He rolled out of the car, crouching beside the vehicle as he shuddered in deep heaving breaths. She knelt beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder. The man was burning up. How could an attack of motion sickness fill him with fever?
“Dinna touch me,” he growled out, shying away from her hand. “Leave me . . . for a bit.” His words were strained as though it took all his strength to say them. “Allow me . . . time . . . to recover.”
She slowly rose and backed away. Poor man. He didn’t want her to witness him being ill. She understood completely. “I’m going to go ahead and go inside. I’ll have Lilia fix some chamomile tea. Just come inside whenever you’re ready. Okay?”
He held up a hand and waved her away while keeping his face turned away from her.
She hurried up the stone steps to the patio, shooing Lilia back inside. “I think he’s sick and it’s about to kill his pride for us to see him that way. Come on. He’ll come find us when he’s better.”
* * *
It tookevery ounce of control he had ever known to keep his wolf from taking over. Ronan sucked in great gasps of air, straining against the inner beast fighting to emerge. The unnerving ride in the wicked car had nearly pushed him too far. Lore a’ mighty, what would Mairi have done if he had shifted right before her eyes?
Frigid air. Razor-sharp stones biting into his hands. Every physical sensation anchored him, gave him strength against the overwhelming urge to stretch into a loping run and throw back his head and howl.
A sharp wind scurried a tangle of twigs past him and spoke to him in hushed tones, feeding him energy from the land. He finally pushed himself to his feet, staggered uneven steps forward, then flexed his chest and shoulders against the burn to drop to all fours and run.
He tucked his chin to his chest, closed his eyes, and opened his mind to every thought and memory related to Mairi. His lady love would keep him human. She would calm his wolf.He breathed in the warm sweet scent of her still lingering in the air and envisioned the way her eyes crinkled at the corners whenever she smiled. Her voice. The honey of her soft mouth and the feel of her arms holding him close. He sucked in another deep breath, relaxing as the raging beast inside him gradually lulled and crept back into dormancy.
Slowly straightening with the support of the brick building at his back, Ronan opened his eyes. It was over. His wolf had finally quieted back into the dark recesses of his soul. He scrubbed a hand across his face. Lore a’mighty. He needed whisky.He wound his way up the stone steps and pushed through the door.
A high-pitched yapping cloud of fur bounced around his feet, barely warning him before the little dog grabbed hold of his trews and started growling. Ronan nudged the snarling ball of fury to one side, wrinkling his nose as he walked deeper into the softly lit shop.
Warm scents of cinnamon and cloves ushered him into a room lit with flickering candles and softly glowing globes of golden light suspended above waist-high counters littered with colored jars and neatly wrapped bundles.
He made his way around the islands of spices and oils strategically scattered around the spacious shop. “Mairi?” His voice echoed over the soft music floating through the void as the heels of his boots clicked against the honey-colored wood floor.
“We’re back here.” Mairi pushed through a beaded curtain sparkling iridescent in the soft lighting. “Are you feeling better? We’ve got some weak tea ready that’s guaranteed to settle your stomach.”
Weak tea? He needed a healthy dram of whisky, not tea. Ronan swiped his damp palms down the rough seams of his jeans then rubbed his hands together. “Aye. I am much better than before.” Still dragging the little dog attached to the hem of one leg, he made his way back to the privacy of the room set off behind the beaded curtain.
“Buzz!” Lilia hurried forward, scooped up the little dog, and disengaged his teeth from Ronan’s pant leg. She lifted the snarling little fur ball to eye level and shook a finger in his face. “We don’t latch on to friends or family. Remember?” The pup’s tiny, pointed ears drooped as he bowed his head and whined. Lilia’s stern expression immediately softened and she cuddled him under her chin.
“Buzz?” Mairi cast a sideways glance at the dog tucked against her sister’s neck as she took Ronan by the hand and led him to a small table situated in the corner of the room.
“He reminds me of a buzz saw.” Lilia held out the little dog. “Wanna hold him?”
“No, thank you.” Mairi shook her head as she placed a steaming mug on the table in front of Ronan. “Try to sip it slowly. It’ll settle your stomach.”
He eyed the clear golden liquid. Tendrils of steam rose from the white ceramic cup. Foam swirled around what looked to be knots of tiny yellow flowers floating on the surface. Saint’s bones,he’d have to strain that swill through clenched teeth. He’d seen this tea before. Mother had instructed him in its making the year Graham had suffered the decimating head cold. Ronan politely slid the cup to the center of the table. He would not be drinking a bit of that mess. “I am much better. Thank ye for yer concern.”
With a snort, Lilia plopped the little dog in his pillowed basket in the corner. “You have a lot to learn about men, sis.” She reached deep into the cabinet lining the far wall and came out with a promising-looking bottle of amber liquid. Lilia winked at Ronan, then held up the bottle to Mairi. “Your fine chieftain would probably prefer a healthy swig of Highlander’s tea to soothe his nerves after a wild ride through Edinburgh.”
“It was not a wild ride.” Mairi snatched the bottle out of Lilia’s hand and turned to Ronan. “I supposed you prefer whisky over tea?”
He daren’t laugh. Lore a’mighty,if he did, he’d never get a taste of that blessed water of life. With the most solemn tone he could muster, he pushed the mug of tea even farther away. “A wee dram wouldna be unwelcome.”
Mairi rolled her eyes, snatched up the mug of tea and dumped it in the sink. “Fine. My driving wasn’t that bad.” She uncorked the bottle, filled the cup half full, and returned it to Ronan.
Before she took her hand away from the mug, he cupped his hands around hers. “Ye are a fine brave lass to be able to control such a beast.” He stroked his thumb up and down the silk of her wrist. “Ye are a wonder, Mairi.”
He didn’t miss her sharp intake of breath nor the way her lovely skin pinked to a warm delightful shade from the collar of her shirt to her hairline. What he wouldn’t give to trail his fingertips down that rosy path where it disappeared into the vee of her shirt and then kiss his way down her torso. “A lovely wonder,” he added in a husky whisper.
Mairi eased her hands away, tucking them behind her back as she straightened. “Drink your tonic,” she ordered with a nod down at the cup.
He brought the welcome libation to his lips, savoring the nerve-steadying burn as he relished the subtle pleased expression brightening her face. Aye.Strange unholy things or not, his trip to this time was not wasted. She was the one.
“Can you two take Buzz back to the house? I don’t think he’ll fit in very well with the bridal shower I’ve got booked this afternoon.” Lilia plopped a basket of tiny odd-size bottles decorated with black and white ribbons on the table. “The bride-to-be picked out these as favors for her guests. What do you think? I’m not sure it’s such a great idea.”
