“Chloe.” Trulie settled wearily back into the nest of fresh pillows Granny had plumped behind her. She reached out and rubbed the back of her hand against Kenna’s arm. “It’s so good to see you again. I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too.” Kenna blinked against the happy tears stinging the corners of her eyes. The baby grunted and stretched, squirming in the depths of the soft blanket as though trying to find the most comfortable position.
“Okay, little Miss Chloe, I’m going to hand you back to your mama now.” Kenna reluctantly settled the precious weight back in the crook of her sister’s arm. Smiling up into Trulie’s face, she carefully smoothed the back of her finger across the baby’s cheek. “Well done, Sis. Well done indeed.”
“I didn’t do it alone.” Trulie looked up at Gray, smiling as he carefully settled down on the other side of her. “My fine chieftain had a little bit to do with it.”
“Aye. Verra little.” He cradled his daughter’s head in the palm of one hand and pressed a tender kiss to her brow. “YerMáthairworked verra hard a getting ye here, my dear wee daughter.”
Kenna quietly rose from the edge of the bed and eased a few steps away. She suddenly felt very much the intruder on the bonding of this brand-new family. If her trip to the past resulted in half the love and joy Trulie had found, she would thank the Fates every single day and twice on Sundays.
Granny wrapped a spindly arm around her shoulders and squeezed hard. “Just look at you, gal. I have missed you so much. The fire portal didn’t do you justice.”
Kenna hugged Granny back and giggled. “The only way this reunion could get any better would be if Mairi and Lilia were here too.”
Granny’s smile faltered a bit as she shook a bent finger in the air. “Soon. This is your time now. Don’t be wishing your life away. Soon enough it will be their time.”
Soon.Granny had used that word a lot when they were all children.Soonwas usually Granny’s way of gently saying no . . . or at least not right now. “Could you go into a little more detail about why exactly my time is now?”
Little Chloe headed off Granny’s response with a squeaking, high-pitchedrowr.
“Oh my, I think someone is hungry.” Trulie peeled back the layer of blankets from Chloe’s waving arms and shifted the babe higher on her pillow.
“Kenna and I will go to the outer room. You don’t need an audience while you and the little one figure this out for the first time.” Granny turned Kenna toward the door and smiled back at Trulie. “Relax, gal. Just let instinct guide you. Chloe knows what to do.”
Granny closed the door softly behind them and motioned Kenna toward the bench and table on the other side of the room. “Sit, gal. I’ll pour you some water and order a meal sent up. I know you must be completely spent. It turned out to be a much longer night ushering little Chloe into the world than we expected. I had reckoned her arrival to come at sunset rather than sunrise.”
Kenna slid to the center of the bench and clasped her hands on the table. Granny was right: she was exhausted. But she wasn’t too tired to realize that Granny was working up to one of hertalks.Granny’s tone was a dead giveaway that athis is what we are going to dospeech was imminent.
Kenna shifted and tucked one leg underneath her. As she leaned her chin into her hand, an aching sense of weariness settled over her. The adrenaline and excitement of the past couple of days had run out, and she was about to crash. “I really think we should do this later. Aren’t you tired too? I think we could all use a few hours of pillow time.”
Granny poured a stream of crystal-clear water into the metal cup. She shook her head as she placed it in front of Kenna. “I never get overly tired when it comes to bringing new life into the world.” Her face took on a sad, faraway look as she slowly lowered herself to the bench beside Kenna. “Especially when the outcome is as happy as this one turned out to be.”
Kenna sat straighter and clasped the cool metal cup between both hands. Granny was thinking about when Trulie and Gray lost their first child—and no doubt also about Mother. In the past, whenever Granny’s voice got all hollow and sad, she was remembering the day her own daughter had died bringing Mairi and Lilia into the world.
She reached over and squeezed Granny’s hand. “You kept your word to Mother and Father both. Look how great we all turned out.” Granny had bravely jumped to the future with a twelve-year-old, a five-year-old, and a pair of sickly twins. Father had begged her to take his frail newborns to a time where they had a better chance at survival. Then he lowered himself into the grave beside his wife and ordered his men to bury them both. Kenna had been only five years old at the time, but Granny had never attempted to hide the family’s past or the extreme nature of her parents’ love.
Granny smiled and shook her head sadly as she covered Kenna’s fingers with a trembling hand. “I like to think they are watching over all of us. I hope they see what fine young ladies you’ve all become.”
Kenna sipped the water, closed her eyes, and inhaled a deep cleansing breath. They had all been through so much. Such was the legacy of a Sinclair time runner.
“So, tell me, what did you think about our fine Colum Garrison?” The tip of Granny’s tongue raced across her faded lips and her thin brows arched to her hairline. She reminded Kenna a great deal of a starving cat preparing to pounce on a fat mouse. If Kenna didn’t know better, she would swear Granny’s ears perked forward with interest.
“So, he’s your plan for me.” Kenna pushed her water away and climbed out from the bench. She should’ve known Granny would send the man she planned for her to marry to be the first she met upon arrival in the past. “Mind telling me why you picked him?”
“Why not him?” Granny folded her hands primly on the table. Mischief shone in her pale blue eyes as she leaned closer. “Have you touched him yet?”
“What do you mean have I touched him yet?” Kenna knew exactly what Granny meant, but she wasn’t about to let on that touching the man had given her a jolt like sticking her finger in a light socket—except in a hot, awesome, sexy kind of way. Kenna suppressed a shiver at the memory.
Granny’s smile widened and lit up her entire face. “So . . . youhavetouched him.”
“Why him, Granny? Easy question. Why did I have to toss modern conveniences and my two sisters aside to come back and marry this particular man?”
Granny shrugged. “Many reasons, but mainly because he is the one who completes you.” Before Kenna could argue the point, Granny looped her arm through hers, pulled her away from the table, and led her out into the hall. “Come. We will discuss Colum later.” Her smile beamed brighter than the torches flickering through the narrow corridor as she nodded in time with her words. “Coira will see to your food and clothes. Once you’ve had time to rest, she will bring you down to the hall.”
“Hall?” Kenna didn’t like the sound of that. For some strange reason, she got the distinct impression she was about to be painted and primped, then put on parade like a prize heifer at the fair.
“As they say here in the Highlands—dinna fash yerself, lassie.” Granny hugged her close with a happy chortle. “All you need worry about is getting some sleep. Trust me. You’re going to need your rest for what lies ahead.”
