A Highlander in Her Past Read Online Free PDF Page A

hearing?”
    Ramsay nodded while the pink tip of his tongue raced back and forth across his lower lip.
    Trish’s conscience kicked into gear. What would it really hurt to let him try the spell? Either it would work and they’d end up in her room or he’d fail and they’d end up staring at each other across the wreckage in the gloomy library. Trish stuffed her hands deep into the back pockets of her jeans. Damn. She really needed to be the adult here and tell him no. Another look at Ramsay’s expectant face and a pang of guilt shot an arrow of sympathy straight through Trish’s heart. He already felt like she’d deserted him, stayed away from him too long. She knew he didn’t accept her excuse of a weak signal for all those unanswered text messages when her schedule had been so overloaded.
    “I’d hate for ye to have to go through that dirty ole tunnel again.” Ramsay leaned forward and his eyes grew rounder. “I bet there’s even spiders in there.”
    “Spiders, huh?” Trish bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Ramsay was pulling out all his ammunition. He knew how she hated spiders. She’d probably end up regretting this but how could she tell him no? Nessa would wring her neck if Latharn’s magic alarms went off and they got caught. Shifting her stance on the dusty floor, Trish nodded once in Ramsay’s direction. “I’ll make you a deal.”
    Ramsay hopped off the stone and edged a bit closer.
    Trish couldn’t squelch her amusement any longer. The look of anticipation lighting up the child’s face was more than she could bear. With a giggle, she reached out and ruffled his hair. “Oh, Ramsay. You’re such a little con artist. What would I do without you?”
    “Ye’d be a very bored old woman,” Ramsay noted with a solemn nod.
    With a playful cuff atop the boy’s head, Trish bent closer until the tip of her nose nearly touched his. “You call me an old woman one more time and I’ll leave you up here by yourself—without the aid of your spell.”
    Ramsay wrapped his arms around Trish’s neck and snuggled his face against her cheek. “Ye know I love ye, Auntie Trish. I didna mean to call ye old.”
    Her heart melted. Trish scooped the boy into a tighter embrace and planted a kiss atop his head. “You may be a little rat. But you’re the best rat I know. You know that?”
    A muffled giggle rumbled against her neck as Ramsay nodded his head.
    Might as well get it over with. Trish glanced at her watch. Surely, everyone else was asleep by now; even Latharn should be asleep over in Ireland. Ramsay could spell them down into her room and then take the tunnel back up to the tower and return to attacking his mess. “Okay, Ramsay. Here’s the deal. I’ll let you work your spell on the condition that once we travel back to my room, you come back up here and finish your assigned punishment.”
    Ramsay stepped back, flattened his little hand over his heart and stood a bit taller. “I give ye m’word as a MacKay.”
    Holy cow. The boy sounded just like his father. Trish straightened her jacket and nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.” She tapped a bright-red fingernail against the face of her watch. “You’ve got about forty-five minutes left in your Winter’s Solstice.”
    “Gimme your hands.” Ramsay held both grubby hands palms up, his feet spread slightly apart beneath a dusty kilt hanging at a crooked angle about his tiny hips.
    Taking a deep breath, Trish settled her fingertips into Ramsay’s damp little palms and forced a solemn look on her face. “Now what?” She needed to do this right. Poor Ram’s feelings had been bruised enough.
    “Ye have to think about yer room.” Ramsay sniffed, eyed his sleeve then sniffed again as he returned his gaze to Trish’s face. “Sorry. I’ll blow it later.” Rubbing his cheek against his shoulder, he tightened his grip on Trish’s hands. “Close yer eyes and stay focused on the inside of yer bedroom. Then all ye gotta do is follow