Passion and Plaid - Her Highland Hero (Scottish Historical Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

spreading across his lips, underneath his enormous red
beard. “Though I don’t think it will be as entertaining as last time. No masquerade
ball at which to pull a knife on someone.”
    John squinted and grinned. “Watch yourself, or
next time might be you with the knife pulled on him.”
    “You’d best be quite accurate with it,” Red Ben
said loudly, slapping his belly. “Most places you stab wouldn’t hurt me very
much!” A roar of laughter spread across the table from one person to the next.
Before long, they’d finished their drinks, Red Ben ate a bowl of stew, horses
were collected and they were on the road.
    ––––––––
    “W e need some kind of name,” John said. “You know,
for the gang. When it was just Gavin and meself wandering the streets that was
one thing. But now we’re...one, two, three, eight...nine? Nine of us? Got to
have a name for a gang of nine. Huh. That’s a good one, don’t you think?”
    “Ach, I’m not one of you,” Alice said. “I’m a
proper lady with seven little ones scampering about.”
    “And how do you count nine, John?” Lynne grabbed
his hand. “Hard to count when you’re missing three fingers?”
    “Aye it – wait a tick, what a cruel woman to make
fun of my brave injury.”
    Lynne pursed her lips to squelch a laugh. “By my
count there’re seven, dear John, eight if we count Alice, because even if she
doesn’t want to be counted, she seems to be right here with us.”
    “Seven, nine what’s the difference.”
    A moment later, a shriek from down the way caught
their attention.
    “The Hell is that?” John said to Ben.
    “Seems to be just some rowdy drunk. But that
voice...”
    Slumped over on a horse, hat in hand, was a short,
round figure who had obviously had plenty in the eyes of the pub’s owner, but
not in his own.
    “Is my money no good here?” the little man
shouted. “Do you not know who I am?”
    “Ach, I know well and good who ya are, you foul
little beast. I know what you did and I know I dinna have to listen to anything
you say. Now go on with you. Not welcome here.” The tavern keeper spat on the
ground beside his feet, turned, and went back inside.
    John, Ben, Lynne and the rest halted in the middle
of the dirt road, not quite able to believe what they were seeing.
    “Isn’t...isn’t he supposed to be in the back of a
wagon on the way to Glasgow?” Ben asked John. “You don’t think...?”
    “Ach, nay, I dinna think anything happened to
Gavin. This wretched creature musta got away somehow.”
    “But,” Lynne said, “if there weren’t any problems,
how did he get away?”
    John just shook his head in response. “No,” he
said. “Canna think like that. I’m sure he’s fine. But still, it does worry me
some. Ben, can you go with Rodrigo and Elena to get Olga? I think I want to go
north. I want to make sure nothing’s happened on the road.”
    “Aye,” Ben said as he stroked his beard. “I can
understand that. You go. We’ll get Olga. Should we meet back at the house?”
    “Nay,” John shook his head. “No time for that. I’m
to head –”
    “We,” Lynne cut in. “We’re to head north.”
    For a moment the two of them looked at one
another, but then John nodded and agreed. “We’re going. And I know this is
going to sound wild, but will you come to meet us? The next town up is Mornay’s
Cleft. They’ve only been gone a day so I canna imagine they’ve gone farther
than that.”
    “Two days now, lad, but aye, we can do that,” Ben
said.
    “You’re the best friend I could ask for. We’ll
ride north now, and stop when the moon is at its height and camp just off the road.
We’ll go the rest of the way in the morning.”
    Ben nodded. “We’ll meet you on the road. Or at
least I will. The rest will have to make up their minds for themselves.”
    Rodrigo’s expression was suddenly stern, “We too
will come. I owe you my life.”
    Elena, too, nodded. “Olga will want to see