Page 13 of Desiring the Highland Laird (Highland Destiny #1)

M oira .

That was the name of the woman who gave Evie the stone.

The one she said she talked to in the antique store, whatever that was.

She said a great many things he didn’t understand, using a great many words he didn’t know.

One thing was clear, though, she was concerned about the safety of her sister.

Her sister whom she had left behind in danger from a man named MacDonald.

Moira, the goddess, was immortal and had used her divine machinations to push them together.

Still, he wasn’t sure he believed in the prophecy, even after seeing the tapestries and hearing the story from his da.

Even after seeing the arrival of the mysterious lass.

The lass he was certain belonged to Clan Sinclair and whom he would return at the first opportunity.

He hadn’t told anyone this yet, for fear he would face resistance from the lass.

“’Tis all coming true, lad,” Hamish said, sounding well pleased.

“I want to believe but—”

“Ye must,” he insisted. “If I cannae convince ye, then what will?”

“I intend to take her back to her clan,” Callum announced, changing the subject. He’d had enough of this nonsense.

Hamish’s eyes went wide. “Ye cannae do that. She doesna belong to them.”

“She’s a Sinclair,” he said. “Where else does she belong?”

“Here with us. Here with ye , ye daft bastard.” There was no mistaking the frustration in his father’s voice.

Callum shook his head and turned from the wall hangings, heading out of the room. “Nay, Da. If she’s fit to travel in the morn, then I intend to take her back.”

“Och, ye always were a stubborn one.” Hamish followed him, closing the door to the chamber behind him with a snap. “Taking her to Clan Sinclair is a mistake. They dinnae ken who she is.”

“Taking her to Clan Sinclair is the right thing to do,” Callum said. “I willna discuss it more.”

He didn’t wait for his father to reply as he headed through the keep back to his own bedchamber. It occurred to him as he entered that the lassie was still there.

When he pushed open the door, he came to a halt. Her form was curled under the coverlet. A fire burned bright and hot in the hearth. A candelabra near the bed illuminated the room in a soft yellow glow.

Evie slept on.

He paused in the doorway, indecision flashing through him. It wasn’t right of him to climb into the bed next to her, even though he longed to feel her against him once more. Instead, he closed the door and stood a moment, watching her sleep.

Her breathing was steady and calm. Her arm was curled under the pillow as she slept on her side. Her face was peaceful, serene.

And beautiful.

He heaved a sigh. Nay. He was not going to climb into the bed with her, as much as he wanted.

He turned to the hearth and tossed another log onto the fire to keep it going throughout the night since it was chilly.

Then he lowered down into the chair, stretched out his long legs, and crossed his arms over his chest to think.

It was a long day. Made longer by the unexpected arrival of the lassie.

Hamish was insistent the prophecy was true and even if it was, what was there to do about it? He had but one piece of the stone. Not all three. He refused to believe there would be two more travelers from the future to show up to put the pieces back together. It was all madness.

Nay, he did not believe in the prophecy.

It was his last thought as he drifted off to sleep.

*

Sometime in the night, Evie woke with a start. Her eyes popped open and she sat up, her heart racing as she tried to remember where she was. Her surroundings were not familiar.

Then she saw the fire burning low in the hearth and the candles still flickering in the candelabra by the bed. The horrible truth came flooding back to her once again. She was in Dundale Castle in the bedchamber that belonged to the hot Scot.

Also, she was hundreds of years in the past. Far, far away from her sister.

Evie drew up her knees, encircling them with her arms and dropping her forehead on them. What was happening with Chloe? Was she safe? Was she looking for her? Was she worried? There must be a thousand things going through her mind.

A shiver went through her. She lifted her head and peered at the dying fire. Slipping from the bed, her bare feet hit the cold stone floor. She shuddered from the cold, gooseflesh erupting all over her skin and skittering up her body.

Pausing there, she saw Callum sprawled in the chair with his legs stretched out in front of him.

The memory of her dream flashed back to her.

The dream where he sat in that same chair by the fire.

In her dream, though, he was shirtless and she moved from the bed and stepped to him, curling herself in his lap.

She pressed her cold hands against her warming cheeks as a flush of pleasure erupted through her.

There was no way she was going to do that now. He didn’t know her. She didn’t know him.

But she wanted to know him.

Her traitorous mind let the words flicker through her thoughts.

Evie understood it was folly to attach herself to him, no matter how good-looking he was. If she had anything to say about it, she was going to get that stone from him and return home.

But that was something to worry about in the morning instead of sitting on the bed shivering in the cold of the room. She spied the pile of logs by the hearth and decided to add a few more to the fire to keep it going.

Here in the medieval world, there was no central heat.

On silent feet, she padded to the fireplace and knelt in front of it, reaching for one of the logs. Carefully, she placed first one and then another, then sat back on her heels and watched as the wood tried to catch.

It didn’t occur to her how close she was to Callum’s outstretched legs until he twitched.

She jumped, her head snapping to look up at him. He blinked his eyes open and met her gaze. For a moment, there was sleepy confusion in the blue depths. Then he instantly came wide awake and sat up straight.

“What are ye doing?”

“The fire was dying.” She motioned to it as she got to her feet and stepped away. “I added a couple of logs, but—”

“Ye need peat.”

He rose and moved behind the chair, pushing it aside and reaching for something on the other side of the hearth.

When he stood straight, he held a handful of peat.

He tossed it into the fire and moments later, the flames rose, emitting a lovely crackling warmth.

She moved to stand in front of it, extending her hands to warm them.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said, her voice soft.

“Ye didn’t. I had a…” He paused, gazing down at her with something akin to contemplation, confusion, and a bit of desire. “A dream.”

His gaze searched her face and she suspected what he meant was he had a dream about her , though he didn’t say it. She warmed at the thought. She was having a hard time forgetting the one about him.

“Ye shouldna be out of the bed. It’s too cold.” He nodded back to the bed.

“I had a dream, too,” she said, ignoring his order to go back to bed. “I need to get back to my sister.”

After a long, quiet moment, he nodded. “Aye, then. I mean to take ye to her in the morn.”

Hope skipped through her. “You do?”

“I do. Get some rest, lass. We leave at first light.”

Evie turned and padded back to the bed, climbing in and pulling the thick covers over her. Callum sat back in the chair, his hands resting on the armrests as the light from the fire flickered over his face.

“Aren’t you cold?” she asked from her perched position in the bed.

He cut her a glance, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Are ye worried about me?”

Evie noticed there were several layers of blankets on the bed. Certainly, she didn’t need all of them. Did she? She scooted back off the bed and pulled one of the blankets off with her. Then she walked back to him, holding it out to him.

“I am,” she said. “My mother used to say I’d catch my death if I went outside in the cold without a coat. I imagine the same to be true in the cold room without proper covering.”

His face softened. He looked completely taken aback by her gesture as he took the blanket from her and spread it across his lap.

“Yer mother said that?”

“She did. She had a lot of things she liked to say to me and my sisters.”

“Sisters? So, ye have more than one?”

“I have two sisters. Chloe and Brianna.”

His jaw clenched and his brows rose, surprise flickering through his blue depths as if learning she had two sisters was of some significance. “Aye?”

She nodded. “Good night, Callum.”

“Good night, lassie.”

Evie climbed back into the bed and pulled the blankets to her chin. It wasn’t long before she went back to sleep as hope curled in her breast. Hope that she was going home in the morning as he promised.