“Our time? What do you mean our time?” She couldn’t believe how fast her heart beat as she waited for his answer. Had she been right about him?
“The twenty-first century. Planes, cars, cell phones, toilets, showers. You remember all of those things, don’t you?” He waved her over to a nearby log, where they both sat down. “I’m not out to hurt you. I’m sorry if I did when I dropped you from my horse. That chieftain of yours is too powerful, too fast. I can’t get slaughtered in medieval Scotland—my wife and family need me. I just want to talk to you. I need to get back.”
“Okay, from the beginning. Who are you, and how and when did you get here?” Hope suddenly blossomed inside her. This man understood exactly what she’d gone through, and maybe he could even tell her what had become of her sisters.
But did she still wish to go back? No, she didn’t, but if her sisters were here, she needed to find them. She had to find out what he knew.
“My name is Sam Billings. I’m from present-day Scotland. I happened to stop at Leannan Falls at about the same time as you and your sisters. I live not far from there, and I like to hike there every so often. I don’t know what possessed me to stop that day, but when I listened to you three trying to convince each other to jump over the edge, I couldn’t help but watch.”
“You saw us jump?” Her hands began to tremble because she knew exactly what this could mean.
“Aye. I saw the three of you jump, and I walked over to the edge to make sure you all came up, but there was a problem. You didn’t.”
“Did my sisters come up for air?” Her voice came out in a whisper. She closed her eyes, waiting for his answer.
“Nay. That’s why I’m here. None of you came up. All three of you jumped in and disappeared. I thought you were drowning, so I dialed the police to report it, but then I jumped in after you. I came up in a different waterfall. I was alone and it wasn’t modern times anymore.”
“Then you don’t know where my sisters are?”
“Nay. But they didn’t come up either, so they must be here somewhere. I’m sorry to have scared you, but I need to go back. I have a wife and a daughter. Can you help me? Did you know this would happen to the three of you?”
Allie reached for his hands, saddened that this man had come through with them because of their foolishness, hopeful that this meant her sisters truly had traveled in time with her. “No, I had no idea this would happen. I don’t know how to get back, but we can work together. How did you find me? Are you the one who tried to grab me at the festival?”
“Aye. And at the MacKay Castle. When I first got here, I wandered around until I found people, and I ended up on Sinclair land. He accepted me as a warrior. I had to learn to handle a frickin’ sword that’s bigger than I am, but at least I do go to my gym regularly at home. I went back to the pool and tried to reverse it, but it didn’t work. Sinclair promised to help me if I could find a way to diminish the MacKay and Murray numbers, so I poisoned the casks of ale.”
“You did it? What did you use?”
He shrugged, looking chagrined. “I’m a biologist working in infection control. You do no’ want to know what I did. It shouldn’t have killed anyone, but it would have weakened them all considerably. I’m not proud, but I was desperate at the time. Have you tried to go back?”
“Yes. I tried to submerge myself in the pond where I landed after the jump. There was no swirling of energy, nothing unusual like the first time. Brann had a grip on me, but I don’t think it would have worked.”
“Have you heard anything about Leannan Falls? I have no way of knowing how far we are from it, but I’d like to go back. There’s some sort of legend about the falls.”
The odd woman at the festival had told her that “he” was searching for her. Surely, she’d meant Sam. Did that mean the rest of her advice should be followed?
“I didn’t think much of it at the time,” she said, “but I met a strange woman at the festival. She told me that a man was looking for me, and she also implied I should go to Edinburgh. That’s close to the falls. Maybe we’ll find a way for you to go home.”
Sam immediately perked up. “Wow, do you think she was really a seer?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t know what I believe. Common sense tells me she had no idea who I was when I spoke with her, but common sense also says there’s no such thing as time travel. I still wake up every day wondering what I’m doing in medieval Scotland.”
“Will you go to Edinburgh with me? Maybe you have special powers or something and I just got sucked in by your energy.”
“I have to talk to Brann, but I promise to do what I can if you’ll help me search for my sisters.”
He held his hand out for a shake. “Deal.”
She stood and then glanced at his attire. “You better ditch that Sinclair plaid first.”
***
Brann was sick with worry. Where could she have gone? “Taran, I’ll find Allison after I get ye back to yer keep. She can sew ye up. Ye know how strong her skills are.” He lifted his brother up as gingerly as he could. They weren’t far from the keep, so he strode through the gates and toward the steps. He was almost at the door when Shona flung it open.
Taran had closed his eyes again, and Shona shrieked at the sight of him.
“Shona, go back inside and put some plaids on yer longest trestle table,” Brann said. “I’ll set him down so Allison can sew him. Ye can clean him up a bit, have someone help ye, and give him cool water that’s been boiled for at least five minutes.”
She nodded, sobbing so desperately he felt a tinge of sorrow for her. Somehow, she found the composure to summon a maid, and they set up a trestle table. Brann set his brother down and turned to the door.
“Ye’re leaving?” Shona asked. “Are there more to attack us?”
“Nay. I’ll leave a few men on the steps and several at the gates. I have to find Allison.”
He spun on his heel, charged out the door, and raced down the steps. As soon as he mounted, he yelled to Angus.
“Ride along with me and tell me what ye’ve learned.”
“A man on horseback came for her and charged back into the woods. We can follow their path.” Angus pointed in the direction they’d gone, and moments later they were in fast pursuit.
Brann had never felt so lost. Lachie was sick, Taran was near death’s door, and Allison was missing. What had happened? He’d been happy as hell for about an hour after he’d convinced Allison to stay.
They hadn’t gone far when they saw a horse grazing not far ahead. He motioned for Angus to slow his horse, but he couldn’t afford to be strategic. Taran was dying.
To his surprise, he found her sitting on a log chatting with a man.
“I’ll kill ye, ye bastard!” He jumped off his horse, but Allison bounded off the log and stood in front of him. The only reason he didn’t thrust the end of his sword through the swine’s black heart was the look on Allison’s face. There was no fear there at all, something that made him hesitate.
“No, Brann. It’s all right. He’s from my land.”
Brann turned to Angus and said, “Check the rest of the area for any other Sinclairs.” Once his second was out of hearing range, he nodded at Allison. “Give me a good reason why I don’t skewer his belly instantly, and ye best be quick about it.”
“Please listen for a moment before you act. This is important to me.”
“Ye know him?”
“No.” Her shoulders fell. “He saw the three of us jump into the water and thought we were drowning when we didn’t surface, so he jumped in after us. He came through the portal but landed in a different place.”
“I don’t want your woman. I’m married, but I do need her help to get back. I have a wife and daughter back home.”
Brann said, “We can discuss this later. Allison, Taran took a sword to his side and he needs stitching. If ye dinnae come now, I fear he could die. He’s losing a lot of blood.”
“Badly hurt, Brann? Is he ab
le to speak with you?”
“Barely. We need to hurry.”
She nodded, quickly moving to his side. “I’ll come now. Sam, follow us back. We’ll talk later. Brann, have you another plaid he can wear?”
Brann tossed him one from his saddlebag, then lifted Allison and set her in front of him. He was already galloping back to the keep when he said, “Seems ye were right, lass. I’ll no’ be able to bear it if I lose my brother from my own foolishness.”
“Please do all ye can to save him.”
***
Allie rubbed her hands together to keep them from shaking.
“Ye can fix him, lass?”
“Brann, I’m not a doctor. I’ll do my best, but I’ve never stitched anyone before.”
“But ye know how to do it. Ye know what his insides are like, where to sew, do ye no’?”
“Yes. I’ll see what I can do.” How she prayed the Lord would give her guidance to save him. Brann would never forgive her if anything happened.
As if he read her mind, he said, “If he doesnae make it, ‘twill no’ be yer fault, lass. I should have been here sooner. If I had, I could have prevented it. And if ye had no’ convinced me to come, he and his men would probably all be dead. Ye have my undying gratitude for that. The situation was far worse than I expected. What the hell was I thinking?”
“What matters is what you do from now on. Forget the past.”
Once they reached the stables, he helped her down. He grabbed her hand, but instead of immediately ushering her inside, he tugged her close and kissed her forehead. “I do love ye, Allison.”
She grinned at the sound of her name with the Scottish accent. Why did that one comment make her heart sing?
She hurried up the courtyard and into the great hall, where she washed her hands with the hand sanitizer she always carried with her. She did a quick assessment, pleased to see the wound hadn’t damaged any internal organs, then instructed Shona and her maid as to what she would need.
After Shona left to do her bidding, Taran opened his eyes and said, “After ye finish, I wish for ye to ask Shona for my mother’s box. ‘Tis well hidden and she is the only one who knows where ‘tis.”
“Mama’s box? What are ye talking about, Taran? Ye’re no’ dying, so stop being so morbid.”
“And stop bossing me around like ye used to do when we were younger, Brann.” He managed a small grin. “But ‘tis good to hear yer voice, even if yer words do vex me. Mama gave me this box before she died, and she gave me strict instructions that I was never to give it to ye or Lachie.”
“Why?” Brann fell onto a nearby stool.
His brother took a moment before he answered. “Mama made me memorize her words, though I dinnae understand them at the time. She said she came through the faerie pool, fell in love with Da, and decided to stay. She also said another would be coming, but she knew no’ if she would be for ye or Lachie. She said I would know when the time came, and that if I met the lassie, I should give her the box. I know no’ what is in there. ‘Tis sealed.”
Allison couldn’t have been more stunned. She stumbled and Brann jumped up to catch her and set her upright. “Ye are hale?”
“Yes, I just…”
How did she know?
But it was no time to ask. Taran needed treatment now, so she set to work as soon as Shona brought her tools for her. Though she had none of the modern tools a doctor from her time would use, she washed his wound free of debris and then placed careful stitches after giving him ale to help with the pain. Twenty-first century Sam came in at some point and quickly moved over toward the hearth, his color a little green.
An hour later, she finished, pleased with her work, so she sent Brann home to grab her bag of treasures out of the chest. She could at least give the man a naproxen for his pain.
Taran fell asleep after drinking enough water to satisfy her. With Brann gone, she turned to Shona and said, “I’d like to see Taran’s mother’s box.”
Shona nodded. “He told me he wished for ye to have it. Follow me. ‘Tis in our chamber.”
Once she pulled it out of the chest, Shona said, “Ye are welcome to look at it here alone. I’ll not bother ye. Thank ye for saving my husband.” She swiped at the tears flowing down her cheeks.
Allie wished she could tell her not to worry, but the risk of infection was huge. “He’s not healed yet, and he may get an infection…”
“A what?”
“A fever. He could still get the fever.” Wasn’t that what they called an infection? “We’ll all say our prayers that he will not.”
Shona smiled through her tears and left, closing the door behind her.
Allie opened the box and gasped.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Allie set the box down and gingerly pulled out the contents. Inside was a lighter, a pair of plastic gloves, and a name tag that said, “Gwyndolyn Loudon, RN.” She held the name tag in her hands, brushing her fingers across the blue, embossed, raised letters. Peeking back inside the box, she also found three syringes. She lifted the first one out and held it up to the light from the window. The needle was intact, and the cap was still in place. It was an older glass syringe, so if she had to guess, the woman was from a slightly earlier time than her. Syringes were syringes and had been in use for decades, though they’d become more disposable over the years. If she needed to use her vial of penicillin on Taran, she could.
Carefully, she set those aside and picked up an envelope made out to “The next Mrs. MacKay.” She opened it, wondering what would be inside, and was surprised to see a handwritten letter on the strangest paper she’d ever seen.
My dear,
If you are reading this, then you have come through the portal to this wonderful area of the Highlands I now call home. Yes, I was a nurse living in Scotland in the 1960s, running myself ragged trying to care for sick people in a hospital, not taking care of myself, and living a very unhappy life.
If this sounds familiar, then you’ve come to the right place.
The odd fact is I didn’t realize how unhappy I was until I fell through the portal and met my husband.
And now? Life is wonderful. Three strong sons and a sweet husband who loves me and protects me as if I’m the most treasured jewel of all.
You’ll have to give up hot showers, telephones, and chocolate, but it was worth it for me, and something tells me the same may be true for you. I know you’re a nurse, like I am, and your skills will be desperately needed here. There will be struggles, for sure, but you’ll find the work far more rewarding than bedpans and morphine, and you won’t have anyone telling you what to do.
I don’t know why I am so sure you’ll be coming, but I am. I met you in a dream.
Love my son and become a caregiver unlike any other. You are so needed here.
Please stay.
But if you feel you cannot, in order to return, you must go to Leannan Falls south of Edinburgh. You’ll need to meet the seer first. It’s the only way.
But also understand this—if it’s not in your heart to return, you will not.
Until we meet someday,
Gwyndolyn Loudon MacKay RN
Tears ran down her cheeks, but they were tears of joy. Oh, how she loved Brann MacKay. She’d had to travel thousands of miles and hundreds of years to find her true home.
Gwyndolyn MacKay had put her decision into words she could understand.
She was needed here.
Her life at home had revolved around her parents, and when they’d died, a little piece of her had died with them.
Twenty-first-century Allison no longer had a purpose.
Here she was loved and admired, and yes, needed.
The tears sliding down her cheeks slowed, and she started when she noticed Brann standing in the doorway watching her.
“Are ye all right? Did ye find anything surprising?”
She chuckled, swiping at her tears. “A letter from your mother. She said she dreamed about me. She asked me to s
tay.”
“And what else?”
“I’ll tell you the rest later. It isn’t important. Just know that her words spoke to me and they couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.”
“And ye’re staying?”
Poor Brann. She couldn’t imagine how he felt, knowing the woman he loved could choose to walk away from him, never to be seen again. The hopefulness in his gaze and his voice told her how much he cared for her. She stood and moved over to stand in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Aye, I’m staying.”
***
While Allie tended Taran, Brann had gone to the Murray hold to make sure all was well. He’d discovered that Sinclair had been killed during that skirmish.
Allie knew Brann wished he’d been the one to kill the bastard, but at least justice had been served. She didn’t even say “I told you so” when he admitted that Murray had thanked him profusely, saying they never would have defeated Sinclair without Brann’s warriors.
She and Brann had agreed to bring Sam to Leannan Falls in Edinburgh after Taran’s health improved. Perhaps they would find her sisters there, too, although she didn’t dare say so out loud. But first they had to wait.
Taran ended up with a roaring infection, so Allie gave him one injection of penicillin, and he was up and moving again after another few days. It was time to leave. She gave Shona thorough instructions on changing his bandages, and they headed out with Sam. Brann had sent Angus back to his castle to bring Lachie over to sit with their brother.
Their next stop would be Edinburgh. Allie had shared some of the contents of Gwyndolyn’s letter, and it had given Sam a spark of hope, especially given what the seer had told Allie at the festival.
“Ye must go to Leannan Falls,” Shona had said. “Ye should always listen to the wisdom of yer elders.”
Allie had spent some time getting to know Shona, and she’d managed to rope Brann into a few of the conversations. They were kin, so she felt it important to help the two put their past behind them. She did not want their issues to continue interfering with the brothers’ relationship.
Falling for the Chieftain: A Time Travel Romance (Enchanted Falls Trilogy, Book 3) Page 16