Child of the Loch (Child of the Loch Series) Read Free Page B

hinges startled me out of my musings. It was time to get back to the real world anyways. I sure was zoning out a lot today. I know it had to be the stress of my birthday and my new attraction to dirt all in the same day.
    “I’ll get it.” I blurted before my dad could let lose his diatribe and I could tell him without ceremony that I would be gone next month. Not to mention the unceremonious mentioning of him poking his nose into my business and how it was really annoying me.
    I ran to the door with cheetah speed, leaving my startled papa behind and still clueless. I’m a grown up but disrespecting one’s parents is not right at any age. My tiny little mama would give me a good smack on the rump for it no matter how old I get. I would keep quiet until I could tell him with the respect he deserved. My thoughts of the “Commandments” died momentarily.
    I yanked on the wooden knob and the sad, abused white door creaked open. I was not prepared for what I saw. Standing amidst the hanging plants and the swirling of newly fallen leaves was the handsomest man I’d ever seen. His large feet on the dirty, floral welcome mat nearly took up the entire rug.
    This giant was a few inches taller than my father. He had hair that could only be from a bottle. The hair was short, spiky and blonde but it was threaded with turquoise in all hues. I took notice that the turquoise skunk look was definitely working for him.
    The man’s tanned, patrician face had luscious lips, but my full attention was drawn to his best feature. He had striking turquoise eyes, rimmed with long blue lashes. Those eyes seemed to dance with excitement like stars in blue tutus. His arms were covered in downy blonde and dusty blue-black hair showed at the v of his neck. His muscles were pushing that dumb outfit to its limits, even his firm stomach was about to tear the white cloth of his shirt to rags.
    He definitely put any hunk on television to shame. There was no comparison to the naked flesh that danced across my screen and he was fully clothed!
    With a costume like that he had to be a messenger or a joke. I knew my friends were way smarter than to send a strip-o-gram (available everywhere even in the smallest towns of Middle America) with my big, protective father about. It had to be the former. It didn’t matter one way or the other. I was drooling over him.
    I think that my dad’s constant harping and my own loneliness were getting to me. I was in the mood for love. I hit the situation head on. I was about to ask him to sing his message and give me a number where I could reach him but he was too quick for me. He took a scroll from his pocket.
    “Is this the domicile of Jacoh McDonnell, son of King Misha McDonnell the Second?”
    I was still star struck. “Domicile?” I thought chirpily. His radiance had turned me into some kind of speechless idiot. Only a sweet sigh left my parted pink lips.
    My father appeared beside me half pushing me behind him when he was face to face with the stranger. The man kneeled, presenting my father with a scroll written in perfect cursive lettering. It was tied with a black ribbon and there was a seal attached to it. My father jerked the scroll from his grasp and tore into it without inspection. I saw the concern mounting in my father’s amber eyes making them glow with a fiery undertone. He glared at the scroll and the man who delivered it.
    The hunk’s dancing blue eyes were now black and answered my father’s glare just as strongly. I was ready for a fight to erupt between the two men. Duck and cover came to mind, but I stood my ground. I was sure that at least my papa would not be throwing any punches with me in the way. I was also sure that I knew at least one or two moves in my arsenal that would have a grown man wallowing in pain on the floor. I was on high alert if I needed to use them on the hunk, of course.
    When the stare down ended with a draw and no blows, I felt a bit of lightning like a jolt from the