Page 9 of Desiring the Highland Laird (Highland Destiny #1)

W hen she had finished eating, she sat back in the chair and emitted a sigh of contentment.

It was, by far, the best stew she’d ever had in her life.

Even if the meat did taste a bit gamey. She even polished off the bread bowl and tankard of ale.

Callum had wandered off, leaving her alone in peace while she ate.

Now that she was finished, she took in her surroundings.

The great hall was a large room with an enormous fireplace at one end. A fire crackled in it, emitting a warm and inviting glow. She rose from the table and walked the length of the hall, marveling at the fact that she was in a live, working medieval castle.

Massive tapestries hung along the stone walls. Rushes covered the floor, emitting a sweet smell. She had no idea of time much less what day it was. All she knew was that she had traveled back in time to the mid-thirteen hundreds.

She glanced down at the markings still faint on her palm. That strange little stone had brought her here.

Something the shopkeeper said came back to her about the Isle of Skye.

You’ll visit there soon in your proper time.

What did she mean she would visit in her “proper time?” That didn’t make sense at all.

“Och, lassie, I see ye finished yer evening meal.” Callum’s voice echoed through the great hall.

She turned to face him as he walked toward her. Her breath caught. He was rugged and handsome in a way that belonged to another time, another era, another world. Untamed. Unrefined. Irresistible .

When he left her, his tunic was dirty and well-worn.

Now that he’d returned, it appeared he had put on a fresh one that was no longer sweat stained or smeared with dirt.

He had a long plaid that wrapped around his waist and torso with a pin holding the ends together over one shoulder.

The plaid was a deep green with faint yellow and red stripes.

She was momentarily taken aback by his appearance and wondered if he was trying to impress her. She suppressed a grin. She was impressed.

“Callum, where is this place?”

His brows drew together, question flickering through his gaze. “This place?”

She waved her hands to encompass her surroundings. “This castle.”

He tipped his head to one side. “Dundale Castle has been our home for the last several years.”

Dundale .

The shopkeeper told her the name of the castle in the picture was Dundale on the Isle of Skye. Where she would visit in her “proper” time.

“And it’s…on the Isle of Skye?” she asked.

“Aye.”

“How far is it from, say, Edinburgh?”

“Edinburgh is on the other side of Scotland, lass. Several hundred miles southeast.” His tone was kind and patient, as if he understood she would have a lot of questions.

Nodding, she did a turn through the room, looking up at the soaring rafters that no modern builder would have built. This was a marvel.

“I think…” she said slowly. “I think I was meant to come here.”

“How do ye ken?” he asked.

Evie paused, clutching her elbows as a strange shiver went through her. “I promised I’d tell you the story. I’m not even sure where to begin.”

He moved toward her, his steps slow. When he was within arm’s length, he reached a hand to her. Her heart did one wild erratic beat before she took it. He wrapped his fingers around hers, then led her to the table where he motioned for her to sit. She did. He took the chair opposite her.

“Tell me, lass.”

“I was born in the twenty-first century. By your calendar, I’m several hundred years older than you.” The thought made her giggle.

“Aye,” he said slowly, one brow raised in amusement.

She grinned at him. He grinned back. Oh, yes, she was definitely smitten.

“My sister got a job in Edinburgh as a director of the history museum. She was throwing her first gala and wanted me to be there. So, I traveled to Edinburgh to see her.”

“I dinnae ken most of what ye said, lass.” He looked confused.

This must have sounded crazy to him when she thought about the things she said. She picked out the one thing she thought might be throwing him off the most.

“A gala is a fancy party,” she said. “Important people with a lot of money were invited to it. That’s how the museum got their funding for the year.”

His face was still creased with confusion.

“Never mind. Suffice to say, I was visiting my sister in Edinburgh. I found my way into this little antique shop where there were all sorts of interesting things. One of those things was that stone.” She gave him a pointed look, hoping he would reveal the location of the stone.

His face remained devoid of all hints.

“I met the shopkeeper who was an interesting woman. She told me some odd things.”

“Like what?”

“She said she knew my face. She knew my last name was Sinclair, even though I never told her my name. She called me Clan Sinclair and that she would know the look of me anywhere, but I had never seen her before in my life. She told me I would visit Dundale in my proper time. She said the stone was part of another piece that had yet to be found and that they weren’t ready to be found yet. ”

She left out the part where the shopkeeper asked about her sisters. And that Dundale Castle was all but ruins in her time.

He stiffened then, his back going ramrod straight. “She said that?”

She nodded.

He rose and paced several feet away, then came back. His face was ashen.

“What is it?” she asked.

“What did this shopkeeper look like?”

Evie thought back to the encounter with the woman in the antique store.

“She had bright blue eyes and long pale blonde hair. So blonde it was white. No, that’s not right.

It was silver. Yes, silver hair. Oh, and a dimple in one cheek.

She seemed young but at the same time, there was something in her eyes that told me she wasn’t.

I thought she had starlight in her eyes. I’m not even sure if that makes sense.”

As she glanced back up at Callum, she noticed his face had drained of color. He remained perfectly still as he looked at her, though his gaze was distant. He was someplace else, and she saw his mind working.

“Do you know her?” she asked.

There was a long pause before he finally said, “Nay.”

But something told her he wasn’t telling her the truth. She let it go. For now.

“Anyway,” she continued, “she gave me the stone. She insisted I take it and not pay for it. And then I saw a picture of a castle. She said it was Dundale on the Isle of Skye. I know this may sound strange, but…it feels like I belong here. Like I’ve met you before. But I haven’t.”

Callum reached for her hand, placing his on top of hers. His palm was rough yet warm. “I feel the same. Like I’ve met ye before. Whatever force brought ye here, mayhap it was for a good reason.”

She nodded agreement.

“Then I guess we best find out what that reason is.”

“It’s tied to the stone, isn’t it?” Not for the first time, she wondered if he still had it. And if he did, how could she get it back from him?

“Mayhap.”

“There’s something more,” she said. “Something else I should tell you.”

She rose and moved away from the table, that odd shiver returning to dance down her spine. She turned away, gripping her elbows.

“After I got the stone, I carried it with me to the gala that night. It was in my handbag when I excused myself to go to the restroom.”

“Restroom?”

Her mind raced, wondering what he would call it in his time.

“The privy?” She looked at him over her shoulder.

He nodded understanding. “Once I was in there, I sensed the stone.

I took it out to look at it. It was humming.

I thought it strange but there was something about it that made me want to hold it.

“While I was looking at it, invaders came.” She paused again, choosing her words carefully so he would understand. “I left the privy and tried to flee up some stairs, but one of the men caught me.”

She turned to face him then, the memory of it crashing through her. The way Bruce grabbed her by the ankle as she tried to climb the stairs was still fresh. She shivered.

“There was a man. He…he tried to take the stone from me. I realized I knew him. My sister introduced me to him. He was the man she was dating. I managed to get away from him and run up the stairs to hide. But he found me.”

“Ye had the stone with ye?” he asked.

“Yes. It was still humming. When I got up the stairs and hid, though, he found me. He said the stone called to him. I assumed it was because of the humming. That’s when I realized it was glowing faintly and then I swiped my thumb over it.

The world shifted in a strange way. Then I woke up in your bed. ”

He stared at her with an expression she couldn’t read. Slowly, he rose to his full height.

“The man who chased ye. The one who said the stone called to him. What was his name?”

“His name?”

“Aye. It matters, lass.”

“His name was Bruce MacDonald.”