Page 19 of Desiring the Highland Laird (Highland Destiny #1)

R oslyn arrived not long after Callum’s departure and helped her dress for the day.

A long chemise with a wool overdress, thick stockings, and shoes.

She joined Callum afterward in the great hall and was relieved to see he was there alone.

No Malcolm or Hamish. She didn’t question it as she took the seat across from him at the long table.

Roslyn brought thick porridge, oat cakes, ale, and water to the table.

When she had it all placed, she scurried out of the room, leaving the two of them alone with their awkward silence.

As hungry as she was, she didn’t wait for him to dig in.

She realized she hadn’t eaten a meal the night before and was now ravenous.

He watched her a long moment with a half-grin on his face before he took up his wooden spoon and dug into the bread bowl.

“Would ye like to see the keep and surrounding area?” he asked.

Her hand halted halfway to her mouth as she looked at him from across the table. “You mean like a tour?”

“I do.”

“I’d love that.”

Her heart skipped a happy beat at the thought of seeing the rest of the keep and the castle grounds. It was especially interesting to her since the closest she had come to a castle was reading about it in a history book. She never imagined she would be living in one.

“We’ll go when yer finished.”

She broke the oat cake in half. She wondered why he had a sudden change of heart about everything. Why did he accept her as being from the future and wanting to believe in the prophecy? She wondered if it was something Hamish said to him the previous night, though she wasn’t certain.

Well, she certainly wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, as her mother used to say. She was going to accept him at his word and hope it wouldn’t backfire on her at some point.

When she finished the rest of the oat cake, she brushed the crumbs from her hands. “I think I’d like to take you up on that tour now.”

He smiled and got to his feet, holding his hand out to her with a genuine smile that sent a warmth cascading through her. Gosh, he was handsome.

She rose and walked around the end of the table, sliding her hand against his.

Her heart was doing a funny pitter-pat, something she had never experienced before, and there was a curious swooping in the pit of her stomach.

She liked the way his roughened palm fit against hers.

The fact that his hand was calloused indicated to her he was a man of action.

Not at all like the men of her time with their soft hands and their even softer egos.

She had a sense that Callum would take no shit from anyone.

What had Roslyn said?

Fiercely loyal and protective of the ones he loved.

She cut a shy glance up at him as he walked toward the door to exit the castle.

Stubble bristled his cheeks and chin. He had a strong jaw and his skin was tanned as though he had spent a great deal of time outside in the elements.

She had no doubt he did. Life in the medieval world involved hard labor, not sitting under fluorescent lights staring at a computer screen twelve hours a day.

“I thought we’d start with the grounds,” he said.

He tipped his head to look down at her. His eyes locked with hers, making her breath hitch. A rush of warmth spread through her chest.

“I’d like that,” she managed, her cheeks warming.

What the devil was wrong with her?

“’Tis a bit cold. Ye’ll need yer cloak. I’ll fetch it for ye.”

He started off toward the guest chambers.

“It’s in my room,” she said as though he needed direction. He didn’t.

As she paused there, glancing around the great hall, she wondered how long the castle had been in their family. How many generations lived here? Moira had mentioned Dundale was nothing but ruins in her time. How sad to think the keep had fallen into decay and neglect.

Callum returned a moment later holding her cloak. His face was white, as though he’d seen a ghost. She took the cloak from him, looking up at him with concern.

“What is it?”

“The tapestries have changed again.”

“Again?”

He nodded and waved for her to follow. She hurried after him back to her bedchamber where she halted next to him, gaping at the wall hangings. Indeed, they had changed. The first one depicted Moira showing the army advancing on her. It had not been there earlier that morning.

The one of her falling showed she had finally landed on the ground. Next to that one, the image of her sister’s face had become clearer. There was no doubt that Chloe was the woman in the design with someone standing behind her, though that had not come clear yet.

“What does it mean?” Evie asked, though she thought she knew already.

“It must mean what we both need to believe.”

There was fear in his eyes when she looked at him.

“And what is that?” she asked.

“That it’s all true.”

He sounded as though he believed. And perhaps she should, too. If Chloe was the next image in the wall hanging, did that mean she was the next to time travel? Did that mean she would find another piece of this mystical keystone? And if she did, what of Bruce?

“This woman…this looks like my sister, Chloe.” She traced the woman’s face with the tip of her finger. “What do you think it means?”

“I couldna say.”

“I need to think on this some more,” she said, her voice a rough whisper.

“Aye,” he agreed. He reached for her hand, taking it in his once again. “Come, lass. Let’s carry on with our day.”

She nodded agreement as they turned away and exited the bedchamber.

He paused to turn to her, slipping the cloak from her hand and wrapping it around her, closing it tight at the throat.

Her heart was a wild beat in her chest. He gave her a winsome smile as though proud of his handiwork, then took her hand again and headed out of the keep into the yard.

“But…what about you?” she asked.

“Och, I’m fine, lass.”

He didn’t even seem to notice the cool wind breezing through the bailey.

He showed her the stables and the four horses.

She patted each of their noses while they snorted their greeting.

One gray mare in particular caught her eye.

She stood at the stall, patting her nose and crooning to her in a soft voice she didn’t even know she possessed.

“Do ye like the mare?” he asked, a smile in his voice.

“She’s beautiful,” she said.

“She’s a gentle creature. She was my sister’s before she passed.”

“Oh.” Evie pulled her hand away and stepped back, as if she had crossed some type of boundary that shouldn’t have been crossed. “I’m sorry. I—”

“Go on,” he said in an encouraging tone.

She glanced in his direction to see him give her a nod of approval. The horse nudged her as if to say she wanted more nose pets. Evie giggled and went back to stroking her nose, getting closer. The horse nuzzled her hand.

“She’s looking for treats,” he said. He produced an apple and handed it to her.

Evie took it and fed it to the mare who seemed to enjoy the sweet treat. “What’s her name?”

“Name?”

“You don’t name your horses?” she asked. “When I was growing up, I had a friend who was crazy about horses. Her parents had a ranch outside of town. She named them all.”

Evie had forgotten about her friend who lived in the small town that was close enough to the big city to allow them to go to school together. She hadn’t thought of her in years.

“She doesna have a name.”

“Then I should name her,” Evie said. “Unless you think that’s absurd.”

Amusement creased his face. “Aye, then, name her.”

Evie turned back to the mare, letting her nuzzle her again and chortle. “She’s like the gray mist on a foggy morning. That’s what I’ll name her. Gray Mist. But Mist for short.”

“Would ye like to ride her?”

That stopped her cold. She hadn’t any idea how to ride a horse. She shook her head. “Oh, I don’t think so.”

Callum chuckled. “She’s a good mount. If ye wish to ride, I can have her saddled and ready. We can ride out to the place I found ye sleeping when ye fell.”

That caught her attention. “Truly?”

“O’course.” He waved to the stable hand to get his attention. A moment later, the boy bustled up. “Saddle the horses, lad. We’re going riding. This one for the lady.”

“Aye, my lord.” He scurried off to do his bidding.

“Are you sure I can ride?” she asked, skeptical.

“There’s nothing to it. I’ll teach you.”

Evie wasn’t sure about that but she took Callum’s word for it and decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a try. The stable hand had the horses saddled in record time and led them into the yard. Callum motioned for her to follow. As apprehension swept through her, she did.

Once the horses were out of the stable—his the giant war horse and hers the smaller gray mare—he showed her how to put her foot in the stirrup while grabbing onto the saddle horn to hoist herself up into the saddle.

It took some doing, but she managed to get herself settled into the saddle, holding the reins far too tightly in her hands.

Callum gave her instructions on how to make the horse go and how to steer.

“Ye can do it,” he said, sounding far more confident than she felt.

But she took the reins in her hands and gave him a winning smile. He got into the saddle of his horse, holding the reins.

“Ready?” he asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” she said.

He nudged his horse into a slow walk as he headed toward the portcullis.

She did the same, surprised the mare she’d named Mist decided to follow.

Evie wasn’t sure about any of this but she was happy to be out of the stuffy keep even if it was a bit chilly outside.

Mostly, she was happy to be by Callum’s side.

He took it slow as they headed away from the keep, keeping a good pace which was not too fast or too slow.