by Tamara Gill
It took Kenzie an hour or so before she found him walking through a parkland, heading toward Castle Druiminn. Without a word, he got into the vehicle, although his silence and white knuckled hands betrayed his nervousness.
They pulled up before Druiminn, and Kenzie watched Ben closely as he took in what once was his closest friend’s home. The new laird, Kenzie’s cousin, stepped from the front doors and smiled at Ben in welcome.
“I’m Laird MacLeod, or Richard, which is what I prefer. I’m honored to meet ye.” Richard held out his hand to shake Ben’s in welcome and Ben stared at it with an expression of confusion.
“In greeting someone in our time, Ben, it’s customary to shake the other person’s hand.” Kenzie demonstrated, and Ben followed suit, relaxing a little once he understood.
“I’m Ben Ross, Laird of Castle Ross. Black Ben to those who cross me.”
Richard smiled. “I consider myself warned. Now come,” he said, gesturing them into the castle. “The wind is biting today, and it’s much warmer before the hearth.”
They followed Richard inside, and Kenzie helped Ben settle in the great hall before a roaring fire. Of course, in this time, the house had central heating, and some floors were heated, but there was nothing better than a fire to chase the chill away.
“I will go and fetch us some tea. I’ll not be long.”
Ben watched the laird go with a critical eye and met her stare. “You serve yourself in this time?”
Kenzie sat beside him and tried to take his hand. He pulled it away and folded it in his lap. Will he ever forgive me? Of course, she could send him back, but in truth, she didn’t want to. She wanted to be selfish and keep him here. Where it was safe from any threats of not only the human kind, but those you couldn’t see, such as disease.
“There are servants here, but the majority of the time we pour our own drinks and fetch tea. The cook does prepare the meals, though. Richard was never very good in the kitchen.”
“Ye know this man well, then?”
The scathing tone gave Kenzie pause. “Are you jealous of him?” She laughed, unable to hold it back. “Unlike in your time, Ben, we don’t marry our cousins. Of course, I know him. He’s my family, but no, not in that way.”
Ben made a non-committal sound and stared at the flames. He was angry with her, and she couldn’t blame him. Not really. Had she been in his position, she would’ve been pissed off, as well.
“I’ll go get Alasdair from the nursery and bring him down. I think he’s missed you.”
At the mention of his son, Ben’s demeanor changed to one of happiness. Kenzie went upstairs and asked Irene to take the boy down to visit his father. She didn’t return to be with them. It was probably best she let them have some alone time. Little Alasdair adored his father and would enjoy having him to himself for a little while.
At least that’s what Kenzie said to herself as she plodded back to the room that Richard had allocated her when she’d returned. She was feeling all kinds of awful for ruining Ben’s life. She sat on the end of her bed and stared out the window, not focusing on anything really at all.
If Ben wouldn’t stay, could she?
She couldn’t imagine not having him in her life, but could she give up all that she loved here for him? Leave her mother, her family, and home? There was no denying she lived a comfortable life, having inherited the family estate, something her mother no longer wanted anything to do with. And when she was back in the seventeenth century things were different. She’d thought to stay, and would have been happy there, but now, now that she was back, Kenzie wasn’t so sure that decision was right for her.
Just as Ben had people in the past relying on him, she had people relying on her now. The estate, the very one Gwen and Braxton had been given by Gwen’s brother, Laird MacLeod, was hers now. There was a small tenant village situated upon the lands that rented from her, some of whom worked her farmlands. She had a successful B&B business and with the restoration of Castle Ross, that too would be a source of income for her in the years to come.
It was a lot to leave to go back to what? Ben’s home had been burning when they left, and it remained a blackened shell to this very day.
Unless…
Kenzie stood and smiled. Oh yes, there was a way to keep him here, and maybe happily so. She just needed to get him better, and then she could put her plan into place.
Chapter Eighteen
Ben pushed the little black stick that Kenzie called a remote and fought to remember how to turn the blaring black box on the wall off. It was just one of many of the annoyances Ben had to deal with now that he was in the twenty-first century.
No longer was there quiet, the sounds of the sea or the tweeting of birds in the trees or his clansmen busy with their chores or maids gossiping in the halls. Now there were cars that ran past a road up behind the estate. The town lights that shone bright in the night and stole the view of the stars.
The absence of his friends: Aedan and Abby, Gwen and Braxton whom he missed more than he thought possible. Living in this time brought with it the cold, hard truth that they were all gone now. Long buried in the Scottish soil and no longer around to visit, to drink with. To reminisce old stories and sing clan songs. All of that gone.
A maid walked past the room Kenzie termed the lounge and threw him an odd glance. He supposed he was an oddity. He didn’t know how most things worked. That the candles had been replaced with electricity, a magic he’d never understand.
That castles such as this one were restored, made comfortable and draft proof. Well, a lot less drafty than he was used to. That kitchen stoves were replaced with electric and gas ovens. That horses were ridden for pleasure not as a means for transportation and warfare.
Ben lay back in the chair, staring at the black box on the wall. Stupid, loud thing that it was. The only saving grace of this time were the running water and hot showers. Should he return to the seventeenth century, he would study this more and try and work out a way to have such luxuries in his home. That one invention was a marvel.
…
Kenzie walked into the room and despaired at the boredom that she could read on Ben’s face. “Get up. I want to take you somewhere.”
“I’m comfortable here,” he said, not moving.
She came over to him and pulled him to stand, glad that he didn’t fight her considering he looked less than pleased to be moved. “We’re going for a drive. I want to show you something.” Now that Ben was well enough for Kenzie to take him in a car it was time to pull out her trump card. The drive wouldn’t be too long, but for a man who loathed vehicles, it would be an interesting trip, to say the least.
“I know we haven’t spoken of it much since you came back to Druiminn from the hospital, but before I send you back, I wanted to show you something.” Something she hoped would convince him to stay.
They drove into a valley and before them lay a dense forest of trees. It was lush and beautifully green, and Kenzie wondered if he’d even recognize the place. The trees were larger; there were more of them; and there was a road leading to his old home, yet, it was also eerily familiar.
“I know this place.”
She smiled at him and continued on. Within minutes, they passed the small village that sat by the bay and Kenzie smiled when she saw Castle Ross looming on the cliff above it all, as grand and foreboding as it ever was.
“You brought me home?” His tone didn’t give much away. Kenzie put the car in park before the gates and turned to him. “Come, I want you to see what I know as Castle Ross.”
…
Ben could feel the ghosts of his clansmen, of the centuries that had passed since he’d been here. Since any laird had occupied Ross land, and a shiver stole down his back. To see his home in such disrepair, broken and burned, covered by plants and trees alike, left a gaping wound in his heart.
He should have been better prepared. Fought harder against Clan Grant. That he hadn’t, and he’d allowed his people to be kille
d, and chased away without any support, shamed him. Ben ground his teeth and walked into what used to be the great hall.
“’Tis odd to be here. The place is the same, and yet so different.”
Kenzie came and stood before him, taking his hands. “The moment I saw Castle Ross I decided I must know the man behind the name. Who was Black Ben and what happened to him? And while I know all that, and I love you beyond anything in this world, you’re not happy, and I want to change that.”
“How?” he asked, not liking the way his lass was speaking. A sense of impending dread hovered above his head.
“If you wish, I can send you back, and I will; you just have to say when, but I need you to know that in my time, my estate, too, is a working farm. I, too, have tenants to look after, and while the system has changed since the seventeenth century, there are still people relying on me here. The home that Gwen and Braxton lived in is now mine and is where people come to stay, to visit and learn about our family and its history. I’m what people call a business woman, someone who earns money and is her own boss, her own master, in a sense.”
His gut clenched, and he frowned. “Ye’re not going to return with me, are ye? Is that what you’re trying to tell me, lass?”
Kenzie nodded. “I’m so sorry, Ben, but I can’t go back. My life is here, and I’m going to be selfish and say I want your life to be here, too. I don’t want you to go back.”
’Twas an impossible choice. How was one supposed to choose between one’s home, land, and all the responsibilities that came with that, for the other side of their soul? Without doubt, he could not live without the woman before him, but could he live without his home? He wasna sure.
“I dinna want to leave ye either, lass, but ’tis an impossible choice you’ve given me. This is your time and mine is in the past. Alasdair is supposed to be the next Laird of Ross. By staying, I take his birthright away from him. All that I am, that we are, would be gone.”
“Clan Grant took Alasdair’s birth right away from him, and you don’t know what type of trouble you’ll be walking into, should I send you back to your time. The castle is in ruins, your people scattered. How will you stay? Rebuild? Is that even possible?”
Ben ran a hand through his hair, looking up at what once was a high, wooden ceiling and now showed nothing but crystal clear blue skies. There were funds for rebuilding, for their future, but the castle had been attacked prior to being set alight, and there was a good chance Clan Grant had stolen all that he had, taken anything of value for their own keeps.
“I dinna know, lass.”
“Before you decide, there is one last thing that I have to offer.” Kenzie’s hands were clenched before her, and she looked on the verge of tears.
“What is it?”
She stepped away from him and went to stand in the middle of the great hall. “If you stay, I can give you all this. I can help you rebuild your home in this time and have all that you want, but in my time. With me.”
He frowned. “How is that possible?”
“Before I traveled back to your century, I bought this estate. I always intended to restore it to its original state. Have it as an inn, of sorts, that people could come and stay in, make it reliant on itself again.”
“And now?” Ben waited for what Kenzie said next, hoping that it was what he wanted to hear.
“Now I want it for us. My ancestral home from Gwen and Braxton can be opened up to the public full time, but we’ll keep Castle Ross for ourselves. Work on it together and make it a home for you, me, and Alasdair. What do you think?”
Relief poured through him like wine and striding toward Kenzie he picked her up, clasping her tight against him. “To know that I’m home, living in the castle, in the place where I grew up, was part of—to be back here with you and my boy would be a perfect consolation prize. I will not deny that I shall miss my friends, my clansmen, but I’m willing to say goodbye to that life, if this is to be our home.”
“You’ll stay then?” Kenzie sounded shocked, and he chuckled, keeping her against him and not letting her go.
“Did ye think that I would leave ye with such an offer as this? One that I dinna think was even possible.”
“I did believe you’d leave, yes. As much as me showing you Castle Ross and what I wanted to do with it, it still isn’t your time, and I know better than anyone how hard it can be when living in a place and situation that is foreign to them. But I love this place as much as you, and I had to give it one last chance, to bribe you, in a sense, to maybe change your mind. I’m not sure I can live without you.”
“I know I canna live without you, and if I had gone back, I would’ve made ye come with me. I love ye, Kenzie, so much so that ’tis maddening.”
She grinned up at him and he lifted her chin and kissed her, lingering over her lips before meeting her gaze. “When can we move in?”
“The building work is to commence next month. There is a lot to do, cleaning out the debris, rebuilding the walls, and roof, and then, the internals. But that’s months away. It’s a big job, Ben, are you sure you wish to take it on? It may be less work for you if you did return to seventeenth century Scotland.”
“Aye,” he said, laughing and looking around the dilapidated great hall, seeing only what it could be once again. “I’m ready, lass. Let’s make Castle Ross our home.”
She nodded, coming to hug him again. “Sounds perfect, my liege.”
“That it does.”
Epilogue
Three Years Later
“Keep ye eyes closed, lass. No peeking.”
Kenzie allowed Ben to lead her through the second-floor halls and the area of the castle that had been restored to bedrooms. She had an inkling where he was taking her, and she smiled, enjoying the little game he was playing.
A door creaked open and he guided her into a room that was decidedly warmer than the hall. “Can I open my eyes now?”
“Ye are so impatient.” His breath whispered against her ear, and she shivered. Finally, after three years of hard work, determination, tears—on her behalf—and sleepless nights, the castle was finally ready to be moved into.
“Three years of renovations will do that. Show me your surprise.” She wanted to see and see now.
Ben untied the blindfold and let it drop to the floor, revealing their room, the very same as she’d had when she went back in time. Right down to the animal skin rugs to the peat by the fire, everything was as she remembered.
“Please tell me there isn’t a straw mattress on the bed?”
“Och, ye wound me. ’Tis nothing wrong with a straw mattress.”
She went to the bed and checked what it was they were going to be sleeping on, happy to feel a very padded mattress. Tears pricked her eyes, and she swiped them away. How was it that anyone could be so happy? She was truly the luckiest woman on earth.
The past three years hadn’t been easy for Ben, but the strong, willful Highlander that he was, he’d conquered all the weird and wonderful twenty-first-century peculiarities that he’d come across and was now better than her when it came to finding something on TV to watch.
The castle was a true testament to his era, not a stone replaced was cut by a machine, the castle rebuilt by hands of clansmen who were still loyal to clan Ross, even after all these centuries. Having the men around Ben had eased him into this life, and although he still hated cars, he was at least willing to travel in them when the need arose.
“I dinna have the room made up for ye to upset ye, lass. I wanted a little piece of our past to be a part of our future. We fell in love in this very room, these walls. I want ye to remember always how much ye mean to me. How much I love ye.”
“I know how much you love me.” Kenzie slipped past Ben and locked the door. Turning about, she watched him as she kicked off her flip-flops and started to undo her blouse button.
“What are ye doing? There are workmen about!”
She shrugged, kicking off her jeans. “So, we’ll imagine
they’re clansmen going about their duties while I seduce the Laird of Ross.”
A devilish light lit within Ben’s eyes before he strolled over and picked her up, flinging her on to his shoulder and walking back toward the bed. Kenzie squealed and laughed as he dumped her in the middle of the mattress, coming down over her.
She bit her lip as he slid between her legs. He was still fully clothed, and the naughtiness of their behavior, the spontaneity, made her ache. She flipped open his jeans and pushed them down just enough so he could finish what they’d started.
“Eager, lass?”
“For you? Always.” He kissed her hard, and she moaned as he slid into her, filling her up just the way she liked it.
It was so good, this sizzling desire that coursed between them. Ben fit her perfectly, and she lifted her legs to sit about his hips as he thrust within her, pushing her toward climax. Never before or with anyone else had she enjoyed sex so much. He made her complete in so many ways, and this was just one of them.
He kissed her hard, nibbling on her bottom lip, teasing and tantalizing her at the same time. But it wasn’t enough, his slow, torturous lovemaking wasn’t what she wanted right now. She needed more.
With all her might she pushed at his shoulders. Understanding dawned in his eyes and he rolled onto his back, bringing her with him. Atop him, in this position, Kenzie leaned on his chest, his heart beating fast beneath her palms even with him still fully clothed. His strong hands clasped her hips and he guided her onto him, hard and fast, allowing her to take what she wanted, almost selfishly.
“Ye’re so beautiful, lass. I will never get tired of this view.”
She was so close, and the deep, seductive timbre of his voice only made her want him more. His hand slid across her thigh and pressed against her sex, two fingers finding her bud and stroking her as she fucked him.
Pleasure built throughout her body, and her whole focus was on where they were joined, and what Ben was making her feel. She would never get tired of loving him, being with him, and having him whenever she wished.