getting’ yourself some rest,” he advised with a wink, and chased his warning with another swig of whisky. “Ye’re just the thing tae keep the chief settled, I warrant.”
    Annie blushed. It probably wouldn’t do much good to assure the man that she didn’t intend to remain here all that long. Once her curiosity was appeased over the Stone of Destiny, she’d be applying herself twenty-four-seven to finding a way back home—no matter how much Callum invaded her thoughts.
    Why?
    The question popped into her head, like a disembodied voice, unsettling her.
    She lay back on her elbow against the ground, pulling the cloak up nearly to her chin. These people had not harmed her, despite that they had questioned her motives. So why not explore whatever this was she was feeling? What was there to get back to anyway?
    Everything , she mentally replied. Everything . Then again, nothing.
    That thought made her glum.
    “Come near the fire, Annie Ross,” Dunneld demanded, not unkindly. “The night’s cauld.”
    “Thank you.” Annie said.
    “’S e do bheatha.” You’re welcome .
    Annie considered the man sitting in front her—and Callum as well—both far more polite than most guys she knew. And for a time, she lay watching him draw pensively with his stick in the ash, wondering who would miss her if she didn’t return home. Maybe Kate? She only saw her cousin once every year or so. She did have friends, but everyone was busy with their own lives, raising babies and trying to crash glass ceilings. Annie had always felt a bit like a fish out of water—something she was, inconceivably, not feeling at the moment. She ought to be questioning why. “Where exactly are we, Dunneld?”
    The giant’s brows collided. “Ach, now, ye walked here w’ ye’re ain two legs. How is it ye dinna know where ye be?”
    Faced with such a common sense question, and having absolutely no answer, Annie furrowed her brow. “I don’t know.” Everything she’d thought she’d known was upside down.
    The night was dark, but the firelight cast a warm glow over Dunneld’s face,