Page 53 of Awakened By Time
“No. I’ll come with you.” He gazed at Brenna. “Will you be alright here alone?” Zeke asked.
“Aye.” She walked them to the front door.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Zeke said. “I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“Hopefully your eye is better,” Sara said, a crooked smile on her lips. “Tell Helene I took these.” She held the carrots up in front of her.
“I will.”
Brenna closed the door after them, wondering what it was Zeke wanted to talk to her about.
* * *
“Well, that was interesting,” Sara said as they hurried along the path that would lead them back to the cottage. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I’m a grown man, Sara.” Zeke grabbed her before she was about to step in a large puddle. “Watch where you’re walking.”
“Thanks. Logan’s always saying the same thing to me. I get so preoccupied I forget to look.” She skirted another puddle, before continuing. “Back to you. What’s up with you and Brenna?”
“Nothing. We’re handfasted. Who knows what that means.”
“It means you’re as good as married.”
“Not really.”
“Zeke, if you go, you’ll break her heart.”
“I know. I guess I’m afraid of my own heart being broken. I can’t let it happen again. I can’t fall for a sixteenth century woman. But it’s just that…”
“She’s irresistible to you. Like Milly with catnip,” she teased.
“Sara, come on. A little sympathy for my situation would be nice.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just second nature to tease first and ask questions later.”
“I came here for you. I had no idea I was going to end up with a wife.”
“You have to know that if Edna sent you here, it’s not surprising at all. She must think you and Brenna belong together and I’ll tell you, Zeke, she’s always right.”
Zeke thought about Olwydd. “You know, my horse was supposed to know the way. The man at the bridge told me not to worry.”
“Did you meet Wallace? I love him. He reminded me of Grandpa,” Sara said.
“He wasn’t there very long. Just to meet me and give me the horse. He told me the horse knew the way. I couldn’t figure out why I ended up at Castle Treun.”
“Now you know. It was Edna’s plan all along.”
Zeke shook his head in disbelief. “So, I guess I should throw caution to the wind and convince Brenna to go back home with me.”
“You might want to take things a little slower, for her sake. But you should definitely follow your heart and things will work out the way they’re supposed to. Don’t be afraid to take a chance, Zeke. A lifetime of happiness is worth it.”
They were completely drenched by the time they reached the cottage. Sara laid her cloak out in front of the hearth.
“I’m going to get changed into some dry clothes,” Zeke said. “Do you think Logan will mind if I borrow something else of his to wear.”
“No. Not at all. Bring those out when you’ve changed. I’ll dry them here with my cloak.”
“You know, Sara, if I could come here for a vacation every year and you came home to San Francisco once a year, I think that would be good. The thought of never seeing you again isn’t alright with me.”
“Me either. We’ll have to bring it up to Edna and see what she says. She’s the one who’ll have to arrange it, but I’ll bet she would.”
Zeke felt at peace for the first time since he’d arrived here in the sixteenth century. It seemed this was his destiny, so he should just accept it and let it happen.
* * *
Alone in the kitchen, Brenna wondered what it might be like to live in Zeke’s world. Would she fit in? Would she be afraid or feel lonely? She knew the answer to the last question. No. She couldn’t ever feel lonelier than she had these last months since her Da had been married to Greer. She didn’t wish to be a burden to Dougall either. She loved her brother and Helene, but the honest truth was that she’d hardly spent any time with him since he’d been here at Breaghacraig and she was just starting to get to know Helene. Yes, they were famliy, but couldn’t Zeke be her family, too? Wouldn’t life with him be exactly what she wanted? So many questions, but she didn’t know if he even wanted her. His kisses said he did, but maybe that was all he wanted from her. First, she had to know if he still loved Helene. If he did, all her questions would be answered and she would then have no choice but to make Breaghacraig her home.