Duncan sounded so hopeful, Cate had to smile. And he was right. She knew that he, at least, would be fine. The packet of Peter’s research still sitting on the backseat of the van flashed through her thoughts.
Using the rope they’d brought with them, they gradually got all the men up from the pit. Blane was the second man out. He once again attempted to apologize, but Cate stopped him.
“Don’t. I owe you as much of an apology as you owe me. I totally misjudged you. We’ll call it even.”
“Connor and I had a similar conversation. Right after he dropped in on me. I regret the things I put you through, but I had hoped that I could stop this. I did all that I could. Perhaps not all that I should hae. But all that I could. That’s my burden to live with. I appreciate yer understanding.”
He limped over to sit by the wall, leaning back and closing his eyes.
Connor, as Cate expected, waited until the others had been helped out. As Jesse and Robert pulled him through the opening, Cate threw her arms around his neck.
He pulled her tightly to him.
“You should no hae come back. Yer no safe here.” He glared at Jesse. “I would hae expected yer brother to see to yer safety first.”
Jesse snorted. “You’re supposed to be her husband. You should know how damn stubborn she is. You think you could have stopped her from coming?”
“Aye, I’m her husband. And aye, I could hae stopped her.” He ducked his head and grinned. “Weel, I could hae tried.”
Reaching around Cate, he gave his hand to Jesse. “I’m pleased to hae you as family, Jesse.” He looked around, arching his eyebrow. “You dinna happen to bring any weapons, did you now?”
“As a matter of fact I did.” Jesse crouched to the floor and opened his backpack, removing a roll of cloth. He released the ties and unrolled it, spreading it across the floor. Neatly stored in individual pockets, a variety of knives gleamed from its entire length.
“You guys comfortable with knives?”
Robert laughed as he reached for one. “I’m starting to like some of yer relations, MacKiernan.” He whistled as he drew one of the knives from its holder. “This lad has good taste in weapons. I’ve never seen the like of this before.” His teeth gleamed wickedly in the torchlight. “Can I hae more than one?”
“Take what you need, guys.”
Jesse stood and began to fill them in on the locations of the guards and hostages. When he mentioned Rosalyn’s position in the hall, Duncan growled and picked up another knife, groaning as he did so.
“Let me have a look at those ribs.”
Jesse pulled a medical kit from his backpack. After inspecting Duncan’s chest, he tore open a white package and wound an elastic bandage around the older man’s ribs.
“What cure is this?” Duncan asked suspiciously.
“It won’t cure you, but it will take some of the pressure off. Rest is the only thing for you now. It feels to me like they’re just bruised, not actually broken. Oh, and swallow this.”
He handed Duncan an ibuprofen, which the older man eyed for a moment before shrugging and popping it in his mouth.
“Do you think leaving an elastic bandage in thirteenth-century Scotland is a wise thing to do?” Cate didn’t want to think of the possible repercussions if some twenty-first-century archaeologist dug this up.
“Hey, in this humidity, that thing will rot long before anyone could ever find it. Besides, I’ve had bruised ribs before and they hurt like a mother.” He gave her a sheepish grin.
Once everyone was equipped, Robert took the lead toward the door heading to the Great Hall. Connor stopped, holding Cate back until the others had moved away.
“Yer not going up there with us. You head back to the kitchen. Stay with Margaret. I dinna want to think about harm finding you again.” His eyes glowed with warning.
“Don’t you think I’d be better off with you and Jess around to protect me?”
“No. I think you’d be better off far away from here. But since you dinna follow that path, I’ll hae to settle for this. You go back through the other door and stay in the kitchen until I come to claim you. It’s no open for discussion.” He twirled her around and, with a light smack on her bottom, pushed her forward. One eyebrow lifted. “This will no take long.” He winked and turned to follow the others.
Cate headed toward the kitchen. She had to find a way to get into that hall with them. She was supposed to be there.
* * *
Creeping to the top of the stairs, she put her ear to the door and listened. Nothing. That should be good. She turned the knob and the door shot forward, spilling Cate to her knees. She lifted her head and stared up into a pair of glittering brown eyes. Wild eyes. Lyall’s eyes.
“Oh, that’s lovely. Welcome back, wee Cate.” Lyall grinned madly as he reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. “I dinna ken where you’ve been, but I was sure I’d find you.”
Three of his guards were with him, including the one named Malcolm.
Her problem of how to get into the hall was solved. Now she only had to worry about getting out again.
* * *
Connor was already planning what he’d do as they went through the door ahead when her brother took his arm to pull him aside.
“Before we go through that door, there’s something you need to understand, Connor. I’ll help all I can when we get in there, but I’m limited in what I can do. Not my time and all that stuff, you know? You can kill whoever you need to because it’s your time. But I whack somebody and suddenly the next seven centuries are seriously messed up.”
“Verra weel, I ken the problem.” He started to move forward.
“No, I don’t think you do.” Jesse grabbed his arm again to stop him. “I want the bastard that tried to slit my sister’s throat. I can’t kill him, but I can mess him up. I just want to make sure you’re there to finish him off.”
Connor grinned wickedly. “You dinna need to fash yerself over him, Jesse. He’ll no leave this place alive. To my mind, he was dead the minute I saw him on the tower wall with his filthy hands on my Caty. It was only a matter of when.”
“I’m seriously going to like having you in the family.” Jesse slapped him on the back. “Last I heard he’s in your bedchamber. You’ll point me in the right direction?”
“I’ll do better than that. I’ll lead you there.” Connor smiled in anticipation.
He was just thinking that he rather liked this Jesse when Robert threw open the door and all hell broke loose.
Connor had only a moment to admire the damage his new brother-in-law could cause with his feet before he was set upon by one of the guards. He quickly dispatched the man and picked up his discarded sword, using it to carve his way through the next attacker.
“Connor,” Jesse yelled from across the room. “Which doorway?”
He pointed to the tower where his bedchamber was located and headed that direction at a dead run.
Robert was just finishing off another of the guards. He quickly moved to the main doorway, grinning as he dropped the bar down to keep out any others who might try to join in the fight.
Duncan stood for an instant over the body of the guard nearest Rosalyn and then, holding his side, leaned down to cut her bindings.
Connor turned to run up the tower stairs. Jesse was three steps ahead of him, but the words from across the hall stopped them both in their tracks.
“Connor. Surely yer no leaving the party now. Not when yer lovely lady’s just joined us again.”
Lyall. A shiver of fear crawled up his back and into his stomach. He met Jesse’s eyes and saw the same emotion mirrored there.
Jesse joined him and they moved together into the Great Hall. Bodies lay on the floor and across the tables. Robert slowly inched away from the door, moving closer into position.
They continued to move into the room, spreading apart, circling, until they were only yards from his cousin.
Lyall, flanked by three of his guar
ds, held Cate in front of him like a human shield, once again with a knife to her throat. Her eyes were calm, focused on her brother.
The fear receded, leaving only the determination so necessary for battle.
“Let her go, Lyall. I’m going to kill you.”
“No, I dinna think so.” Lyall grinned like the madman he was. “I’ve changed my plans yet again. I’m going to kill you. By killing her.” His arm began the slicing motion across Cate’s throat.
The room erupted in chaos.
Jesse, running by his side, yelled, “Now. Do it now.”
Cate threw herself forward, into the knife, and then slammed back into Lyall’s face, just as he finished the slicing motion across her throat. Blood splattered everywhere as she fell to the ground.
The red haze of rage blanketing Connor prevented his full awareness of anything but reaching his Caty and the man who murdered her. Only dimly did his consciousness recognize bits and scenes of the action around him, all of which seemed to him to be in slow motion. His eyes riveted on the motionless body of his beloved.
Robert threw himself in front of the guard whose sword was aimed for Connor’s heart. There was no need for that. What did it matter? His heart lay on the ground at Lyall’s feet, her hair covered in blood.
Jesse flew through the air, his feet knocking a second guard to the ground as his sword sliced at Connor’s neck.
Duncan, took the head of the third guard before he could move from behind Lyall.
Until there was only Lyall. Lyall, his face covered in blood, her blood. Lyall looking down at Cate’s body, his face contorted in rage. And then, incomprehensibly, Lyall falling to the floor next to her, Blane’s knife through his back.
Cate screamed, chasing away the red haze, bringing Connor back to his senses.
He fell to his knees, gathering her into his arms, crushing her to him.
“Yer alive.” He said it weakly, barely able to form the words.
“I am.” Her arms were around his neck.
“But how? I saw him cut yer throat. I saw the blood everywhere.”
He wanted to pull her away from him, to check for himself she wasn’t bleeding to death even now, but he couldn’t bear the loss of her body next to his, not even for a moment. She felt warm and alive with her arms about him and that was all that mattered right now. The woman he loved was alive.
“You can thank the miracle of a Kevlar turtleneck.” Jesse slapped him on the back as he passed, going to check on Robert. “We’ll explain about that later. All that blood came from Lyall’s busted nose. Great job on the head butt, Caty. Just like I taught you. I knew that bastard would go for your throat again.” He squatted next to Robert, feeling for the pulse in his neck. “Shit. We need to get this guy out of here fast if we’re going to.”
Robert was bleeding heavily. Jesse applied pressure with his hand as Rosalyn came forward and tore off part of her shift to give him.
“That won’t be enough,” Rosalyn said quietly.
Cate pushed away from Connor, putting her hands on either side of his face.
“Remember the first time you came to me and you needed me to make a big decision, whether or not to come with you, and you needed me to make it fast?”
He nodded, still trying to come to terms with what had just happened.
“Well, Connor, it’s your turn now. I’m taking you out of here. To Dun Ard in my time. You don’t get a choice. History says that after the death of Artair, the MacKiernan brothers battled at Sithean Fardach to see who would be the next laird. I guess that’s Blane.” She smiled up at him. “But the knight living at Sithean Fardach and his lady were evidently killed in that battle. They don’t show up again in any of the records. That’s you and me. I’m thinking that guy Jesse knocked out, the one who made this slice on your neck, was probably supposed to be the one that got you.” She shuddered at the thought of how close he came.
“Then what decision is there? I canna remain here without upsetting history.”
He was himself again. He didn’t care where he spent the rest of his life, as long as he spent it with Cate.
“Your decision is about Robert. It didn’t appear that he made it through the battle either. He’ll bleed to death here. But we could take him with us. Medical help will be waiting. He has a good chance there. What do you want to do?”
Connor moved to his friend’s side. He was weakening rapidly, his eyes glazed with pain, but he was conscious.
“Robert? I realize you dinna ken the whole of what’s being decided, but you heard Cate, did you no? You up for joining me on another adventure, old friend?”
Robert smiled weakly. “I never thought yer lady had the looks of one from Outremer. Aye. I’ll take the adventure. I dinna think I fancy the other choice.”
“He comes with us.” Connor stood and helped Cate to her feet. “And Rosalyn?”
“I stay.” She came forward and pulling Connor’s head down, kissed his forehead. “This is my place, Nephew. I’m no supposed to go.”
He looked at Cate and she nodded. “But who will protect you?”
“I’m of a mind to be the one who does that.” Duncan stepped forward.
“And if he can’t, I will.” Blane joined them. “I’ll no be steered from the course I ken to be proper again. I’ll do the right thing, Connor. I give you my word.”
“And Mairi? Will you look after Mairi as well?”
“He won’t have to. We already have Mairi out.” Cate pushed him over to her brother and Robert. At his raised eyebrow she laughed and threw her arms around him.
“I’ll explain it all in a few minutes. We have to go now. Did you hear me, Fae? Go now.” She turned to Connor. “You are in for a light show you won’t believe.”
He got a light show of amazing proportions. But he missed it all, occupied as he was with kissing his wife.
EPILOGUE
Seun Fardach Ranch
North of Grand Lake, Colorado
Five years later
Cate slowly rocked back and forth on the long front porch, watching little Dougal tear across the yard on his Hot Wheels. He was extremely well coordinated for a four-year-old, but considering who his father was, she didn’t find that at all surprising.
“Dougal, be careful of Beast, honey. He’s just a baby.” Beast was their latest addition, a clumsy wolfhound puppy named in honor of the dog who had given his all trying to save her.
Her son got off his Hot Wheels to tumble around with the frisky puppy. They were already fast friends.
Large warm hands clasped her shoulders and she smiled up at Connor. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, nuzzling her ear in the process. Her stomach filled instantly with butterflies. She would never tire of his touch.
“I smell chocolate. Have you been in those brownies already?”
“It’s no my fault. You left them by the phone. What’s a man to do?” His eyes twinkled. He was addicted to chocolate.
“I take it you got your call then?”
“Aye. It was Gordon MacAlister at Dun Ard. He says they have our reservations all arranged for the lodge next month. It’ll be grand to get back again and see how work is progressing at the old castle.” He sat in the chair next to her, propping his cowboy boots on the porch rail.
It made her smile that he still referred to it as the old castle. They’d bought the land there and were rebuilding Sithean Fardach. Considering his personal knowledge of the original, they should have no trouble duplicating it accurately. Well, accurately except for the modern plumbing and electricity that would be installed. Cate wasn’t up for spending summers in a completely authentic thirteenth-century castle. Once was enough.
Gordon MacAlister, it had turned out, was a descendant of Duncan MacAlister. On that amazing first day back from Connor’s time, Gordon had been the first to approach them once he’d heard Connor’s name. He’d then excitedly run off to get his wife and a very old box that had been handed down through his family, held in safekeeping for
the day Connor and Cate MacKiernan showed up at Dun Ard. Inside the box had been the emerald necklace and the matching emerald pin, along with a very, very old note. The woman writing the note had indicated that in honor of her son’s fifth birthday, she had decided to seal these items away, now assured that she would have family to pass them along for her. She went on to wish for them a long life and a true love as happy as her own. It had been signed by Rosalyn MacKiernan MacAlister. Cate was pleased that Duncan had finally recognized his calling as Rosalyn’s true love.
She and Connor had worn those matching emeralds when they were married for a second time in front of Cate’s family at a beautiful chapel overlooking a picturesque valley in Colorado Springs. Her father hadn’t been satisfied that the original wedding really counted.
Both Connor and Robert had adjusted well, and worked with her brothers at Coryell Enterprises. There were several more employees now, so Connor could be very selective about which assignments he took. He didn’t like to be away from home much. On their ranch Connor raised, of all things, horses. Huge, beautiful, rare horses. He loved them. Cate, however, still didn’t ride.
Robert bought the land adjoining their own and raised cattle. He was endlessly fascinated with the gadgets and machines of this time and owned many. They never knew if he’d show up for daily sword practice in a car or on a tractor. His latest passion was a new Hummer. The military model, not the commercial public version. Fortunately they made good money in their line of work and Robert never turned down an assignment. He was still a true warrior.
“What’s that coming down the road?” Connor pointed at a small dust cloud approaching the ranch.
Cate lifted one hand to shade her eyes. “Probably Jesse.” On the fastest, biggest, baddest motorcycle he could find. “He said he’d bring Mairi up from Boulder today.”
“Good Christ,” Connor swore, rising and leaning over the porch railing. “He’s no got her on that monster machine of his again, does he?”
Cate laughed. “You know Mairi loves that motorcycle of his. She begs him to bring that every time he comes to get her. She adores having the other girls see him ride up on that thing, all dressed in leather. They’re all jealous of her hanging out with a real live bad boy.”
Thirty Nights With a Highland Husband Page 28