To Win a Highland Scot: A Time-Traveler’s Highland Love, Book 3

by Gill, Tamara

  Idiot.

  "Yes, I'm Maya," she replied, unsure if she was trespassing now that she had quit. She dismissed the idea almost instantly. These paths around the castle were open to the public daily. She wasn't doing anything wrong.

  He gestured to the rockery behind her. "You know where the old heated pools were. Not many do, you know."

  She turned back, looking at the place she'd once swam. "Really? I thought I read it mentioned somewhere in the castle information guide," she lied, knowing she hadn't read it in the brochure at all. But she also didn't want to tell him how she knew of the pools. He'd think her a crazy person.

  He grinned, affection lighting his eyes. He walked up to her, holding out his hand. "I'm Richard Macleod. ’Tis a pleasure to meet you, Maya Macleod."

  Maya felt the blood drain from her face. She let go of his hand, having been shaking it, and stepped back. "It's Harris," she corrected him, unable to fathom how he knew she had the same surname as he did. What on earth was going on?

  "Nay, ’tis Macleod. I couldn't interfere in your life before you traveled back to the sixteenth-century, but the family knew that you were due to arrive sometime this year. I recognized you as soon as I saw you, that you were the one. We share the same eyes and smile if you dinna already notice."

  An overwhelming feeling of love washed through her, and she blinked back tears as the man wrapped her into his arms. "You are my grandmother, several...several times back, but you are. ’Tis lovely to meet you, Maya lass."

  What? She stared up at him, unable to take in what he was saying. All that it meant. "But if I'm your grandmother, how am I here still?" Maya gasped, stumbling out of his arms and clutching at her stomach. "Does that mean that I'm pregnant?"

  "We believe so. Family journals certainly point to you being ill leading up to the battle of Glendale. The Fae did you wrong, but I can repair that damage. I'll have the tapestry taken down, and you, when you're ready, can touch it. I'm certain you will be returned to my grandfather, Boyd Macleod."

  Maya swallowed past the lump in her throat. She swiped at her cheeks, unable to comprehend everything Richard, possibly her ancestor, was telling her. "But I tried to touch the tapestry again when I returned to this time. It didn't work."

  "Come," he said, wrapping her hand about his arm as they started back toward the castle. "The Macleods have a long history with magic, intertwined with the Fae. You were not meant to return here, Maya. Your heart beats in another time, and I know that at this moment, as you walk in the future, a man mourns you in the past."

  Boyd...

  Maya studied the man stating to be her descendent, and she couldn't quite believe it. He did have the same eyes as her, a lovely almond shape, and so blue to make the sky envious. "What if the tapestry doesn't send me back?" she asked him again, fear slithering through her like a snake.

  "Ach, there are other options we can try if the tapestry doona work. There is much you doona know, Maya lass. But you shall. In time."

  Chapter 36

  Chapter Thirty Six

  Her grandson, who Maya had now come to think of Richard Macleod, was too lovely for words. Almost from the moment he had told her who he was, who she was to him, she knew to her very soul he spoke the truth.

  He was her grandson, hundreds of years into the future, her blood was his blood. It gave her hope that she would soon see Boyd again when Richard closed the castle from the public for several days. They gowned her in a newly made kirtle and packed her a bag full to the brim with modern conveniences she may need in the coming months and years. All too soon, Maya was ready to return to Boyd, and she could not contain her excitement over the fact.

  Maya sat in the Great Hall, staring at the tapestry of Boyd the day he lost his first wife to the Fae when the door to the hall opened, and in walked two people Maya had never seen before.

  She felt her mouth gape at the sight of the man and the beautiful woman who walked before him, alive, vibrant, and incandescently happy.

  "Kenzie," Richard said, kissing her cheek before shaking the other man's hand.

  Richard turned to her, and Maya stood, clasping her hands at her front and feeling all kinds of absurd dressed as she was. "This is Maya Macleod, the woman who won Boyd Macleod's heart." He came over to Maya, pulling her toward the couple. "This is Kenzie and Ben Ross of Clan Ross. Kenzie was a Macleod too."

  Kenzie closed the space between them and hugged Maya tight. "’Tis lovely to meet you, Maya. You are the reason why the Macleod clan exists to this day, why I can do what I do. The reason why my husband, the once renowned Black Ben, Laird of Ross, is alive. I owe you everything."

  Surprisingly, Maya had heard of the notorious Black Ben, a scoundrel of the seventeenth century and good friends to Clan Macleod. She looked up at the man, his ink-black hair making him still look like someone she didn't ever want to cross, even if his face was chiseled to look like an angel.

  "Good day, lass," Black Ben said, making Maya's hands shake.

  She swallowed. "It's lovely to meet you as well." Maya's head spun with all they were telling her. Things she still didn't understand or comprehend, she knew everything told was true. "What gifts are you talking of?" she asked Kenzie, needing to know.

  "Come, we'll explain what we can," Kenzie said.

  They sat at the table, and Maya listened to the story of how she came to know her now husband, Laird Ross. How she had helped Abby Cross return to Aedan Macleod to marry the man she loved. How through Maya's actions on the battlefield of Glendale, all their fates, their futures that were at a time intertwined with the past, came to be.

  She lay a hand over her stomach, having thought her sickness leading up to the battle had been stress related. That the thought of losing Boyd, of him being mortal and going into battle, had spiked a fear so grave within her she'd been physically sick.

  She frowned, trying to date her last period, and knew one thing. It had been a very long time since her last. Could it be true? Could she be pregnant? One thing she did know for certain was she had to return to Boyd.

  "We shall have you touch the tapestry, but if it doesn't return you home, and sometimes what initially sent us into the past, doesn't always return us to our time, then I shall help you."

  That was the one point she couldn't understand. How was it that Kenzie could assist?

  "How?" Maya asked.

  Kenzie smiled. "The female line is gifted with magic, the ability to time jump. When you return to Boyd, in time, all will be explained. But we need you to go so that can occur. If you do not return, then Richard and I will fail to exist. And I doona want to lose my life, my love," she said, glancing up at Black Ben.

  They moved over to the tapestry, all of them within reach of its silky threads. "Touch the tapestry and see if you are returned to Boyd Macleod. If you are not, then I shall help you."

  Maya's stomach churned in knots with fear it wouldn't work, that she'd never return home. To Boyd.

  "Because of the way magic works, how the past intertwines with the future, I doona want to say too much. Our lives all hang on what happens to you next. History could change if we say too much before the time for you to know is right. So," Kenzie said, taking her hands and kissing her cheeks. "It was lovely meeting you, Maya. I wish you a wonderful life full of love, family, and happiness."

  "’Twas a pleasure, no matter how fleeting," Ben Ross said, his voice deep and gravelly.

  Richard came toward her, arms outstretched before he pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for loving him. Thank you for all that you surrendered to win your highland Scot."

  Maya hugged Richard in return, unable to stop the stream of tears. "I suppose 'you're welcome' fits, but somehow doesn't seem to be enough. But know," she said, gathering herself and stepping out of his hold, "that I adore Boyd. He is everything to me, and I do not regret my choice. I never felt that this was my time. I always felt unwanted, even from a young age." She didn't want to place some of that blame on growing up in foster homes, but neve
rtheless, it was true. "I'm home when it comes to Boyd. This castle, this very room, already holds many sweet memories for me with him. My heart is light, knowing that my returning to him enables all of you to live, have happiness, and love. Do not miss me too much," she joked.

  Richard chuckled, going to stand beside Kenzie and Ben. "Touch the tapestry, lass and bless you."

  Maya took in the three of them, forging them like stone into her memory. "Goodbye." She reached out, touching Boyd, just as she had previously, and woke up in total blackness, no sky, no ground, nothing.

  Where the hell was she now!

  It only took her a moment to gain her bearings, and she realized with no small amount of relief that she was in the room she had shared with Boyd. Except it was different somehow.

  The light was dimmer, the room several degrees colder than it normally was, but at least the fire was banked high and well alight, taking some of the chill air away.

  Maya walked to the window and gasped. A blanket of white, crisp snow covered everything that she could see. She knew she had been gone only a week or so in her time, but what did that mean in the past? Had she missed only weeks or years?

  Please don't have been years. She could withstand a month, or even a year or two, but no more. That would be too cruel for Boyd to have lived without her for so long.

  She went over to a large chest Boyd had allocated to her during her stay, and she opened it, relief pouring through her that her woolen plaid shawl was still there. She picked it up, remembering before she left the room the bag slung over her shoulder with her supplies to help her live in the past. Maya went over to the bed and, kneeling, shoved it underneath. No one should find it there.

  Without waiting a moment more, she left the room. She could hear voices coming from the Great Hall, not many, but one definitely Mrs. Fletcher.

  Maya stepped into the hall just as Mrs. Fletcher turned to leave. The housekeeper spotted her and, with a cry of amazement, proceeded to drop to the ground, her only saving grace the rushes that broke her fall.

  "Oh dear," Maya said, running to her and trying to wake up the older woman. So far, her return had not gone well. She could only hope that Boyd's seeing her would end in a much more pleasant way.

  Chapter 37

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  "What do you mean he's not here?" Maya demanded several minutes later after Mrs. Fletcher had come back to her senses. They sat before the fire in the Great Hall, a cup of wine each to soothe mostly Mrs. Fletcher's nerves other than Maya's.

  "He was due to return last week, but we had several inches of snow. I would believe that is what has delayed Laird Macleod. They were finishing up some repairs on crofter's cottages. Two days’ ride south of here when the blizzard blew in. I should think the laird will be back within a week or so, once the snow melts a little."

  Maya shivered, hating the idea of Boyd being out in this weather. Hopefully, the cottage he was housed in was one that had been repaired and was well-equipped to keep them safe and warm until the weather broke. "What if it doesn't melt? What if this snow sticks, and he's stuck out there for months?"

  Mrs. Fletcher waved her concerns aside. "Nay, lass. He'll be back. Our laird is never away from Druiminn during the winter months."

  "There is always a first time," Maya grumbled, finishing her wine. She couldn't sit still. She needed to see him. To make sure he was safe and well. That the Fae Queen had indeed healed him as she promised.

  "And you're sure he has no injuries from the battle?"

  A shadow entered Mrs. Fletcher's eyes before she said, "Only his heart, Maya lass. He's not been the same since you left. There have been several occasions over the past two months that we've shuffled him to bed, well in his cups, and he's mumbled about the Fae and what they made you do. I doona know all of what happened at Glendale, but I do know that Clan Macleod owes you a debt of gratitude. You have given us back our laird, our men, and our homes. We couldna be more grateful."

  Maya threw her a small smile. "You're welcome, but it wasn't just me." She turned back to the window, staring out at the gray afternoon, the trees hanging low with the weight of the snow. It would have to be several inches thick underfoot. However was he to return in those conditions?

  "And doona go getting any ideas of traveling out to find him, Maya lass. Not in your condition."

  Maya gasped, having told no one of her condition. She looked at Mrs. Fletcher. How the hell had she found out?

  "Ach, lass, doona look so surprised. Ye have the sweetest pouch, something that wasn't there when you were here last, and there is a healthy glow to your skin and eyes. I can see it from a mile away that you're carrying the laird’s babe." The housekeeper smiled. "I'm happy for you, lass. ’Tis a blessing indeed."

  "Thank you," Maya said, happiness swamping her at the notion. "But please don't say anything to anyone. I want Boyd to hear it from me."

  "Of course, lass. And you shall. I'm certain he'll be home in a day or two."

  He was not. Three weeks later and Boyd still had not returned. When Douglas and Jeane returned after spending some time at Jeane's new estate after their marriage, even they were concerned, even if their excitement of seeing Maya again gave them pleasure.

  Boyd's absence was too long. Something was wrong, and if the clan did not do anything about it soon, then she would.

  Over the past weeks, Boyd had felt no great need to return to Druiminn. There wasn't anything there for him, and his clan was safe for the time being. Over the last weeks, no matter how severe the snowstorms had been, they had managed to fix several crofter cottages and storage barns.

  He had taken the time while here to get to know his clansmen who worked his fields, bred his cattle, and kept Druiminn and Macleod land thriving.

  He could tell the men he had brought here to work were ready to return to their stronghold, and so with the first break of the weather, they had started the two-day journey north back toward Druiminn.

  What he would do there when he returned, he was not sure. Throw himself back into the work of keeping the castle, his clan name strong. Not that there would be future generations to enjoy it.

  Not unless Jeane and Douglas, now married, happened to have children. Mayhap their wedding trip back to Jeane's estate was a successful one.

  He smiled at the thought. It would be nice to have children running about Druiminn halls once again. Boyd pushed down the prick of envy that the little bairns would not be his and Maya's. That he would not get to hold a daughter in his arms, teach her to be a strong swordswoman just like her mama wished she had been.

  Boyd rubbed a hand over his face, sighing. Enough, man, he shouted in his mind. Maya lass was gone. Had given her life here with him so that he would live. No greater sacrifice could anyone make, not when he knew how much the lass had loved him.

  How much he had loved her...

  He looked ahead. By this evening, they would be back at Druiminn. He would not live in pity, not anymore. His people needed him. Maya would not like to see him wallow about, and it was not who he was. Mayhap if the gods gifted him in a future life, he would reunite with Maya. Now that he was mortal, at least it was a possibility, even if an unlikely one.

  "Macleod." Thomas held up his hand, halting their caravan of horses and men. "Horsemen, just beyond those trees."

  Boyd narrowed his eyes, seeing the flickering of horse legs through the copse of trees ahead. The riders were heavily covered in animal furs and wool. There were several of them, mayhap five if he was counting correctly. Boyd recognized Douglas's brown gelding within a moment, and the horse's one white stocking that extended to its knee.

  "’Tis Douglas. No doubt checking to see that we are well. I should imagine they expected us weeks ago."

  "Aye, ’tis Douglas alright," Thomas agreed.

  Boyd pushed on, lifting his plaid over his shoulders when the snow started to fall. At least it was not heavy as it had been over the past several weeks.

  He watched the other
riders grow ever clearer in his vision, and a prickling of awareness ran down his spine like ice-cold water. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see who the rest of the party was made up of, and couldn't quite... Blood rushed to his brain, and for a moment, he felt lightheaded.

  Nay, it could not be. "Get up," he shouted, kicking his horse.

  The other rider, the one his eyes would not move from, did the same, and he almost lost his seat when he knew, to his very core, that Maya was cantering toward him, a much better rider than she was the first time she'd sat upon a horse.

  He kicked his horse harder, thankful they followed a well-worn path used by animals, even in this time of year, and it was reasonably clear of snow. She stopped and waited for him, and he pulled his mount up beside her, noting that his clan, both behind and afront of him, had stopped to allow them privacy.

  He devoured her with his eyes, not believing that she was real. He set his horse along hers, facing her, and reached out, clasping her face. She had rosy cheeks, her nose delightfully red, and her eyes, wet with tears, had snowflakes sitting on her lashes.

  "How?" he asked, baffled and overwhelmed. She could not be here. He could not be so blessed in his life.

  "With the help of your several-times-removed grandson," she said, laughing. "I will explain it all to you tonight, when we're alone, in our room. In our bed."

  He barked out a laugh as heat licked along his spine. He wanted to wrench her from the saddle and kiss her. Hell, he'd kiss her anyway. Boyd leaned down, taking her lips. They were chilled and yet, so perfect. He kissed her long and deep, showed her with all that he was how much he loved her.

  "I've missed you, lass. I love you so much," he said between kisses to her lips, her cheeks, her eyes, everywhere he could.