For Love or Loyalty: The MacGregor Legacy | Book 1 Read Online Free PDF

trust a Campbell, not even one as bonny and as enticing as she.
    He closed his eyes and allowed the drowsy effect of the whiskey to take over his mind. He wasn’t a drinking man by habit, but tonight he needed something to ease his anxiety. One mug was enough to do the trick but not enough to put him in a stupor.
    Sounds of people walking and talking in the hallway and laughter next door faded as waves tumbling to a sandy shore filled his mind. It didn’t look like any beach he had ever seen in Scotland. The air was warm and the sky a brilliant blue. Lauren laughed as she rode by him on a brown mare. Her blonde curls bounced down her back as she leaned forward challenging him to a race. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her azure blue eyes mesmerizing and filled with . . . No, it was impossible.
    Malcolm bolted up with a start, pulling himself from the dream. With his breathing erratic, he ran his fingers through his tousled hair. Lauren still slept. At least one of them had gotten some rest. He wondered about the time.
    He strode over to the window and peeked through the drapes. Still dark outside. Dawn would arrive in an hour or two. It would give him enough time to find The Sea Lady and return with some food to break their fast.
    Careful not to wake Lauren, Malcolm let himself out and used the key to click the lock in place. He didn’t want Lauren escaping while he was gone.
    Crisp air filled his lungs, and each time he breathed out, it looked like white smoke lingered from his mouth. The moon cast a silver glow that beamed off the surface of the ocean. A few ships had set sail, and others had docked since yesterday. Most were small vessels, but Malcolm noticed a larger ship toward the middle of the wharf. He hurried toward it.
    A man with a steaming cup of coffee walked over the plank to the dock.
    “Good sir, do ye know where I can find The Sea Lady ?” Malcolm asked.
    “Right ’ere.” The man gestured behind him.
    Malcolm grinned and thanked him. By the time, he arrived back at the inn, the smell of bacon and brewing coffee lingered in the air. His mouth watered and his stomach rumbled. A man sat at a table, ready to eat, while a serving wench adjusted her white cap and tied an apron around her bulging middle.
    “Could I have two bowls of porridge and two cups of coffee?” Malcolm asked, sitting at the nearest table.
    “Ye that hungry, are ye?” Her thick voice sounded low and husky, as if still trying to wake. Her lips lifted into a smile as she gave him a wink. “I would think a brawny mon such as yerself would need more’n a wee bit o’ porridge.”
    “ ’Tis why I have asked for two of each.” He held up two fingers.
    Malcolm braced his elbows on the table and linked his fingers as he waited. The server set his coffee down first. Malcolm gripped the warm mug in his cold hands and sipped the hot liquid. A moment later, steaming porridge arrived. While he ate, Malcolm pulled out a vial of valerian that Mary slipped inside the packed roll she gave him. He mixed some of it in the other bowl for Lauren.
    “Pardon me, but could I have a wee bit o’ whiskey?” Malcolm asked.
    “Goodness, mon! ’Tis a bit early, is it not?” The woman turned a wide-eyed gaze at him.
    “Aye.” Malcolm nodded. “ ’Tis why I only need a wee bit.”
    “All right.” She shrugged and walked away. By the time she returned, he shoved in the final bite. She shook her head in disbelief as she set down the small cup of whiskey.
    Malcolm waited until she left and poured more valerian in Lauren’s coffee. With the coffee in one hand and the wooden bowl in the other, Malcolm set out for their chamber.
    It took him a moment to maneuver the items in his hands while inserting the key and unlocking the door. He pushed it open to see Lauren at the washbasin cleaning her arms up to her elbows. She turned and glared at him. “Ye left me alone last night, and I wake up this morn all alone again.”
    “I thought ye might