by Jennae Vale
Marcas seemed relieved as he glanced over at Jock.
“He’s had some bad luck of late,” Jock said. “Finding himself with a wee bairn to raise on his own would be daunting for him. When ye arrived, he thought his problems solved. He said he’d marry ye and ye’d raise the child.”
“What?” Did Jock really just say that?
The men looked at each other and some sort of silent conversation was happening between them. “I’m sorry. I thought ye’d ken it. I thought he’d spoken with ye.”
“No. I didn’t know.” So all this time, Donal had only been nice to her because he needed a wife to care for Elena. The nerve of him. She could feel the anger building inside her, but right alongside of it was a different sort of pain, one that centered near her heart. She chose to ignore that. It seemed he was just like every other guy she’d ever dated. They never just wanted her. There was always an ulterior motive where she was concerned. All they cared about was what she could do for them.
“I was surprised when Cailin asked if we’d like to… get to know ye. We both thought ye were Donal’s lass.”
How was she supposed to find the mystery man that Edna intended if Donal had already told them all to back off? “No. I’m not Donal’s lass. I’m not anybody’s lass.”
She could see now she’d made a terrible mistake. She wanted to go home. Back to her own time where women weren’t treated like possessions.
“I’m sorry. It seems I’ve upset ye.”
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. She wouldn’t let them see how bothered she was. “No. Not at all. It’s good to know what his intentions were.” This wasn’t sitting well with her and she needed to talk to Ashley about contacting Edna. “I think I’d like to go back now, if you don’t mind.”
The men rose and helped her to her feet, folded the plaid and refilled the basket. As they walked back to Breaghacraig, Tina was quiet, reflecting on her expectations of this trek back in time and the reality of it. When she really thought about it, everyone had been so nice to her. Everything had seemed to be going well until this point. It was clear to her that everything wrong with this trip was due to Donal and her expectations of him. Really it wasn’t his fault. He was just being Donal and she shouldn’t have expected him to meet some unrealistic vision she had of the perfect man. Obviously she hadn’t found that man yet and it was becoming clear to her that he may not be here at all.
The kitchen was as hot as it had been on her first visit, but Mary and the other women working there didn’t seem fazed by it. The hustle and bustle was constant when there were so many mouths to feed.
“Good day to ye, lass,” Mary said as she entered. “What can we do for ye?”
“I wondered if I might get some tea,” she said. That wasn’t really her reason for visiting, but she thought she’d ease into that.
“Sit right there, dear,” Mary said, motioning to the table where she was busy chopping vegetables and where Sophia was kneading dough. Two other young women were also working feverishly in the background.
“Sophia? Right?” she said. “We met the other day.”
“Yes. How are you?”
“Okay.”
“You don’t sound okay.” she said.
“I’m sure you know how I’m feeling.”
“Like a fish out of water?”
“Something like that.”
“Here ye go, lass. Honey?” Mary asked, placing her tea down in front of her.
“Yes, please.”
Mary set a small jar down for her.
“Thank you. You must be getting ready for tonight’s meal,” Tina said.
“Oh, aye. We’re always getting ready for one meal or another.” Mary set a slice of warm bread down in front of her.
“Mmmm… That looks and smells wonderful.”
“Enjoy it, lass. I hear ye havenae been eating much.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve heard from the lads. Jock and Marcas told me ye hardly touched the food I packed for them. And Donal says ye havenae liked the food.”
Thankfully, Mary seemed more concerned than angry. Tina didn’t want to offend her cooking, especially when she worked so hard to feed so many people day in and day out. “It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just different.”
“Well, eat that bread,” Mary ordered. “I dinnae wish ye to go back to yer home looking as if we didnae feed ye.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m a picky eater at home, too.”
Mary chuckled at this.
“Have any of you seen Donal?” she asked.
“Nae,” Mary said. “Lassies?”
“I haven’t,” Sophia said.
“Nor I,” the youngest lass said.
The other young woman remained suspiciously silent. “Have you seen him?” Tina asked when the woman looked her way.
“Bethia, answer the lass,” Mary scolded and then to Tina, “She’s a wee bit shy.”
“I havenae,” she said then turned back to her work.
“Sorry we couldn’t be more help,” Mary gave her a sad smile then turned back to the stove.
So much for getting any info on Donal. Why couldn’t she simply forget about him? It was obvious he wasn’t the one for her. She finished her tea and bread, thanked Mary and headed back to her room.
Just as she was about to head upstairs, Ashley appeared. “How was your date?” she asked, her voice bubbling with excitement.
“Is that what it was?” Tina asked. She had to laugh at Ashley’s eagerness.
“You know it was. Tell me all about it.” She grabbed Tina’s arm and yanked her into the great hall where they sat across from each other at one of the dining tables.
“Nothing exciting happened. They’re both nice. Marcas doesn’t seem interested in leaving Breaghacraig, so I think that rules him out. Jock is cute, but I don’t know. I didn’t feel any spark.”
“And Tam?”
“Oh, I don’t feel like I really had a chance to talk to him with all the commotion last night.”
“I know! I can’t believe Donal did that. Have you seen him today?”
“No. I was wondering if you had.”
“He’s probably embarrassed.” Then she shook her head, “No. What am I saying? He’s never embarrassed by any of the crazy things he does around here.”
“You really don’t care for him, do you? Why?”
Ashley became thoughtful at that, “I do like him, but I just don’t think he’s right for you.” She paused, obviously weighing her words. “Living here is a bit like living in a small town. Everyone knows each other’s business. Or they think they know, but in actual fact it’s all just stuff that you hear. So, I’ve heard things about Donal being irresponsible and thoughtless. Not mean or cruel, just not the kind of guy I would have been friends with back home.”
“Unfortunately, he feels that. He thinks no one around here likes him. Not you, or Jenna or anyone else for that matter.”
“Really? The men like him, I think.” Ashley’s brow furrowed as she thought. “I mean, I’ve asked Cailin about him, but the guys never gossip about each other. It’s not good for morale. They have to depend on each other when they’re in the heat of battle, so they’d never say anything. They are very loyal to each other.”
“I feel bad for him,” Tina said.
“I wouldn’t worry about Donal. He’s a big boy. He can fend for himself.”
“I’m not worried, but he’s got a huge responsibility now that Elena’s here.”
“Responsibility has never been his strong suit, from what I’ve heard, but who knows maybe she’s just what he needs to find it.”
“I hope so.”
“Let’s not talk about him anymore. I think we should set up a date for you and Tam. What do you think?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I’m done. Maybe this was a bad idea.”
“Don’t say that. Edna wouldn’t have sent you if she didn’t have something in mind. It’ll ha
ppen, you’ll see.”
Tina sat in front of the hearth in her room wondering why she couldn’t get Donal off her mind. Ashley was right. He wasn’t the one for her, but none of the other men were either. She stared into the flames and tried to clear her mind of anything to do with meeting her match.
“Tina?” Edna’s voice came from the fire, just as Wallace said it did.
Tina sat bolt upright, not saying a word. The room felt different, like it was filled with static electricity.
“I know yer there, lass. I can see ye.”
“You can?” Tina peered into the fire thinking she’d see Edna’s face, but all she saw were the flames.
“Yes. Now, I know yer having some doubts about our Donal.”
Tina felt a weight lift from her, “So, he is the one you wanted me to meet.”
“He is and he’s perfect for ye.”
“I don’t know about that.” Tina wished she felt as confident as Edna sounded.
“Ye don’t have to know, ye just have to feel. How do ye feel about him?”
Tina put her logic in her back pocket and thought about what Edna said. “I like him.”
“And?”
“And nothing.” Edna remained quiet and as the silence stretched, Tina had to admit to herself that wasn’t true. “He makes me feel butterflies, which I haven’t felt since my high school days. And that was a long time ago.”
When Edna spoke again, her voice was gentle and encouraging. “Give him a chance. Ye believed in me enough to let me send ye back there, now believe that I ken what I’m doing.”
Tina found herself wanting to believe in Edna. She thought back to her excitement about traveling to the past, about the looks of love she had seen between Hamish and Elle, Ashley and Cailin, and the others Edna had matched. She wanted that, she really did, so she needed to treat this like her other projects. She needed to see this through the tough times. “I’ll try. Ashley and Jenna keep trying to set me up with other men.”
“I know. They’re not for ye. Tell Ashley not to worry, I’ll find someone else for them,” Edna said. “Ye need someone who’d be willing to come back to yer own time with ye.”
“True.” That was an absolute fact because there was no way she was staying in this time.
“Donal is the one,” Edna’s reassuring voice was telling her exactly what she’d needed to hear.
Well that was one big question answered for her. It wasn’t her only hesitation, though. “I’m worried about his temper. It frightened me.”
“I’m not excusing his outburst, but ye need to remember that he didn’t hurt Marcas. The warriors fight and spar under friendly conditions all the time and that can look violent when ye aren’t used to it. He let his jealousy get the better of him last night and he feels ashamed fer it.”
“You know about that?” Tina couldn’t even begin to wrap her brain around how that was possible.
“I know more than ye think I do. Now, what he did was wrong, but he knows it and he won’t do it again. At least I hope he won’t.”
Tina threw her hands in the air, “That’s not terribly reassuring, Edna.”
“This is all new to him. He’s never been in love before.”
“He’s in love with me?” Tina was shocked to hear this. They’d only known each other a few days, but she’d managed to develop strong feelings for him pretty quickly. One thing she was sure of was that it wasn’t love. Not yet.
“I believe so. If not, it’s only a matter of time.”
“But, I thought he was using me. He told Jock and Marcas he just wanted me to raise his daughter.”
“Ye met him on a verra challenging day, ye must admit. He wasnae thinking straight. Yes, he may have seen ye as an answer to his childcare problem in that moment, but relationships can evolve. No one would react the way he did over losing a nanny. He was afraid of losing something much more important, someone he really cares about.”
She clutched her belly. The butterflies were back along with a strange sensation she hadn’t had about a guy in a long time. Hope.
“Now, promise me ye’ll give him a chance and tell Ashley I said that she needs to stop trying to do my job. She’s nae a matchmaker.”
“I’ll tell her before she sets up another date with Tam.”
“Good. Say hello to everyone for me.”
“I will.”
The charged atmosphere in the room changed and Tina knew she was alone again. Her doubts about Donal were still there, but she trusted Edna and she was willing to do as she had asked. She’d give him another chance. She was more determined than ever to find him now.
Avoiding Tina wasn’t the best plan, but Donal was embarrassed by his recent behavior with Marcas. He hadn’t seen her since the embarrassing incident in the great hall, but he was aware that she’d spent some time yesterday with Marcas and Jock. It bothered him more than he wished to admit, but he could understand it. He’d seen the horrified look on her face when he’d gone after Marcas and was sure she now thought of him as the brute he truly was. He would apologize to her when he saw her, but that would be it. He would no longer delude himself with the thought that she might be the one for him. The one woman he never believed existed, before he met her.
His heart had been battered and he didn’t know what was going to become of him. Finding out about Elena had been a shock, but he wanted to be the da she deserved. He had never expected to fall for a woman and now that he had messed that up he didn’t know how to search for a mother. He certainly didn’t deserve a good woman in his life, even though Elena did.
He’d made a bad showing on the practice field this day. Marcas was angry with him and let him have it by putting every ounce of that anger into his sword and dirk. Luckily they weren’t battling to the death, because Donal was sure he’d be dead now. He apologized to him and to Tam and Jock, all of whom said they would back off on their interest in Tina if he was truly looking at her for more than just a roll in the hay. He assured them he was. Not that it mattered, he was sure she wouldn’t want anything to do with him now that she’d seen what an arse he could be. It had been a rough time since that night and he wasn’t proud of himself for what happened. He dropped his head to his chest as he made his way to the well where he poured a cool bucket of water over his head. He shook the water out of his hair and rubbed it from his face.
“Looks refreshing,” Tina said, from behind him.
The sound of her voice hit him in the gut. He turned slowly to see her smiling warmly at him. Saints be praised. It didn’t appear she was angry with him, but he’d better be sure of it. “Tina.”
“I’ve been looking for you,” she said.
“I didn’t think ye’d ever want to see me again.”
“I wasn’t sure I did.”
“Tina, I want to apologize for my behavior the other night. I was jealous that ye were laughing with Tam. What I did was wrong. Can ye forgive me?”
“I can, because you were man enough to admit you did something you shouldn’t have.”
Relief swept over him. He felt lighter than he had in two days. It welled up from inside of him.
“I do have one question for you, though.”
The hope disappeared. Maybe she’d forgiven him, but still didn’t want him. “Jock and Marcas told me that the only reason you were interested in me was so I could be a mother to Elena. Is that true?”
Damn it! He couldn’t believe they’d told her that. He plunked himself down on the edge of the well. Logan had told him to use his words. He was much better with a sword and dirk, but he was going to have to tell her something. Deciding that honesty was his best path forward, he took a deep breath and spoke to the ground at her feet. “It was true.” He scanned her face for a reaction, but there was none, so he barreled on. “I thought ye’d be a good mother to her and I admit that at first that was my only interest.” He hurried to continue, willing her to believe him. “But as I’ve gotten to know ye, my heart has opened to ye. Ye are more than I dese
rve and everything I want.”
She didn’t say anything and that made him nervous, but after a moment she surprised him by moving closer. So close in fact that the heat of her body sent waves of her intoxicating scent wafting over him. He sat perfectly still, not wanting to do anything that might cause her to move away. She placed her hand on his chest. “My heart is yours,” she said before leaning in to kiss him.
Donal had never in all his years felt so unprepared. Her kiss was soft and sweet. He placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer. Neither of them cared that they were in the middle of the courtyard where everyone could see them. It was as if they were alone in their own little world where the only thing that mattered was the tenderness they felt for each other.
Tina pulled back just enough to gaze into his eyes before leaning her forehead on his. “That was amazing,” she said.
“Aye,” was about all he could manage.
She glanced around and seemed to realize they weren’t alone. “I should go.”
“No. Please. Not yet.” He looked down at his kilt and Tina did the same.
“Oh!” she squealed. “I’ll stay right where I am, or maybe I should move back.”
“Right where ye are is fine, lass.” Having her so close was not going to help, but he needed to know she was real, that this was real. He would never have imagined his day would be this good.
“Okay. How’s Elena?” she asked.
“She’s with Doreen. She has been sleeping well, as I am sure ye know. I was going to get her now that I’m done.” He looked into her eyes and saw his future. She would be his.
“Looks like you’ve got a bruise on your cheek.” Her fingers gently touched his face.
He removed her hand. “That isnae helping,” he said.
