Page 20 of Desiring the Highland Laird (Highland Destiny #1)

He pointed out the tall, thick stone curtain wall connected by towers that circled the keep.

In the stone were arrow slits. Several of his men strolled along the walkway to keep a lookout for any invaders.

The view of the loch glistened in the late morning light, making the water sparkle.

Beyond that, more rolling hills and rough terrain but it was breathtaking and beautiful.

As the wind trickled over her, tickling her face, she smiled and closed her eyes.

He steered his horse toward the gatehouse. “I’ll take ye to where we found ye.”

“You said I fell from the sky,” she said.

“Och, it was Hamish who saw it,” Callum said. “He said the sky lit up and was split in two and he saw ye falling to the ground. ’Tis a miracle ye dinnae die.”

“Or break any bones,” she said.

“Aye,” he agreed. “It’s there.” He pointed ahead.

The place was an open field in the middle of nowhere.

Behind them was Dundale Castle and the glittery loch as its backdrop.

Ahead of them, the soaring mountains of the Highlands, the Scottish heather, and the purple thistle dotting the landscape.

The wind was cool and crisp and bright as she inhaled it.

“It’s so beautiful here, Callum,” she said.

“Aye,” he agreed, smiling and looking proud. As if he had anything to do with the beauty of the land. “I’m glad ye like it. Have you no seen a place like this before, lass?”

“I live in the city.” When he gave her a questioning look, she tried to elaborate. “There are tall buildings made of steel and glass. It’s noisy with people and traffic. Not calm and quiet like this. Where you hear nothing more than the breeze through the trees. I wish I could show you a picture.”

“Do ye like this place better then?”

It was a fair question. She wasn’t sure she liked it better. It was merely different.

“It’s calmer here,” she said at last.

“And ye like that it’s calmer?”

It seemed important to him that she like it. She nodded. “I do.”

“Good. This is where we found ye.” He pointed ahead as he dismounted.

She slid out of the saddle in a most ungraceful movement, landing on the ground next to Mist. The horse seemed unconcerned with her awkward dismount. Evie followed Callum as he walked a few feet away and paused. He stood there, his hands on his hips, as he peered down at the ground.

“I dinnae notice that before.”

“What is it?” she asked. He pointed to the flattened grass that was charred. “That’s where I landed?”

“Aye. Where I picked ye up and took ye back to the keep.”

Her heart fluttered at the idea of that. She knelt, running her hand through the flattened grass. It was as though her body was hot when it landed. Like it was fused with fire. The grass felt brittle.

“Strange, isn’t it? To think I landed here without injury.”

“Indeed,” he agreed.

And though neither of them said it, they both understood there was something that had protected her during her fall. Some form of magic that had kept her alive as she plummeted through time and space and landed here on the ground near Dundale Castle.

“There is something else I didn’t tell you,” she said.

“What is that?” Concern laced his voice.

She craned her neck to look up at him. “That day when I first met you, I had this unmistakable feeling I knew you already. That we had met somewhere before.”

Her cheeks warmed as she thought of the dream she had had before leaving Edinburgh. That he was the man in her dream and she had climbed into his lap. That she had dreamed of the castle not far in the distance.

There seemed to be an understanding that came into his eyes as he looked down at her and then he gave a slow nod.

“I felt the same.”

Her brows lifted. “You did?”

“Aye. As though I…” He halted, pressed his lips together and looked away.

“As though you dreamed about me?” she asked, hopeful.

His head snapped back in her direction. His voice was a low whisper. “I did dream of ye.”

A breath shuddered out of her. “I dreamed of you, too.”

They stared at each other a long, quiet moment. There was nothing more than the whisper of a breeze across the highlands. She smiled at him, relieved they had finally found some common ground.

“Mayhap there is something to this prophecy, then,” he said.

“Mayhap,” she agreed.

Beneath her palm, the ground vibrated. She looked out into the distance but saw nothing.

“What was that?” she asked.

His brows drew together as he followed her gaze. “I dinnae see anything.”

Then they heard it. The distant thunder. But it was not a storm brewing. It was something else. Hooves.

She rose to her full height which meant she came to the edge of his shoulder. He moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close as they both looked out into the distance. Shapes formed on the horizon moving quickly. Shapes that looked like men on horseback.

“Horses?” she asked.

“Aye,” he agreed. “I dinnae like the looks of this. We best get back to the keep.”

He helped her into the saddle quickly and together they rode back to Dundale. But Evie could not shake the feeling that something was not right.