Highland Charm: First Fantasies

by April Holthaus

  He crept through the living room and into the kitchen, stopping at the door. Hesitating for a moment, he listened. The voices came from the rear of the garden.

  Finn twisted the doorknob and pushed, praying it wouldn’t make noise. Very quietly, the door opened. He released the breath he held, thankful for well-oiled hinges. He stayed put until his eyes adjusted to the near darkness. Using foliage for cover, he worked his way through the garden to the stone bench. A large shadow the size of Iain moved near the back gate.

  The gate Douglas claimed a conduit of magic.

  Gooseflesh prickled along Finn’s arms. He dropped into a crouch, balancing his weight on the balls of his feet with the sword grasped in both hands extended in front of him ready to fend off an attack.

  He remained motionless. Why didn’t Iain make a move on him?

  Finn stiffened. Had his friends set him up for a rear attack from Douglas?

  The clouds cleared the full moon and a silvery light bathed the garden. The large man who stood before him wasn’t Iain. The stranger dressed in one of the most authentic Scottish Highlands’ reenactment costumes Finn had seen. If he guessed right, the great kilt was from the sixteenth century. A sight he hadn’t expected to see in his cousin’s garden tonight.

  He strained his eyes to see the other shadowy figure partially hidden. A small woman completely wrapped within a large tartan blanket stepped from behind the man.

  With barely a thought to his training, Finn stood straight. Taking his sword in one hand, he rested it point down on the ground while he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. Was he seeing things? Who could these strange people be? Friends of Iain or Douglas?

  What were they doing in his cousin’s garden? “Hey? Who are you?”

  In one swift motion, the stranger pulled a sword from a sheath on his back, and before Finn blinked, the sharp point pressed against his throat.

  “Don’t! He’s my cousin.” The woman rushed forward and grasped the man’s bicep.

  Not daring to move, every muscle taut, Finn looked into the man’s dark eyes and recognized the warning. With the slightest pressure, he’d be dead.

  Biting back the fear boiling in his belly, Finn refused to glance away.

  “Release him.”

  What the hell? The voice belonged to Laurie. Still, he knew better than to let down his guard. He continued to hold the man’s stare, issuing a challenge of his own.

  With a chuckle, the stranger let the point of his sword drop and reached out his arm. “Patrick.”

  Finn looked from the offered hand to the man’s eyes, flicking his gaze to his cousin and back to the stranger. Humor now sparkled in those dark eyes. Relaxing his muscles, he allowed Patrick to grasp his arm in what he learned from Iain was a warrior’s greeting—a show of honor.

  “Finn.”

  “Aye. I ken that now. Sorry I brought my sword upon you. My lady-wife would be sorely vexed if I killed her kin.”

  Finn jerked his gaze to Laurie. Her expression dared him to question her. He planned to do just that. Maybe he’d wring her neck while he was at it.

  “Where have you been and what are you doing with this brute? Lady-wife? Dammit, Laurie, what is he talking about?”

  Laurie grabbed hold of Patrick’s hand for moral support. And to restrain him from coming to blows with her cousin. Two men, bristling with pride, positioning for dominance, wasn’t something she wanted to deal with after zinging through the time warp.

  She shivered and glanced around the garden. Something wasn’t quite right, but she couldn’t figure out what unnerved her. Plants bloomed in abundance. Cosmos, zinnias, and sunflowers surrounded them. The perfume from the Stargazer lilies tickled her nose. Even in the dim light, the garden showed at its peak.

  Flowers?

  “Finn, what is today’s date?”

  He stared at her as if she were crazy. “My darling cousin, I’ve been extremely worried. I returned from a financial symposium in Beijing to find you gone. Your landlord claimed you left without a word. You paid the rent for a year in advance and then disappeared. What was I to think? Now you want to know the date? What’s going on? Where have you been?” He glared at Patrick. “And what are you doing with this man, dressed in that costume?”

  Stray hair had come loose from her braid, and she smoothed the strands back with a shaky hand. “I’ll answer your questions in a minute. First, tell me the date.”

  Finn leaned against the hilt of his sword. “Wednesday, July twenty-fifth.”

  She slumped against Patrick.

  He squeezed her hand. “When we left, snow covered the ground.”

  “I know. I don’t understand this either.”

  Her cousin looked at their joined hands and relaxed his shoulders. “What are you talking about? Snow?”

  “Can we go inside? I really need to sit down,” she said.

  “Sure.” Finn gazed off to the east. “The sun will rise soon. I can make a pot of coffee.”

  “Wonderful.” Laurie sighed with pleasure. “I haven’t drank coffee in months.”

  His eyes snapped to her. “What? You survive on coffee. Just where have you been?”

  “I’ll explain after I have some java.”

  Laurie held Patrick’s hand and guided him along the path to the cottage. His grip was firm, but his features thinned as he checked out the profusion of flowers.

  Unreal. The garden was lush and green.

  And her Patrick—brave.

  He dropped her hand and followed her into the kitchen. “Where are the candles? I’ve nary a one in my pouch.”

  Finn flicked on the light as he entered behind them and leaned his sword against the wall.

  Patrick yelped. With a backward hop, he hit his backside against the stove. His eyes filled with panic and his gaze darted around the room.

  She reached out to him, but he shook his head and raised his chin.

  Patrick rubbed his eyes and surveyed the chamber again. Odd. Although the table and chairs looked much like the ones at Castle Lachlan, though less ornate, other items in the room were more foreign than what he’d seen during his travels on the continent. There were several large silver boxes. One nearly as big as a man, and with handles on its front. He raised his gaze to the ceiling and the strange source of light, until his eyes burned and he looked away.

  He’d never seen the like before. The extreme brightness made it seem as if the sun hung from the ceiling. He refused to ask his wife’s cousin how he’d made the chamber light. He didn’t want to appear ignorant.

  Many things existed in this time he couldn’t possibly understand. Patrick ran a hand through his loose hair. Had he made a grave mistake? He noted the worry in Laurie’s eyes and straightened his shoulders, standing tall. He’d made the right decision. She belonged here in her own time, and he would learn how to survive here too.

  Her cousin watched him with suspicion. Patrick suppressed a growl and ignored the man. He unfastened his sword and shrugged it off, leaning the weapon against the wall next to Finn’s. He didn’t want the man to think he didn’t trust him.

  He smiled at Laurie, guided her to the table, and helped her sit in one of the chairs. He leaned close and kissed her soft cheek.

  “Are you well?”

  “Fine.” Her radiant smile was his reward.

  He’d do whatever it took to make her happy. The glare from the other man was of no consequence.

  Patrick stood behind his wife’s chair and clenched his jaw. No one need know he clutched the chair back to keep his hands from trembling.

  Laurie reached behind her and patted Patrick’s hand, feeling remorse for putting him through this. This was the beginning of his adjustment. The transition would be difficult for her Highland warrior.

  She removed the heavy wool plaid and folded it on the table at her side.

  Finn gasped, his gaze narrowing on her swollen belly. He pointed at her stomach, his mouth dropping open.

  “Close your mouth, Finn. You look
like an idiot.”

  “Would you mind explaining that?”

  She placed a palm on her extended abdomen, and felt movement. Excitement bubbled up, but she kept it to herself. A secret she’d share with Patrick later when they were alone.

  Well, her unborn child showed an odd sense of timing. Laurie had left Scotland barely pregnant and now appeared closer to six months along. With a sigh, she made eye contact with Finn.

  “Outside, you shook hands with my husband.” Again, she patted the back of Patrick’s hand. “We married several months ago. What often happens to married couples happened to us. We’re expecting a child.”

  “Dammit. What were you thinking? With a child on the way it’ll be hard to get an annulment.”

  She opened her mouth to blast her cousin, but Patrick growled, low and deep. Laurie half expected to hear a battle cry. “We said our vows afore a priest. There will not be an annulment.” Taking her by the hand, he pulled her from her seat. “Come, wife. We return to Scotland.”

  Finn snarled. “You’ll not take my cousin anywhere. Least of all out of the country. I’ll have my law enforcement friends on you so quick, your head will spin.”

  Tension strained between the two men as they glared at each other. The testosterone overload was thick in the air. They were two obstinate, headstrong, foolish men, whom she loved, each in her own special way. But right now, she wanted to give them each a smack.

  “Stop this foolishness, both of you. Patrick, sit down. You too, Finn. We’re married, and Finn, you’ll have to get used to the idea. Now, explain to me why you’re here, obviously living in my house. And then, I’ll try to explain where I’ve been.” She sat in the chair and folded her arms over her chest.

  Finn gave her one of his annoyed looks, one she was way too familiar with from when she worked for him.

  “I returned from Asia to learn Trendsetter magazine named me Best Catch of the Year. Believe it or not, women are stalking me. I needed to get out of town and thought this the one place no one would look for me. I drove down. Only, when I called to invite myself, I learned you’d been missing for over a month.”

  Poor Finn. She almost felt sorry for him. She could imagine the antics women would contrive in an attempt to grab his attention.

  “How long have you been here?” She glanced around the kitchen at the junk on the counters, piles of newspapers and magazines, a few paperbacks, dirty dishes. “It appears as if you’ve settled in.”

  Finn strode to the refrigerator, removed a container of ground coffee and, using a filter, put some into the drip coffee maker, then added water.

  “I’ve been here a little over a month, though it seems longer.” After he flipped the switch, he took three cups from the cupboard and set them on the counter. “I tried to contact Father when I discovered you were missing. He’s in Africa, again—somewhere on a dig—and can’t be reached.”

  Finn had always found it galling to have a father who shunned his business responsibilities in order to travel around the globe pursuing archeological artifacts.

  “What’s up with the sword?” She breathed easier, relieved to see the two claymores—so out of place in the modern kitchen—leaning harmlessly against the wall. Wait a minute. The sword—

  “What?”

  “Isn’t it from the Celtic Image shop?”

  “Yeah. Before I hired a firm to find you, I searched for you myself. I visited the shop and met Douglas MacKinnon. He told me you’d vanished into the woods behind the cottage in search of your destiny.” Finn leaned against the counter. “Can you believe it? He thinks you were spirited away by a faerie princess.”

  “A faerie? Really?” Laurie sucked back her smile.

  Her nose twitched. The aroma of brewing French roast tantalized her taste buds. Steam spewed from the coffee maker. Patrick’s eyes bugged. Finn poured the java and put the full mugs on the table along with milk and sugar.

  “Douglas has got some unusual beliefs, but otherwise we’ve a lot in common. He convinced me to join the local reenactment group. He and your landlord are teaching me to fight like a Highlander.”

  Patrick made an unpleasant noise deep in his throat, and she chuckled. He stared into the dark brew. She added a spoon of sugar and some milk, and pushed the cup toward him. He took a sip and gave her one of his beautiful smiles. As always, her heart tripped a beat.

  Finn cleared his throat. “Now it’s your turn to explain where you’ve been.” His gaze landed on her belly. “Just when did you get pregnant? You’ve only been gone a couple of months.

  “That’s part of the story, though it would be best if I started at the beginning.” She felt herself frowning. “And there are a few things I don’t understand.” Like how she was several months ahead on her pregnancy.

  Laurie talked until her voice rasped, with Patrick adding a nod at critical points. The sun had risen long ago and natural light streamed into the kitchen.

  Finn closed his mouth. He’d spent a good part of their discussion gaping. “I guessed the story would be long and complicated. I didn’t expect the tale to be completely unbelievable.” He emptied the dregs from his cup into the sink as if he needed to do something normal. “You’re telling me you left the sixteenth century in the winter to arrive here where it’s your previous summer, at least measured by the basis of the length of time you were in the past. You know, the story boggles the mind.”

  “I know.” She cocked her head sideways. “I never lie. You have to believe I’m telling the truth.”

  “I guess I believe you. It’s just unfathomable.” He ran his fingers through his tousled hair. “Let’s get some rest. I need to sleep on this. I’ll take the sofa and you and Patrick can take the bedroom. Later you can help me pack and take my things to the inn. The innkeepers will be relieved to learn you’ve returned safe and sound.”

  Laurie rose and tugged on Patrick’s hand. “I’ll show you to our bedroom.”

  * * *

  Patrick leaned against the bed-head with Laurie curled against him sound asleep, her belly pressed into his side. The bairn growing within her womb filled him with pride. He rubbed his chest in the vicinity of his heart.

  Laurie and their bairn would be safe here in this time. He glanced around the chamber. The furniture was constructed from good quality wood. The bed was smaller than his at Castle Lachlan; his feet hung over the end when he laid flat, but otherwise the mattress was comfortable. The cottage was wee, yet serviceable. Laurie’s home would shelter them until he built something bigger.

  The bairn kicked and the wonder of it had him rubbing his chest again. Laurie’s eyes opened, her lips curving into a glorious smile. She claimed his heart, and he made a vow. He’d do whatever was required to make a good life for her and their bairn.

  She rubbed her hand along his thigh. “How’s my lover?”

  Patrick hardened. With a growl, he pulled her on top of him, pressing his erection against her center. Her eyes flared. “We won’t hurt the babe?” he asked.

  “Nah.” She nuzzled his neck, sending shivers over his skin.

  He held her tight against his length. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to—”

  “I’m not fragile glass. I won’t break.”

  He slipped her chemise over her head and slowly entered her. Warmth washed through his body. She scraped her nails along his back, urging him to give her more.

  Their loving was all consuming and they exploded in unison with an intensity that shook his soul. He doubted he’d ever get use to the intense pleasure he found within her arms.

  But would he be able to provide for her and keep her and the bairn safe in this strange time?

  * * *

  Laurie strolled into the living room, straightening the lavender peasant blouse she wore over a black elastic-waist skirt. She’d need to go shopping to get some maternity clothes.

  Finn reached for the front doorknob. “My Hummer is out front.”

  “And you don’t understand why women chase after
you when you flaunt your wealth like that.”

  Finn bristled. “I don’t.”

  “You do.” She laughed. “I doubt Patrick is ready for a car ride. Our world is overwhelming enough for those born to it. For someone like Patrick, well...all I can do is try to ease the way for him.” She pulled her sweater from the chair and tied it around her shoulders. “You take your vehicle. We’ll walk. We’ll cross the meadow and take the trail through the woods.”

  She sensed Patrick’s presence before he touched her. When he put his hand on her shoulder, she turned around to face him. Her breath caught. He wore a pair of Finn’s jeans. They fit him, nice and snug, in a way to make her mouth water. Raising her eyes to his chest, she took in the white polo pulled taut against firm muscle. She licked her lips and gazed into his eyes. They burned with pure lust.

  “Ach, wife. Do that again with your tongue and we will never leave this cottage.”

  She swallowed, stepping closer to him.

  Finn chuckled. “We can’t have that. I need you both to help me unload my stuff at the inn. Besides, I’m starving and you promised to join me for dinner.” He opened the front door and headed out.

  Laurie gave Patrick a disappointed pout before turning away to reach for her purse. He stooped down. With his lips grazing her ear, he whispered, “Later, m’sweet. I will make you scream.”

  A delicious shiver slid along her spine. “I’m doomed to be horny all through dinner.”

  “Horny?” His forehead furrowed.

  “Never mind. I’ll show you what I mean tonight.” Hand in hand, they left the cottage and strolled across the meadow, taking their time along the woodland trail to the inn.

  “I think you should explain horny now,” Patrick said.

  “Remember what it was like when Munn pulled mischievous pranks to keep us apart?”

  “Aye.”

  “That frustration is horny.”

  “We could make love here in the wood.”

  “Finn would interrupt us.”

  “Later then.” Patrick’s sexy smile made her insides flip.

  “It’s a date.”

  When they arrived at the inn, Finn’s black Hummer was parked in front. Laurie brought Patrick through the side garden, around to the rear door and into the foyer. Since the room was empty, she guided him toward the dining room entrance.