As was his habit when he needed to mull over his thoughts in solitude, Alasdair once again rose to the highest parapets of Duart Castle. But he was only alone a moment before he heard someone approach. “So you’re alive.” Keith had followed him. “And you’re still in in one piece. I’m impressed. This actually gives me hope I might also live through her wrath.”
“Aye, well things didnae proceed how we thought they would,” explained Alasdair.
“How so?”
“Catriona told me everything.” Alasdair could see the skepticism in Keith’s eyes. “I really do mean everything. She told me ye come from the year 2012.”
“I definitely did not see that coming,” admitted Keith, “But, I’m surprised you’re so willing to believe it.”
“I didnae at first,” admitted Alasdair, “But then she showed me all the wonders in her red satchel.”
“Did you manage to get any more chocolate out of her?”
Alasdair laughed, “Nay, but even if I had, I would keep it for myself.” Even the sweet item was a bitter reminder of the obstacles Alasdair faced in trying to overcome Catriona’s refusal to stay. He was quiet for a moment longer before finally gathering the courage to ask, “How can I ever hope to compete with such amazing inventions?”
“You’re missing the point,” said Keith, “Those are just things.”
“I dinnae ken.”
“You don’t need to compete with things. In our time, we have more access to useless items than you can imagine. But, these things come at a cost. Cat and I were in a city of hundreds of thousands of people, yet we were still alone. Sure, having a place to live and someone to take care of you is great, but that isn’t always enough. Trust me, we have already experienced that firsthand. Cat wants to know she will never be ignored or abandoned by those she should be able to trust. She wants to feel like she belongs. She wants a family. She wants to feel cherished. She wants—well I’ll let you figure it out.”
“What are ye trying to say?”
“I’m trying to say there is only one thing that will give you any hope of convincing her,” replied Keith.
“And if I could provide her with this, would ye allow her to stay?” asked Alasdair.
“As I tried to tell you before, Cat is a big girl, I don’t ‘allow’ her anything. She makes her own decisions. But, be warned, I support her decisions fully. If she wants to leave, then that’s that.” Keith further emphasized his next question with a shrug of his shoulders, “So I guess the big question is—can you provide Cat with the one thing she was not able to find in her own time?”
“Love?” asked Alasdair, but Keith had already left. Alasdair knew he cared for Catriona, but he was not sure it was love. I will just have to convince her that I do so she will want to stay.
***
Chapter 14
Catriona sought out Ailsa the next morning, hoping to completely avoid her brother and Alasdair after yesterday’s debacle. She found her with Lainie and the other women working on the never-ending piles of mending. “Catriona! I am so glad ye are here, we have missed yer company,” said Ailsa when she saw her.
“Aye, but nae yer sewing!” teased one of the older women in the room.
“Oh be nice,” scolded another.
“Don’t worry about it,” laughed Cat. “I know my sewing is terrible. There is no point in denying the truth. But, I’ve still got my crocheting!” said Cat as she pulled out the hook she had made.
Sitting down to work, Cat found she had actually missed the activity. Yes, helping to build was more satisfying, and she felt preparing food stores for the winter was more practical, but nothing could compare to the almost trance-like state that overcame her as she worked the thread.
Unfortunately, Cat let herself fall a little too deeply into mindlessness. Lainie leaned over and whispered to her, “Lady Cat, forgive me, I know a woman’s secrets are her own, but if ye intend to keep that one, ye should consider stitching something else.”
Looking down, Cat was horrified when she realized she had been working on baby-booties. She mouthed a thank-you to Lainie as she quickly pulled out the stitches. Instead, she began to work on a hat. But then she almost turned it into a baby bonnet. She quickly worked a few more rows to ensure it would be large enough to fit an adult head.
Frustrated with her efforts, Cat decided to go for a walk. Lainie quickly followed behind her. Cat had to give the girl credit, it was at least a full fifteen minutes before Lainie could no longer hold back her curiosity. “Does he know?” asked the young maid.
“Yes, Alasdair knows.”
“So, ye are to be married?” she asked excitedly
“No.”
“Nay? I cannae believe it. I never would have thought Laird Alasdair would treat a woman so poorly,” gasped Lainie.
“You misunderstand,” said Cat. “I’m sure Alasdair wants us to be wed. I just have no desire to enter into holy matrimony.”
“But…but why?” stuttered the girl.
“I need to go back home,” explained Cat simply.
“Ah, so there is another man back home,” concluded Lainie. “But will he accept another man’s bastard?”
Catriona could only rub her temples in frustration, she knew the girl meant well. “There is not another man; I just need to get home. Oh, and no one really cares about that whole bastard thing where I’m from.”
“But why nae stay? Laird MacLean seems to care for ye, and ye always seemed happy enough.”
“Yes, I was happy,” said Cat, “But I can’t stay.”
“I am sure ye have yer reasons, even if I cannae fathom them,” muttered the girl. “But be warned, ye willnae be able to keep yer secret much longer, ye are already beginning to show.”
Looking down at her stomach, Catriona cursed as she realized Lainie was right. “I hope that willnae be the bairn’s first word,” said Alasdair. Cat cursed again when she realized Lainie had abandoned her and she was now trapped alone with the man. “Ach, now ye are saying it apurpose.”
“What do you want Alasdair?”
“A favor,” he said far too innocently.
“What kind of favor?” asked Cat with a healthy dose of suspicion.
“I want to know if ye would be willing to stay…”
“Ugh we went over this last night,” sighed Cat. “I can’t stay here.”
“Ye didnae let me finish,” admonished Alasdair. “Ye dinnae need to repeat yer feelings, ye made yerself very clear. I simply want to know if ye will be willing to stay a little while longer. I had discussed with Keith the possibility of making improvements to the actual castle. I want to ensure ye are willing to extend yer visit before I talk further with yer brother.”
“Not permanently?” asked Cat.
“Nae unless ye want to,” said Alasdair with a suggestive smile.
Catriona considered his words. She could not blame the man for wanting to improve his home. She knew Keith could greatly help with the fortification. Plus, since she still could not find the book, she did not see the harm in agreeing…for now. “Fine, we’ll stay a while longer.”
***
Alasdair was relieved Catriona had willingly agreed to stay. This should make it easier to convince her to live in this time permanently. If she had felt trapped here, her sole focus would be on finding a means of escape. Plus, her agreement helped assuage his guilt over keeping the book hidden from Catriona.
“How long do you think Keith will need?” she asked.
“I am nae sure,” he replied. “I am to meet with Keith now to show him what repairs and improvements the castle needs. Would ye like to accompany me?” At her nod, he extended his arm, but she did not take the proffered appendage. Instead, she brushed by Alasdair to walk ahead.
Alasdair could tell by Keith’s expression he had not expected his sister to approach him so soon. “So you’re actually talking to me?” asked her brother.
“No, I’m not talking to you,” she replied. “I’m just here to make s
ure you don’t overcommit to this renovation project.” Alasdair briefly considered explaining the obvious error in Catriona’s first statement to her brother, but decided she was still too upset to respond to that type of teasing.
“Okay, fair enough,” replied Keith. To Alasdair he asked, “Where would you like to start?”
“I think the outer walls are most critical,” began Alasdair as he led the siblings further from the center of the keep. He showed Keith the damage the walls had previously undergone. Then, he brought them to the areas he felt were too weak, either structurally, or as a means of defense. Keith needed to more closely examine the structure, so he left Catriona with Alasdair as he began to climb the walls.
“Keith is way too excited about this,” muttered Catriona as Alasdair found her leaning against a wall.
“How can ye tell?” he asked.
“Look at him; he’s climbing the walls like a monkey. Keith is so intent he does not even notice anything else around him,” answered Catriona. “He used to get like this whenever he began a new project back home. He loves the challenge of the new and unfamiliar.”
“Do ye think he will find this challenging enough?” he asked. “My castle is nothing compared to some of the buildings ye showed me from yer home.”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked in near disbelief. “Keith is like a kid in a candy shop. This will be the biggest building he has ever worked on. And to build a castle, I’m pretty sure that was one of his childhood fantasies. In fact, he even built me a castle once or twice when we were kids so I could act own my own dream,” she said.
“What was yer dream?”
“Nothing. It was stupid—just something every little girl dreamed about,” she explained.
“Now I must know!” exclaimed Alasdair.
“Fine,” she said before finishing the rest of the sentence hurriedly, “I would pretend I was secretly a princess and that I had met my prince charming who would sweep me off my feet and take me to live with him in his castle happily-ever-after.” Alasdair had trouble hearing some of what she said, but the thought he had heard the most critical details.
“Well, I may nae be a prince…”
“And you most certainly aren’t charming,” muttered Catriona.
“Ach, now there I must disagree,” insisted Alasdair as he moved away from the wall to face her. He encased Catriona between his chest and the stones. “If I was nae charming, would I be able to do this?”
Catriona laughed at his antics. “Okay, okay, I’ll agree you have a very charming smile.” She patted him on his cheek to further emphasize her acknowledgement. Unwilling to let this opportunity pass, Alasdair caught her wrist in his hand. He gently turned her palm so he could place a light kiss on the sensitive flesh. He used the caress to determine how willing she was to accept his touch; the heated blush in her cheeks provided the answer he needed.
Despite her body’s response, she said, “Alasdair don’t…”
Alasdair silenced her protestation with a short, passionate kiss. “I ken ye eventually intend to leave. But be warned, I intend to do everything I can to convince ye that yer place is here with me.”
***
Traitorous, stupid body! Rather than feeling relieved at Alasdair’s quick departure, Cat felt bereft. She could not deny the attraction she felt for the man, she had never tried. Why else would she have let herself have a fling with the man—something she had never seriously contemplated before this misadventure. But, his pull was merely physical. Sure, keep lying to yourself.
Cat knew it was more than just attraction which had drawn her to Alasdair—he was just one of those ‘one-in-a-million’ type of guys. How many times had she sat around thinking about how wonderful and funny he was? I just need to accept the fact he is going to be ‘the one that got away,’ because if I don’t start avoiding him like the plague, I could be in some serious trouble.
Chapter 15
Catriona’s attempts to avoid Alasdair had proved to be completely futile—like ‘you will be assimilated’ futile. I really should kill Keith for getting me hooked on Star Trek! Alasdair must have enlisted the entire keep to help with his goal of convincing her to stay.
For the past two weeks, Cat had had to contend with suddenly being abandoned by whomever she was with whenever Alasdair had approached (because of course, they would want some privacy.) Or, if Alasdair was nowhere near, she had had to listen to a litany of his many great qualities and attributes. As if I didn’t already know these things. At this point, Cat was pretty sure that even if she did agree to marry the man, it would be a sin—because Alasdair was obviously the pope!
Sadly, but unsurprisingly, even Ailsa was in on the act. At first, she had been subtle, but now she appeared to be trying the more direct approach. “Ye know, Alasdair would make ye a good husband.”
“I never said he wouldn’t.”
“Then why do ye resist?” asked Ailsa.
Catriona had grown tired of answering these questions. Her arguments had begun to sound increasingly weak without being able to explain she simply did not belong in this century. “I just can’t,” she sighed.
“But why? He is good, and kind, and loyal.” Oh boy, here we go again. “And I am sure he would provide ye with more than enough bairns,” said Ailsa. Catriona heard a snort from the back of the room. She glared daggers at Lainie who had been in the back of the room since Ailsa had started her assault. “What? What did I miss?” But then realization came over Ailsa’s face. “Ye mean to tell me ye are carrying my niece or nephew and ye still intend to simply leave? Catriona, I had nae thought ye could be so cruel!”
“I am sure she never meant to be cruel, Ailsa,” interrupted Lainie in an attempt to get back into Catriona’s good graces. “It cannae be easy to find yerself in a strange land in her situation. But, if ye must insist on pestering her so, at least help me get her dressed.”
Catriona had not noticed before, but the dress Lainie held was far more beautiful than anything she had worn since she had arrived. Ailsa also appeared to be in her best finery. “What is going on?” asked Cat. “You all aren’t planning on surprising me with a priest or anything are you?”
“Laird MacKinnon is here this evening,” answered Ailsa.
“Wait, who?” asked Cat. She was completely confused.
“Laird MacKinnon,” repeated Ailsa. “Alasdair has grown increasingly concerned about the activities of the Camerons, so he wrote MacKinnon asking for possible aid.”
“Your clans are allies?”
“Nay, we are closer to enemies,” responded Ailsa.
“So, why would he agree exactly?” asked Cat.
“Because we both have had troubles with the Camerons,” answered Ailsa.
“So, if they’re here to talk war and strategy, why do I need to go down?”
“Because the man is a lecher,” said Lainie.
“She exaggerates,” said Ailsa. “But the man does tend to be more agreeable when he is full with ale and able to flirt with a pretty woman.”
“And Alasdair approves of this tactic?” asked Catriona, completely surprised.
“Nay, he doesnae even know I have this planned. But anything we can do to ensure MacKinnon’s cooperation will be well worth the effort. If war does arrive, I want more men supporting Alasdair to increase the chances he will return whole,” said Ailsa seriously.
“So you’re planning on flirting with MacKinnon as well?”
“Aye, and I could use yer support.”
“Fine, let’s go get this over with,” said Cat.
So prepared, Cat left for the hall, ready for a battle of wits. The man sitting at the head table next to Alasdair looked to be in his seventies; this helped Catriona relax. She had a feeling he had probably been a shameless flirt in his younger days, but now was most likely just a harmless, horny old man. Truthfully, Cat had always enjoyed interacting with these types of men; she had always found their antics hilarious.
MacKinnon did not disappoint
. “Alasdair, ye have been holding out on me! Ye didnae tell me yer sister had grown so beautiful and that ye had such a lovely guest here,” said their newest guest.
“Laird MacKinnon, this is Lady Catriona. Catriona, Laird MacKinnon,” introduced Alasdair.
“Lady Catriona, would ye believe MacLean has had me talking about warfare, when we could have been talking about one as lovely as yerself?”
This man has obviously already been well plied with ale. “I don’t see that there is much of a difference,” said Cat.
“What do ye mean?” asked MacKinnon.
“Well, whether through war or a woman, men are always trying to prove how skilled they are with their sword, are they not?”
The man’s eyes widened at her question. Finally, he asked, “Lassie, are ye married?”
“Why? Are you asking?” prompted Cat. She had been correct, this man was harmless. But, she could tell Ailsa was uncomfortable around the MacKinnon, so Cat kept his attention solely on herself.
***
“Nay lassie, ye are far too brazen for my tastes. If I were to take another wife at my age, I would want someone far more docile.” Alasdair had had trouble controlling his emotions during Catriona’s exchange with MacKinnon. He had wanted to reach across the table and squeeze the man’s throat when he had begun his flirtation. But, since he denied having any serious interest in Catriona, Alasdair let the matter drop. “But, if ye want to see my skills with a sword, I will be more than happy to show ye,” said the old MacKinnon with the wink. Or maybe I will kill the man after all.
“Now who is being brazen?” teased Catriona with a gentle shove to the man’s shoulder. “Besides, from what I understand, it is your other sword in which we are more interested.”
“Aye, aye, true enough. Shall we get back to business Alasdair?”
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