“What an ass.” Anger flashed hot through Trulie. She hated a bully. No wonder Granny had been in such a hurry to get back to the past and set things right.
“Aye. And that was nay the worst part.” Caught up in her story, Coira squirmed in place until the entire bench shook. “When the poor lass started a cryin’, he told her that if she didna…” Coira shuddered, shaking the bench even more. “He told the lass to service him or he would turn her o’er to the MacKenna for not only being a clumsy wench, but a thief.”
“That is a complete load of crap.” Trulie couldn’t stand it any longer. She scraped the hardening mud from her eyes and groped the air in front of her for water or a towel. “Help me get this mess cleaned off. It sounds like we’ve been brought here to clean house and we’ll start with that obnoxious little jerk.” Trulie nodded as a particularly wicked idea dawned. “Maybe I’ll let Karma neuter him. That’ll convince him to keep his pecker to himself.”
A shallow wooden bowl filled with cool water rose up beneath her hands and barely touched her fingers. Trulie leaned over the basin, splashed her face until it felt goop-free, and then batted blindly for a towel. She blinked away the moisture into the folds of the rough cloth and dried the residue off her face. Tossing the rag to the bench beside her, Trulie slowly opened her eyes…and gasped.
Electrifying eyes—those ice-blue irises resembling a lightning-filled sky—stared back at her. The man she’d nearly taken out with the truck crouched at her feet. Granny’s primary reason for returning to the past suddenly became very clear.
“You!” Trulie scrambled sideways and sprang up from the bench. A firm knowing settled within her as she remembered Granny’s words from that night: Besides—I know those colors. He comes from a fine, upstanding clan. You won’t find a force on earth able to strike fear into a MacKenna.
Gray MacKenna didn’t say a word. Eyes narrowed and rugged jaw set to a defiant angle, he slowly rose and slid the bowl of water to the table.
Trulie whirled on Granny, her entire body trembling. “Out with it, Granny. No more games. You’re the only one who could’ve hidden his aura so I wouldn’t know he was here. No more crap about dying wishes or solving murders. I want the truth and I want it now. You hinted at seeing me settled. You said you had a plan for all your granddaughters.” Trulie jerked her head toward Gray. “I suppose you think if I fall for him, I’ll stay in the past forever?”
Granny’s eyes widened. Her mouth opened and then pressed tightly closed as if she thought better of what she was about to say.
Dammit. Trulie was sick and tired of everyone else’s choices controlling her entire life. She was a freaking adult now. It was time she lived or died by her own choices. Getting angrier by the minute, Trulie jabbed an accusing finger at Tamhas. “And what part did you have in all this? I know you’ve been contacting Granny through the fire portal. But I thought you two were just carrying on an over-the-eras relationship until you could be reunited. Are you in on this matchmaking crap too?”
With an angry toss of her head toward Gray, Trulie took another step toward the old man frowning down into the greasy bowl clenched between his hands. “Does that poor man over there even know who or what we are? Does he have any idea how you’re attempting to complicate his life?”
“Poor man?” His tensed expression a darkening storm cloud, Gray pushed forward. “Do I look like a poor man t’ye?”
Trulie spun, then jerked to a stop. The tip of her nose almost touched Gray’s breastbone. Gritting her teeth, she thumped Gray in the center of his chest, then shook her finger just inches from the end of his nose. Poor guy. You’ve got no idea you’re about to bite off more than you can chew. “One hard head at a time. Get in line and wait your turn.”
Gray’s eyes flared wide. He looked as though he was about to bare his teeth and snarl.
“Don’t give me that insulted-chief look,” Trulie warned before turning back to Tamhas. “Answer me. Did you set him in the middle of my road that night or did Granny do it?”
“Both,” Granny snapped as she pulled Trulie back and placed herself between Trulie and Tamhas. “You refused to listen. We had to do something drastic.”
“I wouldn’t listen?” Trulie could not believe what she had just heard. Granny had completely betrayed her. If they hadn’t lost that truckload of inventory and had to suspend their Internet sales, she would’ve never entertained the thought of leaving the shop in her sisters’ care while she took Granny back to the past. But the ruined truckload, the ongoing war with Mrs. Hagerty, and the realization that her personal life sucked finally convinced her to take a little time off from the twenty-first century.
A cold feeling of certainty settled in her bones. They were here because of Granny’s grand plan. “How far would you have gone to get me back to this century, Granny? What are you capable of doing to get your own way and carry out your plans?”
Granny didn’t answer—just dropped her chin and stared at the ground.
Trulie turned to the wide-eyed girl sitting on the bench. Coira was a mere slip of a girl. Her tiny appearance somehow didn’t fit her robust belly laugh and larger-than-life sense of humor. “Coira, you’ve never seemed very surprised by anything I’ve ever told you. Did they suck you into their scheming too?”
Coira’s reddish-blonde curls trembled as she stared down at her freckle-dusted hands clasped tightly in her lap. “Nay, mistress. I swear t’ye I know of no plot. I only know I was meant t’serve ye.”
“What about the girls back home?” Trulie asked.
Granny shook her head. “No. Your sisters only know what you were told. They think we came back here to get me set for my final leap with Tamhas and that you would then return to them back in the future. They all figured you’d never be happy here in this time, so you’d return as soon as I was settled.”
Gray pushed forward, wrapped a strong hand around her upper arm, and turned her back toward him. “Ye spoke of a strange night. A dark road. That unholy thing was of yer doing?” Gray grabbed her other shoulder and pulled her closer still. “Ye controlled the monster with the glowing eyes. Ye tried to kill me?”
Trulie squirmed out of Gray’s grasp. “I did not try to kill you. Granny and your sorcerer over there plopped you in the middle of the road just as I drove through. If you’re pissed at anyone, be pissed at them. I know I am.”
“And…and…as for you two,” Trulie sputtered. Dammit! Now was not the time for her emotionally triggered stutter to return. She’d finally gotten that irritating trait under control when she’d escaped the stress of high school. Trulie took a deep breath and pointed her finger at Tamhas while at the same time staring down Granny. “It will be a cold d-day in hell before I ever believe a single word out of either of you again.”
Trulie stomped across the room and yanked open the door. Without looking back, she squared her shoulders and growled. “Come on, Karma. We’ve got a trip back to the future to plan.”
The dog rose from beside the bench, trotted past Trulie, then turned and waited. Trulie glared back into the room one last time then stomped out and slammed the door behind her.
Chapter 9
“I ne’er heard a woman use such language.” Gray stared at the closed door. Trulie’s angry stream of stuttering profanity gradually faded as she stomped away.
“That’s a pretty good indicator Trulie’s royally pissed.” Granny’s shoulders sagged as she blew out a dismal sigh. “She always stutters and curses when she feels like she’s lost control. And if you make her really mad, she cries. You best take cover if she ever cries, because hell hath no fury compared to Trulie on an angry rampage.”
Gray mulled over Trulie’s stream of profanity. He wasna sure what some of the words meant, but he was damn positive those words should ne’er come out of a woman’s mouth. He stared at the door, remembering her rage and how it had only accentuated her delicate features. Lore a’mighty. What fire. He scrubbed his fingers against his jaw and turned back toward Tamhas
and Granny. “So ye tricked the woman to bring her here. Why?”
Tamhas flashed a toothy grin. “Are ye blind then, man?” Tamhas tossed the soiled bowl back among the clutter of the worktable. “That fiery lass is the perfect match for ye. The children the two of ye sire will be fine and bonnie—perfect descendants to perpetuate this powerful clan.”
“Of course, you will have to woo her.” Granny beamed up at him with a knowing smile and a pat on his arm. “Trulie tends to get a bit out of sorts when she feels she’s been maneuvered. It might take you a bit to get through to her, but don’t give up. I’m sure you can wear her down and convince her the charade was all for the best.”
“I am no’ the one who lied to the woman.” Gray backed up a step and thumped himself on the chest. “And who e’er said I wanted such a fiery-tongued woman to wife?”
“I’ll wait until the two of you are married to tell Trulie you said that.” Granny winked and folded her hands primly in front of her waist. The old woman looked pleased with herself. She greatly resembled her wicked cat after Cook discovered the cream pans licked clean.
He had to get out of here. He felt trapped, both by the tiny confines of Tamhas’s abode and by the sudden plot to get him wed. All he had asked of the old man was the identity of the culprit who had murdered his parents. How the hell had the old demon turned that into a matchmaking request? Gray moved toward the door and stomped squarely on Kismet’s tail.
The enraged cat exploded into a black ball of fury and embedded its claws in his leg.
“Off, wicked beast.” Gray bent, latched onto Kismet’s scruff, and flinched as two paws full of barbs tore free of his flesh. Tiny rivulets of warm blood trickled down his stinging calf.
Kismet exploded again with a furious hiss. A high-pitched yowl vibrated into Gray’s hand as the cat twisted in his grasp. Her puffed up tail whipped back and forth as Kismet lashed another swipe at Gray.
“I’ll thank ye to keep this menace away from me if ye dinna wish t’see yer wee cat skinned.” Gray bent and dropped the spitting fur ball into Granny’s arms.
“You’re definitely a dog person,” Granny observed. She cuddled the enraged Kismet to her chest and whispered soothing words to the feline. “That’s a good thing. I think Trulie prefers dogs too.”
Gray held up a hand for silence and yanked open the door. “Nary another word about yer damnable matchmaking. When I find Mistress Trulie, I intend to leave her with no doubt about my intentions.”
“Which are?” Granny prompted as Coira knocked over another stack of bowls and sidestepped the resulting crash.
“By hell’s fiends,” Tamhas cursed as he shooed Coira away from his cluttered storage shelves. “Take this one with ye afore she destroys everythin’ I own. Be gone, girl. I do me own housekeeping.”
Coira dropped a polite curtsy, scurried across the room, and flitted out the door ahead of Gray. “Come, m’chieftain. Mistress Trulie is already well ahead of us. The lady walks quite fast when she’s angry. Shall I run to fetch her for ye?”
“Nay!” Gray pointed back to the bench inside the croft. “Ye shall wait here. I dinna give a damn what Master Tamhas wishes.” How the hell had he lost control of this damnable situation? “I am chieftain here. Ye shall stay and assist Master Tamhas in the long overdue clearin’ out of this hellhole.”
Coira’s eyes rounded and her pale brows arched nearly to her hairline. She bobbed another quick curtsy, skittered back inside the croft, and set to gathering the soiled wooden bowls scattered across the floor.
Gray turned back to Tamhas, fighting against the urge to demand a burning out of his cluttered burrow. He could almost hear his mother’s voice pleading her brother’s case. Ye know yer uncle is nay quite right. He’s too gifted wi’ the ways. Ye must be patient wi’ him, son, for his heart and soul are pure.
Gray sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I may lose control and kill ye for this yet, old man.” Gray snatched hold of the rope handle of the door and slammed it hard behind him.
—
Trulie slowed, then came to a complete stop. Her rage evaporated, loosening the band of tension squeezing the air from her chest. My God. It’s so…beautiful.
And it was. Only so much more than that one word could describe. The rugged land spread out before her, patient and waiting for her to appreciate it for what it truly was. A sky the vibrant blue of Scotland’s flag. Clouds so wispy and white that they resembled watercolor brush strokes. Thickets of pines, blue green in their scattered clusters, softened the jagged edges of stony hillsides and cliffs forming the crude bowl of a valley leading down to the ocean.
Trulie’s gaze traveled past the thickest line of gnarled trees hemming in the bit of land leading down to the sea. Ridges of stone, topped with the brown grasses of winter, jutted out into the bay like the fingers of a great hand dipping down into the water. Atop the largest ridge, majestic and proud against the sky, stood MacKenna keep.
Four tall stone towers connected with great walls of weathered block stood almost silver against the skyline. The grounds surrounding the outer wall gently sloped a few feet away from the fortress, then sheared off into the sea. The keep itself had been built on the thickest part of the peninsula jutting into the bay. Either the battering sea or the determined Highland weather had eroded away enough of the land to disconnect the keep from the mainland. Trulie stood on tiptoe and shaded her eyes. As near as she could tell, the only access to the keep was by crossing the wide stone bridge connecting the two pieces of land.
The steady pounding of footsteps behind her pulled her attention away from the newly discovered splendor. A subtle tingle surged through her. Not unpleasant. More like an exciting shiver of anticipation. Her senses recognized and embraced the only man who had ever succeeded in triggering such a reaction.
“Ye should ne’er travel alone in the Highlands. ’Tis unsafe.”
Hackles raised and teeth bared, Karma leaned against Trulie’s leg and rumbled a warning growl. Trulie snugged the heavy cloak tighter about her body and hugged her arms across her chest. She spared a dismissive glance back over one shoulder and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Cheiftain MacKenna looked thoroughly pissed.
“I’m never alone.” She nodded down at the dog. “I believe you’ve met Karma.”
“Aye.” Gray scowled at the dog and risked a step closer.
Karma’s clicking growl shifted into overdrive as he hunkered down and prepared to spring.
Gray backed up a step. “Aye. I agree yer quite safe wi’ that great beast watchin’ o’er ye.” Gray widened his stance. “But nonetheless, I shall see to it ye travel safely to the keep.”
Trulie smoothed a hand down Karma’s velvety head and dug her fingers into his hackles. “That’s enough, Karma. You know Cheiftain MacKenna means us no harm.” And he didn’t. The poor man was as much a pawn in Granny’s scheme as she was.
“I would hope ye both know I’d ne’er harm ye.” Gray spared a disgruntled frown toward Karma. “Either of ye.”
Something in Gray’s tone triggered an even warmer flash of tingles. Trulie loosened the wool wrap a bit. “I know you’re a victim here too. And I’m sorry I yelled at you back there.” Trulie took a step closer and held out her hand. She really did owe him an apology. “I’m mad at Granny and Tamhas for their manipulative little game. I’m not mad at you.”
Gray looked down at her hand long enough to make Trulie wonder if he was going to shake hands and play nice or not. She kept it extended and lifted it a bit higher. “Friends?”
The hint of a smile played across Gray’s mouth as he took her hand, lifted it to his mouth and pressed a gentle kiss against the inside of her wrist. Trulie swallowed hard as a delicious surge shifted all her senses into breathless overdrive. Well, dammit then.
Gray’s watchful gaze made her want to squirm as he stepped to her side and tucked her arm into his. “I’d be more than honored to claim ye as friend.”
Claim ye. There was some
thing about the way he said those two words that made her look forward to his claiming whatever he wanted. Trulie blinked free of the sensuous spell and motioned toward the keep. She had to slow this erotic spiral down. “Karma and I were headed back to the keep to have a chat with Mr. Fearghal. Would you like to walk with us?”
Gray scanned the land, then waved a hand toward the keep. “ ’Tis a bit farther then ye ken. That’s why Tamhas had the lot of ye brought up here in the wagon. Are ye certain ye wish to walk?”
Trulie studied the sprawling land. It was a pretty good distance. “We have to walk. We can’t leave them without the wagon.”
“Nay, lass. We’ll no’ have to walk.” Gray grinned, then split the air with a sharp whistle.
Karma perked his ears toward a dirt path disappearing around a swell of scrub and stone. The ground seemed to tremble as the biggest horse Trulie had ever seen thundered up the path. Black as coal from the tips of his ears to the shaggy feathers skirting each foot, the monstrous beast miniaturized all around him.
“Cythraul will carry us to the keep.”
Trulie backed up a step. Holy crap, what a big horse. “Uhm. Okay.” She couldn’t very well refuse on the grounds that heights terrified her. It was either ride the four-story horse back to the keep, or wait and travel with Granny and Tamhas. She was not in the mood for that.
Amusement and something not quite readable sparkled in Gray’s eyes as he held out his hand. “M’lady?”
If she didn’t know better, she’d swear Gray was waiting to see if she was going to accept the challenge or turn tail and run. Trulie stepped forward and grabbed his hand. She didn’t run from anything.
My Highland Lover (Highland Hearts) Page 10