“Ye are trembling.” He instinctively pulled her to his chest and he heard her intake of breath as though she was trying desperately not to cry. “It’s all right.” His large hand gently rubbed her back.
“How can you say that?” She relaxed against him, her chin resting on his broad shoulder. “I have traveled back in time.”
He smiled sadly. “So ye believe me now, do ye?”
She pulled away and looked at him. “I don’t want to, but….” She lifted her hands in a shrug. “How? Why?”
“I do not have the answers, but I know of a woman that may.”
“She can get me back to where I belong?” She glanced around her, feeling insecure, not safe.
“I do not know, but maybe.”
“That mist…it wasn’t normal was it?”
He shook his head. “It must be a passageway, but I do not know how it appears or when. These questions, I hope Neala will be able to answer.”
“Neala?”
“Aye. The old woman I spoke of. She knows of the old ways that have been forgotten.”
“She lives at your house?”
He chuckled. “Nay. She lives among the trees where she feels more at home.” He put down his satchel. “Sit and I will procure us something to eat and then we will talk some more. I am sure that ye have many questions.”
She nodded and removed her own pack. By the time that he had returned from hunting, she already had the fire going. “Self sufficient, too,” he said under his breath.
“Did you say something?” She looked up as he approached.
“Nay.” He thought it better to refrain from repeating the words for he was too tired to argue with her.
As the meat cooked, he tried to tell her a little about where they were heading and about the people that she would encounter. He needed to prepare her, so that she could adjust.
“Now who did you say was your trusted friend?” She was taking notes. One day, he would like to see all that she had written in that journal of hers. She looked up at him, waiting for the answer.
“Murrough O’Donoghue. Ye won’t be able to miss him. He’ll be the tall man with the red hair and a drooping mustache.”
“A mustache like yours?” She shook her head and he couldn’t help but chuckle at her odd expression.
“Why do ye speak of my mustache in the peculiar tone? Do ye not like it?” “Well…” She debated about a half a second not to tell him the truth, but she knew that he would see right through a blatant lie. “…not really.”
“And why not, may I ask?” Rather than being offended, his silvery eyes gleamed with amusement.
“It’s too bushy and long. You have a rather handsome face and I don’t know why you’d want to hide it.” His brows shot up in surprise at her blunt honesty. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything, but once she was started there was no stopping her. “Frankly, I don’t know how the other women you kiss can stand the ticklish feeling, when it’s pressed to their lips.” For a moment her whole face flushed from what she had just revealed, but she quickly brought her attention to her notebook. “Now Murrough and you have been friends for a long time?” He marveled at how quickly she could change the subject.
He was still smiling when he answered her. “Since we were boys. We schooled together commissioned by my father and grandfather. Ordered by the king. Education was best abroad, so as to learn the ways of others. We returned after I learned of my parents’ death.” He avoided meeting her gaze, while he busied himself by testing the meat to make sure that it was cooked
through.
“How did they die? Your parents?”
His face clouded with uneasiness as he carefully removed the meat from the flame. Only then did he carefully meet her gaze. “There was a fire…they didn’t make it out before the ceiling collapsed.” He saw that she was about to question him further and he headed her off. “Do ye mind if we do not discuss this? It is a uncomfortable for me to do so.”
“Sure,” though she was disappointed that he wouldn’t open up to her. He had told her about his home and of the people he knew, but he was carefully guarded when it came to anything that pertained to him. She found that she actually wanted to get to know him. When he wasn’t completely annoying her with his arrogance, he was rather pleasant company, not to mention that he was extremely good looking in a rugged sort of way, but there was also a polished essence about him. He had such compelling eyes that changed to different shades of blue depending on his mood, and the man had many she came to find out. They were a pale serene color when he was smiling, but a thunderous gray when his temper flared. She noticed that when he had kissed her they changed yet again to a deep, silvery smoke color hue. His hair was dark but the strands glimmered with auburn when the sun hit them just right. His firm features that forever had a shadow of a beard gave him even more of a manly aura, and the confident set of his shoulders made her want to reach out…. She cleared her throat rather disturbed where her mind had led her.
Once again she tried to drag some information out of her host. “So, Dougray, is there a girl back home that’s pining away for you…or is there possibly a wife?”
His eyes clouded to a turbulent gray and his face closed as though he was guarding a secret. “Nay, there is no one that matters. Here.” He handed her a piece of the freshly prepared meat. “Ye better eat before it gets cold.” He stood then and walked away.
His sudden departure made her wonder what he was hiding. Was there a wife then? He said there wasn’t anyone that matters. That wasn’t exactly the same thing as saying there was no wife. “How very interesting.” She jotted down in her notebook. Dougray has a secret. She underlined it, determined to find out just what that secret was. Closing her notebook, she began devouring her lunch. He was secretive, but boy, he could cook up a good meal.
The day had warmed up considerably and Aislinn removed her sweatshirt. Stuffing it into her backpack, she caught sight of the things she had carelessly thrown in there when she had packed for her vacation. Thank goodness she had brought her pack with her. It held all of her toiletries, regular Tylenol, the one with codeine that her dentist had prescribed for her when she had needed a root canal, and of course the penicillin that she never got around to taking. How he had scolded her for that. She had been fortunate that her tooth hadn’t bothered her. Her tongue glided over the tooth that had been recently crowned.
“What is going on in that head of yers?” Dougray had been studying her for some time now. “Ye have a hundred and one expressions. I have no doubt that it would take me a lifetime to learn what each one means.”
“My mother used to tell me that I wore my heart on my sleeve and there was no doubt to the way I was feeling.”
“Aye, but she was yer mother. She knew ye from birth. She would recognize what the crinkling of yer nose meant.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s easy. I smell something unpleasant and it might just be me. I could use a shower just about now.”
“The shower,” he sighed. “Aye, warm water at a touch of hand, this I will miss.” He glanced at her again. “In yer world, ye tend to bathe quite frequently and ye still seem healthy.” He recalled his many years in England, where he was frowned upon if he had insisted on bathing. The English tended to try and cover up their odor with expensive perfumes.
“The cleaner the better. Stops diseases from spreading, infections from starting, and it makes living with one another a little more pleasant.”
He nodded as he thought this over. He would have to keep this in mind. “Same with the teeth?” He remembered the toothbrush that Connor had bought for him. He had packed the item in his bag, along with the mint paste. “Keeps the teeth healthy as possible. We’ve come a long way with that.
No more having false teeth by the time you’re a grandparent.” “Hmm. I like that idea. I’d hate to have to give up my meat.”
“That’s a whole other issue, but we can cover that later. Is there any chance of taking a d
ip in the lake?” She pointed up ahead.
“Aye. But let’s climb to the upper portion. We can better ensure that we will not be chanced upon.”
“Where are we exactly? Everything looks so different that I’m not completely sure.”
“Aye. There are more oak trees for one. I have always taken them for granted for they cover most of Ireland. Now I can see that cutting these massive beauties, we are slowly destroying our forests. To answer yer question….” He put a hand on her arm halting her progress. He took her shoulder and turned her towards the area he wanted to point out. “Do ye see the stone that just reach above the tree tops?” She nodded. “That’s the Round Tower that was used about the 12th century for a campanile and a warning system against enemies. If we went over the ridge, not far ye would see the churches. Some burned I am afraid. It is believed that St. Kevin himself picked this place. Beautiful, aye?” He puffed out his chest rather proud as if he had proclaimed the site himself. “Glendalough?”
“So ye know.”
“I’ve read up on some of Ireland’s history right before we made this trip. So much turmoil has been on Irish soil. Many lives will be forfeited, and a great deal will be destroyed.”
He nodded recalling the many ruins he had seen in her century. Dunhaven was not even mentioned. It was disturbing to think that one day, all he held dear would simply cease to exist. “Come on. Follow me.”
It took them another half an hour to reach the water, but the time was worth it. Aislinn removed her pack and took a step closer to the embankment. “Oh, it’s beautiful.” The ground was soggy and she was careful when she leaned forward and touched the cool water. Actually it felt good for she was hot from the long hike. She turned to look at Dougray, who had also removed his pack and mantle. “It’s safe to swim in?”
He came to stand next to her. “Aye, nothing in there that can harm ye. Ye can keep afloat then?”
“I used to be a pretty good swimmer. The butterfly stroke was my specialty.”
“I will have to take yer word for it then. I am not sure I know what that is.” “I’ll show you. You are coming in, aren’t you?”
His eyes searched her face, wondering if this was an invitation, but there was not a hint of seductiveness in her gaze. Rather she was looking at him so innocently that he felt foolish for even thinking otherwise. “I best not. I’ll start a fire for it is certain that ye will want to warm yerself.” He started back to where they had left their belongings.
Aislinn found that she was rather grateful for the privacy. Using the foliage for cover, she stripped down to her underclothes. She waded into the water before diving under its surface. She only swam for a short time for her body began to rebel against the icy coolness. Cold limbs and all, she would have never missed this for the world.
Dougray hadn’t meant to watch, but once he caught sight of her gliding through the water like it was home to her, he couldn’t pull himself away. She seemed so calm and at ease with nature, and though he could not see her face, he knew that she was smiling.
When she started her trek back to shore, he knew it was time that he made his leave. He didn’t want her accusing him of spying on her. He put his mantle next to her clothes and quickly retreated.
Aislinn was pleasantly surprised to find his gift, and picked up the heavy covering that smelt of their campfire and of…. She held it close to her face.
It smelt of him, not in the least distasteful. It was a manly scent that was comforting, making her feel safe. She removed her underclothes and draped the heavy blanket over her; immediately her chilled body felt warmer.
Grabbing her clothes, she made her way through the trees and over to where Dougray was waiting. He glanced up just before she reached him. His eyes smoldering with…she thought maybe desire but that was completely ridiculous. They were barely able to stay civil to each other let alone begin to feel something more. Yet, when he gazed at her like that, she felt a tingling in the pit of her stomach.
“Did ye have a good swim?” he managed to say as his eyes took in her bare feet and traveled up the length of her body that was cloaked with his mantle. “What? Oh…yes.” she stammered, impatiently pulling her drifting thoughts together before she got herself into trouble. “Thanks for the cover.” “Ye’re welcome.” He stirred the fire with a stick, afraid to look at her again. His mind kept wandering to images of her long, slim body bare against his cloak. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed the comforts of a woman, too long. “Are ye hungry yet?”
“No, I’m fine.” She sat down and took hold of her backpack. After a moment’s search, she found her lotion. She opened the travel bottle and dropped some of the sweet-smelling ointment onto the palm of her hand. She began to rub some on her arms and then she proceeded to her calves. The pleasurable smell reached Dougray, making him squirm uncomfortably. It was one thing to imagine how soft she would feel beneath his touch, but now
he had to smell how she would taste. He jumped to his feet, startling her. “What’s wrong? Did you see something?”
“Lass, do ye not know what torture ye are giving me?”
He saw the blank look on her face, making him feel foolish for making such a fuss.
“What? I’m not doing anything.”
“We may bicker like there is no tomorrow, but ye are…Dar Dia! I am a man.” Like this explained everything.
“Yes,” she said slowly. “And I’m a woman.”
“Do not be coy with me.” He threw down his stick. “Ye can’t expect me to watch ye undress and then torture me further by massaging each bare limb….” He turned away trying to regain his composure.
Aislinn glanced down finally realizing what he was trying to say to her, and quickly pulled the garment down to cover her legs. She was becoming just a little too comfortable with his company. “I’m sorry…. I didn’t think….”
He whirled around and stormed right passed her. She turned to view his retreating back. “Where are you going?”
“Just stay there.”
She turned around, stunned over the way he was behaving. Then slowly a smile spread across her face. “So you are attracted to me.” But just as quickly, a worried frown replaced her grin. With her own thoughts straying, she wasn’t sure that this was at all a good thing. She had waited this long to find the right person to give herself completely to, and it wasn’t going to be to a man who should have been dead for centuries. That thought startled her. “He should have long been dead and buried.” She rubbed the warm covering. But he wasn’t dead. She was here with him now, and he was very much alive. “What’s wrong with me?” she chided herself. “So what? He’s a good looking guy? I’ve dated others just as attractive and never lost my senses.” She rose to her feet and started getting dressed, damp underclothes and all. “God, I don’t even like him all that much. He has that maddening hint of arrogance about him that just about drives me nuts…Jeez.” She laughed out loud. “What was I thinking?”
Satisfied that she had her emotions in check, she sat back down by the fire and waited for Dougray to return. She dozed off and woke with a start to find that darkness had all but descended upon the forest, and the fire had nearly gone out. She was a little concerned since Dougray obviously had not returned. Where was he? She came to her feet and added a few sticks to the fire. “What if he didn’t come back? Or maybe he was hurt. Stop it! He’s a grown man and one that was quite capable.” She continued to have a conversation with herself as she paced and minutes passed by. She noticed his dagger on top of his bag, and decided that she’d rather have it near her.
She couldn’t wait anymore. Securing the weapon to her belt, she moved away from the safety of the fire. She immediately felt the cold wind whip around her causing her to shiver. She wished that she had put on her sweatshirt, but she didn’t stop to go back. She was anxious now and had to make sure that he was all right. She just hoped that she could find him before the light failed her. She didn’t particularly want to be lost in the forest.
>
Dougray had walked a good distance, mumbling all the way that he couldn’t believe his misfortune of being stranded with a woman that battled with him in every situation. “She’s headstrong, opinionated, too outspoken….” He threw up his hand in frustration. If he believed all these things, then why were his feelings for her starting to intensify? “It’s ridiculous,” he said to the trees. “She’s not even all that attractive…well maybe that is not completely true. Her hair’s too short,” he argued with himself. “It belongs on a young lad of twelve.” Oh but tonight she didn’t look anything like a lad. When she had shown up all wrapped up in his mantle, obviously completely bare underneath…. “Bah! She’s far too thin for my liking,” he voiced this but his mind thought otherwise. Aye thin, but she does have firm, long legs…. Ach! “What are ye doing to yerself?” He had finally reached the water’s edge. He threw down his sword and began to undress. “Ye need a good dunking in that cold water to bring ye to yer senses.” He didn’t even ease his way in, but rather plunged beneath the cold surface, swimming at a fast pace. Finally the tension seemed to ebb from his body and he began to slow down until he was treading water. He noticed now that it was just beginning to get dark, and fool that he was, he had come out pretty far from the shore. It was time that he had better start swimming back.
The earth was soft and Aislinn was able to follow the footsteps easily enough. When she came upon the scattered clothes on the ground, she picked up what she thought was called a tunic. They were Dougray’s. Obviously he had decided on a swim after all. She peeked her head through the trees to see if she could see him. He was there, just standing at the embankment, looking out toward the water. She pulled back a branch ready to go over to him, when she realized that he was completely naked. She drew in a sharp breath and let the branch move back into place. She knew that she should turn away, but a part of her didn’t want to. He couldn’t see her. What harm was it in just looking? She slowly moved the branch down. What a striking figure he portrayed. Tall, broad shoulders with a muscular back that tapered to a small waist, perfectly V shaped. “Nice buns, too.” At that moment, he turned around giving her a complete frontal view. Her mouth fell open and she stumbled back, falling on her backside.
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