Free A Howl for a Highlander by Terry Spear

here for. Bringing our money home. I can’t let my clan down. I’ll get your college funds back, too.”
    She sighed, loving that he cared enough about his clan to let go of whatever raging desire he had for her. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, letting him know it was okay with her to end things now. She still craved some kind of release, but it wasn’t safe with him. “Let’s go then.”
    He pulled her toward the shore, his hand still around her waist, keeping the currents and waves from taking her away from him, showing he still wanted her and was unwilling to let her go just yet. She imagined that he’d walk with her all the way to the villa like that if she allowed him to. But he was right. Nothing good could come of it. He was on a mission that had nothing to do with finding a mate. He needed to get the clan’s money back any way that he could.
    Not only that, but he lived in a world completely different from her own. In a castle. With a brother who was laird. Duncan took part in movies, wielding a huge sword. He was Scottish. And had gigantic Irish wolfhounds that would eat her poodles—even though they were the large variety—for breakfast.
    They were worlds apart.
    So why was she thinking again about taking another trip, this time to see the gardens in England and Scotland? And particularly at Argent Castle, if his clan’s home even had gardens.
    Apart from him being her roommate and sharing the cost of the villa, she knew that she had to limit her time with him. He wasn’t here to entertain her or serve as her companion, and she had her own business to attend to.
    So why didn’t she pull away from him when they reached the water’s edge? Why didn’t he release her when he no longer had to protect her from being washed away or attacked by sharks or schools of colorful fish?
    She sighed. “Do you have gardens at Argent Castle?”
    He looked down at her, his brows both arched. “Aye.” But the question in his gaze said he wondered just what was going through her brain.
    She wondered that, too. She looked back at the sand as they made their way to her beach towel, his arm still slung possessively around her waist.
    “Why?” he asked, not wanting to be denied her reasoning when she didn’t say anything further.
    She offered him a small smile, feeling embarrassed that she’d been thinking along those lines, and gave a little shrug. “Someday, I want to see castle gardens all over Scotland and England. I’ve read that Fyvie has a nice garden. And Crathes Castle, too. I would like to see them for myself.”
    “Ah.”
    Yeah, he presumed she wanted to see his castle and stay there free of charge, when most outsiders wouldn’t be permitted entrance. It had nothing to do with gardens. She straightened a little. “If I ever went to Scotland, would you let me see your gardens?”
    He snorted.
    “Not worth seeing?”
    He chuckled, drew her to a stop in front of her beach towel, released her, and lifted her towel off the sand. After giving it several vigorous shakes, he handed it to her. “It’s a garden. What do I know about rows and rows of plants? Ask me about a sword, and I’ll tell you all there is to know.”
    “Oh.” Not having realized how disinterested he was in plants, she felt somewhat disappointed as she wiped the water off her shoulders. Not that she truly expected any man that she became intrigued with to be a big plant lover. But it would be nice.
    “No one ever stays at Argent who isn’t family. It’s not open to the public,” he said, a glint of amusement in his eyes and the faintest curve to his lips.
    “I gathered that would be the case since your clan is also a wolf pack.” She was disappointed he’d say that, implying that she was one of the public and wouldn’t be welcome.
    Then again, his saying so might have more to do with not wanting his people to believe that there was more to their relationship if she all of a sudden dropped by to look at his garden . Yeah, his