One Hot Scot Read Online Free

something beneath his breath. She couldn’t quite make it out, and she wasn’t even certain it had been in English, but it sounded rather deadly. His hand tugged her closer, and then he pushed her sleeve up a bit. After three days of being unbound the bruises and scratches had begun to fade, but they were still there. “Did he hurt ye?” he asked, very quietly.
    “No. When we arrived at Bellamy Park, he untied me, showed me to a very nice room, and told me that I was now utterly ruined and that he’d left behind a note saying we’d eloped. He would give me a day or two to decide to behave, and then he would have us married.” She gave a bitter chuckle. “Evidently he didn’t want an unwilling bride at the church. Just one who’d realized that she had no alternative if she ever wanted to show her face in public again.”
    “Bastard.”
    Julia slammed her free fist against the table. “And it would have worked, because I flirted with him, and people saw it. And because I put my arm around him while we walked to the balcony.”
    “But ye’re nae married to him, I assume.”
    She lifted her head again, meeting his gaze. “No, I am not. I decided I would rather be ruined than married to that man and allow him to get a penny of my money.”
    “Well. Good fer ye, Julia. Ye showed a pound of spleen, running oot into the Highlands with nowhere to go and nae idea where ye were.”
    “I don’t know whether it was spleen or idiocy, but at least it was my choice.”
    “Aye. Nae a pleasant Christmas gift at all, though.”
    “Not particularly.” So now he knew her story. She watched his face carefully, looking for any sign that he would help her, or put her out in the rain, or worse, see her as an opportunity for himself. After all, while she hadn’t said just how wealthy she was, she had told him that an aristocrat had been willing to kidnap her to claim her money. Unless he’d missed that bit—an act of providence about which she wasn’t willing to wager.
    Abruptly he pushed to his feet. “Do ye play chess?” he asked, walking over to one of the cupboards and pulling open a door.
    “What?”
    “Chess. Do ye play it?” As she watched, he pulled down a wooden board and a small box and returned to the table.
    “I … A little, I suppose. I haven’t played in years. Why are we going to play chess? I told you my story, and you said you would help me if I did.”
    He grinned as he resumed his seat. “Well, we’re nae going anywhere tonight. We’ll head for Lenox Hoose in the morning, if the rain lets up, and then we’ll figure oot a plan.”
    Duncan could tell from her expression that she would rather they came up with a plan tonight, but for the devil’s sake, he needed a moment or two to consider what she’d told him. Whatever dastardly thing Bellamy had done, the earl was not a man to be taken lightly. This was the sort of thing that began clan wars, one man taking in another’s woman—whether the woman in question had any wish to be where she was, or not. And of course beneath all of that logic, he very much wanted to hunt down Bellamy and put a hole or two through him.
    She kept looking at him with those pretty brown eyes of hers. “What?” he finally asked, pausing as he set up the chessboard.
    “We’re going to stay here tonight? The two of us?”
    “Aye.” He grimaced. “I take yer meaning, lass. Ye’ve naught to fear. Ye can have the bed. I’ll be sitting up, just in case.”
    “You mean in case Bellamy comes looking for me here.” Her expression didn’t alter; the thought had already occurred to her, then. “Just how likely is that to happen?”
    “I’ve nae idea. There’s a great deal of land between Bellamy and here, but I reckon he’d prefer to look in more obvious places, because it’s easier. And because it’s storming outside.”
    She nodded, and another lock of her auburn hair came down from the disheveled bun at her crown. “And a man who kidnaps a woman rather than