Their Own Time

by Jessica Wayne

  Gabby started crying, and the men laughed. One of them lunged at her, and she fell backward.

  She placed Gabby behind her and covered her with her own body. Another of the men lunged for her, and Gabby screamed louder.

  Carissa kicked him in the groin like she had Parker, and he fell to his knees. She scooted Gabby further back, not wanting to turn her back to her attackers.

  When another came at her, she readied herself for a fight she wasn’t trained for and prayed for a miracle.

  Chapter Three

  Garrett McKinley was angry. Thieves were tearing through his villages, and he could not determine who they were or why they were doing it. He had been to three that they had run through so far. The supplies had been cleared out in a matter of minutes, and none of the townspeople had been able to stop it. The ones who tried were dead. Their blood spilled on the very ground he had promised to protect.

  He grit his teeth as he rode his horse back to his castle. The only son of the McKinley laird before him, he took over the once peaceful land after his father had passed away. Now it seemed more of a curse than a reward.

  “We will find them.” Leon Donohue had arrived at Castle McKinley fifteen years before and had been Garrett’s best friend since then. He was now the leader of Garrett’s guards, and Garrett trusted him with his life.

  “I believe that as well, but how much damage will they have caused by then?” He wondered. “How many lives stolen on my land?”

  “We will find out why they are attacking and then perhaps we can stop the bloodshed.”

  “I hope you’re right, Leon.”

  A shriek filled their ears. “Do you hear that?” Leon asked Garrett.

  “I do, sounds like a babe crying.” Garrett nudged his horse into a run, and they raced through the trees toward the sound.

  “No! Please stop!” He heard a woman scream, and when Garrett and Leon burst into the clearing, Garrett’s cheeks flushed with fresh anger.

  A small woman, eyes wide with fear, lay on the ground in front of a screaming child. Her bloody and bruised face was wet with tears, and she was wearing nothing but a pair of britches and a thin tunic unlike any he had ever seen. From the looks on the men’s faces, they weren’t planning on stopping with a mere robbery this time.

  “Stop!” Garrett commanded, drawing his sword.

  Leon pulled his out as well, and they both dismounted their horses and moved toward the woman.

  “Leave, you have no business here.” One of the men dismissed him in Gaelic, and the woman’s eyes shot between he and Garrett.

  “On the contrary, this is my land. This woman and her child are under my protection,” Garrett said angrily, still trying to get the men away from them. He couldn’t risk attacking and having them get hurt during the assault.

  The men finally looked away from her and turned to stare at him.

  Garrett walked toward the woman. The man closest to him lunged with the large knife in his hand. Garrett struck out with his sword and buried it in the man's abdomen. The other three men howled in anger and attacked, and he and Leon took them down easily. Even armed, these men didn’t possess skill anywhere close to them.

  “Thieves,” Leon said disgustedly as he looked into the cart they left behind. “‘Tis full of stolen McKinley supplies.”

  Garrett heard him, but he was focused on the woman and child before him. “Are you okay miss?” he asked and reached for her. She had clutched the small child to her breast, and the little girl was calming down.

  “Please don’t hurt us,” the woman cried, staring up at him with wide eyes. Her accent was strange, and it took him a moment to realize that she spoke English.

  He changed to her language and continued, “I will not harm you.” He held his hand out to help her up, and after staring at it warily, she took it and rose. Garrett stepped back to give her space. The last thing he wanted was to frighten her further.

  “What is your name?” he asked her softly.

  “Carissa.”

  He looked at her, intrigued. She wore strange shoes on her feet, and her legs were covered with black fabric. She wore a dark green tunic with thin straps that left her shoulders and arms bare, and her hair was loose and wild around a face that was beautiful beyond any Garrett had ever seen.

  The small child couldn’t have been but two years old, and her legs were covered with fabric similar to the woman’s, except hers was pink, and she was wrapped in a large adult-sized top the same color as the woman’s. Her hair was the same shade of sunlight as her mother's, her eyes the same deep green.

  “I am Garrett, head of the clan McKinley. This is Leon.” He motioned for Leon to join him, and he bowed to her.

  “‘Tis lovely to meet you,” he spoke in English as well and nodded lightly at her.

  “Where are we?” she asked as she looked around them.

  “You are on McKinley land, Miss.”

  “What does that mean?” She wondered, her eyes widening with fear again.

  “It means you are safe now.”

  The small child in her arms began to cry again, and she immediately tended to her.

  “Come with us, we will help you find your husband,” Garrett offered, although the idea of her belonging to another man caused him a surprising amount of jealousy. What lucky man held this woman’s heart? And why wasn’t he out here protecting what was his?

  “I don’t have a husband.” She wasn’t sure she should have admitted that, but for some strange reason, she believed him when he said they wouldn’t hurt her and Gabby. Was this the man Mrs. Kinley had been talking about? The one she’d said would take care of them?

  “Was he killed?” Leon asked her, his eyes filled with concern.

  “No, he just isn’t around. It’s only Gabby and I.”

  “He left you? With his babe to raise on your own?” Both men looked at her, shock and anger clear on her face.

  “We have made it just fine so far,” she said proudly, jutting her perfect chin slightly in the air.

  “I meant no insult,” Garrett said, and moved back toward his horse. “If you come with us, we will give you food and help you get home.”

  “That’s just it,” she said softly.

  “We aren’t from here, I-I don’t understand how we got here,” she said as tears filled her eyes. The child began to whimper again and tugged at Garrett’s heart.

  “What do you mean? Were you kidnaped?” Garrett asked her.

  She shook her head; at least she didn’t think they were. She had willingly taken Mrs. Kinley’s hand, but where had the woman sent them?

  “Come with us, Miss Carissa, and we shall help you in whatever means necessary.”

  Garrett extended his hand toward her again, and she watched his face cautiously. He was tall, just over six feet, she would have guessed, and his body was broad with muscle. He looked as if he were capable of crushing a man with his bare hands if necessary. Carissa regrettably looked down at the bodies of the men who had attacked her. It clearly didn’t bother him to dispatch of life if he felt it necessary. She was glad he had though. She didn’t know what would have happened had he and the man who introduced himself as Leon hadn’t shown up, but she feared she could imagine.

  She looked up at him. He was a handsome man, straight out of the pages of the romance novels she loved to read.

  The adrenaline from the attack hadn’t worn off yet, so she told herself that’s what was causing her heart to pound in her chest. When Gabby began to cry again, Garrett’s expression softened.

  The way he had looked at Gabby had calmed her. Any man who would regard a crying baby with such kindness had a good heart. She gripped his hand and let him lead them over to his horse.

  “Shhh, baby, it’s okay,” she whispered softly in Gabby’s ear. She began to calm down again, and then Carissa gripped her tighter as Garrett lifted them both on his horse and then climbed on behind them.

  She felt his arm come around her waist, and she looked up to h
is face. Light stubble coated a strong jaw, and his dark hair was pulled back at the base of his neck. His eyes, a deep blue, were kind, and she said a silent prayer that she wasn’t mistaking his character. Their lives depended on it.

  Carissa knew they weren’t in Texas anymore, on some level she knew she was not even in her time anymore, but her brain kept insisting on rejecting that idea. She prided herself on being fairly open-minded, but time travel? That was a bit much, even for her.

  She closed her eyes and pulled Gabby closer, the events from the night flooding her mind. Parker had found them. She had worked so hard to stay hidden, to make sure Gabby would be able to grow up safely, and he had found them. Why couldn’t he just leave them alone? He could have just gone on with his life, doing whoever and whatever he wanted, and yet he came after her! Had brought her entire life crashing down around her. If her landlord hadn’t appeared when she had, Carissa knew she wouldn’t have walked away from him this time. The hatred reflected in his eyes had told her that much. He’d meant to rape and kill her. Tears burned in the corners of her eyes, what had she done to deserve that?

  Gabby snuggled closer to her chest, the soft gait of the horse having lulled her into a much-needed nap. Carissa smiled; she had always loved horses as a child. Like mother, like daughter, she supposed.

  “Where are we?” she asked Garrett again, this time whispering so she wouldn’t wake Gabby.

  “McKinley land, County Donegal,” he repeated. She could hear the pride in his voice.

  Her skin paled, she knew enough about history, specifically Irish history, since it had always fascinated her, to know where she was.

  “Ireland.”

  “Did you expect to be anywhere else?” Garrett asked, and looked down at her, confused.

  “No,” she answered quickly. Yes, she said to herself. She had expected to still be in Howe, Texas. Safely tucked into bed while she escaped into her newest romance novel. She certainly hadn’t expected to become the subject of a time travel adventure.

  What the hell were they going to do, and why had Mrs. Kinley sent them here?

  Chapter Four

  They rode for what felt like hours before approaching the crest of a hill. She looked down into the valley below and couldn’t help but gape. Nestled on top of a small hill in the center of a valley stood a stone castle, much like the ruins she had seen on her one trip overseas to the country she had always loved. Only this was far from in ruins. People bustled about, carrying buckets and bundles, and everyone stopped and bowed lightly to them as they approached the gate.

  The people they passed looked at her with interest. Surely wondering what this new woman was wearing since it was so different from what they wore in whatever year she was in. What year was she in? She looked around for anything that would give it away and found nothing. Regardless, she knew she couldn’t tell anyone that she was from the future, they would accuse her of witchcraft, and both she and Gabby would be punished.

  She looked down at her sleeping daughter, who was so innocent and unaware of the danger they were in. She had to keep their secret, by any means necessary.

  She suddenly became very aware of the man behind her. Her back was pressed against his hard chest, and the thick shirt he wore offered her warmth. His strong arm held her close, and his scent filled her lungs. She had always wondered what men of this era had smelled like, and while she knew most probably didn’t practice good hygiene, the man behind her certainly did. He smelled of leather and fresh soap, and her blood began to move faster through her veins. She shook her head; she would not be attracted to this man. There was too much at stake.

  “Is everything alright, Miss?” he whispered into her ear, causing a delicious shiver to shoot down her spine.

  “Yes,” she said quickly. “And please, just call me Carissa.”

  “As you wish, Carissa.” Her name out of his mouth, with his thick accent, sounded delicious.

  He stopped the horse at the castle doors, and after climbing down, he reached for her and Gabby. He was cautious as he moved her down, not wanting to wake the little girl. Garrett handed the reins to a man who waited there and spoke to him in a strange language, Carissa guessed it must have been Gaelic, and then turned back to her.

  “Come,” he said simply, and turned into the castle.

  If Carissa thought she was shocked before, it was nothing compared to what she felt now. The interior of the castle was even more beautiful than anything she could have imagined. Tapestries hung on tall stonewalls and torches stood in their stands to light the entryway.

  “Oh, my,” she said wide-eyed.

  “Do you find it to be impressive?” Garrett asked her proudly.

  “Yes.”

  “Master McKinley.” A tall, slender man rushed toward them.

  “He speaks English?” Carissa whispered loudly to Garrett when she was shocked the man didn’t speak Gaelic like the stable hand outside had.

  Garrett smiled lightly. “Sean spent some time in England, where he learned the language. He then taught it to most of my staff. It makes it easier to host visitors who may not speak Gaelic.”

  “Do you receive visitors from England often?” She wondered, maybe that was why he had welcomed her so easily.

  “At times,” he answered simply, and then turned back to Sean. “I would like you to prepare a room for our guest and her daughter. She was attacked by thieves in the forest, and I want to ensure they are well rested.”

  “As you wish.” Sean nodded and hurried up the stairs.

  “Come, Carissa.” Garrett wound through hallways and into a bustling kitchen. It was cleaner than she would have expected, and once she got a good look at the woman running it, she knew why.

  “Alastair, you best not be thinking you are going to leave that tray there!”

  An older woman, probably in her early fifties yelled out. At her tone, the young boy, who was attempting to abandon a dirty tray on her counter, grabbed it and turned toward what must have been considered the sink in whatever time this was.

  * * *

  “That’s right, boy,” the woman said, but her voice held a loving tone. She was not mean, just particular.

  When she turned to Garrett, her eyes warmed, and she smiled softly. “So glad you have returned, Garrett.”

  Carissa was surprised to hear the woman call him by his first name; everyone else had referred to him as Master McKinley.

  “Edith.” He tipped his head toward her and smiled. “I am glad as well.”

  Suddenly, Edith’s eyes turned to Carissa and the now awake Gabby.

  “Who is this lovely lass? Oh, and this beautiful babe?” She scrunched her nose in a silly smile at Gabby, who giggled at her.

  “This is Carissa,” Garrett said placing his hand gently on her shoulder. She shied away at first, not prepared for his touch, but if he noticed, he didn’t mention it. “And this is Gabby. Leon and I came across them in the forest. Four thieves attacked them.”

  “Oh, child. Come and sit. Those damned thieves. You would think they would know better than to be raiding McKinley land. I certainly hope you ran them through.” Edith motioned for a chair, and Garrett guided them over to it. “Would you like some bread?” she asked as she reached a hand out to pat Gabby’s hair lovingly.

  “That would be wonderful, thank you,” Carissa responded since Gabby hadn’t had anything to eat since dinner last night.

  “And English as well,” Edith said softly as she regarded Carissa’s accent.

  Garrett nodded and turned to leave. “I shall return in a little while, I have some things I must attend to. Seth is setting up a room for our guests, would you show them to it after they have had some food?” He asked Edith, and she smiled at him.

  “Of course I will, do you think I would allow them to roam the castle without knowing where to go? Go on with you.” She dismissed him, and Carissa saw the humor in his eyes.

  “Well now.” Edith smiled at Gabby. “Is that bread to your liking then?�
�� she asked, laughing as Gabby gnawed on the slice she had been given.

  “Thank you very much, Miss—I’m sorry, I don’t know your last name.”

  “Just call me Edith, dear.” As she moved about the kitchen, cooking and tasting, Carissa couldn’t help but feel at ease in the woman’s presence.

  “Thank you, Edith.”

  “You are most welcome Carissa. So tell me, have you no husband?”

  The look that crossed over her face had Edith smiling knowingly. “I’m guessing It was no thieves who gave you those,” she said, gesturing to the bruises on her face.

  Carissa swallowed hard and nodded. She would never forget the way Parker had looked when he showed up at their door, the murder that had been so plainly in his eyes.

  “I am so sorry dear, I hope he is far away. That, or in the ground,” she said angrily and patted Carissa’s hand.

  “Thank you, Edith. He is certainly far away.” Not even born yet, she said to herself.

  “Momma,” Gabby gave Carissa a lopsided grin.

  “Yes, baby, momma’s here.” She hugged her closer. That was the one upside to their situation. There was absolutely no way Parker would ever be able to find them here.

  “She is beautiful,” Edith said, taking a seat in the chair across from them.

  “Thank you.” Carissa smiled. “You are a cutie, aren’t you?”

  Gabby giggled, and Edith sighed.

  “‘Tis been awhile since we had a wee one here.”

  “Does Garrett not have any children?” Carissa asked. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to know, but she was interested in the man who rescued them.

  “He had a daughter.”

  “Had?” Carissa asked, not missing the sad tone in her voice and choice of words.

  “Garrett had been betrothed, they married, and his wife became pregnant quickly. The pregnancy went well, but his wife and baby daughter died during the birth.”

  “Oh, no,” Carissa said softly, covering her mouth with her free hand.