Seven Moons Back to the Highlands

by Deborah R Stigall

  Her senses still drunk from the pain killing drugs, she smiled to herself as she breathed in the warm inviting scent of the male body lying close to hers.

  “I must be having that dream again.”

  Smiling, she drew her arm and leg across Caelan’s body, snuggling her breasts and pelvis tightly against his side.

  “Hmm. I wish he was naked too it would be so much more comfortable.”

  Lacing her fingers through the button holes of his shirt, she sleepily curled his thick chest hairs around her fingertips.

  “Rachel lass ye’re killin’ me.”

  Caelan carefully disentangled himself from her arms, knowing that as soon as she fully awakened, she’d not only be mortified at her state of undress but that she’d still be in quite a bit of pain from the impact of the chain.

  “Take your clothes off. I like the way your skin feels against mine.”

  Mumbling sleepily against his skin, Rachel kissed and lightly nipped his side. Reaching for his retreating chest as he slid out from under the sheets, Rachel only ended up as far as his pillow. Nuzzling the fluffy barrier with her face, she smiled as she drifted back into a deeper level of sleep.

  Covering her body with the sheet, Caelan exhaled slowly, his teeth clenched so tightly the muscles rippled in his jaw. If she wasn’t so bruised, he’d like nothing better than to rub every inch of his skin against hers. But now was definitely not the time.

  Motioning to Sam, he picked up the little dog and placed him gently on the bed beside Rachel’s head.

  “If she awakens, come get me I know ye understand what I’m saying so, come and fetch me if she so much as squeaks.”

  Cocking his head to the side, his pointed ears perked at attention, Sam gave a soft yip of acceptance to the task assigned. Then turning three times in the tightest of circles, he firmly cushioned his little body up against Rachel’s head. Leaning over, he barely licked her nose and then tucked his head between his paws and went to sleep.

  Nodding in satisfaction, Caelan walked into the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. Staring at his reflection in the mirror over the sink, he frowned into the green eyes staring back at him. Rachel’s injury was going to complicate matters. He needed to be able to woo her and win her trust as well as her heart.

  Then to top it off, he had to figure out the absolutely right time to inform her that in a little over six months they had to travel over six hundred years back in time to start their life together. From what he’d seen so far there wasn’t anything here to remotely keep the lass from wanting to travel back to the past. The only things she might even think about missing were her faithful companions Sam and Maizy. Surely Emrys could come up with a spell to bring the dogs to the past along with them.

  Speaking of Emrys where was that wizard? Surely he could add some of his own healing powers to Rachel’s brown bottle of pills. She seemed to be resting much easier this morning but it would still be days before she was able to move about comfortably at all.

  Drying his face with the towel, he wearily tried to rub the kinks from his neck. He’d been able to sleep lightly while holding Rachel but he’d awakened immediately at every odd hitch of her breath. He’d also forced himself to lie completely motionless; fearing any movement in the bed might cause her pain and rouse her from her drug induced slumber.

  “Ye’ve done quite well, I see.”

  Emrys stood in the bedroom doorway, his spindly arms folded across his chest.

  “She sleeps for now thanks to the wee pills she had in the bathroom.”

  Motioning for Emrys to follow him into the kitchen, he raised a finger to his lips as Sam watched him tiptoe by the bed.

  “Where have ye been? Ye could’ve helped her if ye’d come and laid hands upon her instead of leaving us in the field. I’ve seen ye ease the pain of many a warrior as he lay groaning from battle wounds.”

  Hands on his hips, Caelan kept his voice low to keep from disturbing Rachel, but his tone clearly expressed how irritated he was at the druid’s absence.

  “The lass has already been touched by the Goddess. How do ye think she managed to survive such a blow to her back?”

  Frowning, Emrys peered into the empty coffeepot, shaking it to see if anything sloshed within. Finally deciding the pot was empty, he sat it back on the counter with obvious disappointment.

  “She fares much better than she should’ve perhaps she wouldna have survived at all. From what I’ve seen in the reflection of the waters of the pond, she’ll be up and around again in but a few days time.”

  Shuffling over to the refrigerator, Emrys grudgingly settled for a small bottle of orange juice. Chewing his lip in concentration, he finally worked the cap loose with his arthritic grasp.

  “What do ye mean what ye’ve seen reflected in the water? Have ye been able to see whether she returns with us to the past?”

  Swallowing hard, Caelan wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer especially if he was destined to travel back to his castle alone.

  “I merely looked into the waters to see if I was to assist in her healing to see if her life was threatened in any way.” Downing his orange juice, he mopped his moustache with his sleeve as he tossed the empty container into the trash.

  “Ye have to go carefully when ye make such decisions; every action causes a ripple effect. I have seen that ye must use this time to draw the lass closer to ye. ‘Tis a way for her to finally learn that it is safe to trust another and she doesna have to fear being hurt.” Moving stiffly toward the back door, he paused with his hand on the knob.

  “Be patient with the lass the two of ye have a few trials yet but nothing ye canna overcome.” With a wink to Caelan, he was out the door with Maizy at his heels before Caelan could say another word.

  Raking his fingers through his hair, Caelan snorted in exasperation. He should’ve known better than to try to get a straight answer out of the old wizard. It seemed the concept of a simple yes or no completely escaped the ancient man.

  Grabbing the coffeepot, Caelan went to the sink to fill it, trying to remember exactly what he’d read about making coffee. All of the gadgets of this complicated time made his head feel as though it were about to burst. Nothing was as simple as building a fire or saddling a horse everything involved intricate steps that if not followed precisely could end in disastrous results. He couldn’t risk revealing his ignorance of such things at least not until he was sure of her heart.

  Sitting at the table, he sighed in relief as the coffee appeared to be brewing as he’d read it should. Hearing a slight movement from the bedroom, he quickly crossed to the door just as Sam came trotting into the kitchen. Springing from the floor in an excited bounce, Sam yipped and spun to return to the bedroom. Apparently, he’d been coming into the kitchen to fetch Caelan as he’d been instructed to do.

  “What are ye doing!”

  Rushing from the door, Caelan scooped Rachel up into his arms just as she was about to teeter off the edge of the bed.

  Her eyes round with surprise, Rachel blinked wildly as she clutched at the sheets slipping away from her bare breasts.

  “What are you doing in here?!”

  As Caelan slowly lowered her back to sitting on the edge of the bed, she frantically adjusted the sheet covering her body. Wrapping her arms around her body, she glared at him with as much indignation as her painful condition allowed.

  “I’m here because ye’re in no condition to be stayin’ by yerself!”

  Frowning Caelan sat on the edge of the bed, steadying Rachel with an arm around her shoulders. “Do ye no remember what happened to ye? How ye were knocked unconscious, simply because ye’re so hard headed ye wouldna heed my advice?”

  Eyes narrowing, Rachel gritted her teeth as she shoved her tangled curls away from her face. “Typical male the first thing you say to me as soon as I’m halfway conscious is I told you so. Go home and leave me alone. I can take care of myself.”

  Struggling to rise, she caught her lip between her teeth a
s searing pain shot through her back. Raising her chin, she swallowed hard as she held onto the dresser for support. She’d show him she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She’d never needed anyone before and she wasn’t about to start needing anyone now. Even when she was married she couldn’t count on anybody but herself!

  “What are ye tryin’ to do? Why don’t ye let me help ye? Are ye hungry? Are ye wantin’ a sip of water? TELL ME AND LET ME HELP YE!”

  Straining to keep his voice slightly below the level of a roar, Caelan could feel his temper rising. He’d never met such a stubborn woman in his entire life! What the hell had happened to the women of this century? Why couldn’t they let a man take care of them?

  “If you must know,” Rachel hissed as she stood teetering by the bed. “I have to go to the bathroom! And you are NOT going to help me!”

  Scrubbing his face with the palms of his hands, Caelan sent a silent prayer to Blessed Brid for patience. Without another word, he calmly picked Rachel up, cradling her gently against his chest to cause her as little discomfort as possible.

  Moving carefully through the narrow bathroom door, he sat her down in front of the toilet and moved to unwind the sheet from about her body.

  “I can handle it now!”

  Rachel slapped at his hands, flinching with the movement but in no way about to give in without a fight.

  “Fine!”

  Without another word, Caelan turned to stand in the doorway, arms crossed with his back to Rachel.

  “You are NOT going to stand there while I try to pee!”

  She glared at him as she held onto the edge of the sink, her anger fueling her strength.

  “I am.”

  Caelan didn’t bother to turn his head, his chin jutting stubbornly into the air as he ground his teeth together in determination.

  Grabbing the bar of soap off the sink, Rachel took aim and beaned Caelan in the back of the head.

  “Go away!”

  She gasped as the sharp movement of the throw reminded her of how bruised the muscles were in her back.

  Inhaling deeply to hold his temper as well as his tongue, Caelan remained silently in the doorway. Staring at the ceiling, his eyes narrowed as he quietly promised himself to teach Rachel a few lessons in wifely manners once they returned to his beloved keep in Scotland.

  Becoming weaker by the minute and growing dizzy with her frustration, Rachel dropped the sheet to her ankles and lowered herself to the toilet.

  “I hate you!”

  She held her head in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees.

  A slow smile teased at the corner of Caelan’s seductive lips and he merely shifted his weight to lean slightly against the door jam. Hate was a strong emotion, as strong as love and often there was a very fine line between the two.

  Finally talking her bashful bladder into relieving itself, Rachel pulled herself to standing by hanging onto the sink. Keeping a watchful eye on Caelan to ensure his gaze was in fact directed in the opposite direction, she eased over to her robe hanging on the hook. Scowling with pain, she slipped her arms into the sleeves and cocooned her body into the comforting depths of the robe.

  “Are you going to let me out of here or what?”

  Her words were spoken to the middle of his back as she held onto the door facing to keep from falling.

  Turning, Caelan once again scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to her bed. Settling her gently against the pillows, he adjusted her robe and covered her with the blanket at her feet.

  Perching beside her on the edge of the bed, he lightly took her chin in the palm of his hand. Forcing her to raise her gaze to his face, he leaned closer to make sure he had her undivided attention.

  “I’m here to care for ye and to help ye heal. Ye will allow me to do so. Ye will trust me and ye will stop behaving as if ye are the only person in the world who knows what’s best for ye. I didna come all this way to go back empty handed.”

  Kissing her gently on the forehead, he handed her another pill and the glass of water, then turned to go into the kitchen.

  “I’ll be bringin’ ye some toast and a bit of coffee and then ye can go back to sleep. Take yer wee pill so ye can get your rest and tend to the mending of your body.”

  Glaring at Caelan’s retreating back, Rachel popped the tablet onto the back of her tongue and downed it with a swallow of water. As she edged the glass onto the bedside table, his parting words finally hit her.

  “Go back empty handed?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Lying propped amidst a pile of pillows in the middle of the bed, Rachel sat with her hands folded in her lap, her eyes narrowed into twin slits of purple plotting. The past three days had managed to somehow slip past her as brief periods of frustrating consciousness and lengthy fogs of drug induced sleep.

  When she wasn’t awake and fighting for her independence and solitude, she was passed out cold on the bed in a healing sleep. The only problem with this method of recuperation was the number of times she’d awakened to find herself protectively cradled in the arms of one very large enticing Highlander. Inhaling with determination, she firmly decided she’d had all the pain pills she was going to take.

  She had a short five days to completely recover before she had to go back to work. Her vacation time was up and she couldn’t afford a leave without pay.

  Whether Caelan MacKay liked it or not, his days as her primary caregiver were now over. She had to get stronger and the only way she was going to accomplish that was to get out of bed and start moving. The longer she lay in the bed under the critical eye of her self-ordained keeper, the weaker she got. She had no choice she had to get back to work.

  Tilting her head, she listened carefully in the direction of the kitchen. All appeared to be quiet in the house. She’d thought she’d heard the back door close, after feeling a light kiss upon what Caelan had thought to be her sleep closed eyes. Now was her chance to get up and get dressed and start her more aggressive approach to her full recovery.

  Sliding slowly out of the bed, Rachel was pleased to find her back and shoulders were much less stiff and painful. There were still enough twinges to remind her of her failed battle with the stump but she could at least move around now without clenching her teeth and she could probably even manage a sneeze without having tears spring to her eyes.

  Crossing to her dresser, she pulled out a sweatshirt and jeans and dressed as quickly as she could manage. She had to stop twice to lean against the bedside chair, her body weakened from so many days in bed.

  Slipping her feet into a pair of clogs, she made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and comb out her hair. Her eyes narrowed at the memory of her most recent battle with Caelan just last night caused by his insistence upon standing in the doorway while she had bathed.

  It had taken her a good hour to even convince him to allow her to run a bath, insisting she was strong enough that she wouldn’t drown in the tub. The stubborn Scot had finally ceded to standing in the doorway with his back to her as he had on that first day; his stony silence at her barbs and tirades only infuriating her more.

  She placed the toothbrush back in its holder and started yanking the brush through her hair. Her eyes softened as she remembered Caelan’s taking the brush from her hands last night and gently running it through the raven tresses until the curls shone and slipped through his fingers like ribbons of ebony silk.

  Rachel could never remember a time when any man had been able to aggravate her so much and at the same time cause her body to tingle with need whenever he’d walk into the room. One seductive glance at her from his deep emerald eyes and she could feel the embers smoldering at her core. How could a man she’d only known for such a short time have the power to bring her to the point of bursting into a sexual bonfire by just looking at her with a self assured smile?

  Pulling her hair back into a neat ponytail, she let out a frustrated breath.

  “Don’t even think about getting involved
with Mr. Scotland he told you he’s only here for a short time.”

  Feeling a pair of beady little eyes boring into her back, Rachel turned to find Sam sitting in the doorway, his head cocked as he watched her intently.

  “And you! Of all the males I ever thought I could trust! You totally betrayed me, Sam.”

  Slowly squatting down, she smiled as a very wiggling Sam balanced his front paws on her knees and proceeded to cover her face with kisses.

  “I know I know he can be very persuasive I don’t really blame you for doing what he asks.”

  Raising her chin to dodge his wet tongue, Rachel affectionately scratched him behind both ears.

  “But now I’m better and it’s time you were back on my side. So when you see him coming you let me know before he gets here.” Shaking her finger toward the kitchen door, she smiled as Sam trotted obediently ahead of her.

  Opening the back door, she squinted at the bright sunlight but smiled as she inhaled the fresh spring air. Nudging open the broken screen door with his nose, Sam bounded down the steps, his ears perked as he immediately stood guard sitting like an immovable sentinel in the middle of the cracked sidewalk.

  Propping open the wooden door with a chair, Rachel nodded in satisfaction as the warm spring breeze swept into the kitchen.

  “Maybe I can get the window over the sink open too.”

  Fishing in her toolbox under the kitchen sink, Rachel grunted as she finally found her small pry bar and hammer and rose to tackle the stubborn window. Wedging the end of the pry bar under the bottom edge of the window, she tapped gently and wiggled the lever until the window finally gave up the fight and opened slightly. Pushing it open the rest of the way, she propped it up with the piece of wood still lying in the sill from last summer. The white starched curtains quickly fluttered in the breeze as though the room was inhaling the warm refreshing air.