To Catch a Highlander Read Online Free PDF Page B

up at him, wondering if he felt the same.
    His dark gaze flickered over her face, lingering on her mouth, before he smiled and increased the pressure a bit more. "I must thank you for being here. It would have been a cold welcome to arrive to an empty house."
    She couldn't imagine MacLean being disturbed by anything, much less an empty house. She was going to have to rethink her plans a bit. Worse, she had to rethink her own reactions.
    She was cold and hot at the same time, her stomach knotted, her heart pounding in the most curious fashion. She'd been prepared for a handsome man but not for such a
physical
one.
    The lace and ruffles at his wrist and throat merely emphasized his bold masculinity. No fop had ever moved with MacLean's lithe animal grace, and certainly no wastrel had ever looked at her with eyes that burned with such promise.
    He might be more than she'd expected, but she was certain she could handle him. She removed her hand from his arm and entered the library. "Here we are." She glanced around the almost bare room, noting with pleasure that it was chilly and rather damp.
    She and Angus had dulled the paneled walls with a coating of wax and soot, removed the welcoming rugs and replaced them with torn and threadbare one from the older parts of the house, taken all of the lovely furnishings to the attic and replaced them with bits and pieces from other rooms, none of which matched and which lamentably failed to fill the huge space.
    She hadn't removed the books, fearing they might get moldy if she packed them away. Instead, she'd reorganized them, putting the odder, less readable ones at eye level and hiding the better, leather-bound tomes on the top shelves where they could be viewed only with a ladder. Or could have been, if she hadn't sent the ladder to the attic, leaving half the shelves out of reach.
    She glanced at her guest, wondering what he thought of the dreary surroundings.
    MacLean's gaze slowly encompassed the room, yet no expression crossed his face. Obviously, the poor man was trying to be polite.
    She hid a smile as she walked to the sideboard. "I don't know why Red kept this old house. I daresay it was sentiment. Mother always wanted to make it into a home, but she grew ill, and…" Sophia waved a hand. "As you can see, it would require a monumental effort just to make it livable."
    MacLean turned his gaze her way. "Is the rest of the residence in such ill condition?"
    "Some of it's worse." She turned up two sherry glasses and removed the glass top from the decanter. "I suppose you are disappointed in the house."
    "It's not what I was led to believe. Your father described it quite differently when we were playing cards. He implied that the house was in impeccable shape."
    Sophia gave a merry peal of laughter. "He didn't!"
    "Yes, he did."
    "I'm so sorry he misled you. Red can be quite… enthusiastic when gambling."
    "I've since been told that he is one of the most notorious gamblers in Scotland . Had I known that, I would never have allowed him into the game."
    "You outwitted him," she pointed out, pouring a good measure of sherry into each glass.
    "
Luck
outwitted him. I had nothing to do with it."
    "He hasn't played seriously since my mother's death and isn't as adept as he once was."
    While she, on the other hand, was better than ever. To her surprise, she'd enjoyed the hours of practice immensely. There was something about the game, the feel of the crisp cards beneath her fingers, the flicker of candlelight, and the breathtaking challenge of attempting to read her opponent's expressions and guess the strength of his hand.
    As if MacLean could read her thoughts, he crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her with a faint smile. "What about you, Miss MacFarlane? Do
you
play?"
    "Sometimes." She brought him one of the glasses of sherry and handed it to him, smiling up at him. "And sometimes not."
    "Do you win?" he asked, cupping the delicate glass in his large hand.
    "I win more often than