"This would be ah bit of ah commute tae Glasgow. Would it not?"
Lori reached over, took a lick of his cone and grinned at him. "If you had to make it every day, it would."
"I have something else for that fine tongue to explore later. For now, look to yur own cone, woman."
Lori laughed up at him. "Anytime, darlin." She drawled.
Hamish leaned over to kiss her long and lingeringly. "Hurry up. Finish tha thing. I wish tae get up tha road."
When they were on the road again, Lori settled in for the ride to Crianlarich. She was surprised when Hamish pulled off the highway well before they reached the village. He eased the bike down a rough track that went into a small glen. There were ruins of cottages along with what appeared to have been a fortified house or keep.
After shutting the bike down, he took off the helmet and looked around. "Come, luv, let's look around ah wee mite."
Getting off the bike, they hung both helmets from the handle bars. With a smile, Hamish took Lori's hand as they walked around the glen. The main walls of five of the cottages were in good condition. They walked up the dirt track to what must have been the stable area. There were two walls partially standing. The stones which had been used for the walls were tumbled here and there.
They turned to what would have been the main house. There had been a wall around one side. A small burn ran behind what was the foundation of the house. The stream tumbled away down into the glen.
"Hamish, should we be here? Is this private property?" Lori asked.
He did not reply, but pulled her over with one arm. Kissing her hard, he pulled away again with a grin. "I want tae show ye somethin."
Taking Lori's hand again he led her to the entrance of the keep. They went into what must have been the main hall. Hamish drew her further into the near ruin. There were the remains of a stairway at the back of the great room. Hamish ducked low to pull her into what was a kitchen at one time, off to the right of the hall.
"Hamish! Slow down. Are you sure this place isn't going to fall down around our ears?"
"Nay luv. 'Tis just fine. The auld place is in reasonable shape for bein built in tha 1200s."
"Then it is historic! We probably should not be in here." She protested.
"Nae, darlin. We're fine. Look here, luv." He drew her into a room which could have been a storeroom at some point. It one time in its history, it had a wooden floor.
Hamish squatted down and pointed into a space which appeared to have a hole in it. "See there. 'Twas tha escape tunnel. Look at tha capstone. Da ye see it?"
"No. What?"
Hamish lowered himself into the hole where he brushed the face of the stone with his hand. "Da ye see it now?"
Lori finally saw what he was trying to show her. 'MacGrough' was roughly chiseled into the stone.
"This was MacGrough land, Lori. And it 'tis again." He scrambled out of the hole before pulling her to her feet.
"We'll have ah studio in tha stable big enough for us both. We can renovate tha cottages and let them out while livin in tha keep. We have no need to commute to Glasgow. Bairns, what a wonder of ah place to raise wee ones when tha time is right for us both."
"But Hamish how will we afford to do this?" She gazed up at him with a frown.
Hamish pulled her close. Tucking her up against him tightly, he rested his chin on her head.
"'Tis a done deal, luv. I have tha money. And there's more comin in than I would have ever thought. We can do this. I need somethin tae keep me busy while I put together material for another album. Tha place gies me so many ideas. But I'll work with tha contractors. All ye will need tae do if ye wish, is decoratin. How much ye do, is up tae ye. I wanted tae surprise ye."
Lori put her arms around him. "It's a surprise alright. Even if you didn't talk with me about this, I think it is a good thing for us. We'll be happy here."
Hamish closed his eyes. He thought of the good life he and his love would have in the beautiful little glen. Joy filled his heart.
On the ridge, at the head of the glen where a sentry had once walked, a piper stood. He tucked the bag against his chest and took the mouthpiece between his lips. The welcome for the MacGrough, the laird of the glen, echoed off the surrounding hills. But the Laird did not hear him, not yet.
Glossary
Arse - bum
Awffy - awfully
Bahookie - ass
Bawbag - scrotum (insult)
Boot - bitch
Burd - nice looking girl
Busk - play or preform for voluntary donations
Cannae - can't
Da - father
Disnae - doesn't
Dosh - money
Fash - worry
Feckin - euphemism for f---king (Irish)
Fud - cunt
Gie - gave, give
Gradh - love, lover
Ken - know
Nae - no
Nutter - crazy
Och - exclamation
Pissed - drunk
Polis - police
Sgian - knife
Skunner - someone who pisses you off
Shite - poo
Tae - to
Wanker - insult referring to relieving ones self of sexual tension, male
Wean - child
Wee - small
Wheesht - hush
Ye - you
Yur - your
1Thank you for taking time to read Wired For Sound. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
Other books by Cherime MacFarlane:
"Highland Light" Is the first of the MacGrough Clan series.
Gideon is a ward of the Master of the Croatia Temple belonging to the Knights Templar. The knights manage to escape to Scotland. The master of the Temple strikes a bargain with Robert The Bruce. In exchange for safety, the eighteen men will marry into various clans allied with the Bruce faction. Ailene has seen the young man she wants. She will have him and no other. Gideon has honored the vows of chastity. He has no knowledge of women. He and Ailene must learn together.
But Gideon owes his new King service. No matter how much he wishes to stay with his wife, he has a duty. Scotland is fighting for its life against England. At the same time, Gideon's new home is locked in a vicious internal struggle for power. Enemies are everywhere. The clan is in danger from all sides. The small bedroom they share is the only place where the young couple can find peace.
"Bare Wires"
This prequel to Wired For Sound follows Lori and Hamish as their lives slowly come together. Lori finally gets the break she needs when she comes to the attention of a gallery owner in Brighton, England. The small celebration she treats herself to turns into a disaster. She discovers a horrible truth about her lover.
Hamish and the band are finally poised to break into the entertainment industry. But two big problems stand in Bushmaster’s way. The bass player’s growing addiction and Vincent’s inflated view of his worth. Hamish has to learn to manage his own problems with insomnia while trying to keep Bushmaster together.
Two young people's lives will intersect one night in an art gallery in the resort town of Brighton.
"North by Northeast"
Hamish has a bit of what is called the sight in Scotland. He gets hints something is horribly wrong. Suddenly his wife, Lori, is missing. She was doing an exclusive gallery show in Seattle. Half a world away, Hamish is terrified. Lori is gone, and there is no ransom note. The remnant of his old band, Bushmaster, gathers to help Hamish search for Lori. Their search takes them from Seattle to Canada and into a ghost town North by Northeast of Seattle.
Lori has no idea why she had been kidnapped. Hamish is the musician, the famous one of the family and a partner in WarLoch Productions. What is the reasoning behind this? Will she live to find out?
"Rhythm and Blues"
Lurch Walker is the bad boy of the band Bushmaster. A rock solid, rhythm
guitar player, he finally finds a woman he is ready to settle down with. Hamish's au pair and mutually adopted sister claims Lurch’s heart. But Lurch's past is about to put an end to his dreams of home and family. Lurch and Hamish must make a stand as those threatening Lurch have now threatened Hamish's family and his adopted sister
"Family Knots"
Lori is recuperating from the birth of their third child. But things in the glen are starting to take a decided otherworldly turn. Hamish suspects his oldest son, just a young boy, has a great deal more of the sight than he has.
Lori has a touch of post-partum depression and is not able to paint. Hamish's father's relatives have finally found him which makes things even worse; his cousin wants something from Hamish, which will require his leaving Lori and the glen when he most needs to be there. It is a family knot of significant proportions.
"The Templar's Treasure"
As the MacGrough clan prepares to celebrate a milestone, chaos ensues. A 26-year-old secret will be revealed, the father of a child exposed, a woman rescued and another stands up for the love she and her soul mate have shared for years. Lori and Hamish's 28th-year-anniversary celebration goes off the charts. The MacGrough glen is turning up the heat. One antique anniversary gift holds the key to the last of the Templar’s Treasure. And the supernatural talents of one of the clan lead to a discovery of another sort. More history of the glen is about to be revealed to the MacGrough's of the twenty-first century.
"The Twisted Laird"
Edan MacGrough is the last of the male line of the MacGrough's. Culloden has claimed the rest. His older half-brother, The MacGrough, has given him a duty, he is to take care of the women and children who are left. In particular, Edan is to watch over Rhona, the widow of his brother, who is pregnant. The children are all the clan has left, and MacGrough’s survival depends on keeping them alive.
Rhona hates Edan and always has. She will not make the commission given Edan by Hamish easily accomplished.
Edan does not feel up to the task, as he has a lame leg, twisted due to an accident shortly after birth. The MacGrough, warned by the sight, of hardships to come, has trained his successor to do what must be done. But nothing can prepare the young laird for the grief and pain he must deal with. Not only is his leg twisted, but his heart and soul are, as well.
"Snagged" is the first of the Copper River Romances.
In some places in Alaska, there are only two places to socialize, the bar and the church. Dorcas' family chose the church. Trying to find her path, she is spending the winter in a remote cabin. The pilot of a small plane crashes on the river. Dorcas pulls James out, saving his life.
James has been working alongside his father building the business for years. His trip to Fairbanks to scout out a second location angers his father. Jales leaves a day early, and his plane develops engine trouble over the Copper River, far off course. Being thrown from the aircraft into the icy water, the young man thinks his life is over until the girl pulls him from the river.
There is a family connection which goes back over twenty-five years, something neither of the young people discovers until her family comes to spend Christmas with her at the remote cabin. Will an old lie tear the young couple apart? Will James' father finally listen to the truth?
"Stalking Red"
The second of the Copper River Romances finds a hunter in a tight spot. P.R. Jones is taken with the new tenant, Brenda. She, unfortunately, is living with a summer intern from her office. P.R. must bide his time and remain a friend to Brenda, Red if he wants to end this hunt successfully. He doesn't care what his parents think; Red is the one he will have. But P.R. wants marriage.
Brenda is not sure she wants to lose her only real friend, P.R. Jones. On the other hand, a friend with benefits would be nice. Will P.R. go for that kind of relationship? Red is not sure she is ready for anything else. She is also not sure what to do if her part Athabaskan, part white friend needs to move back to the Copper River Basin to deal with family issues.
P.R.’s connection to his family is strong, but Brenda worked hard to become a paralegal. Giving that up is not something she wants to think about. This relationship may be doomed before it even starts.
"Heart of the Hunter"
The third of the Copper River Romances, finds a young man, Jay Leighton, back from Afghanistan and happy to bury himself in the solitude of the Copper Basin. He is a hunter and a loner trying to heal scars, emotional wounds brought back with him. The last thing he needs is to be brought face to face with the loveliest woman to move to the Basin in the last year. His head is not ready; his heart is already lost.
Leda is a teacher just out of school, who has not had time for love; Jay takes her by surprise. A soft-spoken, slightly broken man, who lives in a small cabin with his dog, Licker, for companionship. Leda sees something in Jay she needs to pursue. But Leda is worried about her reputation in the tiny community of Kenny Lake. She should stay away from Jay. But can she? Just who is the hunter and who is the hunted?
"Cougar Hunt"
She is very aware of the danger in the game she is playing. Meeting friends with benefits on the internet is not safe. The only constant in her life is the kid she keeps rejecting. But Joey keeps coming back until the night they share a sleeping bag during a snowstorm. Finally willing to admit she may need professional help, Linda finds she may have waited too long. Joey withdraws from college and leaves town without warning. Her world is suddenly in splinters around her. What has she done?
The fourth of the Copper River Romances, strips away the masks Joe Friday Jones, the youngest Jones boy, and Linda Rae Ed have been hiding behind. Linda is not the positive individual she appears to be. The only one who knows her secret is J.F. Jones. In love with Linda for years, he is finally forced to face the truth one cold night. Keeping Linda alive during a snow storm on the bluffs, J.F. gives her his heart. Linda pushes him away once again. She feels the four years between them would label her a "cougar." J.F. is afraid if she doesn’t reach out for help, she will die, but he can’t take any more rejection from Linda.
"Baubles and Beads"
Della Street Jones is everyone’s ‘good little girl’ and is tired of the label. Munk Riley is the skinny little thief she shared her lunch with until the family left the Copper Basin. Riley, caught by the Jones family, is given a chance to redeem himself and earns a diesel mechanic certification. Munk wants to marry Della. He craves all the things denied him growing up the only child of an alcoholic mother.
Taking a job without telling her, causes a blow out between them. Embarrassed, Della takes a live-in position at a remote lodge. She finds something that causes her to send an SOS to her family to get her out. Munk will do anything to get her back where she belongs. But does Della belong where everyone else thinks she does? Can they get out without waking the man who controls the underbelly of Alaska?
"Grass and Blue Skies"
On crutches and no longer able to fly jets, Brett is grateful to have come home alive instead of in a box. Though he’s still got his leg, there’s a lot of pain, too so a relative sends him to see the pretty herbalist who helps people with pain and nerve problems. One look at her and Brett wants more than pain relief.
Nikee has a secret room beneath her greenhouse full of pot plants. The woman began growing medical marijuana several years ago to help her father after an unfortunate accident, and she has no plans to quit. Hopefully telling Brett about the grow operation won’t cost her a relationship with the man.
If the delicate balance of her relationship with Brett isn’t enough, someone else has discovered her secret. He wants her crop and will do anything to cash in on her work, but Nikee can't go to the Troopers for help.
Can a woman, an old man, and an ex-jet jock keep the nefarious character out of her medicinal pot?
"Behind The Raven Mask" Son of a Russian adventurer, Dmitri Bressoff stays in Alaska after the purchase of Seward's Folly by the United States. Mauled by a bear, as a young fur hun
ter, he is a widower with a ten-year-old girl to raise. Dmitri is feeling his age. The year is 1881, and he is headed home to his island and his headstrong daughter. Dmitri cannot forget his first wife, a half Russian, half Tlingit girl. He has no wish to remarry.
Camille is the niece of the captain of the steamship Dmitri is sailing home on. Her uncle is not happy being saddled with her. Camille is a widow suffering from nightmares and is on the verge of being addicted to laudanum.
A drunken mistake gives the captain the means to get rid of Camille and make her Dmitri's wife.
The couple tries to come to terms with an arranged marriage but find themselves under the threat of murder. Someone wants Camille dead. They must cut through the lies to find the way to safety.
"Daughter of the Raven"
Anya Bressoff thinks she has found the answer to her prayers. The man she meets in San Francisco will take her all over the world. The first place he takes her is Russia, after being warned to keep her out of that country by her father, Dmitri Bresoff. Kidnapped, Anya finds she can only go east across Siberia to find her way home to Bressoff Island.
Anya's family has no idea what has happened, and they are told she is dead. The man who has loved her for most of her life is heartbroken.
If she can find her way home will she be forced to resume her marriage? Anya is determined to be free of her, now unwanted husband. First she must get home. Will the man she overlooked still be waiting if she can get home?
"Deirdre of the Sorrows"
Deirdre, deserted by her stepbrother is left with a stepfather who is becoming crazier with each drink, and he drinks a lot. Sylvie, his youngest child, is in as much danger as Deirdre. Left with no choice, Deirdre takes matters into her own hands to protect not only Sylvie and herself but her child by the monster.
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