by Terry Spear
The heroine was standing a long distance from him. She was wearing black jeans and black, low-heeled boots and a black tank top—her period clothes while she was in New York City before she was whisked away to a much earlier century to the beach below his castle.
Her hands were gripping the hilt of a claymore, the point of the sword embedded in the sand—which was something a warrior would never do. Then again, she was a woman from the future, so what did she know?
Her eyes were huge and round, her mouth gaping—part of the scene, of course.
He suspected they’d situated the sword with her there for the scene and she hadn’t been carrying the heavy weapon around.
Then the director called, “Cut!”
To Enrick’s profound relief, that was his cue to move out of the scene. The hero quickly took Enrick’s place, all freshly wetted down, his hair dripping wet, his clothes dry and not sporting even a speck of sand. Enrick suspected the water they doused Guy with wasn’t half as cold as the water Enrick had swum in. They might have just sprinkled some water on his skin in truth.
As soon as Enrick moved out of the way so they could begin the close-ups of the high-paid actors, three of their Hollywood warriors with speaking parts ran to protect the hero from the woman with the claymore, who couldn’t have wielded it unless she’d had magical powers. All seven wolves raced to join them.
Enrick wondered if they would add a magical glow or something to the claymore to make it appear enchanted. Why hadn’t Guy grabbed up his sword and defended himself, instead of waiting for his own men to protect him? In the movie version, at least.
If it had been for real, Enrick would have, sans the clothes. Nothing mattered but dealing with the perceived threat. It would have appeared more real, and much more intimate, if he’d tackled the heroine to the sandy beach with his naked body. Sounded more plausible and a hell of a lot more fun. Though the only one he was interested in tackling was Heather and plying her with kisses.
In the meantime, though, Enrick headed toward the stairs, wearing the shirt and kilt. The hero was doing the same on the beach for the film while his men seized the heroine. The wolves stood next to Guy as if they were protecting their lord.
Enrick thought about having a nice hot shower.
He realized, damn it, he couldn’t take one yet. He had to wait near the beach to see if the director needed to reshoot any part of the scenes Enrick had been in.
Enrick wasn’t expecting Heather to run after him with a supersize towel. When she reached him, she began to push up his long shirtsleeves and dry his arms. He smiled down at her and whispered, “Do you get paid to do this?” Not that anyone would hear them, as far away as they were now from the filming of the actors.
“Oh, aye. It’s a privilege to wipe down the lord’s cold, wet body,” she whispered back.
“I’m a warrior and impervious to cold.” He cast her a smirk.
Heather smiled as she made him lean down and towel-dried his hair. “You may be, but they were worried Guy would take a chill and they had him dripping with warmed water. With you, the water had to be ice cold. You might have noticed Guy didn’t have any goose bumps on his skin.”
“I really didn’t look. As soon as I was dismissed, it was time to get out of there and all I could think of was taking a nice hot shower.” With Heather, it would be even better.
“But it’s not a wrap yet.”
“Aye. I realized that, belatedly.”
Heather reached down with the towel to wipe his legs dry.
He smiled at her. “You know you could do this more often for me.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want you to take a chill. You’re now Guy’s double for any of the scenes he can’t or won’t do. Everyone—their people and ours—is counting on it.”
“What?”
“Aye. There’s a lot more money in it for you, and the director said he’s been watching you and you’re perfect to fill in for Guy when he can’t do the scenes.”
“What happened to his regular double?” Enrick had thought this really was just a one-shot deal.
“He was drunk, got into a brawl at a pub last night, got sick and couldn’t work today, so the director fired him.”
Enrick shook his head.
“Guess who picked the fight?”
Enrick let out his breath in disgust. “Don’t tell me. The Kilpatrick brothers.”
“Aye. Robert and Patrick were giving him grief about being an American pretending to be a Highland lord. It was partly Larry’s fault. He’s got a drinking problem and a temper, but still, if Robert and Patrick hadn’t been egging him on, everything might have been fine.”
“Did they know he wasn’t Guy?”
“I don’t think so. One of our men who stuck up for Larry said Robert called Larry by Guy’s name, but Larry didn’t correct him. Our man knew it wasn’t Guy because he could smell the difference.”
“So the Kilpatrick brothers thought they could take out the main actor. Bastards.”
“Right. Now you’re the new double since you look even more like Guy than Larry does, and you’re already warrior material so you can take over all those scenes.”
“Like making love to the heroine?” No way did Enrick want to do any of those scenes. With Heather in private? Hell yeah. He wondered why Heather had the towel in the first place. Had she been planning to wipe Guy down instead?
Heather paused and frowned at him. “I think Guy believes those are safe enough for him to do. Grant said he would take over the duty of making sure our people are ready for the battles they have to do later if you have to stand in for Guy instead.” She sighed. “I don’t know how they’re going to cover up the discrepancy between the two of you though.”
“What discrepancy?” Enrick didn’t care one whit about it. They could just do some postprocessing fixes, he figured. As long as he didn’t have to do a bunch of retakes on any of the scenes. And he was only teasing Heather about making love with the heroine on-screen. He wasn’t interested in her in any way, and he figured it would show if he tried to act like he was.
“You’re bigger than he is.”
Enrick flexed his muscles. “I’m sure I spend a lot more time working out with a sword than he does, despite that he was in a Viking and gladiator film recently.”
“I don’t mean your muscles.”
Frowning, Enrick glanced down at Heather. “What then?”
She smiled impishly, her face reddening a little bit.
He was about to laugh out loud, thinking she meant his cock, but stopped himself, not wanting to get into trouble for messing up the shoot, if anyone should catch his laughter on the wind. “I’m not sure they can do anything with that in postprocessing.” At least he thought that was what she meant.
“Don’t let it go to your head. All the girls will think he’s got the biggest one around, and that it grew some since the last film where he was showing it off.”
Enrick chuckled. “So you were taking measurements?”
Heather turned even redder.
“You had a towel ready to wipe down the double’s wet body?” Enrick didn’t like the idea that she might have been drying Larry’s skin, either, or Guy’s. Someone from the film staff should have done it.
“Nay, for you. As soon as Colleen learned you were going to do this, she had one of the other ladies bring the towel down to me. Lana and I were keeping Julia company because she’s taking notes, just in case you wondered. Anyway, Colleen told me you were going to swim in the sea and that you could use a towel to dry off.”
“What if Lachlan had done the scene instead?” Enrick raised a brow.
“No way would you have let Lachlan take your place, but if you had, I would have generously handed him the towel.”
That was what Enrick wanted to hear.
They sat down on the botto
m of the steps and watched the scene play out, when Enrick hadn’t planned on watching any of this. She brushed the sand off Enrick’s feet, and he pulled on his socks and boots.
The main villain suddenly entered the scene and fought the hero and the two guards on the beach, attempted to grab the sword but couldn’t manage it, and then vanished. Or at least on film he would. The wolves had taken off down the beach before that had happened, no help at all.
“If this had been for real, you wouldn’t have waited for your trusty guards to come and protect you,” Heather said.
“I was thinking the same thing.” Enrick smiled at Heather, glad she was here for him. “And I would have tackled the woman, but I was thinking of you being in her place.”
“Were you really?”
“Aye. She doesn’t hold a candle to you.”
“Thank you.” Heather snuggled next to Enrick. “I think the whole production is fascinating. I can’t wait to see it all come together in the film. It’s intriguing seeing it in bits and pieces, and then seeing it as one continuous film, though we won’t know which parts could end up being cut. Hopefully not your scenes. Still, knowing the production was done here in your castle makes it all the more fun, and seeing friends and family in the roles, even as background actors, is really exciting too, don’t you think?”
“Aye.” It’s definitely something they would talk about for years to come.
“Oh, and by the way, I want to talk to the woman who tried to poison us, once the director calls it a wrap.”
“I’ll go with you.” Enrick was surprised she wanted to talk to the woman again.
“She still hasn’t told anyone who made her do it?”
“Nay. But we did learn she’d added salmonella to the stew.”
“People could have died! Maybe she’ll open up to a woman.”
“The one who caught her in the act and held a sgian dubh on her?” Enrick raised a brow at Heather.
Heather smiled. “Someone had to do it.”
Chapter 15
When Enrick and Heather reached the small, windowless room equipped with a twin-size bed covered in a blue and white quilt, a blue chintz chair, and a small, round table, they found the woman who’d contaminated the meal. She was sitting on the chair, looking superior and not in the least bit contrite for what she had done. Her chin was tilted up, her arms folded defensively across her waist, her whole posture telling them they weren’t going to get a thing out of her.
“I’m Heather, and you are…?” Heather was irritated with the woman, who appeared to feel no remorse for what she’d done.
The woman pursed her lips. She was pretty and petite, with a small face and beautiful long, dark hair under her veil. Her blue eyes narrowed in contempt. “I know who you are. Patrick killed your intended. You act like we’re the only ones who start things—”
“Patrick had.”
The woman frowned. “Timothy was a hothead. Did he tell you he had dated Robert and Patrick’s sister?”
If the woman thought she was going to upset Heather with news she didn’t already know, she was wrong. “Aye. She hid the fact she was a Kilpatrick from him. He told me all about it. When he learned she was their sister, he stopped seeing her.”
This was not supposed to be about Heather, damn it.
“Is that what he told you? That he didn’t know who she was? Of course he did,” the woman said.
“Aye, but it doesn’t really matter now, does it? He’s dead, at the hand of one of her brothers who started the confrontation. You being here has nothing to do with any of this. Unless you did it out of some misplaced sense of revenge on behalf of the Kilpatricks’ sister.”
The woman didn’t say anything, and Heather suspected it wasn’t the case.
“Did you know what you were doing when you added bacteria to the cauldrons?” Heather figured the woman had to have. Why would she have worn the same kind of costume they were wearing, sneaked into the castle, and in front of all the other people who were busy in the kitchen while the filming was going on, added something to the fish stew and not have had a clue as to what she was doing?
Looking anywhere but at Heather’s gaze, the woman didn’t say anything.
“Who told you to add it to the stew?” Heather hoped they could at least get that information out of the woman.
Enrick was looking so growly that Heather thought he might be inhibiting the woman from speaking.
“Enrick, can you leave us alone for a few minutes?” Heather didn’t want to dismiss him, but she thought she might get somewhere with the woman if he was not hovering over them.
He cast the woman a hard look, then nodded to Heather and left the room. She was glad Enrick didn’t appear to be annoyed with her for wanting to question the woman alone.
Heather shut the door and sat on the bed. “Okay, so who told you to do this?”
At first the woman was mute.
“We’ll learn the truth soon enough. You’re not protecting anyone, and they don’t care that you’re here and can’t return home. They’ll let you take all the blame, and no one has even asked about you, concerned for your welfare.” Heather had asked Colleen and that was what she’d told her.
The woman let out her breath in a huff. “Robert Kilpatrick.”
Heather was surprised she’d finally told the truth, but wasn’t surprised to learn it was him. She tried not to hold the ongoing conflict between the clans against them, but it sure ticked her off that Robert would do something this dastardly.
“Why?” Heather was certain she knew why, but she wanted to hear the truth from the woman.
“He’s still furious your cousin Cearnach MacNeill took Elaine in when Robert had use of her and her properties. Then the MacQuarries got the contract to have the movie filmed here and he was doubly angry. You’re getting paid for the use of your wolves, the horses, the castle and lands, all of you working as extras, the fame and glory. He couldn’t be any angrier than he is that you got the contract. If it had been a clan we were in league with, we could have at least taken part in the film, if nothing else. Though I’m not sure that would have satisfied him.”
“All right, I totally get that. What I don’t get is why you would stick your neck out for him.”
The woman looked down at her hands clenched in her lap.
“Ohmigod, you love him!” Not that Heather could believe anyone could love that bastard, but then again, some women loved guys who were up to no good, so maybe that was the deal with her.
“I didn’t say I loved him,” the woman quickly snapped.
But the color in her cheeks said otherwise.
“And he loves you back? Which is why he hasn’t said one damn thing about you being taken prisoner?” Heather hated seeing one-sided love affairs. She suspected if Robert had wooed the woman, it was to coax her into doing something dastardly for him.
The woman looked down at her lap again.
“He knows about it. It’s not like you just vanished and he’s been trying to figure out what happened to you. Your pack leader has been called on this one. He’s furious Robert would stoop so low as to do this. To have you do this. Yet what does Robert do? What does Paxton do? Nothing. They don’t care if you rot here. They aren’t asking for your release. Bargaining for it. Nothing. You’ll be lucky if we release you and you’re only banished from your pack.”
The woman’s gaze shot up to meet Heather’s.
“Aye, that’s what happens when you commit a criminal act for a wolf who doesn’t have the pack leader’s permission to do something that can negatively affect the whole pack.” Heather couldn’t believe the woman would be so naive as to not realize that.
“Robert said he got permission from Paxton.”
“Okay, well, then either Robert lied, or Paxton lied. And guess what? They’re saying you’re the one who took it upon yours
elf to do it. No one asked you to.”
“Nay. That’s a lie.”
“Who do you think they’re going to believe? Robert, Paxton, or you?” Heather hoped the woman would realize she was sitting between a rock and a hard place right now.
The woman slumped on the chair. Aye, they wouldn’t believe the woman for sure.
“Do you have proof Robert ordered you to do this?” Heather suspected she didn’t.
The woman shook her head. “Robert said Paxton wanted this done and he knew I was the best one for the job. He didn’t put it in writing.”
“To cover himself. So it wouldn’t fall back on him.”
The woman ground her teeth.
“Does he have the same feelings for you?”
The woman didn’t answer her.
Heather suspected not, or the bastard would be making some attempt to get her released. Not to mention he wouldn’t have sent her on this dangerous errand in the first place. “Tell me your full name, and we can let Paxton know who you are, at least. Apparently, Robert is denying he even knows who you are.”
The woman’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.
“Despite your attempt to sabotage the fish stew and make everyone deathly ill, the director’s keeping the scene, but someone else played your part at the end when she dies for her deceitfulness.”
The woman swallowed hard. “It would have just caused people who ate it to have stomach cramps and diarrhea. Nothing that severe.”
“Salmonella? What if someone had died from it? How do you know it wasn’t something that could be deadly? Robert’s a liar, a thief, and not honorable in the least. And here you would be the one to take the blame for it.”
The woman bit her lower lip, and Heather was hoping she was considering the possibility she was telling the truth. “He said it was just laxatives.”
