My Highland Lover (Highland Hearts)

by Maeve Greyson

  Gray stood silent and studied the pair. The softly mumbling lass twisted him inside, made him wish to protect her. The helpless beauty obviously loved and trusted the animal with all her heart—and the hound returned her love and devotion. Guilt left a bad taste in his mouth as his hand fell away from the dagger strapped to his leg. Thank the gods he’d not caused the beast harm.

  “Trulie?” a weak voice called out from higher up the hillside.

  The sniffling girl raised her head, turning her face toward the sound. “Granny? Granny is that you?”

  So the lass’s name was Trulie. What an odd name for a woman. Gray moved a step closer, coming to a quick halt when the dog rumbled a warning snarl and bared his teeth. “Lass—Mistress—call off yer beast. I swear t’ye, I mean ye no harm.”

  Trulie leaned closer to the great, black brute and hugged him against her side. “It’s okay, Karma. Don’t bite him. Just watch and be ready…just in case.”

  Karma stood taller, ears perked and locked on Gray. Fearlessness shone in the dog’s eyes as he bared his teeth even more, daring Gray to make a wrong move.

  The warning sound of tumbling rocks echoed around the edge of the hill. A soft thud, followed by a faint grunt, sounded from behind a cluster of saplings. The young trees gently shook as more rocks bounced down the hillside around them.

  “Crap on crackers, that was a rough ride.” An old woman covered in dust hitched her way out from around the bushes, clapping the dirt from her hands. “How many times have I told you not to bust through flat-footed, Trulie? You’ve got to work on your reentry, young lady.”

  “Granny, I can’t see!” Trulie hitched sideways toward the old woman, her hands held out in a feeble attempt to feel her way.

  Granny pointed a finger toward Gray as she rubbed her hip and gimped over to Trulie. Stay there, she mouthed to Gray, and jabbed her finger toward the ground at his feet.

  Gray’s mouth dropped open. Did that old woman just tell him to stay put as though he were a lad due a scolding? “Woman, ye best be tellin’ me who ye are. I’ll have ye know yer standing on m’land.”

  Granny jabbed her finger toward the ground again and hiked a brow like a mother daring a child to disobey. She gave him one last, pointed glare as she wrapped an arm around Trulie’s shoulders. “It’s all right. You know it sometimes takes your sight a while to adjust. Especially when you’re the beacon.” Granny stood on tiptoe and examined Trulie’s red-rimmed eyes. She rubbed a wrinkled thumb across the girl’s reddened cheek in a gentle caress. “You dove through head first with your eyes open, didn’t you?”

  Gray eased closer. The two women were obviously kin. Mother and daughter? Nay. The old one was too long in the tooth to have a child the age of the young woman. The girl had called the old woman “Granny.” Aye, the old one was the lass’s grandmother.

  Trulie sniffed and ducked her head away from Granny’s touch. A mumbled “Yes” floated from behind her shirtsleeve as she dragged her arm across her face.

  “You know better, Trulie,” Granny gently scolded as she stepped away. “Your sight will take a few days to return. Until then, Karma will have to be your eyes.”

  Gray cleared his throat. He was tired of being ignored. “Who are ye?” He did his best not to bite out the words, but damn, this situation was getting stranger by the minute. “And where the hell are ye from?”

  “I am Nia Sinclair,” Granny responded as she pulled her spectacles off her face and rubbed the lenses with her shirttail. “And this”—she nodded toward Trulie—“is my granddaughter, Trulie Elizabeth Sinclair.” Granny stretched to one side and looked around Gray, her gaze searching around the clearing. “And somewhere close by is my cat, Kismet. You haven’t by chance seen a very opinionated black cat around here, have you?”

  “Witches.” Gray hissed the word with a strained breath. Just what he needed. Could this day get any worse?

  “We are not witches.” Granny lifted her chin to a haughty angle as she widened her stance. “We are time runners with a few extra abilities tossed in for good measure.” Granny settled the wire-rimmed spectacles back on her nose and planted her fists on her narrow hips. “And since when does a MacKenna fear witches? I believe quite a few of them come from your line.”

  “Get off me, ye wretched beast! Off, I say.” Colum’s enraged roar rang out from just beyond a pile of stones stacked against the hillside.

  “Now what?” Gray whirled around just as Colum rounded the pile at a swift hop while trying to kick free the yowling feline wrapped around his calf.

  Colum danced back and forth, narrow rivulets of blood streaming down his leg. Every time he grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck, Kismet sank her fangs and claws deeper into his leg.

  “Don’t you hurt my cat,” Granny warned with a shake of her fist in the air.

  “If I e’er get the demon off m’leg, I’ll turn its mangy arse into a fine leather pouch.” Colum hopped over to the stone trough beside the door. He lifted his leg over the side and plunged it down into the murky water.

  Kismet released his leg just before hitting the water. The hissing feline raced up Colum’s thigh, launched to his chest, and swiped a paw full of unsheathed claws across Colum’s cheek as a parting gift before leaping over his shoulder.

  Colum gingerly palmed his crotch as he wiped the blood from his face. With a deadly look around the clearing, he unsheathed his sword. “That little bastard nearly split me bollocks in two. That wee demon is mine.”

  “You are not going to harm my cat.” Granny stomped across the clearing and jabbed a bony finger at the center of Colum’s wide chest. “If you hadn’t startled her, she wouldn’t have felt the need to deball you. Now stop acting like such a bully.”

  Gray took this opportunity to move to Trulie’s side, taking care to give the growling black dog a wide berth. “Where did ye…” Gray paused and glanced toward Granny, still telling Colum in no uncertain terms how she did not appreciate his behavior. “How did ye and yer grandmother get here?”

  “They are the ones we have waited for. Their time has finally arrived.” The door to Tamhas’s cave slammed open with a thud and bounced against the wall. The old man stood with both hands folded atop the polished knob of a twisted cane that stood nearly to his shoulders. A trembling smile split his grizzled beard as he looked past Gray’s shoulder. “My Nia,” he tenderly crooned. “I feared I would nay live to see yer lovely face in this time e’er again.”

  One of Granny’s hands flew to the base of her throat while the other one stifled a sob. A tear trailed down one of her wrinkled cheeks as she stood in place shaking her head. “My Tamhas,” she finally choked out with a trembling smile.

  “Ye know these women?” Gray struggled to keep his voice tempered to a low roar. He turned his back to the irritated huff from Trulie. He didna relish the role of fool, and from where he stood, he was being well fitted with that title. He wanted to know what the hell was going on and he wanted to know now. “Explain. Now.”

  “Well, aren’t you the little moment killer.” Trulie’s vacant gaze snapped toward Gray. Her scowl reinforced her reprimanding tone as she groped for Karma’s collar. “I’m freakin’ blind and I could tell they needed a private minute or two to reconnect. Would it have killed you to keep your mouth shut that long?” She finally latched onto the worn leather strap around Karma’s neck and leaned toward the dog. “Take me to Granny. I don’t like this guy.”

  Gray promptly forgot all questions for Tamhas as his gaze followed Trulie across the clearing. He didna ken where the woman had come from and at this verra moment, he didna truly care. The way those trews molded to the sightless beauty’s fine round arse chased all reason from his head. Gray widened his stance to accommodate the hardening ache growing in his crotch.

  Tamhas’s quiet chuckle brought him back to reality.

  Gray whirled around and faced the grinning old man. “Explain this. Now.” He bit out the words from between gritted teeth to keep from roaring the
m across the hillside. He didna like the amusement dancing in the old man’s eyes. Tamhas had ne’er been this happy. It didna bode well.

  Tamhas stepped out of the doorway with a graceful swing of his walking stick. He motioned a gnarled hand up the hillside toward a small stone cairn as he smiled tenderly at Granny. “The marker worked, me fine lass, just as ye said it would.” Then he tucked his chin and playfully waggled a finger. “Ye surprised me, love. Ye said she would come alone.”

  Gray slammed his hand down atop Tamhas’s staff, stopping the old man in his tracks. “Do not err by continuing to ignore me, old demon.”

  Tamhas faced Gray and bowed his head. “Forgive me, m’chieftain. The excitement of reuniting with m’love of so long ago has muddled me brain.” He nodded toward the pair of women standing behind the great black dog and the still-growling cat. “The answer to yer problems lies with that one there.” He directed his staff toward Trulie. “I assure ye, I hadna dared hope m’love would join us…at this time.” Tamhas’s smile widened and his beard trembled as a soft chuckle underscored his words. “But then again, who can predict all Destiny has planned?”

  Destiny. The word sent a chill down his spine, especially when used by Tamhas. Gray motioned to Colum. “Fetch the wagon to carry our guests to the keep. I prefer the safety of me own walls to learn of this destiny.”

  Chapter 7

  Trulie buried her fingers in the comforting depths of Karma’s thick ruff. How could she have been so stupid? She knew better than to dive across the web with her eyes wide open. But the glowing stars streaming by like rivers of white lava had been too tempting. Usually, she settled for a few quick peeks as they leapt across time. This time, she’d eagerly watched the entire trip. She blew out a disgusted breath. I guess that’s what I get for being greedy. Trulie pressed her face against Karma’s velvety ears. The comforting dog leaned against her, grumbling his sympathies.

  Trulie straightened and ran her hand down the dog’s broad back. Granny might have sucked them into one of her biggest schemes of all times, but Trulie had to admit she had never heard so much emotion jammed into one word as when Granny had said “Tamhas.” Years had fallen away from her grandmother’s voice. She had sounded like a young woman again. A young woman totally consumed with love.

  Trulie shifted on the bench and leaned back against the cold stone wall. What kind of love lasted over so many years of separation? Trulie counted backward. It had been almost fifteen years. Trailing her hand lightly over the wooden bench, Trulie sucked in a deep breath. How could a love last across centuries? A twinge of jealousy flitted through Trulie. How would a love like that feel?

  A shuffling sound across the room pulled Trulie from her thoughts. “Who’s there?” She squinted and scanned the room. Nothing but a flannel-like mist filled her vision. She held her breath and strained to listen. She didn’t like this place. It smelled odd and there was too much of…something…permeating the very atmosphere. Trulie shifted on the bench and smoothed clammy palms up and down the gooseflesh prickling her arms.

  As soon as they had helped her from the wagon and led her up those stone steps, her senses had kicked into overdrive, flooded with—Trulie inwardly groaned—flooded with what? Hatred? Betrayal? Jealousy? What? She couldn’t quite nail the emotion down. All she knew for certain about this place was that it was filled with negative energy.

  Trulie slid her hands to the wall at her back. Stone. Rough chiseled edges fitted together. She slid her bare feet across the floor. This part of the room felt…furry? Trulie blanched. That could only mean one thing. This room’s interior decorator liked killing things and spreading their pelts on the floor.

  A throat cleared.

  Trulie jumped and turned toward the sound. “Don’t you know it’s rude to sneak up on someone who can’t see?” Patting the air for Karma’s back, Trulie rose from the bench and lifted her chin. Never. Show. Fear. Even when your innards feel like jelly.

  “Ye have nothing to fear from me, young one. I would ne’er cause ye harm.”

  Tamhas. Trulie relaxed. A little. She scanned the room until she found the bright cloud of undulating colors. There he was. Tamhas had the strangest aura she had ever seen. She wasn’t quite sure about him just yet. But if Granny trusted him, he had to be okay. She just wished her sight would hurry and return. She could always tell a person’s true spirit by reading their eyes. “Why aren’t you with Granny and Kismet? I thought you were going to help her get settled. I’m sure a lot’s changed after fifteen years.”

  A calloused hand pressed up into hers. Tamhas led her gently but firmly across the room and settled her on a cushioned seat. This part of the room seemed warmer. She must be closer to the fire.

  “Ye know yer grandmother, lass.” Tamhas’s chuckle filled the room like the sound of deep, soothing wind chimes. “Tha’ woman needs no one’s aid when her mind is set. She only needs me love.” A rough palm lightly patted the top of Trulie’s hand. “And this place is nay so unknown to her. The fire portal has been her window to this world o’er the years.”

  Trulie relaxed even more, allowing herself to trust Tamhas. It sounded like the man knew Granny to a tee. “Where are we? Or maybe I should say ‘when’ are we?”

  “Ye dinna ken?” Tamhas sounded surprised.

  “Well…” Trulie pushed tickling curls away from her face and edged closer to the warmth emanating from her right. That had to be the hearth. She wouldn’t mind getting closer to the fire. A damp chill permeated this room. “I know where I was aiming, but I just wanted to make sure I hit the right year. I’ve never led a leap across so many centuries.”

  “The twentieth of February in the year 1247.” Tamhas patted Trulie’s hand. “And I dare say the earthquake ye caused was felt from shore to shore, and will be recorded by every monk possessing a quill.”

  Trulie cringed. “Sorry.” She spread her fingers toward the heat of the fire, rose from the cushions and edged closer. Stone floor now. And it was warmer. “For some reason, I’ve never been able to control my entry as well as Granny.” Trulie turned and backed up to the fire until the blaze warmed her nicely through her jeans. “But it’s because she rarely lets me jump as the beacon.” In fact, she could count on one hand the times Granny had allowed her to lead any leaps across the continuum’s web.

  “Hmm,” was Tamhas’s only reply.

  “Who was the hardheaded guy I landed on?” Trulie frowned as her body flushed from heat not caused by the fire toasting her rear. The man had felt rock solid—quite nice in fact, if you liked the muscular type. Trulie swallowed hard and cleared her throat. Why had her mouth suddenly gotten so dry? Maybe because she had never sprawled on top of a breathing mountain before…and liked it. A lot.

  Tamhas chuckled from across the room.

  For some reason, Tamhas’s amusement grated on her nerves. Dammit, I wish I could see the old man’s face. “I really don’t see the humor in that question.” Trulie wiggled her toes on the rough floor. She needed to find her backpack and slip on some shoes. The feeling was just now coming back to her toes after nearly freezing them off in the chill of a Scottish February.

  “The fine man who caught ye when the time cloud spit ye forth was Chieftain Gray MacKenna. Ye should ask yer grandmother of that action’s significance.” Tamhas’s sparkling aura bobbed slowly across the room. The old man was on the move. “And Chieftain MacKenna needs the assistance tha’ can only be given by yerself. Ne’er forget that.” Hinges creaked and then came the sound of a door thudding closed.

  Trulie shivered. That sounded like a door that weighed a ton. Images of thick oak doors sealing off dank medieval dungeons materialized in her mind, quickening the already fast pounding of her heart until she grew breathless. Trulie sucked in a quick lungful of air and shook away the feeling. “What do you mean he needs my assistance?”

  Nothing but silence filled the room.

  “Tamhas?” Trulie scanned the room for the sparkling aura of indescribable colors. Gone. The
old man had just left without saying another word. Trulie expelled a frustrated huff and rubbed her hands up and down her now toasty backside.

  “Karma?”

  A soft woof made Trulie feel slightly better. At least she wasn’t alone.

  The hinges of the door creaked again, followed by Karma’s low, clicking growl. That warning tone could only mean one thing. Trulie stood taller and widened her stance on the hearth. “Did Tamhas send you in here?”

  “So yer sight has returned?” Gray’s rich, deep voice filled the room like a seductive melody.

  Trulie blinked harder. She wished her sight would hurry and return. All she could make out were fuzzy shapes of light against darkness. Her sensory abilities to pick up auras seemed to be healing faster than her normal eyesight. The circle of light standing beside the doorway was a brilliant royal blue. The light shimmered when the chieftain spoke. Blue? Trulie blinked again. Loyalty. Intelligence. Honor. Maybe her first impression that Gray MacKenna was an insensitive ass had been a bit premature.

  Muffled footsteps moved closer. “Can ye see me, lass?”

  “Sort of.” Trulie rubbed her hands together. What was it about this man that made her palms—and a few other places she refused to acknowledge right now—go all warm and tingly?

  “Sort…of?” Gray repeated.

  “It’s kind of hard to explain.” Trulie shrugged in the direction of the speaking blue cloud, aiming her words at the top half. No need to spill all the beans about her abilities just yet. In the thirteenth century, one never knew for sure which side of the “witch issue” someone might be on. She had already revealed enough when they entered this time to send them all to a witch rotisserie. “Tamhas said you needed my help. What is it you need me to do?”

  A chair scraped against the stone floor and the blur of royal blue folded in the middle. He must have taken a seat. The sound of liquid gurgling into a container reminded Trulie of just how dry her mouth currently felt.