Colum straightened his shoulders and stood taller. He would be damned if he cowered over something as normal as charming a pretty maid. Hell’s fire—he was a man. What the devil did the woman expect?
“I have a very important task for you, Colum Garrison.” Granny straightened her tiny frame in the high-backed chair like a Fae queen holding court. Her eyes narrowed as she fixed him with a piercing glare over the tops of her wire-rimmed spectacles. “But you will have to change your ways.”
“My ways?” Colum shifted in place but kept his hands clenched at the small of his back. Damned, if he didn’t feel like a prisoner waiting for the king’s choice of gallows or the axe. “And whatwaysmight those be?”
“I believe you know exactly whatwaysI refer to.” Mother Sinclair took a deep breath and glanced over at Lady Trulie. “You still agree, even considering the man’s past behavior?”
What the hell did she mean by that? Colum stole a glance at Gray, but his fine Highland chieftain refused to look him in the eye. Verra well. He had battled alone before and won. Aye. But never against Mother Sinclair. Colum sucked in a deep breath and stuck out his chest.
“I think he will be just fine, Granny.” Lady Trulie beamed at Colum as though he were a prized horse being selected for breeding with a favored mare. “Besides, you said you received the same vision I did.”
Oh, holy hell.Colum stiffened. Both the Lady Trulie and Mother Sinclair had seen him in another of their damn visions? The last time he had appeared in one of their visions, they had seen him poisoned and left for dead.
“Very well.” Mother Sinclair’s mouth tightened into a flat, determined line. “In one week’s time, another of my granddaughters”—she motioned toward Lady Trulie— “Trulie’s middle sister closest to her in age will arrive.”
Colum waited, all the while wondering from where or maybe fromwhenthe next Sinclair sister would come. He would speak to Gray later about the disloyalty of the man toward him. Hell’s fire, he had fought at the man’s side for years. Did that not account for anything? ’Twas damn shameful the way his own chieftain had allowed a pair of women to reign over him in such a way. If all they needed were additional guards to protect such an important visitor, why the blazes had Gray not given the order himself? “I shall see to it that additional guards are set in place. Have no fear for the lady’s safety. I will personally see to it.”
“That is exactly what we want,” Granny said. Her tight-lipped frown softened into a sly smile. “We want you topersonallysee to Kenna.”
Gray leaned against the fur-covered arm of the settee and scrubbed his hand across his mouth. With his gaze locked on the floor, his shoulders trembled as he coughed with a strange snorting.
Was the MacKenna laughing? Colum took a step closer and glared at him. “My chieftain?”
Gray straightened and let his hand drop. He sucked in a deep breath, then cleared his throat. “Aye, Colum. See to it the guards are doubled around the keep. But I do charge ye personally with the seeing after of Lady Kenna at all times. As soon as she arrives, she is yer responsibility. See that ye stay at her side, ye ken?”
Stay at her side? Colum smelled a very large rat. What the devil did these three play at? “Is there anything more I should know about the Lady Kenna?”
“Nay. Not a thing.”
Colum studied Gray. The man’s face grew ruddier by the minute. Instinct warned Columto run like hell. He cleared his throat and edged closer to the door.
Granny strolled behind the couch and set a staying hand on Gray’s shoulder as he leaned forward to speak again. “I am sure you will figure it all out when the time arrives,” she said. “But know this . . . ” She pointed the crystal of her staff at the center of Colum’s chest. “Trulie and I chose you for a reason. You would be wise not to disappoint us.”
Disappoint them? When had he ever failed to protect a charge? When had he ever failed his chieftain? “I swear to ye, I will keep the Lady Kenna safe.”
Again, Gray scrubbed a hand across his mouth and muttered something toward his lap. Colum peered closer. Wariness set off more inner alarms as he picked up on the unspoken byplay going on between Lady Trulie’s pointed glare and his chieftain’s apologetic shrug.
Colum swallowed hard and eased closer to the door. Had Gray just said it wasn’t the Lady Kenna’s safety that concerned him? Colum studied Gray closer. Aye and for sure, the man had said just that—he felt certain of it. Lore a’mighty, may the gods have mercy on his soul.
CHAPTER2
Kentucky
Twenty-first Century
The fire popped and crackled in the cast-iron stove, but Granny’s voice came through the red-hot coals loud and clear. “It’s time, Kenna—time for you to join us here in the thirteenth century.”
Kenna balanced the bowl of popcorn on the arm of the couch and leaned toward the open grating of the stove. The handful of popcorn she had just shoved into her mouth at the exact moment of Granny’s announcement threatened to strangle her. She coughed, swallowed hard, and thumped her fist against her chest.
“Come again, Granny?” She wheezed in a deep breath, then gulped down a sip of iced tea to wash away the popcorn caught in her throat. “You want all of us to come see you and Trulie? For a short visit—right?” She prayed Granny would say it was time for ashort visit.She would love to see Granny and Trulie . . . for ashort visit.
“No. Not all of you. Just you. And permanently. It’s time you came back and seized your destiny.” Granny paused. The only sound coming from the woodstove was the lively crackling of the fire. Granny’s firm tone silenced the sound as she continued, “The twins will be staying in the twenty-first century for a bit longer.”
Kenna unfolded from her cross-legged position on the couch. What if she didn’t want to grab her destinyin thirteenth century Scotland? What if she liked it right here in twenty-first century Kentucky just fine? Yes, seeing Granny and Trulie would be wonderful, but there was just too much going on to leave right now. Life was finally starting to settle down and run smoothly. It was kind of nice living likenormalpeople for a change—or as close to normal as a girl born to a long line of women able to jump back and forth across time ever got.
“The twins are graduating this month. Tell Trulie the terrible twosome turned into a pair of intelligent eighteen-year-old beauties,” Kenna said, hoping that if she changed the subject Granny might back off. But that was another thing. Even though her baby sisters were eighteen years old, how could Granny suggest leaving them alone to fend for themselves? Granted, Mairi and Lilia were mature for their age, but they still weren’t ready to get booted from the nest and fly solo.
Kenna scooted to the edge of the couch and propped her elbows on her knees. She had to buy them all some time. “Lilia’s creating her own line of natural cosmetics for the shop. She already has every teenage girl in town clamoring for the lip gloss she developed.”
