Скачать книгу

chieftain doing working with the Mackintosh’s village blacksmith?

      ‘Have you known James a long time?’ she asked, trying to understand his connections to this place and these people.

      From his place at the chieftain’s table and the call for him to speak with those closest to Brodie—a call delivered by the man known for his loyalty to the laird—he was well known and well regarded here. Was he to the Lady Arabella as Padruig was to her mother? One of her kin who stayed on for years as a faithful friend?

      ‘Aye, for years.’

      Uncertain if his curt reply was due to the riding or not, she held any other questions she would have asked back. But her curiosity got the better of her as they rode through the centre of the village and many called out greetings to him. Especially the women.

      ‘Are you a blacksmith then?’ she asked when they slowed and he would be able to hear her words. The question she truly wanted answered involved personal details she would ask of Clara and not dare to speak to the man directly.

      ‘Och, nay!’ He laughed and it made her blood heat. The deep tones of his voice echoed through her. Again. ‘I am a tracker.’

      ‘Tracker?’ Her blood, heated just a moment before, ran cold then at the reminder of his skills. ‘What do you seek?’ How could she have forgotten such a critical part of him? His answer chilled her even more.

      * * *

      ‘Whoever or whatever is lost.’

      They arrived at Clara’s cottage and, just as he’d predicted, Wee Jamie and Wee Clara were there waiting. Relief poured through her as they discovered the children were well and not lost.

      ‘Your bairns gave Mistress MacPherson quite a scare, Clara,’ he called out as he reached back to help her down. With a strong grip on her arm, she slid over the side of the horse and stood as Clara came out, carrying the youngest one. Sorcha noticed the loss of the warmth of his body as soon as her feet landed on the ground there. ‘I found her over near the stream on the other side of the village.’

      ‘I lost them and feared they would find harm,’ she said. ‘One moment we were all enjoying a bit of warm bread and then next, they were gone.’

      Clara laughed as she approached Sorcha. Throwing her arm around her shoulders, her cousin pulled her close. Alan climbed from his horse then and stood watching.

      ‘They are fast ones,’ Clara agreed. The woman released her when her husband came around the side of the cottage from the building where he worked. ‘Jamie, the wee uns gave Saraid quite a scare.’

      James smiled at her and nodded. ‘You are not the first one to find them gone.’ He walked over and extended his arm to Alan in greeting. ‘But I see the Cameron tracker found you right quick. He is skilled at finding things and people, too.’

      A wave of warning unlike anything she’d ever felt passed through her at those words. Another reminder that she could not let this attraction to him go any further than it had since she doubted she could stop the physical reaction of her body to his strength and his heat. But she needed to be circumspect and not give someone like Alan Cameron a reason to look more closely at her. She swallowed the ever-present fear and nodded at James.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QRfaHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0i aHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1w PSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bWxuczpkYz0iaHR0cDovL3B1cmwub3Jn L2RjL2VsZW1lbnRzLzEuMS8iIHhtcE1NOk9yaWdpbmFsRG9jdW1lbnRJRD0ieG1wLmRpZDoxREJB MUI4OTgyMjA2ODExODIyQTlFNzYyNUZGM0VFOCIgeG1wTU06RG9jdW1lbnRJRD0ieG1wLmRpZDow Mjk1QzVDN0YyQUYxMUU2OTk1NEE2NDMyQTNFNkFENSIgeG1wTU06SW5zdGFuY2VJRD0ieG1wLmlp ZDowMjk1QzVDNkYyQUYxMUU2OTk1NEE2NDMyQTNFNkFENSIgeG1wOkNyZWF0b3JUb29sPSJBZG9i ZSBQaG90b3Nob3AgQ1M1LjEgTWFjaW50b3NoIj4gPHhtcE1NOkRlcml2ZWRGcm9tIHN0UmVmOmlu c3RhbmNlSUQ9InhtcC5paWQ6NTREQjFGMzZBRTIxNjgxMThEOUVGRTU5OTdFOTFEOEUiIHN0UmVm OmRvY3VtZW50SUQ9InhtcC5kaWQ6RDRBOTMyMkFBRTIxNjgxMThEOUVGRTU5OTdFOTFEOEUiLz4g PGRjOmNyZWF0b3I+IDxyZGY6U2VxPiA8cmRmOmxpPkhpc3RvcmljYWwgUm9tYW5jZTwvcmRmOmxp PiA8L3JkZjpTZXE+IDwvZGM6Y3JlYXRvcj4gPGRjOnRpdGxlPiA8cmRmOkFsdD4gPHJkZjpsaSB4 bWw6bGFuZz0ieC1kZWZhdWx0Ij5DbGFpbWluZyBIaXMgSGlnaGxhbmQgQnJpZGU8L3JkZjpsaT4g PC9yZGY6QWx0PiA8L2RjOnRpdGxlPiA8L3JkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbj4gPC9yZGY6UkRGPiA8L3g6 eG1wbWV0YT4gPD94cGFja2V0IGVuZD0iciI/Pv/tAEhQaG90b3Nob3AgMy4wADhCSU0EBAAAAAAA DxwBWgADGyVHHAIAAAIAAgA4QklNBCUAAAAAABD84R+JyLfJeC80YjQHWHfr/+IIJElDQ19QUk9G SUxFAAEBAAAIFEFEQkUCQAAAbW50clJHQiBYWVogB9cAAwACAAoABwApYWNzcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAPbWAAEAAAAA0y1iSUNDnG00pa2kRfYUbZiwUQwSbQAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJY3BydAAABsQAAADJZGVzYwAAB5AAAACDd3RwdAAAAPAA AAAUclRSQwAAAQQAAAWEZ1RSQwAAAQQAAAWEYlRSQwAAAQQAAAWEclhZWgAABogAAAAUZ1hZWgAA BpwAAAAUYlhZWgAABrAAAAAUWFlaIAAAAAAAAPbWAAEAAAAA0y1jdXJ2AAAAAAAAArwAAAAKABUA HwAqADQAPgBJAFMAXQBoAHIAfQCHAJEAnACmALAAuwDFANAA2gDkAO8A+QEDAQ4BGAEjAS0BNwFC AUwBVwFhAWsBdgGAAYoBlQGfAaoBtAG+AckB0wHdAegB8gH9AgcCEQIcAiYCMAI7AkUCUAJaAmUC cAJ7AoYCkQKcAqgCswK/AssC1wLjAu8C/AMIAxUDIgMvAzwDSQNWA2QDcgN/A40DmwO

Скачать книгу