Page 9 of Highland Spy

“I wouldna call her irritatin’,” said Logan in thought. “More like . . . a thorn in the side at times. What happened? I thought ye were infatuated with her?”

“No’ anymore,” he said, looking around for Slink. “Now, I canna wait to get the shrew and her faither to Hermitage Castle and leave as fast as I can.”

“Sounds guid to me,” said Logan with a shrug. “I never wanted to escort them to the Lowlands to begin with.”

“I’m startin’ to think that mayhap Bridget Ogilvy isna the lass I thought her to be.” Caleb turned and headed down to the loch where he saw Slink sitting on a rock, eating something.

“Does that mean she’s no’ goin’ to mention ye in the chronicles after all?” Logan called out after him. “If no’, ye owe me some money, because that means I won the bet.”

“There is no bet,” Caleb reminded him. “But I’ll be mentioned in the book, dinna fash yerself over that,” he mumbled. While he longed to be mentioned before, the last thing he wanted now was his name to be found on the pages of the Highland Chronicles, because he knew if so, it would all be bad.

Chapter 4

It was already dark by the time they made it to the Horn and Hoof. Caleb rode at the head of the traveling party purposely going faster than he knew was comfortable for Bridget. He didn’t care. She’d insulted him and he didn’t like that. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t need to even speak to her again before they got to the castle.

Caleb jumped off his horse, handing the reins to a stableboy who rushed out to greet him. The tavern also served as an inn and had a few bedchambers on the second floor. A barn out back was used to stable the horses of the travelers that remained there overnight.

“See to it that ye feed, water and brush down my horse as well as the horses of those I’m travelin’ with, Bram.” Caleb knew the boy well from being here so often. He reached into his pouch and pulled out two coins and handed them to the lad.

“Thank ye, Caleb,” said the boy, staring at the coins in his hand with a big smile on his face.

“Wait. Here’s another one,” he said, tossing one more to the lad.

“What’s this one for?” asked Bram. “Ye’ve already given me more than enough.”

“I ken, but there are five horses and it’ll be a lot of work. Plus, I’m sure Logan will want ye to keep his wolf out in the barn overnight since Auld Callum doesna like it inside the tavern.”

“Jack’s here?” The boy smiled and stretched his neck, looking for the wolf. It ran up, followed by the rest of the traveling party atop their horses.

“Jack!” exclaimed the boy, laughing and rubbing his hands through the wolf’s fur. “Did ye bring Slink as well, Caleb?”

“Of course,” said Caleb, flipping open the flap of the travel bag slung over his shoulder. His pine marten stuck its nose out and sniffed the air. Then it yawned, showing its sharp teeth.

“Caleb, ye were ridin’ so fast that my faither nearly fell off the horse,” complained Bridget, coming his way. Caleb groaned. Normally, he’d help the girl from her horse, but not tonight. Not after the way she’d threatened to slander his name in the Highland Chronicles.

“Blast it, Caleb, what was yer all-fire hurry?” growled Logan, slipping off his steed and helping his wife to dismount as well. “Did ye forget we had lassies along?”

Caleb’s eyes shot over to Bridget and, for a mere second, he thought she was going to ask him to help her dismount. She didn’t. Instead, she jumped off the horse and went over to talk to her father.

“I’ve paid Bram to tend to the horses and to watch Jack for the night,” Caleb announced. He removed his pine marten from the bag and put it on the ground to sniff around. “I’ll go tell Callum we’re here and that we need a few rooms for the night.”

“My faither and I will share a room,” Bridget called out to him. He ignored her, scooped up Slink, and hurried into the Horn and Hoof.

“Caleb, wait up.” Logan was on his heels. “What the hell’s the matter with ye?”

“I dinna ken what ye mean.”

“Ye ken very well what I mean. Did somethin’ happen between ye and Bridget?”

“Nothin’ as far as I’m concerned. We were enjoyin’ a kiss and, all of a sudden, she was threatenin’ to tell her faither to write bad things about me in that blasted book.”

“Really.” Logan burst out laughing. “Well, at least ye’d be mentioned in the Highland Chronicles like ye wanted all along.”

“That’s no’ funny,” he spat, taking a seat at a tall stool and placing Slink atop the counter.

“Och, get that weasel off my drink board!” Callum was pouring drinks and banged down the bottle, scaring the pine marten. Slink scurried across the long piece of wood and disappeared over the side, jumping to the floor. “I hope to hell ye didna bring that wolf of yers in here again, Logan,” growled the man. “I dinna want to be losin’ another chicken from my soup pot. I still have customers complainin’ about that thin broth I had to serve, thanks to ye.”

“Dinna fash yerself. Jack will stay in the barn with Bram.” Logan reached over and took the bottle and a cup and poured himself a drink.