Page 39 of Cottage in the Mist (Time After Time #3)

Despite the blue sky and bright sun, a cold wind swept up the narrow valley as they rode higher into the mountains.

Lily pulled her borrowed plaid closer. They had been riding since sunup, moving as quickly as possible.

The mist had evaporated, sliding back to wherever it had come from, but the placid countryside was deceiving.

The rushing stream, whispering leaves and plaintive calls of the birds might be heard in any century.

What sent chills racing through Lily was the underlying quiet.

It echoed across the forest and meadows—no cars, no airplanes, no machinery of any kind.

In the entire time since they’d left Duncreag, they’d only passed one person—a crofter driving sheep across the narrow track they followed.

Above her a hawk screamed and her horse shied.

Lily tightened her hold on the reins. Jeff and Fergus rode in front of her, the two of them deep in discussion.

The older man’s face was ruddy and grizzled, a warrior through and through.

By comparison, Jeff looked less seasoned, although he sat well in the saddle.

Reflexively, Lily reached back to touch the quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder.

There hadn’t been time for practice, but bows and arrows hadn’t changed much over the centuries, and she felt certain if called upon she could do the weapon justice.

She shivered, thinking about the potential battle to come.

If they didn’t reach Bram and his cousins in time, there’d be hell to pay.

Still, she was here, and that alone had to change the balance somehow.

Unless this was the way it always happened. And she was already too late.

She shook her head, banishing the thought.

Behind her, bringing up the rear, Lily could hear the soft jingle of William Macgowen’s horse’s bridle.

The young man hadn’t been all that eager to join their party at first. Apparently, he considered himself Katherine’s personal bodyguard, and it had taken both Fergus and Katherine’s considerable influence to convince William that he was needed as an escort.

Since leaving Duncreag, however, he’d thrown himself wholeheartedly into their quest. Actually spoiling for a fight, if Lily had to call it, with all the accompanying enthusiasm that only a young man could pull forth.

And most surprising of all, he seemed to have transferred his allegiance from Katherine to Lily, staying close, determined to protect her from whatever might come.

She allowed herself a small smile. Just a few weeks ago she’d felt all but rejected by men in general and now here she was with not one but two champions.

More, she supposed, if one counted Fergus and Jeff.

Of course in truth, the jury was out when it came to Bram.

He’d left her behind for a reason. And even if Katherine was right and he regretted leaving things as he had, it didn’t mean that he’d welcome her presence now.

At least not here on the cusp of potential fighting.

He’d made it perfectly clear that a battle was no place for a woman.

And he wasn’t all that wrong. But this was an exceptional situation in every possible way, and Lily would be damned before she’d abandon him when he needed her most.

Squaring her shoulders, she spurred her horse onward as William rode up beside her. “Ye look as if you’re right at home on yer horse. Have you many then on yer holding?”

Lily smiled at William’s earnest expression.

He understood that she, like Katherine, had come from the future.

And like the others at Duncreag who’d been told the truth, he accepted her fantastical tale without question.

But that didn’t mean he truly understood the vast differences between his world and hers.

“I don’t actually have a holding. I live—well, lived—in an apartment in a large city called Manhattan. There isn’t room for horses.”

“Then how do people get around?” he asked, frowning. Then, quickly, his face cleared. “I remember now. Katherine told me there are carriages that don’t need horses. A magical thing, that.”

“Indeed.” Lily smiled at his enthusiasm. “And in Manhattan even those carriages are difficult to deal with, so people do a lot of walking. And…” She trailed off, not sure how to explain subways. “…and whatever it takes.”

“And are there many people in this Man-Hat-Tan?”

“Yes. More than you can imagine.”

“More than at the Clan gatherings?” His expression mirrored his disbelief.

Lily had no idea how many people came to such an event, but she doubted it would put a dent in the population of Manhattan. “Many more. And they’re all crowded together—practically living on top of one another.”

“Then you must be glad to be here.” He waved at the surrounding woodlands. “’Tis much nicer than what you describe. Here, there’s room to breathe. And space to grow. There’s no more wondrous place in all the wide world than this part of the Highlands.”

Lily’s smile widened. “And have you been many other places then?”

William’s cheeks reddened. “Nay. I havena’. But I canna imagine any place more bonny.”

“It is beautiful.” As if to echo the thought, they rounded a corner and the small stream they’d been following dropped down into a series of pools, the water splashing merrily as it moved over the rocks.

Overhead, the trees formed an arching canopy that shaded the grassy banks dotted with colorful wildflowers. She recognized bluebells and anemones.

Ahead of them, Fergus and Jeff had pulled to a stop, the former swinging down from his horse.

“Why are we stopping?” she asked, trying to curtail her frustration. These men had agreed to help her almost without argument, Jeff risking the journey across time. She hadn’t the right to be angry. But in her heart she knew that time was of the essence. Every second mattered.

“We willna’ be o’ use to Bram and Iain if we ride our horses into the ground. Best to let them have a rest and a drink. It wouldna hurt us either, I reckon.” Fergus released the reins and his horse made for the stream, drinking deeply.

Lily felt a wash of guilt. She owed these men more consideration. Swinging down from the saddle, she felt weak at the knees. It had been too long since she’d been riding.

“So how close to them do you think we are?” she asked.

“Hard to say, lass,” Fergus said, his bushy white brows drawing together as he looked towards the mountains towering on the horizon. “If they sat out the mist, which makes the most sense, then we shouldn’t be too far behind. But I canna say for sure what they’ve done, ye ken?”

“I know. I’m just so worried.”

Jeff came up to give her a comfortable squeeze. “We’re here. That’s the best we can do for now. You just have to believe we’ll be in time.”

Lily sighed and knelt beside the stream, cupping the cool water in her hands before lifting it to her lips.

In her mind’s eye she could see Bram sitting by the fire.

But that had been last night. Today there’d been no contact.

No matter how many times she’d reached out to him.

Perhaps their clairvoyance, if that was the right name for it, was of no value when they occupied the same time.

“I want to believe. But all of this is just so extraordinary.” She drank deeply then sat back on her heels, watching Jeff and the others.

“If you think this is hard for you, then imagine how we feel,” Fergus said. “William and I. ’Tis not our first time, mind, but I ne’er expected to meet another lass from the future.”

“But you know Jeff. He was here before. Surely that makes it less of an anomaly.”

“I dinna know the word yer using. But if you mean odd, then nay, ’tis no more a part o’ our world than it was the first time it happened.” Fergus’s frown would have been off-putting except for the soft understanding deep in his eyes.

“But you’ve seen Katherine and Iain,” Jeff said. “You know how important it is. Destiny and all that.”

“Aye, that I do. And even if I didn’t, I would still have come, for Iain. And for Katherine.”

Lily struggled not to show her jealousy. She’d never inspired that kind of devotion in anyone. Her parents had loved her, but they’d loved each other more. And Justin. Well… he’d showed his true feelings when it had mattered most.

But there was Bram, her heart whispered.

And her mind was quick to remind that he’d left her. Walked away when there’d been everything between them.

“I canna speak for Fergus, mind you,” William was saying, “but I for one am happy to have an excuse for a bit of adventure.”

“Ach, lad, yer enthusiasm is guided only by yer love fer a pretty face. First Katherine and now Lily.” Fergus slammed William on the shoulders with a beefy hand and the boy flushed bright red and coughed.

“I ride for Iain. And for Bram. And I ride for their ladies, as should you, ye ald coot.”

Fergus laughed, his merriment including them all. “I find I canna fault with the lad, more’s the pity.”

“And I would never admit it to Elaine, but I’m glad to be back in the thick of things,” Jeff said.

Lily hid another smile. Lord, they were all little boys when it came to battle.

But then that’s what got them killed. She sobered, wishing suddenly for the safe harbor of the cottage.

There she and Bram had been sheltered from the fears that haunted them both.

Bram, his father’s death. And Lily, her parents’ deaths and Justin’s betrayal.

In the cottage everything had seemed possible.

But now…

She blew out a long breath and met Jeff’s gaze. “I need to find a private place. And then we can be on our way.”

He nodded, and turned back to Fergus and William, the three of them still engaged in the neverending game of male one-upmanship.