Seven Moons Back to the Highlands

by Deborah R Stigall

  “I’m sure ‘twill be perfect we’ll be here but a short while.” He leaned forward as he flashed another charming smile, his face merely inches from hers.

  Rachel’s breath caught in her throat as her heart rate increased to a fast idle. How could this man who had given her so much pleasure in her dream last night be standing right in front of her mere inches from her throbbing body?

  With every movement he made, every turn of his head, it was as though it was calculated to increase her base temperature one hundred fold.

  “I’m gonna need another cold shower,” She thought ruefully to herself.

  Scooting through the door without another word, Rachel inhaled the cool spring air in hopes it would calm her nerves.

  “The apartment is this way to the back of the house.”

  Dodging the bounding dogs, Rachel led the way across the yard. “You can park your vehicle” Her voice trailed off as her eyes scanned the yard, realizing that there was no other vehicle in the driveway other than her own dilapidated pickup truck. “How did you get here?”

  Caelan and Emrys both came up short in their tracks, neither of them anticipating this question. Having traveled to the future several times, Emrys was the first to recover.

  “Weellll, we had a bit o’ trouble with our truck down the road. So, we continued on to yer house on foot. We figured once we were settled, we’d go back and tend to the broken down beast but we didna wish to miss out on the apartment.”

  Exhaling audibly, Caelan nodded in agreement as he patted Emrys on the back.

  “Aye the truck is just down the road a bit. We’ll walk back down later and have it running again in no time. The wicked thing is forever causing us grief.”

  Nodding her head as she turned back to the apartment, Rachel pointed out a graveled area next to the garage. “Oh okay well, anyway, once you get your truck running, you can park it here next to the garage. If you want, I can give you a ride down the road with some tools there’s no need for you to walk all the way back to your truck.”

  Realizing they were about to be caught in their fabrication, both men stared uneasily at each other as they tried to think of a way to come up with a truck that didn’t exist. Luckily, Rachel had already turned to unlock the garage door. With her back to the men, she missed their silent exchange.

  “That’s verra kind of ye but we’d really rather prefer to walk. It’s such a fine day and the countryside is pleasing to see.” Caelan nervously raked his hand through his hair, glancing at Emrys to see if he would agree.

  “Aye the lad is quite right. Tis the only way I can keep me old bones working as well as they do.” Emrys shrugged his shoulders, his hands raised in the air as that was the best he could come up with on such short notice.

  “Oh well that’s fine whatever works best for you.”

  Rachel put her shoulder to the sticking door as she turned the key in the lock, then bumped it open with her hip.

  “Sometimes it sticks if the weather’s been damp,” she apologized as she led the way up the stairs.

  Reaching the top of the staircase, she thought of another question she probably should ask and turned to find herself nose to nose with Caelan. Losing her balance at finding herself standing so close to the delectable man who was wreaking havoc with her libido, Rachel quickly found herself caught up in his arms to stop her tumbling down the stairs. Her breasts were pressed so tightly against his chest; she couldn’t tell if it was his heart she felt pounding against her ribcage or her own.

  “Careful, lass, yer about to take a tumble.”

  His deep voice barely above a whisper, Caelan held Rachel tightly around her waist. His eyes half closed he stared at her lips, the softness of her body melting into his own hard lines.

  Pressing her hands weakly against his shoulders, Rachel moved her mouth but no words would come out. She could feel the heat of his body scorching her through her clothes could feel every muscular inch of him melding with her curves and her senses completely left her. Without thinking, she leaned forward the slightest bit to touch her lips to his. As she felt his mouth quiver beneath her own, she realized what she was doing.

  “Oh my Gawd! I am so so sorry I don’t know I didn’t mean to it’s just that”

  She quickly pushed herself out of his arms, turning to fumble open the door to the apartment. She could feel the heat of her flaming face as she rushed across the kitchen to throw open the window and gulp the cool spring breeze.

  Hearing footsteps behind her, she closed her eyes, afraid to turn around and face her humiliation. What must the poor guy be thinking? Here he was a newcomer to this country and she had practically molested him on the stairwell. He must think she’s some kind of pathetically lonely woman who rents her apartment out as bait in order to get laid.

  Nothing but silence filled the apartment, she waited, her head bowed her eyes still shut she couldn’t even hear him breathing. Figuring he had turned around and run from the sex-starved woman in the stairwell, she shook her head as she opened her eyes and turned around.

  Caelan stood in front of her, patiently waiting with his arms folded across his chest. The faintest trace of a grin tickling his lips as his green eyes sparkled with amusement.

  “This place is verra nice and will suit us just fine. What do ye think, Emrys?”

  Nodding in agreement, Emrys entered the room avoiding Rachel’s gaze at all cost. Moving slowly through the sitting area, he opened one of the closed doors and eyed the small bedroom beyond. “Aye will serve us just fine and the wee kitchen willna be too hard for ye to keep clean.”

  Rachel swallowed hard, rolling her eyes as she realized both men were going to be gracious enough to pretend as though the stairway kiss had never happened. Rubbing her sweating palms nervously on her jean clad thighs; she turned quickly to open one of the cabinet doors.

  “Ummm in here is the breaker box sometimes if the fridge and the coffeepot are running at the same time the uhhh switch will throw and you’ll have to reset it. Rent is six hundred a month no deposit and that includes all utilities. If you have any more questions I’ll uhhhh be outside I’ve got to go check on the dogs.”

  Darting through the door without another look back, Rachel ran down the stairs two at a time. Bursting outside, she quickly jogged to the front of the house plopping down on the porch to drop her head in her hands. She suddenly wished that a great portal would open up and swallow her so that she’d never have to face the two polite foreigners again.

  )O(

  “That went well.”

  Caelan smiled to Emrys, his scarred eyebrow devilishly cocked at an angle.

  “Ye should be ashamed ye embarrassed the lass.” Emrys shook his head as he tested one of the recliners in the small sitting room.

  “I thought I restrained m’self quite well considering I was ready to take her right there on the steps.” Caelan lightly ran his fingers over his lips remembering the sweetness of her mouth.

  “Ye still embarrassed her ye know she’s going to have to grow to trust ye ye’d best go carefully, M’laird.”

  Emrys kicked the recliner back into its most horizontal position and folded his hands over his stomach as he closed his eyes. “If ye frighten her off it’ll take too long to win her back remember ye have but seven moons to make her your own.”

  Settling into the other recliner in the opposite corner, Caelan stretched out his full length, closing his eyes as he folded his hands behind his head. “I’ll not lose her I’ve not come this far to return without my life mate.”

  Then both men were soon softly snoring as they drifted off for a short nap.

  )O(

  Standing at the tiny kitchen window, Caelan gently blew across the top of his coffee as he watched Rachel pacing back and forth across her porch. It was obvious that whoever she was talking to on the tiny cell phone pressed to her ear wasn’t responding well to whatever she was saying.

  Her free hand was flying in the air, keeping time with her words as she
emphatically slashed away with every phrase she said. Her eyebrows were raised nearly to her hairline as she shook her head and pleaded into the phone.

  Biting her lower lip, she finally snapped the tiny phone shut as she dropped to sit on the edge of the porch. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she buried her face in her arms as she tossed the phone to the ground.

  “What is she doing now?” Emrys edged his way up to the window, tiptoeing to look down across the yard.

  Setting his cup on the counter, Caelan inhaled deeply as his lips drew tight into a firm line of determination.

  “I can’t tell but she’s upset at whoever she was speaking to on that infernal gadget she’s thrown into the grass.”

  Turning as he tucked his shirttail into his jeans, Caelan nodded toward the tiny figure on the porch.

  “I’m going to go talk to the lass. Mayhap there is some way I can help or gain a little ground with her.”

  “Go carefully, Caelan. Ye have seen her past in the Mirrors. She will be slow to trust ye but ye must be patient.”

  Emrys took down a cup from the cabinet and filled it slowly as he shook a bent finger in Caelan’s direction.

  “And remember if she speaks of anything from this time that ye dinna quite understand ye must quickly change the subject. ‘Tis entirely too soon to be introducing the lass to the many mysteries that flow around her.”

  “I know. I know. I’m not so daft as ye might think.” Caelan shook his head in irritation as he headed out the door.

  “Hmmmphf, ye have no idea how daft ye really are ye be a fool in love with a woman.” Emrys shook his head in amusement as he pulled up a stool to the window. He settled himself comfortably on his perch to watch Caelan as he crossed the yard to Rachel’s house.

  Looking up as she heard the garage door slam, Rachel quickly swiped the back of her hand across her tear stained cheeks.

  “Dammit that’s all I need right now company.” Muttering under her breath she scrambled from her spot on the porch, retrieving her cell phone from where it had landed.

  “Good morning to ye, Miss Hawkins.” Caelan politely nodded as he fixed Rachel with one of his most enticing smiles.

  “It’s Rachel you can call me Rachel.” Plastering a polite smile across her face, Rachel glanced around in every direction possible to avoid looking into Caelan’s eyes.

  “Rachel good I’m glad we can be on a first name basis. Sometimes it’s difficult for a foreigner to find a friend in a strange land.” Caelan shoved his hands in his front pockets as he slowly drew closer to where she stood.

  Stuffing her cell phone in her back pocket, Rachel stared down at her feet as she pushed her hair behind one ear. “I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends during your stay here. Most of the people around here are open and easy to get to know.”

  “You are the only one I wish to know.” Caelan thought to himself as he watched Rachel fidgeting uncomfortably under his gaze. This wasn’t going well at all. How in the world was he going to put the lass at ease?

  “Is there something you need? Is the apartment working out okay?”

  Rachel found herself backing toward the door to the kitchen as she tried to figure out a graceful escape from the unnerving Scotsman standing on her porch.

  “The apartment is fine but I was wondering if there were perhaps ways Emrys and I might be able to help ye around here besides just paying our rent on time.”

  Caelan eased another step closer to Rachel, carefully watching her as though she were a skittish deer about to flee.

  Raising her chin a notch, Rachel’s eyes narrowed as her face settled into a grim determined frown.

  “Paying the rent is all I need from you. I appreciate the offer but I can take care of this place all by myself. I don’t need anyone’s help.”

  Raising his hands in supplication, Caelan backed away a half step giving Rachel a bit more space. “I meant no insult to your abilities, lass. It’s obvious ye are doing a fine job of keeping this place up. ‘Tis only that a good Scotsman willna stand by and watch anyone struggle alone if there is aught he can do to help.”

  Swallowing hard at the softness of his voice, Rachel felt a wave of guilt wash over her entire being.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s just that I don’t want you to think that just because I’m a woman that I’m helpless.” Glancing up at the sharpness of her own tone, Rachel shook her head in frustration.

  “What I mean is I don’t expect anything from you and your uncle other than the rent. Just because you’re a big strong man…I mean you’re not expected. Dammit!”

  Stamping her foot in irritation, Rachel finally looked Caelan dead in the eye.

  “Look I’ve had a bad morning the bank is hounding me to sell some of my land. My lawyer is hounding me to sell some of my land and I’m getting tired of every male I come into contact with telling me what would be best for me to do!”

  Raising her voice, her purple eyes flashed as though lit from within by a raging fire. “All I need from you is rent. Nothing more nothing less and trust me the farther you can stay away from me the better off you’ll be!”

  Jerking open the screen door, Rachel stomped into the kitchen then slammed it firmly behind her. Glancing back out on the porch, she bit her lip as she saw Caelan standing there patiently leaning against the porch rail, his arms folded across his chest.

  With a groan, Rachel huffed her hair out of her eyes and leaned her head against the door frame in guilty defeat.

  “Look I’m sorry. If you would like to come inside for a cup of coffee I’ll attempt to have a civilized conversation with you rather than ranting like some sort of loon and attacking you over every word you say.”

  Rubbing his chin, Caelan swallowed his smile as he slowly walked toward the door.

  “Ye’ll find I’m a verra fine listener and I will try my best not to tell ye what would be best for ye to do.”

  “Yeah well that’ll be a first for me a man who’s not going to tell me what’s best for me.” Rachel held open the battered screen door, as Caelan quickly stepped thru.

  “I’d have to know ye much better before I could tell ye what’s best for ye and I’d be sure that I’d tell ye in such a way so that ye knew I was speaking from my heart and not trying to hurt ye.” Caelan decided to press the advantage since he’d actually made it inside the house and was now sitting at the kitchen table.

  Pulling two cups out of the cupboard, Rachel shook her head in disbelief as she filled them both.

  “You seem to be a very nice man, Caelan. I’m sorry I attacked you it’s just that things are a little tough around here right now and the dogs are usually the only ones I have to rant to.”

  Setting the cups on the table, Rachel eased down into a chair and propped her chin in her hand. “So why aren’t you at work this morning? Are you on some sort of odd shift or something?”

  Running his forefinger around the edge of the mug, Caelan smiled down into the dark steamy liquid.

  “Since we just arrived but a few days ago Emrys and I are taking a bit of time off to become acclimated to the area and to this time.”

  “To this time?” Rachel frowned as she muddled over Caelan’s choice of words. “Oh you mean jet lag? I understand or I guess I do I’ve never traveled enough to experience it myself.”

  “Aye. Jet lag.” Caelan nodded as he sipped at the coffee having absolutely no idea as to what Rachel meant by “jet lag”. He’d have to check with Emrys as soon as he got back to their room.

  Deciding to take Emrys’ advice and switch to a safer subject, Caelan glanced around the kitchen as he leaned back in his chair.

  “Your home is quite comfortable welcoming and warm. Have ye lived on this land all your life?”

  Following his eyes, Rachel took in the cracked countertop, the worn baseboards and the water stained ceiling with a sigh.

  “This was my grandmother’s house but she left it to my parents in hopes that they’d raise me here.” Gla
ncing down at her hands, Rachel smiled sadly as she ran a finger across a deep scratch in the table top.

  “They didn’t like it here. They preferred living in town but for whatever reason they never sold this property and it became mine when they died.”

  Watching her face closely, Caelan cocked his head to one side as he leaned in closer to prop his elbows on the table’s edge.

  “Ye were close to your grandmother?”

  Nodding, Rachel’s smile grew wider as she remembered all of the special times she and granny had shared when she’d been allowed to stay over at her granny’s house.

  “I guess you could say she understood me better than most. She always had time for me and always believed in me she always loved me no matter what.”

  “She sounds as though she was your sanctuary.” Caelan smiled softly, his green eyes filled with understanding and something akin to longing.

  Inhaling deeply, Rachel quickly scooted her chair away from the table and rushed to put her cup in the sink.

  “She was,” she whispered as she stared out the window, the light spring breeze lifting the tendrils of hair from around her face.

  Swallowing the rising lump in her throat, Rachel coughed to hold back the tears. “Enough about me tell me how two men from Scotland ended up all the way in Kentucky; just to work on a dam.”

  At this question, it was Caelan’s turn to shift uneasily in his chair. He and Emrys had worked out the basics of their story but they hadn’t bothered to research any intricate details as to their supposed form of earning a living while they were attempting to coax Rachel into the past.

  “Well I guess ye could say we’re specialists at what we do. So the dam builders more or less found us and we accepted the job.”

  Watching her closely to see if she bought this line, Caelan stood and walked over to the sink. Leaning back against the counter, he felt a brief sense of triumph when he noticed that Rachel didn’t scoot away from him as he edged closer to where she stood.

  Apparently believing every word he said, Rachel opened her mouth to ask another question just as the phone rang. Glancing over at the caller id display, Rachel recognized the number and immediately started shaking her head.