Page 11 of Highland Spy

“Come, Daughter. Let’s find our room.” Brigham pulled the key out and headed toward the door leading outside. Bridget ran over and took his elbow, leading him to the stairs that led to the second story of the tavern.

“I’ll be there soon,” she told him. Reaching over to a platter of food sitting on a counter, she shoved some leftover bread as well as a little dried beef into her travel bag, alongside the Highland Chronicles. “Good night, Faither, dinna wait up.”

“What?” The man stopped and turned around. “Why do ye sound as if ye’re goin’ somewhere, Bridget. What are ye up to?”

“I’m goin’ to take Caleb somethin’ to eat out in the barn,” she admitted.

“Then I’ll come with ye, lass. It’s no’ safe to be walkin’ around a place like this alone.”

Bridget didn’t want her father going with her. She needed to talk to Caleb alone so she could apologize to him. Nay, she didn’t want her father along – just in case Caleb should try to kiss her again.

“We’ll go to the room together,” she said, escorting her father up the stairs, if for no other reason than she didn’t want him to get lost. Since he did seem a little confused yet, mayhap it was better to keep an eye on him. She would wait in the room with him until he fell asleep which shouldn’t be long. Then she would sneak out to the barn and take Caleb the food.

It took hours before her father finally fell asleep and started snoring. Bridget quietly slipped off the pallet they shared, pushing her feet into her shoes. Opening the door to their room, Bridget peeked out into the corridor. The sounds of laughter and talking and lute music floated up from the tavern below. The tang of alcohol drifted by in the air. Bridget closed the door behind her with a soft thud and pulled her cloak closer, lifting her hood as well. Then, clutching the travel bag, she headed down the stairs to make her way to the barn.

* * *

Caleb lifted the bottle to his lips once more, taking another draw of Mountain Magic. He laid on his back in the hayloft above the stabled horses, staring at his pine marten that had climbed up and was sitting on a beam eating grain it stole from the chickens.

He figured Slink would be safer up here since Logan’s wolf was out on the prowl and could come back at any minute. Caleb’s stomach growled, scaring the pine marten, causing it to drop the grain and scurry across the beam overhead.

“Sorry about that, Slink,” said Caleb with a chuckle. “I didna mean to scare ye. I’m just hungrier than a wildcat on the prowl since I didna get anythin’ to eat.”

“Caleb?” He heard what sounded like a woman’s soft voice calling out his name. Shooting up to a sitting position, he watched as a hand and then someone’s head emerged at the top of the ladder that led to the loft. “Caleb, are ye up here?”

Instinctively, he reached for his sword. But his hand stilled when he saw the woman flip back her hood as she stepped off the ladder. The shutter to the large window of the loft was open and moonlight spilled in illuminating the lassie’s vibrant red locks and bright blue eyes.

“Bridget!” He sprang to his feet, dropping the bottle of whisky in the hay. “Och, nay,” he cried, not wanting to waste a drop of the liquid gold. He grabbed the bottle, corking it up before carefully placing it back down. “What are ye doin’ here, lass?” he asked, looking back over his shoulder at her. “It’s no’ safe to be out here alone at night. What are ye thinkin’?”

“I was thinkin’ ye might be hungry, so I brought ye some food.” Reaching in to the pack, she pulled out some brown bread and a piece of dried beef and held them out to him. “Besides, I’m no’ alone,” she told him. “Ye’re here with me.” She lowered her head and peeked back up at him, as if she were waiting for him to reply. A long stand of hair covered one eye in a provocative way. This was the first time he’d ever seen her hair loose. Bridget was beautiful and looked like a woman, not just the girl she portrayed herself to be. To Caleb, she looked more like a goddess.

Without thinking about it, he reached out and pushed back the stray lock of hair, the palm of his hand gently grazing over the soft skin of her cheek. The innocent action sent a rush of emotion surging through him.

Her clear, blue eyes stared up innocently at him, drawing him in like a siren of the sea. His gaze fell to her lips next, and he found himself wanting to kiss her again. Nay, he told himself. He had to stop this. It was only the Mountain Magic making him feel so attracted to her right now.

Quickly pulling back his hand, he nodded with a jerk of his head toward the hay. “Come. Sit down,” he said, reaching out and putting one hand on her shoulder to guide her in the semi-darkness to a sitting position. When they were seated, she offered him the food once more.

“Are ye hungry, Caleb? Ye left before ye had anythin’ to eat.”

“Aye, I’m starvin’,” he admitted, eagerly taking the bread in one hand and the dried beef in the other. “Slink, come here. We’ve got food,” he called out to his pet.

The little animal’s head popped up from under the hay, surprising Caleb since he still thought it was up in the rafters. Slink’s head turned as he looked back and forth, making Bridget laugh. Her giggle sounded sweet and seductive all at the same time, causing Caleb to smile. Slink reached out with his mouth and grasped the piece of dried beef from Caleb. Turning, the pine marten climbed up on Bridget’s lap to eat it.

“Slink, we were supposed to share that,” complained Caleb.

Bridget jerked backward, not sure what to think of the weasel-like animal that climbed atop her lap, using its sharps fangs to gnaw at the dried meat. “Blethers, what am I supposed to do?” she asked in surprise, her voice a breathy whisper. She held her hands in the air, with open palms to her sides, keeping them far away from the pine marten’s sharp teeth. She’d never been so close to one of these animals before, and wasn’t sure she wanted to be.

“Slink likes ye,” said Caleb, ripping off a hunk of bread with his teeth, reminding her of his pet. He continued to talk as he chewed. “Ye should feel honored. Slink doesna take kindly to most people. Ye need to pet him to show him ye like him, too.”

“Oh, nay. I could never do that!”

“I’d advise it. If no’, Slink might think of ye as a threat.”

“Or prey,” she mumbled. “All right, I’ll do it. I guess. I suppose I’m honored that he trusts me enough to sit on my lap.” Hesitantly, Bridget reached out with two fingers and ran them gently over the long, sleek back of the animal as it ate. “Caleb, I’m sorry if I sounded harsh earlier.” She spoke softly, her eyes focused on the pine marten, not wanting to look away for fear it might attack her.

“Sorry? About what?” Caleb uncorked the bottle of whisky and took a swig to wash down the bread.

“I wasna tryin’ to be mean or haughty. I just didna think it was a guid idea to share a room. My faither would no’ have approved of it.”