Liar.
“Do you see Randy?” she called to Rae, her voice raised to carry over the river’s thunder.
Rae shook his head. “If ye be fine, I shall search downstream. He might have grabbed a tree branch around that bend.”
Jenny stumbled toward the river. “Let me help--”
“Nay.” Rae strode through the shallows, then spoke too low for Gavin to overhear them. “Jenny, ye need to find out why the dark one has followed us here.”
He leaned forward and brushed a brotherly kiss on her forehead. Behind her, a low growl meant Gavin was still thumping his chest like an overly aggressive gorilla.
“I will. I’m curious, too,” she whispered, “and promise me you’ll meet us back at Dorcas Swann’s tent before dark?”
Nodding, Rae waded farther into the current, then floated downstream. Jenny watched until he disappeared around the bend.
“I am glad he is gone,” Gavin said, appearing beside Jenny.
“How rude. He left to try to save a man’s life!” Poking Gavin in the chest, she added, “and what about you? I demand you tell me why you’re here.”
His eyes lowered, and he glared at the finger in the middle of his naked chest. He swooped a hand around hers, and held her palm flat against his heart. “I am here for ye, lass.”
“Dear Lord! What does that mean? You practically accused me of trying to kill you, then all but ignored me, so I left. What’s changed?”
His aura is changing. He’s going to lie to me!
Without waiting for his gibberish, she strode toward the parking lot as fast as her naked feet could carry her. He followed, his boots squishing through the gravel. She yelped.
“Darn these sharp rocks.”
Two large arms swept around her, and lifted her into the air. Gathered to his chest, she squirmed.
“Easy, lass, or ye shall be showing a bit more flesh than ye like.” His gaze flicked to her blouse.
She yelped, again.
Clasping the damp fabric with one hand, her other curled around his neck. His wet hair tickled her forearm, and the heat pumping off his naked chest felt…good.
When they reached the other side of the parking lot. Denise raced toward them, her hands raised as if she’d prayed for her return. What will she make of Gavin?
“I’m fine, Gavin. Let me down?”
His smile lit his face again, probably because she called him Gavin and not laird. Denise slid to a stop the same time he set her on her feet. Before Denise got too close, she whispered in his ear, “You really ought to smile more often.”
He grunted, then crossed his large arms across his naked chest.
“My stars,” Denise said, breathless. “I sent Rae after you, and you return with a different Scottish hunk in a kilt? Where are Rae and that ornery cowboy? And why are you two wet?”
She couldn’t answer her. How would she explain in the fewest words without bringing up the time traveling fiasco?
Gavin bowed, and said, “I am Gavin. A friend of Jenny and Rae. We had a bit of a tussle gaining Jenny’s release, after she and the other man fell in the river.”
“My name’s Denise. You poor things! Let’s get you dry. You’re hair’s a mess, girl. Where are your shoes?” Denise tugged on her arm, and she followed. Turning her head, Jenny mouthed a silent thank-you to Gavin. He nodded, and followed.
“Randy is still missing, so Rae is looking for him. If they don’t return soon, we’ll notify the authorities.” Jenny knew keeping Rae and Gavin out of the public eye was imperative. They didn’t carry identification because they didn’t have any.
“Okay, whatever you think is best. Get inside the tent.” Denise pointed toward the open flap.
“Thanks.”
“You too, Gavin,” Denise added.
Inside the tent, the aroma of Dorcas’ pipe, and the warmth emanating from several hanging lanterns, were familiar and welcoming. Jenny waved to Dorcas, who was sitting in a tiny rocking chair, puffing on her pipe. The scent of freshly brewed chamomile buds, bubbling in a pot hanging above a small flame, was overpowering. “This place smells great. Are you making tea?”
“Aye.” The old woman sniffed and her eyes widened.
“What?” Jenny asked.
“Ye smell of river water and dried grass, dearie. Did ye have a nice tumble?” A hardy cackle made Jenny squirm.
“What are you insinuating?” Jenny stopped in front of her, “please keep your thoughts out of the gutter.”
“I might be older than dirt, but I am no’ dead.” She leaned left, and peered behind Jenny. “My stars! ‘Tis the laird?”
Gavin had stopped just inside the entrance, hesitating when he saw the old witch. Denise stood beside him, staring at his naked chest, damp hair, and dripping wool draped over one breast. His amethyst and silver brooch glinted beneath the lantern’s soft light. His leather sporran lay limp over his groin. His dirk hung at his side, and his boots squished as he changed his stance. “Beg pardon, dear lady. I dinno’ know ye were…here.”
“I assume ye heard Lady Morgan and I traveled together. Why are ye no’ surprised she would bring ye to me?”
“I brought him here,” Denise added, “because Jenny got into a little trouble.”
“Denise! Dorcas doesn’t need to be burdened with my personal problems.” Jenny turned back to Dorcas. When the old woman struggled to get up out of her chair, Jenny cupped her elbow and passed her the cane.
“Yer a good child.” Standing straight was not possible, but she skittered through the tent until she stood in front of Gavin. “Laird, did ye come here to take her home?”
“What? Nay!”
Jenny’s heart cracked into tiny shards. In the private recesses of her mind, she had hoped he missed her enough to want her back.
“Then why are ye here, young…lad?” Dorcas asked, noting Denise was here as well. She probably shouldn’t call him laird in her presence.
Jenny stepped closer, also choosing her words with care. “I asked him the same question. All he’s done so far, is threaten Rae.”
“Fine,” he said, but turned and spoke to Denise. “Dear lady, would ye head down to the river, a bit south of the hillock where ye spied us returning, and see if Rae is about?”
“Ah, sure.”
“And grab my slippers,” Jenny added, “One fell before I’d reached the parking lot, and the other by the riverbank.”
Her friend mumbled something about secret lives, but she left them alone. Jenny tugged the front of her bodice up, then crossed her arms. “Well?”
Gavin coughed. “I have reason to believe that Jenny’s life is in danger. I simply came to impart a warning.”
“Me? I’m nobody. Why would anyone want to hurt me?” The brief image of Randy’s stained aura filled her head.
Dorcas puffed on her pipe, and scratched the tiny bristles on her chin. “Methinks ye care for the wench.”
Gavin’s eyes widened.
Jenny sputtered, “Don’t be ridiculous. He hates me.”
“Aye?” Dorcas asked Gavin.
“Nay. I doono’ hate ye. Ye are in this, due to my enemies. I was obligated to warn ye.”
“Fantastic. Now I’m more than someone who nearly killed you. I’m an obligation? Perfect!” She wanted nothing more than to get on with her so-called life. She’d had enough of today’s festivities. A change of clothes was in order, so she’d get a ride home, and take a long, hot shower. But, something he’d said made her pause. She closed the gap between them.
“What in the world did you do to make someone want to harm me?”
Gavin sighed, a sure sign he didn’t want to explain one detail, but when she marched out of the tent, planning to find a way home, he grabbed her shoulder, and spun her.
Nose to nose, his breath was warm, and reminiscent of fine whisky. His green eyes sparkled, and his frown made him look older and wiser than Rae or Randy. She glared at the palm pressed to her bare shoulder.
“So, explain wh
y you feel the need to protect me.”
“Ye have been placed in danger because they know about us.”
His low, calm voice filled her with liquid warmth, until Jenny thought about his words. Understanding did not come, until the warmth of his hand on the naked skin of her cold, damp shoulder seeped into her brain. “Us?”
“Aye. Someone knows about…the barn.”
CHAPTER 12
Gavin gazed into Jenny’s eyes, breathing in her familiar fragrance. He loathed to have to explain more clearly about the reason someone might have followed them to Izzy’s barn. That same someone would know they had spent the night in each others’ arms, though they did no more than kiss and…
Dorcas Swann suddenly appeared beside them, smiling. The old witch scared the life out of him, and taking leave of her presence was prudent. She cared about Jenny, and if she knew exactly what had happened inside Izzy’s barn that night, she might turn him into a fly, and swat the life out of him.
“Young love,” Dorcas said, sighing.
Gavin glared at the old witch. How dare she say those words in front of Jenny? Their time together was one of passion, brought on by battle and terror. Nothing more. He had held back from fully claiming her body, and he cared for her, but his life choices were not up to him.
Not unless I find Niall.
Every minute spent in this time kept him from that quest.
“Dorcas,” Jenny said, interrupting his thoughts, “what happened between Gavin and me was nice, but we are not in love. He has his life, and I have mine.”
Gavin’s gaze met hers. Jenny’s words were soft, and he read her plea in her eyes. Jenny marched away before Gavin could tell her… What? That I love her?
“Aye, lad, might be a fairy tale ending in it for ye.”
“Nay. My father and his coconspirators wish to make me suffer. To do so, is the nightmare that has brought me here. They mean to kill her, and with her death, I fear I shall lose my soul.”
“Ye love her. Ye canno’ hide yer feelings from that lass. She reads auras, and can see when yer feeling…amorous.”
“She reads auras?” Grumbling a few Gaelic curses, he kicked a table leg, then glared at the old witch. “Did ye no’ listen to what I said? I canno’ love a woman. To do so is a death sentence. Until Niall is found alive, and returned to the chiefdom, and my father captured or defeated, danger lurks.”
Dorcas crept closer, slipped her hand into the pocket of her old, gray cloak, then shoved something into his hand. “Use this when all looks black. ‘Tis powerful magic, one a great sorcerer as ye shall understand, when the time comes.”
“Sorcerer? How? Who?” She pressed a gnarled finger against his lips, and he stood still, as if frozen.
“Be calm, and remember yer craft. Time travel is a powerful weapon, and an ally. Others use it as well. Take care, save yer lass, and watch for the opportunity.”
“What opportunity?” he asked. The woman spoke in riddles.
“The time will come, when danger has passed enough, for yer heart to take a chance on happiness.”
His laugh echoed off the tent walls. “Yer daft. The only thing filling my heart is darkness.” He shoved the stone she had handed him inside his boot, without glancing at it, or guessing at its magical properties. If someone meant to harm Jenny, he would use whatever help he could find.
Even magical help.
He strode away from the tent. To his right, a young lad carried a fancy set of bagpipes. When he started to play, the instrument squealed a high, off-pitch note. To Gavin’s left, laughter rose as Denise returned Jenny’s missing slippers. Jenny clutched the shoes, which looked damp and torn, then they ran toward two men. Gavin recognized one as Rae, whose arm was draped around a thinner, drenched man.
Randy, I presume.
Gavin suppressed a growl as he marched toward the little group. Jenny petted one of Rae’s dripping shoulders. The image of her hands, as they had caressed Gavin’s neck, arms, and chest, during the night they kept each other warm in Izzy’s barn, rose, sucking in a breath.
His groin swelled.
He strode toward the group before they noticed him, or his arousal, that hid painfully behind his sporran. “Who have we here?”
“Oh, Gavin this is Randy Hay. He took a little swim, but he’s okay. A little water-logged, but he’s fine.”
“No thanks to you,” Randy said, sneering unpleasantly at Jenny.
With no forethought, Gavin’s fist connected with Randy’s chin. Randy flew out of Rae’s arms, landing on his back in the grass.
“What the heck?” Jenny stepped up to Gavin, and raised her hands to keep him from swinging at the bastard again. On the ground at their feet, Randy moaned. Denise smiled, Rae laughed, and Jenny glared at Gavin.
“This is not funny. I’ve seen too much bloodshed for one day. Come on, Denise. We’re going home.”
“Fine with me, but Dorcas…”
Jenny glanced back at the old woman’s tent. “Dorcas has already closed up her tent.”
“Great. My car’s over there.” Denise pulled Jenny’s arm, and they walked away.
Rae stepped closer to Gavin. “Are you going to follow her?”
“I must. She is in danger.”
Rae pointed to Randy, who moaned, then rolled to his side. “Not from him. He only wanted sex.”
“What?” Did men of this time seek sexual gratification, without accounting for the woman’s concerns? Or, had Jenny agreed to the tryst, before something had happened to make the scoundrel nearly drown them both? “What kind of world have I landed in?”
“I thought ye had traveled here before.”
“Aye, but only to take Izzy home to Scotland. A mischievous brownie cut my visit verra’ short.”
“Then ye best take care. I met a brownie here, earlier.”
“I did, as well.” He assumed Rae meant Jaden-Tog, and he ought to keep an eye on his whereabouts. “Where did you see that imp?”
“Working at a food vendor’s cart. He seemed content at his chores, working for a lovely lass. ‘Twas Jaden-Tog, the imp who assisted Izzy and Bull in my rescue from…”
“From my sire, Angus Sinclair?”
Rae nodded.
“Jaden-Tog tried to harm Izzy, then ended up saving her from my sire. Would he hurt Jenny?”
Rae shrugged. “I doono’ know.”
“I met the imp myself, but now is not the time to investigate him. We must follow Jenny and her friend.” Gavin, his fist on his dirk, trotted to catch up with the ladies. When Rae caught up to him, Gavin mumbled a few curses, too quiet for the women to hear. “I fear either my sire, or his minions have traveled here, and will hurt Jenny, in order to hurt me.”
“Then we need to stay close to the lass. Jenny offered me a dwelling, in this time. I believe it is the same building, where she sleeps.”
Gavin saw red, slid to a stop, and faced Rae. Before he lashed out, Jenny slipped between them.
“Are you two at it again?”
“He says he lives with ye, now.” Gavin’s voice kept rising with each word, but he could not control the searing jealousy at its root.
“I dinno’ say anything of the sort.” Rae crossed his arms over his chest.
Staring at Rae, Denise’s eyes widened, while Jenny whispered to her. “The man’s muscles are impressive, for a farmer.”
Gavin’s sorcery-enhanced hearing listened in, and a growl caught Jenny’s attention.
“Gavin, what do you care? You let me leave.”
He searched her face for her true feelings. “I am here to watch over ye. Dorcas insisted I complete my task, and I canno’ tell her nay.”
“She’d probably turn you into a toad,” Denise said.
All three stared at Denise.
She held up her hands. “Hey, I’m not blind. She’s a witch, right?”
Jenny answered before he could think of a way to defer her question. “She sure is a weird old lady, but her herbs and potions are great for he
aling whatever ails you. Let’s get back to my place. When this dress got wet, it shrank.” She tugged her bodice, but the taut fabric only accentuated her curves.
Gavin swallowed.
Jenny pulled Denise away and walked toward a covered carriage. Whatever she said made her friend chuckle. Sharing the truth with a person of this time, about Dorcas, him, or Rae, was not prudent, and possibly dangerous. The men followed.
“I have need of a way to return to Jake’s barn,” Gavin said.
Jenny stood beside a vehicle, then turned to him. “You don’t have to keep following me.”
The exasperation in her voice grated on his nerves. She would only allow his presence, it seemed, if he had a better reason than a need to watch over her. A reason sprung to mind. Stepping closer, he smiled and said, “Falcon is in your barn.”
***
Jenny’s mind faltered for the shortest of moments, as Gavin’s statement rang in her ears. Denise spoke, before she figured what she could say to make him go away.
“You put a bird of prey in the barn behind Jenny’s place?” Denise asked.
“Of course he didn’t. Falcon is the name of his horse. What he might call a Scottish garron?” Jenny glared at Gavin, while her mind tried to wrap itself around the fact that he had managed to time travel with his horse. Dorcas had brought old Balfour through time along with her cart of goods, but she was a witch. She’d never asked how Gavin got here the last time. Was he a witch? “Oh no!”
Gavin unsheathed his dirk, pushing Jenny behind him. When Rae shoved Denise behind him, she waved her hands. “No, I wasn’t yelling a warning. I forgot about Balfour. Dorcas asked me to take him home. I nearly forgot.”
The men relaxed, and Denise inhaled a deep breath.
“I shall ride him to yer home,” Gavin said.
Jenny couldn’t imagine Gavin riding the old workhorse. Falcon was a Scottish warhorse. Either man would look odd on the old horse’s back.
“Nay, ye go with the lass and her friend. Balfour and I got acquainted at Cas…earlier, so we will do fine.”
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