“Ye think I jest? First, ye nearly kill me at the cliff, then ye throw yer arms around a married man? There be nothing amusing, here.”
When it hit her, that his concern was only for Jake’s wife, she couldn’t breathe. Sharp pains stabbed at her heart with such swiftness, her palm slapped against her chest. He didn’t care that he’d found her in another man’s arms.
Jake kicked a pebble with his boot, and looked uncomfortable. “This is where I came in. Ah, I think I’ll go find the wife.” Jake turned on his heel, and he and his horse disappeared inside the castle.
“I’m leaving, as soon as Dorcas can arrange it. Good-bye!” Jenny said. Turning away and storming toward the castle gates was childish, but she couldn’t let Gavin see her tears. Getting far away from ancient Scotland was looking better and better.
***
Jenny was angry with him. Gavin understood. She had good reason to hate Angus Sinclair, who had nearly raped and killed her friend. Jake had headed inside, with Jenny following.
Gavin’s hands fisted, as jealousy swept through his chest like a wind-blown evil spirit. Love was a mysterious force that made men act out of character, while crazed with lust. Indecision and a lack of attention, could bring about a man’s downfall. A few things had changed, however. If he retained the lairdship, he would need to marry and beget an heir.
“First, I must ensure my sire is detained. Permanently.” His hand drifted to the hilt of his dirk. Sometimes Scots would say detain, when they meant murder. If he could capture his sire, and separate him from his mercenaries, there was hope the man might live to see a grandchild or two.
What would Gavin do if Niall never returned? “Winter approaches. My people will starve without my leadership.” If the allegations against his sire proved true, Angus Sinclair deserved imprisonment, or death. Jenny’s image surfaced, and guilt made his gut clench.
Jake had cornered him three days earlier, and his accusations still rang clear in his head.
“What about you and Jenny? Anything going on there? You both disappeared when Sinclair’s mercenaries attacked Niall’s camp. Where’d you two go?”
Gavin had bristled, but did not answer. What he and Jenny shared, after he’d led her to safety, and they ended up at Izzy’s deserted farm, was their business. His body tightened at the memory of her in his arms under a moonlit sky. She was a distraction, and would soon leave.
“I thought Jenny would tell me about your little adventure, but she hasn’t,” Jake had told him.
Gavin had walked away from Jake. Showing emotion toward the lass would confuse Jake, or make him tell more tales. She had shared one blessedly sensuous night with him, but he had a life here. She wished to return to her world.
Who am I to stop her?
Jenny Morgan was definitely a distraction. Gavin’s numerous obligations required his immediate attention. He was glad to be rid of her. Liar.
CHAPTER 4
Jenny followed Dorcas Swann through the shadowy recesses of the stable, daring not to look behind her. She had said her good-byes to her new friends at Castle Ruadh. Izzy and Jake opted to stay behind.
“The brawny Highlander, Bull, will no’ follow us, lass. He told me he shall stay here.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Dorcas. I knew he loved her.”
They paused beside a large horse’s stall. Jenny recognized the animal as Falcon, which made her think of Gavin. Would he miss her?
“Yer head is full of questions, but Bull stays to protect Izzy, ‘tis all.” She puffed on her unlit pipe. Even she would not chance a fire in a straw-filled barn.
“You’re wrong! He stays because he loves her! Love is all that matters.” Jenny slapped both hands over her mouth. “I apologize, Dorcas. I’m opinionated, I’ve been told.”
“Yer opinion is your own. Izzy’s life is in danger from Angus Sinclair, so he stays. I do believe he loves the lass. I know she feels for him, too. Their destiny is fluid, but we must let them live the life they wish.”
Jenny couldn’t help but smile. She would miss him, but those two were in love and were meant to stay together. She’d seen them kiss. Bull had pulled her into his chest and plundered her mouth, in view of several people. Passion and joy, mixed with the thrill of victory, was painful to watch.
Especially when my own heart is empty.
Her mind was another story. Since her one night with Gavin, Jenny pictured dozens of scenarios where the night did not end. Gavin hadn’t pressured her to do more than allow him to kiss her senseless. After his lips caressed her mouth, and neck, she encouraged him to draw her shirt down and nuzzle her…
If Dorcas has any idea where my mind has wandered…
“Loving a man is no’ a sin, lass.
Jenny hesitated, then nodded. Flames pulsed beneath her cheeks. A hint of pink overpowered the old woman’ natural aura, and spread over her cheeks.
Seems like mind reading has its drawbacks.
“Never ye mind, child. Are ye sure ye wish to leave?”
Gavin made it clear, not with words, but with actions. He wasn’t looking for a relationship. He admitted he only wanted to marry Izzy because she owned a farm with good land that ran along the Sinclair border. As her husband, Gavin would have controlled the land, and it would shift from Gunn clan territory to that of the Sinclair clan, bringing him wealth and power.
“Aye, that young buck wanted my Izzy for all the wrong reasons. I be glad Izzy discovered the truth in time.”
“About Gavin? I have a feeling you helped.”
Dorcas smiled, then lit her pipe. Jenny glanced around. They’d left the straw-filled barn and walked along a fence that surrounded a small paddock. Jake’s horses galloped toward her.
The black stallion, Tavish, reached her first. He reared and puffed, telling her with his actions that she had stayed away too long.
“Hey, you left me. You and Dara disappeared, remember?” He couldn’t understand what she’d said, but the one-sided conversation felt good. Tavish’s green aura showed he was accepting of his new environment. Dara reached over the top of the fence, searching for a hand-out. Her indigo-blue aura vibrated with gentle harmony and peace.
“No snack, today. You’ll thrive here.” Jenny ruffled the mare’s dark brown mane. “Where’s Balfour?”
Dorcas laid her hand on Jenny’s forearm. “He’s hitched to my cart.”
“But…”
“Aye, he travels with us, this journey. Jake dinno’ want him pining. He is a gift for ye.”
“Jake gave me his horse?”
“Balfour is too old to survive here. Tavish will carry Jake into battle, and Dara will bear many strong bairns.”
“Wow. If I’d known, I would have thanked him.” Her next thought was, how could she afford to keep a horse? Her discount on medicines from the clinic would help, and she could administer vaccines and treat minor wounds at home, but barn rent, food, horseshoes…
“Jake has given ye this.” Dorcas handed her a leather pouch.
Jenny peeked inside, and found folded pieces of parchment. Pulling them out, she read a paragraph. “This is written with charcoal?”
“Aye,” Dorcas said, and she puffed harder, filling the air with the scent of sweetened smoke.
“He writes that he’s giving me everything he owns, including Balfour and his meager savings.” She glanced at Dorcas, who smiled around her pipe. “I own a horse!”
Giggling like a schoolgirl, she followed Dorcas to the road, where Balfour stood harnessed to a traveling cart. Every side sported cabinet doors and drawers. Heaped on top were what looked like tarps, tents, and blankets. Balfour whinnied as they grew closer, and she wished she’d grabbed an apple for him.
“This is really happening.”
“ ‘Tis what ye wanted, aye?” a familiar male voice said.
Jenny turned to face Rae Wilson, Izzy’s cousin. His broad smile faltered, until she smiled back at him. He was a good-looking man, for a farmer. His brown hair and eyes matched
hers. “We could pass for brother and sister.”
He chuckled. “I think my accent will no’ fool yer friends. I shall be yer cousin from Scotland, aye?”
Nodding, Jenny inhaled a deep breath and wished he’d changed into an ancient plaid. She loved naked knees. Heading home, accompanied by her brand-new cousin, a witch, and her new horse, made her giddy with joy. Only one thing was missing, but she’d forget all about Gavin soon enough.
Liar.
***
Gavin walked fast, heading for the barn. As he crossed the bailey, he nodded at several of Castle Ruadh’s inhabitants. Women churned butter, and others picked vegetables from the small garden near the outer wall. Small children played with a crude wooden ball.
Warriors gazed down on him from the high walls, their longbows at the ready. The laird had placed extra guards on alert, due to the festival that would continue into the wee hours of the morning. Many clans were in attendance.
He hastened his steps.
A few guards whistled, and others called out lewd comments. Let them think he raced to an assignation with a lusty wench. In truth, he followed Jenny’s sensuous fragrance. The lavender overpowered him, sending his mind reeling. Barreling through the barn door, he nearly ran over the young stable boy enjoying an apple.
“Cinnie threw it to me. She’s nice, but a bit scary.”
“Cinnie? The Mackenzie servant?”
“Aye,” he said, and bit into the apple, again. The young woman could not be all bad, if she had taken pity on the hungry lad.
“She be around here, somewhere.”
“Did ye see others come this way.”
The boy swallowed. “Aye, a comely lass, the Sassenach with dark hair, new to the castle.”
Jenny, he thought.
“The old witch was with her, so I ducked behind the feed bin.” The lad shivered.
Dorcas Swann, he assumed.
“That farmer fellow was with them, too.”
“A farmer?”
“He said his name be Rae, and had me help him hitch an old animal to a cart.” He pointed through the partially open back door of the stable.
He was not sure why Rae Wilson was near, but he had to find Jenny. She must not leave until he was assured they parted with no bad feelings between them. She had seemed so angry, and all he wanted was for her to be happy, and live her life without him.
Lying to myself is beneath me.
Did he wish her to stay?
Nay, but I wish I had gotten her beneath me.
They had spent one night in each other’s arms. He had awakened the next morning refreshed and smiling, which in itself was unusual. He had never before drifted asleep in a woman’s arms without first having made love.
The cold of the night had forced them to bundle together, so their bodies could share their warmth. Kisses stoked the flames, but they had stopped before going too far. Even so, that night was the most intimate he had ever experienced. Did she even remember? Was she mad that when he continued his pursuit of Izzy, he had tossed her aside?
Images of white skin and dark hair melded with the sweet smell of fresh-cut hay and her lavender-tinged scent. Wild and sensual, she had mewed with pleasure while he had kissed his way down her neck to her naked shoulders. Hiding from his sire and his mercenaries, he had to hush her passionate cries with his mouth.
He could still taste her on his tongue, and her plaintive cries had tempted him to draw her skirt up, spread her legs, and plunder her like treasure. If he was a pirate like Blair MacIan, he would not have stopped with kissing her senseless. Pirates were free to plunder, or destroy. He was better than that, and had not treated her curvy body and luscious lips as if she were a tavern wench for the taking.
His cock hardened. “Shite.”
His garron whinnied in response, sensing his discomfort,
“No’ yet, Falcon.” His leather sporran slapped against his groin. Slowing his pace to keep from damaging himself, he searched for the woman who vexed him. What he would say once he found her, was another story. She was the one who had hastened away from him before he could bring up what weighed heavily on his mind. Would she believe him, when he admitted he did not want her to leave?
Shoving open the rear doors, he marched along a crude fence. Several animals grazed in silence on the other side, yet he felt that something was amiss. The sensation grew until he reached a dirt roadway. Tracks and hoof prints ended abruptly, as if…
“They’re gone.”
Cinnie, the Mackenzie servant, suddenly appeared behind him. She grinned, as if aware she had snuck up on him. A half-empty basket of apples rode her hip. She tossed several to the grazing garrons, who chased the rolling treats. With tails flying, and leaping with pleasure, they were a happy lot. Envious, he turned back to the silent-footed young woman.
“Ye be named Cinnie, aye?”
“Aye, my lord.”
Gavin glared at the tracks. If Jenny was truly gone, what now? “I thought I…I wanted to speak to…”
Cinnie chuckled, but she was not laughing at him. “Lady Morgan was kind to me, and the blacksmith gave her an old garron. I shall miss Rae Wilson, as I would any handsome man.”
“Rae? Rae Wilson went with her?” Rumors had spread through the castle that Rae might accompany Jenny to her future life, but imagining another man shadowing her made his gut twist.
“Aye. Rumor has it that the farmer is interested in Jenny, if ye understand my meaning. Must be true. I tried my best to catch his eye.” Cinnie wiggled her shoulders, making her breasts bounce inside her pale blue top. She wiggled her eyebrows, smiled, then headed back inside the barn.
When Gavin’s fingers cramped, he flexed them while releasing a pent-up breath. That was when he noticed he had settled a trembling hand on the hilt of the weapon sheathed at his waist.
CHAPTER 5
Present Day
New England
The air around Jenny’s head whirled in a dizzying rainbow of light and color. She slammed her eyes shut against the glare. Bright light seeped beneath her lashes, but she dared not release her hold on the horse-drawn cart. Except for the whistle of the wind and Balfour’s whinnies, silence prevailed.
The wind died to a gentle breeze, filled with the scent of pine and horse, so she peeked. Dust and leaves settled around her feet, and tall trees blanketed a mountain to her right. A few cars filled a parking lot to her left.
“A parking lot? We’re home!” Releasing the cart, she raced to the horse at its head. Dorcas puffed on her pipe while Jenny patted old Balfour’s velvety nose. Jenny scratched Balfour’s ear, as the old woman walked across the uneven gravel walkway, toward a group of tents. Jenny recognized the building behind the large, white vendor tents. It stood nearly as high as Castle Ruadh. Instead of glittery red sandstone, the building was made of wide pine boards over a base of cut granite blocks.
“That’s the ski lodge. We’re at the New England Highland Games?”
Dorcas smiled at her, then continued her slow pace. Balfour followed at the old woman’s heels. “ ‘Tis early morn. We must get moving, as my tent needs attending.”
Glancing all around, Jenny saw evidence of what she could only assume, was the setting of the annual Scottish Highland festival. Disoriented from traveling forward in time, she lifted her skirt’s hem and followed Dorcas.
She’d never found the time to attend the annual event held near her home. She regretted not taking her friends’ advice. Jake and Izzy kept suggesting she attend the New England Highland Games and embrace her Scottish heritage.
“Yer ancestry is a grand thing to follow, lass.”
“What little I know, is that we’ve been American citizens since the mid-seventeenth century. I didn’t consider myself Scottish until…”
“Until ye met a handsome Scottish Highlander?”
“Gavin.” His name crossed Jenny’s lips before she could stop it. Her cheeks warmed as the image of dark hair, green eyes, and soft lips intruded. Her body
ached to taste those delicious lips again.
Dorcas chuckled, and kept walking.
“Where is Rae?” He wasn’t with them.
“He spotted the corrals, that way,” Dorcas said. She pointed past the parking lot, to an area near the tip of the meadow, beneath a ski lift.
“Right. He’s a farmer. I think they have sheep for the sheep dog trials that are part of the events. My clinic cares for some of the Border Collies.”
“I believe the lad’s interest lies in those hairy, orange Highland steer.” Her laughter echoed down the lane beside the ski lodge. Various heads popped out of tents and food trailers. Men and women waved at Dorcas.
“Are these people being nice, or do they all know you?” Jenny didn’t expect an answer, and she was too in awe with her surroundings to care. Men in kilts and others in ancient belted plaids carried boxes, or swords. Women in gowns prettier than hers wiped tables and benches, removing morning dew. Jenny’s doeskin slippers and the hem of her skirt would dampen if she strayed from the gravel path, so she prayed the autumn sun would burn away the morning mist.
“Ye worry so, about yer apparel. Ye look fine, lass.”
“I do? I borrowed this plain skirt, chemise, and blouse. Well, I guess I own them, now. They look pretty good, for their age.” Jenny laughed, and felt much better.
“Ye fit right in. Help me unload my cart, return Balfour to the stable near the corral, then we can talk while selling my wares.”
“You want my first day back in civilization spent selling potions?” She owed Dorcas for bringing her back safely, but she had a life elsewhere. Was her job still waiting for her?
“Ye shall find nothing has changed, except today is the second day of the festival.”
“I missed only one day? I’ve been gone two weeks! How…why…”
“Ye worry too much, lass. Yer job is still there. Ye missed a day in order to welcome yer cousin from Scotland. They will understand.”
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