Surrender of a Highland Smuggler by Lori Ann Bailey

Author:Lori Ann Bailey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lori Ann Bailey

As Callum climbed onto the horse behind Olivia, he savored the sensation of her small frame against his. He wanted to examine the feelings she’d stirred inside him, the longings he’d suppressed so deeply that he thought he’d be able to keep them locked away.

Exploring the hidden recess of his emotions was something he couldn’t allow.

Cole was his priority.

Olivia’s beautiful mind had plucked a new hint from their conversation with James. It wasn’t much, but it gave him hope. They had a vague description of one of the men who had taken his brother.

The estate and the Singing Swan were both north of the city, so the route was fairly direct, and the trip to the tavern should be a short jaunt.

As they sped toward their new destination, Callum’s thoughts turned back to Olivia’s question.

“Could you ever care for me again?” she had asked.

How could she have believed that he’d ever stopped? He’d given her his heart once; no matter what had happened in the past, the gift could not be rescinded.

“How could ye ask that?” he’d returned with a tad too much disbelief in his voice.

He hadn’t intended to come off as angry, but even if the circumstances had been as she claimed and her abandonment hadn’t been on purpose, she had been the one to desert him and his family.

As she contemplated marriage to another man, he anticipated closing himself off in a cold, lonely house with her ghost. He couldn’t blame her for looking for a match. She deserved a home, a family—a man worth staying for.

He couldn’t resist leaning in as he asked, “Who is he?”

“Who?” she asked.

“The man yer going to marry.”

“I haven’t accepted the offer,” she said flatly.

They galloped past a grove of short crops. The dark leaves were dotted with varied shades of light to bright greens and reds. An image of Olivia from the past intruded, a snippet of her appearing at Camelot with a basket full of his favorite summertime treat. They’d been the best strawberries he’d ever tasted.

With no further prodding, she continued, “He’s a friend of Hugh’s.”

“Was this yer idea or yer cousins?”

“His,” she called over her shoulder.

After a beat passed, she continued, “But I can’t return to living alone in a place where I’m not wanted.”

“Ye’ve only been back a couple of days. Have ye even met the man?”

“I knew him from before.”

He stilled as shock seized his senses and his lungs collapsed. When he could catch his breath, anger intruded with the air. Had this man sought her affections when he’d been courting her?

“Does he have a name?” His hands constricted on the reins.

“Mr. Ellis Varner.”

Callum stiffened at the name. He’d heard of Ellis Varner. By all accounts, the fellow was a well-to-do gentleman who had a large plantation to the west near Balmoral.

Once when his sister Kate had been in town and had one of her crazy schemes in play, Callum had crossed paths with the man. She’d had Callum escort her to some ball at the Sutherland castle to the northeast of the city.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.