10 Timeless Heroes; A Time Travel Romance Boxed Set

by P. L. Parker, Beth Trissel, L. L. Muir, Skhye Moncrief, Sky Purington, Nancy Lee Badger, Caroline Clemmons, Bess McBride, Donna Michaels

  “Then we will take care,” Arianna said. “We must travel to the Sinclairs.”

  Granted, there was some distance between the two clans but they had often been intermarried. He would be recognized. “I have seen many of our daughters married to their sons and vice-versa. They will know me. Besides, I consider their laird a friend. This is a place I cannae go.”

  “We will figure this all out as we travel. At the very least you can navigate the way safely,” Arianna said.

  “Safely?” Alan said incredulously. “Two lads and two lasses traveling across the highlands past warring clans and endless scavengers. ‘Tis nothing safe about it! And me, without a clan to my name.”

  “That is where you are wrong,” Caitriona said softly, a new light in her eyes. “You are, whether ‘tis eleven years ago or now, the chieftain of the Stewart clan. Can it be you have aged so verra much in that time?”

  He wasn’t sure he liked where she was going with this. “There is a difference between the two ages, lass.”

  “Aye, for those who see you daily but not so much for those who see you on occasion.” She cleared her throat. “It seems to me you look younger than your years as is. As you said, the highlands are a rough place for even the sturdiest of Scotsmen. Extra years can wear upon a lad’s face in little time.”

  “Brilliant!” Arianna said. “It appears you might have solved his problem, Caitriona.”

  “Our problem,” Alan said. Even in this time, he and Chieftain Sinclair rarely saw one another and he had aged rather nicely. “But I think even this is too far-fetched. I am to act as though I am a young lad again. In addition, you ask me to lie to my friend, Laird Sinclair.”

  “You will not be fibbing in the least,” Arianna said. “After all, you are Alan Stewart, are you not?”

  “One version of him,” Alan muttered.

  Stephen nodded with approval. “So tonight we form a plan. Tomorrow we execute it.”

  “A plan I had no choice in,” Alan said.

  “Do you not care for Iain MacLomain?” Caitriona said, her brown eyes level on him.

  Surprised, he looked at her. “Why do I suddenly feel like this meeting is simply for my benefit?”

  “Because it mostly is,” Arianna said. “Though I wish it otherwise. You know of Iain MacLomain and Arianna Broun. She who is not me. With such knowledge, why would you question any of this?”

  “Why? Because I was forced into it for starters.”

  Before he could continue, Stephen shook his head and said, “Do you not care for Caitriona?”

  “I am not sure what this has to do with—” Caitriona started.

  “You have everything to do with it. He is not here for us. You are. He is here for you, Caitriona. Even you must know that by now,” Stephen said.

  Caitriona looked properly confused. A little too properly confused.

  But if nothing else had become clearer it was that he would protect her wherever she went.

  “I am here for Caitriona,” Alan agreed. “If she were not here, I would agree to none of this. Yet here I sit with the gods behind me. Their will is mine. So what is your plan?”

  “Travel with the Brouns until the time is right. Then we head north,” Stephen said.

  “Sounds so simple,” Alan said. “Too simple.”

  “The best plans are always the simplest,” Arianna said. “From there it gets tricky.”

  “To say the least,” Alan said. “‘twould be best to have it figured out now. Words are too easily overheard when traveling with a band of warriors.”

  “Aye,” Stephen said, troubled. “I have thought long on this. The eve we camp on Loch Lamond will be the night we leave the men behind.”

  Alan understood well the man’s distress. “Though you might love your lass, it seems to me ‘twill not only be a betrayal to the MacLomain’s, but to ninety of your warriors, friends all.”

  “If I could tell them the truth of it, I would,” Stephen said, sadness in his eyes. “But our clan is loyal above all else. I would expect nothing less from them than to expose my plans. And those who do pursue have every right to kill me upon capture.”

  “But they would not,” Arianna said gently.

  “Nay, they would choose to be exiled. ‘Tis no fate for a good man, especially a friend.”

  It seemed Alan might have misjudged Stephen. Or at least, the reasons the lass might be attracted. Honor was something becoming far scarcer amongst the clans. If the Sassenachs didn’t drive the Scots to limitless actions, the clans were busy causing more havoc than ever with one another.

  What Stephen and Arianna were getting ready to do was not only extremely dangerous but downright heartbreaking. Alan couldn’t imagine walking away from his clan and never being welcomed back. It would be as if his family was ripped away from him forever. There could be no greater sadness.

  “Loch Lamond is a good spot,” Alan said. “Then due north. We will try to keep to the borders of allied clans but the way is sporadic. ‘Tis a well-known thing highlanders shift their boundaries daily depending on who married or killed who.”

  Stephen chuckled but his humor fell away quickly beneath Arianna’s frown.

  “Warrior’s will be standing watch through the eve. Escaping will be no easy task,” Arianna said.

  “If Alan and I are amongst the clansmen standing watch that will eliminate half our problem,” Stephen said.

  “Perhaps all of our problem,” Arianna said. “If Caitriona and I need to relieve ourselves at some point that will require privacy. ‘Tis a simple matter of Stephen escorting us then Alan following.”

  “Will the men who remain on watch not see that the lasses have not returned and we have vanished?” Alan said.

  “Aye, and in little time. I know the land well enough to get us out of there and not found. ‘Twill be Alan’s knowledge we will need by morn.” Stephen looked at Caitriona. “Forgive the question as I dinnae know you verra well. Will you be able to keep up? We will be moving fast over rough land.”

  “Aye,” she replied easily. “God would not have sent me otherwise.”

  “Are you certain, lass?” Alan had no doubt Arianna could handle it. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought her a highland lass from the start. Caitriona, however, was a different story. He knew she could fight, but traveling the long road ahead required a determined person, both mentally and physically.

  “I have traveled such a way before,” Caitriona said. “Because of it I am here now.”

  Had she really? “Tell us more.”

  She shook her head. “Better saved for the journey ahead.”

  Naturally. Patience, Alan, patience.

  “We have our plan.” Arianna stood. “I will wait until several hours after the last man has laid to rest, then signal Stephen to escort us to privacy.”

  Stephen stood as well and pulled her to him. His words turned low but still easily heard. “Too long have we been kept apart. No more. ‘Tis almost time to begin our lives together the way God intended. Rest well and know that there are few eves left that you will sleep alone.”

  The kiss he gave her was slow and languid, meaningful. When Alan glanced Caitriona’s way it was to find her eyes shifting quickly from his. Yet he saw the warmth of her cheeks and knew she thought of their kiss. And whether or not she wanted to admit it, he knew she craved another as much as he.

  Once Arianna had slipped into the night, Stephen stood at the door for far too long staring after her. “She gives up so much for me,” he whispered.

  “But she gains so much as well,” Caitriona said softly and stood. “True love is lost on most.”

  Alan shocked himself when he spoke. “‘Twould never be lost on me. Not with you.”

  Chapter Four

  The next morning, Caitriona lay on her cot and remained lost in thought. Sleep had been elusive as she tried to sift through all the emotions one highland laird had managed to make her feel. It would be an impossible thing to tell him he was wrong a
bout her being his twin soul. One kiss was all it took. Had Adlin MacLomain known all along it would go this way? That Alan would so quickly figure it out?

  She guessed he had. Wished he’d told her so she knew what to avoid.

  But Alan had given her no choice. He’d all but stolen the kiss. A small smile curled her lips. In truth, she’d most likely driven him to such an action. Caitriona couldn’t remember enjoying herself so much. Claiming he’d been at his Ma’s skirts for far too long had been a rather spontaneous thought. Oh, but had it felt good to see the expression on his face! In retrospect, punishing such an accusation with a heart-thumping kiss was very much like Alan.

  No kiss would ever compare.

  So many feelings had been wrapped up in that one little kiss. It was impossible to push them aside. Intense, passionate, wonderfully intimate, the man was sinfully talented with his lips. Ignited to the core, she’d wanted more…far more. But her virginity was not something she could give this man.

  Not when she knew she would lose him.

  Yet what if there was a way around what Adlin MacLomain had told her? What if she could still fulfill the prophecy without Alan having to die? Surely there must be a way.

  When Caitriona sat up and peeked out the window it was to see Alan standing on the shore, his back to her. The rain had left the world dewy and refreshed, a pink horizon stretching as wide as the eye could see. Wind blew, churning the waves to foam at his feet. Yet even such an expanse didn’t make her highlander appear smaller. Nay, he stood tall, his strong stance an impressive site for all to admire.

  As such, it didn’t surprise her when a lass or two drifted his way.

  Caitriona frowned. No doubt they’d been waiting all night for him to emerge, married or not. Best to leave them to him. There were more important things for her to do.

  Once she’d slipped into another dress Stephen had laid out, this one far simpler and functional, she left her room. The Broun clansman was gone but bread and butter lay on the table. After a few munches she determined that it couldn’t hurt to dip her feet in the ocean after all. Without question, she’d been quite fond of doing such first thing in the morn when a bairn.

  Anything more important could wait.

  By the time she made it out there, Alan already had a lass on either side and he faced away from the ocean. She’d never seen two women flirt so avidly. Don’t blame it all on them though. The Stewart laird received their attention with perfected ease, a charming smile making his near-black eyes glitter with magnetism. It struck her that God was overly generous when He made Alan. Had a lad ever been born with a better set of shoulders? Wide, terribly strong, they tapered down to a lean waist and well-muscled arms. His was the body of a warrior.

  It occurred to her it would probably be best to walk down the beach a bit and allow him his privacy but it seemed her feet did not agree. So when she approached the three, Caitriona greeted them with the warmest smiled she could muster. The women seemed none too pleased to see her.

  Alan, however, offered a wide grin. “Good morn to you, lass.”

  Caitriona couldn’t help but think of what he’d said the eve before about true love. Did he truly think himself capable of loving her so soon? Typically for men like Alan such words might be used to get a lass on her back. But she sensed that was not entirely the case here. “Good morn.”

  “I was hoping you would awaken soon so we might walk the shore together,” he said. With a smooth motion, he said, “Ladies,” and kissed the back of either woman’s hands before he held out his arm to Caitriona. “‘Tis time to be with my wife.”

  Both lasses preened beneath his attention and offered Caitriona a proper scowl before they meandered off.

  “I dinnae think they like me much,” Caitriona quipped. “I cannae imagine why.”

  He winked. “‘Tis unimportant what they think of you. Only what I think.”

  Caitriona inhaled deeply. He smelled of the sea and the forest, of burning wood smoke and male. His scent was as pleasing as his appearance. And perhaps even his actions at the moment. “I doubt we have much time for a stroll before we leave.”

  “But even a little time is enough,” he remarked as they walked. “Mayhap now you will share a bit more about your childhood here. If it pleases you, of course.”

  It really didn’t but she knew he sought to understand more about her so she measured her words and said, “My Ma was an amazing woman. I have yet to meet another like her. Aye, she was what every Ma should be, loving, affectionate but she was also beautiful, both on the inside and out.”

  “No doubt she was,” he said softly, his dark eyes reflecting the sea as he looked at her, intense yet comforting.

  “Every morn she would take me out to this verra spot and have me pick out my favorite seashell or rock for that day.” Caitriona smiled fondly and peered down. “Once I picked out the rock or shell, she would ask me what I liked best about it. After I did, she would then say, “Alright my wee one, as you see the beauty and goodness in your choice, be sure to always look for the same in all you come in contact with this day.”

  “Ah, a lesson to be learned then,” Alan said.

  “Always with my Ma. The interesting thing was after a while I specifically looked for the ugliest little shells and rocks I could find.”

  He smiled warmly. “And why was that?”

  “Simple. I enjoyed the challenge of finding the good points in them. And there was, every single time, something good to be found.”

  “Your Ma was a wise lass indeed.” Alan stopped, crouched, and picked up a jagged, crooked little stone. As he stood, he handed it to her. “Tell me, where is the good in this poor thing?”

  That you gave it to me. She turned the roughened piece over in her hand and held it up. “‘Tis obvious, really. Look how smooth and shiny its underbelly. Its very deformities exist because its innards were protected. It may appear to the world as deformed but ‘tis not the case. ‘Tis in better shape where it counts, most likely more so than all the perfectly formed stones on this beach.”

  Alan’s eyes never left hers as he took the stone and tucked it inside his plaid. “I believe you must have been a well-liked bairn within your clan.”

  “Aye.” She nodded. “But it helped my Ma knew medicine. One doesnae usually openly dislike she who can heal them.”

  They continued strolling. “Ah, so she too was a healer?”

  “For many years. Her gift was different than mine though.”

  “I would think so. Yet she held some magic as well, did she not?”

  Caitriona nodded. “She did. But she rarely used it to heal. She preferred making medicine from what nature provided.”

  “Your Ma was a witch,” he murmured.

  Their eyes met. “Aye, so some said.”

  “Yet this clan has magic about it. A witch would not be unwelcome.”

  “Nay, and she was not.”

  “What happened to her, Caitriona? I sense hers was not an easy passing.”

  Old emotions started to surface but she shook her head. Now was not the time to share so much. Never would there be a time. “Her passing was as it was meant to be,” she said, ending that portion of their conversation. “Tell me more about your childhood, Alan. You must have kept your Ma on her toes.”

  “Nay, too busy hiding behind her skirts overlong.” He winked and shrugged. “In truth, I cannae complain about my childhood. I played hard and loved well. I had to grow up a wee bit faster than the others to prepare for leading my clan but that didnae bother me so much.”

  “It would not. You love your clan.” It would be nice to see him in his highland plaids, to watch him thrive in his own environment. Tall mountains would suit this man. “As I am sure they do you.”

  Alan took her hand and turned them back. “They are a good, strong clan. One I greatly miss.”

  Caitriona wished she could meet them eleven years from now, in the time meant for him. Her heart felt as though it tightened in her chest. Th
eirs was a future not to be.

  It seemed he read her mind and disagreed. “You will meet them someday.”

  She gazed out at the ocean. “We both know that is not true. Best not look for something that will never be.”

  “I would have never seen you coming into my life,” he countered. “Which makes clear that life is unpredictable and though future events may seem set in stone, nothing could be more wrong.”

  This time when their eyes met she felt a bolt of renewed energy. His pupils flared and she licked her lips. His statement implied several things. One was that he meant to have her. The other, and far more harrowing, was that he too knew something about their future that he had not shared. Stephen was heading their way so nothing more was said. She knew, though, that this discussion would continue…had to.

  The Broun warrior was dressed for travel, his plaid, tunic and well-worn boots in place. Caitriona could understand Arianna’s attraction to him. With dark brown hair, deep-set blue eyes and a solid build, Stephen held much appeal. She particularly liked the way he treated his clansmen. He would, if given the opportunity, make an admirable Broun laird.

  But clearly that was not to be. Instead he chose exile.

  All for a lass.

  In its own way, she found the concept wonderfully romantic. Yet they lived in a difficult country and time. Their decision was bold and foolhardy. It was very likely they would end in disaster. Would this have been worth the risk? For an emotion as simple and seemingly fleeting as love?

  When she glanced at Alan her breath caught. Oh yes, it very much was.

  They met Stephen at the shoreline, where he crouched and splashed water on his face. Eyes to the sea, he said, “May God travel with us this day, my friends.”

  “‘Twill take both the gods and our wits, but we will prevail,” Alan said.

  Caitriona, while not quite convinced, appreciated his optimism. It was an improvement over his outlook the eve before. Yet he was a chieftain, which made him by its very design, a realist. He would not have succeeded so far had he not seen things exactly as they were. She wondered now about his drive. But should she really? There could be no better alliance on this journey than a highlander such as Alan Stewert determined to see them all to safety.