My Dark Highlander

by Badger, Nancy Lee

  He sighed, which worried her.

  “Ye recall I lived and worked my cousin’s land, while Izzy was away. Five years, all told. In all that time, I rarely visited a village. The Gunn tower was far away, and Castle Ruadh was many days ride from her farm. The Sinclair holdings were a little too close for comfort, but I never ventured near their castle, until they kidnapped me.”

  Others had shared the story of his kidnapping, and a shiver swept over her. “How could you live alone on the farm?”

  “I managed, lass. Travelers stopped by, mainly selling wares. Besides the supplies I bartered for, I lived on the vegetables from Izzy’s garden, apples from the trees, and kegs of ale hidden beneath the barn.” He smiled, as if recalling those simple foods.

  Jenny laughed. “You cared for her animals?”

  “Aye. Highland cows, a few chickens, and a couple of barn cats, but they were self-sufficient.”

  “Didn’t they chase the chickens?”

  “Aye, but once I gave them a piece of my mind, they stopped. Plenty of vermin to be found, I told them.”

  “They understood you?”

  His sigh, and the fact he stared out the window, instead of answering, spoke volumes. Now was the time to lay their secrets on the table. “I have secrets too, Rae. Please. If Gavin is right, and someone wants me dead, shouldn’t you and I trust each other?”

  “Aye.”

  He was loosening up. All three of them were hiding important parts of themselves, but Jenny believed the time for secrets was over.

  “All my life I have felt adrift,” he whispered.

  “Like on a boat?”

  “Adrift ‘tis an apt description. I tried fishing, but it ‘twas too painful.”

  “Were you injured?”

  “Nay.” Again, his eyes would not meet hers.

  She pulled the car into the clinic parking lot. It was still early, and hers was the only vehicle. Unhooking her seatbelt, he did the same, then glanced at her. She clasped his hand and set it on the center console, while she focused on the sadness in his eyes.

  “Rae, please share with me. I’m your friend.”

  His sudden smile was warm, and welcome. Pressing her other hand on top of his, she hoped he would continue. If he did, she would reveal her ability. Holding her secrets to herself hurt.

  “I heard the fish cry out as they…died.”

  Jenny gasped, but did not release her grip. “You talk to animals?”

  He nodded.

  “And, they understand you?”

  He nodded, again.

  “That is nothing short of miraculous.”

  His eyes widened, as he jerked his hand free. “Nay! ‘Tis a curse.”

  “Nonsense. Whether you stay here, or return to your time, you can use your talent to help others.”

  The incredulous look in his eyes proved he wished for a way to use his peculiar talent. “In what way?”

  “Aren’t there wild animals roaming the forests back in your time?”

  “Aye, what of it?”

  “Say that you decided to live at Castle Ruadh. You could warn people of an attack by using the forest animals. Ask them to tell you when Sinclair and his mercenaries are coming, and in turn, you could warn the animals when hunters go hunting. Maybe not the wild boars. Those are ugly, vicious creatures.” She shivered, recalling the tale of how one had gored one of Mackenzie’s men.

  “I suppose I could.”

  “If you stay here, you can help me diagnose what ails the clinic patients. I do that, too.”

  Now, it was his turn to stare. “How?”

  “I read auras. When an animal is in pain, I know what part hurts because of the color of the aura hovering over the site.”

  He nodded, then smiled wide. “We both be cursed!”

  Whether he was happy that they had shared the existence of their abilities, or he feared the use of their powers to help animals, Jenny needed to get to work. According to Denise, she had only been gone one day, her regular day off.

  “I feel like I lived a lifetime, back in Scotland. Coming home, where no one might have missed me, is surreal.” They exited her car, and she smiled at him. When he smiled back, she relaxed.

  Denise’s car pulled into the lot. While she exited the driver’s door, Rae walked over. He hugged her, and her squeals of delight made a smile tug at Jenny’s lips. Leaving the two new friends, she unlocked the clinic’s door, and switched on the lights. Barks from the back room that held cages, told her she had overnight patients that needed attention.

  After booting-up the office computers, she checked the appointments due in today. “An easy day.”

  “Don’t go counting your chickens before they cross our threshold, darlin’, because we could get a ton of emergency walk-ins,” Denise said.

  Rae entered the small clinic, walked around, and looked at the cheerful yellow walls, and the dozens of framed photos of horses, puppies, and kittens.

  Denise started the coffee pot, then disappeared into the clinic’s main examination area. She followed her list of daily prep-work, while Jenny gazed at Rae. He clasped his large hands behind his back as he toured the waiting area. He could handle their patients, but whether the other veterinarian would want him working here, as an unpaid visiting intern, was the question of the day.

  Would she believe that an intern had flown all the way from Scotland to work in a small, backwoods clinic? As good a story as any, she thought, glancing at Rae.

  “Ah.” Denise swallowed her first sip of coffee. “Now I’m ready for whatever life throws at me.”

  Rae laughed, and she giggled. Denise showed him where to find a mug, and pointed out their office’s coffee machine. She filled his mug, and when he grunted at the taste, she added cream and two packets of sugar. After stirring it, he sipped again.

  When he smiled, Denise set a coffee mug at Jenny’s elbow, and set off to complete the morning chores. Jenny perused the daily records for the day before.

  “I see Shana was in for her shots.”

  Denise poked her head in the room. “She’s competing in a big-ass dog show over in Maine, and needed up-to-date proof of certain vaccines.”

  “She’s a beautiful Golden Retriever. I bet she does great.” Jenny glanced down again at the list and saw no other regular patients, then brought up the Hay account.

  Her fingers tingled and she coughed, recalling her near drowning, but she managed to type in the emergency call to the Highland games, the supplies used, and the diagnosis. She stopped short of listing the injury as owner abuse. Randy claimed he’d hurt the cow, but she had no proof. Besides, the senior Mr. Hay was the owner-of-record, and he was a lovely man. Jenny left a note for their bookkeeper to send Mr. Hay a bill.

  She shoved a pen in the pocket of her scrubs, decorated with bunnies, and headed to the patient area. The first surgery of the day arrived, and she and Denise would prep the cat for its operation.

  Jenny had pulled her hair back into a short ponytail, and pulled out instruments, as Denise weighed the cat and recorded its vitals. Once the patient was ready, Jenny would operate, with Denise assisting. They were a great team, and Jenny was pleased everything felt so routine.

  “Who be this lovely?” Rae scratched the cat behind the ears until Jenny picked up the pretty little feline and placed her in a cage.

  “This is Tammy and she is scheduled for surgery. She’ll be fine. We spay cats all the time.”

  “Spay?”

  “Um, neuter? Well, that’s what we do to the males. On the females, we operate to make sure the animal cannot have babies. There are too many unwanted animals in our world.”

  Rae’s face paled, then shook his head, and gripped her forearm. “Ye have a problem, lass.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “This small beastie is pregnant.”

  “What?” Jenny opened the cage and set the purring feline on a worktable. She concentrated on reading its aura while palpating its abdomen. “Dear Lord, I think you
’re right. I’ll speak to the owner, and see what she wants to do.” Jenny carefully returned the cat to her cage, and patted Rae’s chest.

  “See? Your curse helped. Keep it up!”

  The cat’s surprised owners were thrilled, and couldn’t wait for the kittens to be born. They promised each kitten would get spayed or neutered, when old enough.

  Patients came and went, and the three of them settled into a rhythm. Rae was a great help, and he used his ability to aid both doctors, as they worked on barking and meowing patients.

  ***

  Sitting on the outdoor picnic table, adjacent to the Hitching Post Deli, Jenny gulped her ice tea. The tartness of the lemon was refreshing. The yellow wedge floated among the ice cubes, while condensation ran down the outside of the plastic cup.

  “Man, that hits the spot.”

  Denise chuckled, and raised her glass. “A toast, to the three of us, a more motley crew you’ll never find anywhere else.”

  Jenny tapped her cup against Denise’s, and they both stared at Rae.

  “Don’t you have toasts in Scotland?” Denise asked.

  Rae smiled. Was he thinking about his time? “I beg yer pardon, lass. My mind was elsewhere.”

  Denise giggled. When Rae tapped their cups hard enough for their ice tea to slosh over, she laughed louder. “You are quite the kidder, Rae. I am so glad I met you. You even make Jenny smile, and that’s something that’s been missing for months.”

  “What? Don’t be silly. I smile.”

  “No, you don’t. You’re happy and talkative to the animals we care for, and their owners, but you clam up around strangers. Especially good-looking men. Present company excepted.”

  Rae’s cheeks pinked, and Jenny’s burned as well.

  “Can we enjoy our lunch without pointing out my troubles? Personally, I think my life is fine. I work at a job I love, I have a comfortable home, and I now own a horse.”

  “You do?” Denise asked.

  “Jake gave me old Balfour. The horse is very sweet, but Jake’s two other horses were enough for him to handle in his new…life.”

  “You have the barn, so that makes sense, and you can administer the vaccines yourself. Plus you can ride all those trails behind your place, including the one by Faerie Falls. Seems like a sweet deal.”

  “Ye know of Faerie Falls?” Rae cocked an eyebrow. When Jenny crossed her arms, and stared at him, he swiftly added, “When I rode Balfour to yer home, I saw a crude sign pointing the way. The cascade’s thunder was unmistakable. I planned to visit, once all this is over.”

  Jenny and Denise quieted. Denise probably thought he referred to Randy Hay, but Jenny knew better. Someone else had attacked them last night.

  “Are you two heading to the games after work?” Denise asked, breaking the silence, as if she expected an invitation from Rae.

  Jenny waited to see what he’d say. She nibbled her sandwich and didn’t glance up, until he spoke.

  “We are headed straight home. Gavin awaits us, and--”

  “Bring him along!” The thrill in Denise’s voice matched the smile that lit up her face.

  Jenny couldn’t blame her for wanting handsome men, like Rae and Gavin, to accompany her. She didn’t want to burst her bubble, but Denise hadn’t thought this through. “Denise, the games close around five, don’t they? We’ll be lucky to get out of here by six.”

  Denise waved her hand in the air. “We can go to the ceilidh! It’s some kind of dance. I want to dress up and dance the night away.”

  “I understand ceilidh, but what does she mean by dress up?” Rae’s whispered question drew a smile.

  “We all dress in either ancient Highland gowns or kilts, like what Gavin and I wore when we ended up here. You bought a kilt. As long as we find you a better shirt, and some boots, we will all fit in.” Recalling how delectable Rae and Gavin had looked in their kilts, when they rescued her, she wiggled her eyebrows.

  Denise laughed. “Great! It’s a date. Want me to pick you up?”

  “No thanks. How about we meet you there?”

  “Spoilsport.” Denise grumbled, flashed Rae a smile, and tossed the remainder of her burrito in the trash.

  Rae finished his meal, and glanced at Denise, as she strolled away, then at Jenny. “We must talk to Gavin first.”

  She nodded, and he followed her back inside.

  CHAPTER 17

  Her apartment house never looked so good. As Jenny pulled into the lot near her building, relief and weariness overcame her. She was dog-tired. She laughed, because after all the dogs she handled today, no wonder her arms shook. Rae opened her car door, startling her. He held out his hand, and she grabbed it like a lifeline.

  “Thanks. After the day I’ve had, I need the lift.” Pulled to her feet, she sighed.

  “Then allow me.”

  Swept into his arms, she shrieked, laughing at the joke. She’d asked for it. “Do you plan to carry me all the way inside?”

  “Nay, he will set ye on yer feet this minute!” boomed a voice from the direction of her apartment door. Gavin stood with his fists on the hips of his low-riding jeans, his glare boring into her like a super-heated drill. His heaving chest, barely contained by the black tank top, outlined every sinewy muscle.

  “I said, set her down.”

  Gavin’s second warning was more of a throaty growl. A shiver raced along her spine, but Rae laughed, set Jenny on her feet, and kissed the tip of her nose. Gavin’s wordless growl was both terrifying, and romantic.

  Rae headed to the barn, and she walked up her apartment steps to face the grimacing Highland laird. When she reached the top step, his hand shot out, gripped her around the waist, and pulled her into his chest. It was like slamming into a steel girder. Heat pulsed from his muscular torso, and when a particularly large part of his anatomy grew rigid, and pressed against her abdomen, her toes curled.

  “No one kisses ye but me, lass.” Cupping her chin with his free hand, he bent his head, but she pulled away.

  “No. No way, nope. Don’t play the jealous boyfriend, just because another man finds me interesting.”

  He growled, and pulled her close, again. Before she could protest, or even shove him back, he turned and pulled her inside her apartment, slamming the door. He pressed her against the wall inside the doorway, crushed her mouth, and took, and took.

  His lips were soft and warm, and his hands roamed from the sensitive skin beneath her ears, to the ribs beneath her breasts. While his tongue pushed past her lips and tangled with hers, his fingers and thumbs pinched her nipples, until they grew hard, ripe, and so sensitive, she moaned. Pleasure tingled where their bodies touched, and a yearning to feel his naked flesh against her breasts nearly headed her into trouble.

  He smiled against her mouth, then slowly drew his tongue and lips away. “Ye be most tantalizing, love. I doono’ know how long I am destined to live in this time, but I see no reason to waste a minute of it.”

  As if she’d stepped beneath the cold spray of Faerie Falls, she glared up at him. “I am nobody’s momentary pleasure.”

  He must have sensed the anger in her voice. When he loosened his grip, she shoved against his chest. It was like trying to move an army tank. When he stepped back by his own accord, she sped past him and ran toward her bedroom.

  I’m shaking. From a stupid kiss?

  Slamming the door, she headed to her walk-in closet to dress for the dance. She hadn’t asked his permission to attend. How could she?

  He had his tongue down my throat.

  When a shadow blocked the closet doorway, she spun to face Gavin. His expression was unreadable in the dark, so she fumbled for the string dangling beneath the ceiling fixture. When bright light flooded the closet, she glanced at his face. The plane of his right cheek stood out in sharp relief. His green eyes were half-hidden behind a shock of chocolate-brown hair, and he wasn’t smiling.

  Much too handsome and fearless for his own good.

  “You shouldn’t come anywhere
near me, in the mood I’m in.” Why did his fits of jealousy make her angry? She should be happy he even noticed her, so when his hand cupped her chin, she didn’t pull away.

  “I made ye angry,” he whispered.

  “Gavin, I’m not angry. I just wonder why you act the way you do, when another man pays attention to me. Rae was acting chivalrous. I was tired, and he thought picking me up would make me laugh. He worked with me all day, and pulled his weight. I should be thanking him.”

  “I missed ye, lass,” Gavin whispered, while his frown softened into an almost imperceptible smile. Although he was dressed in borrowed jeans, and a shirt, anyone could tell by the way he held himself that he was a warrior; a Highlander from the past, who acted the way one might act in ancient Scotland. She had no right to curse him for doing what came naturally.

  His voice was low and seductive, but his aura shouted arousal, with the barely perceptible iridescent pink aura of sexual desire. Though her body reacted with a swift wave of heat between her thighs, she dare not succumb to his seductive tricks.

  Not when my heart is already involved.

  She turned her attention to the closet, where long dresses, accumulated over the years, hung. He made no sound, as she fingered the silks, brocades, and wool gowns. She’d worn several to the local Renaissance Fair, but never thought to dress up and attend the Highland games.

  “My borrowed skirt and blouse were ruined after my impromptu swim in the river.” She had rinsed her chemise last night and hoped it had dried. “I plan to wear one of these dresses, and my short leather boots. I think I can dance in them.”

  “Ye mean to go dancing? With Rae?”

  His question made her glance back at him, where he stood like a palace guard, in the doorway. His gaze flitted from the rows of clothing, to the light in the ceiling.

  “Yes. Rae and I plan to meet Denise at the fairgrounds for tonight’s ceilidh. A dance. Do you dance?”

  The sexy left side of his mouth rose, and he clasped his hands behind his back. The right side is sexy, too, but it rarely reacts.

  “Aye, but do ye think it wise to appear in a public setting? How can I keep ye safe in a crowd?”