My Highland Lover Read Online Free PDF Page A

won’t use one. She thinks they’re part of a conspiracy for the government to track down time runners and harness our powers for warmongering.”
    The other twin skipped over and nudged Trulie’s shoulder with an affectionate punch. “And who do think helps Granny with her ‘pester Hagerty’ campaign? We’re not as innocent and helpless as we look.”
    Granny looped an arm around the shoulders of the oldest girl and hugged her with a shake and a wink. “See? Kenna, Lilia, and Mairi would be just fine. If they need us, they know how to reach us. All they need is a roaring fire with plenty of red-hot coals.” Granny nodded to Kenna and hugged her tighter with a gentle shake. “Actually, any source of heat will do, but coals give the best reception in the portal.”
    Granny’s smile faded as she gave the four girls a meaningful look, then strode across the room. “I need to see the lot of you settled.” She pointed a finger toward Trulie. “And you’re the first, young lady. You don’t belong here, and if you search your heart, you’ll see the truth of it.” Granny opened the cash register drawer and pawed through the plentiful receipts, dollars and coinage. “The shop is doing well in spite of not being endorsed by Hagerty the Horrible.” Granny paused, winked at Mairi, and nodded once toward Lilia. “Kenna’s twenty years old. Old enough to manage her sisters. All the girls will be just fine. They know every remedy and recipe for our twenty-first-century snake oil that keeps folks coming back for more.”
    “Homeopathic remedies and aromatherapy oils.” Trulie struggled not to rise to Granny’s bait. Granny was wearing her down and she damn well knew it. “The recipes are yours. You know the stuff really works.”
    Granny turned and gave Trulie a look she knew all too well. As she handed Kenna the oversized wad of credit card receipts, Granny added the final barb. “Your precious Dan won’t protect you against the likes of Hagerty either. I’ve seen how he fawns all over that snobby woman and her connections. When she convinces him you’re nothing better than the doormat she wipes her shoes on, what do you think he’ll do? No granddaughter of mine would ever accept being treated like dirt.”
    Kenna, Lilia, and Mairi collectively eased away to the far side of the room and pretended to dust and straighten items on the pristine glass shelves.
    Cowards.
Trulie glared at her three sisters. She’d had enough of Granny’s damn nettling. It was time to clear the air. “I want the truth once and for all. What the hell is going on? You can’t be that concerned about me hooking up with Dan.”
    Karma and Kismet laid back their ears and trotted across the shop to hide behind the safety of the girls’ legs. Trulie rounded the counter. She was on a roll. One way or another, they were going to settle this. Today. “You’ve always talked about someday resettling to the past but in the past six months you’ve shifted your nagging into overdrive. I want the truth. Plain and simple. What the hell is the deal? Why now? You’re gnawing on me worse than a dog worrying an old bone and I’m tired of it.”
    Trulie followed Granny across the room, flipped the Open sign on the door to the Closed side, and yanked down the shade. “What is it with you? Just tell me the truth instead of all this damn maneuvering. Why are you so adamant about permanently moving back to the past? Why does it have to be now?” Trulie couldn’t understand it. What was this burning need Granny suddenly seemed to have to see Trulie settled in the past? It was almost as though she was afraid of something, and that just didn’t make sense. Granny didn’t fear anything.
    Hadn’t the tough-as-nails woman jumped to an unknown future with two little girls and an unhealthy set of newborn twins to honor her only daughter’s dying wish? Trulie remembered the family’s first jump through time better than any of the other jumps Granny had