She set his coffee in front of him, then eased down into a chair, and propped her chin in her hand. “You didn’t have to work today? Are you on an odd shift or something?”
He smiled down at the mug of dark, steamy liquid he cupped between his hands. “Since we just arrived a few days ago, Emrys and I are taking a bit of time off to become acclimated to the area and to this time.”
“To this time?” Rachel frowned as she appeared to muddle over his choice of words. “Oh, you mean jet lag? I understand, or I guess I do. I’ve never traveled enough to experience it myself.”
“Aye. Jet lag.” He nodded and sipped his coffee, having absolutely no idea what the woman meant byjet lag. He’d have to ask Emrys as soon as he got back to their room.
Remembering the old druid’s advice, he switched to a safer subject. After a glance around the kitchen, he settled more comfortably in the chair. “Your home is welcoming and warm. Have ye lived on this land all your life?”
She let her gaze flit to the cracked countertop, the worn baseboards, and the water-stained ceiling, before giving him a dreamy smile. “This was my grandmother’s house. She left it to my parents in the hopes they’d raise me here.” Her smile turned sad, and she seemed to swallow hard as she ran a finger across a deep scratch in the tabletop. “They didn’t like it here. They preferred town, but, for whatever reason, they never sold the property, and it became mine when they died.”
Caelan cocked his head to one side and leaned in to prop his elbows on the table’s edge. “Ye were close to your grandmother?” he asked softly, already knowing the answer. He and Emrys had seen the loving bond the two had shared.
Rachel brightened, and her dreamy smile returned. “I guess you could say she understood me better than anyone. She always had time for me and always believed in me. She loved me no matter what.”
“It sounds as though she was your sanctuary.” Now, Caelan swallowed hard, longing for Rachel to be his safe port in any storm.
She scooted her chair away from the table, hurried to push herself to her feet, and put her cup in the sink. “She was my sanctuary,” she said, while staring out the window. The light spring breeze fluttered the faded curtains framing the small opening and lifted the dark curls around her face. She blinked hard and fast, swiped at her cheeks again, then cleared her throat. “Enough about me. Tell me how two men from Scotland ended up in Kentucky, just to work on a dam.”
Caelan tensed. It was his turn to clear his throat. He and Emrys had worked out the basics of their story but hadn’tbothered to research any intricate details as to their supposed form of earning a living while they attempted to coax Rachel into the past. “Well, I guess ye could say we are the best at what we do. The dam builders found us, made an offer, and we accepted.”
With everything in him, he hoped he had said it right. He rose and moved to stand beside her. As he leaned back against the counter, triumph washed across him when he noted that she didn’t scoot away and seemed to believe him.
Rachel opened her mouth to say something else just as the phone rang. She glanced at the display, recognized the number, and started shaking her head. She stared at the thing as though wishing she could throw it as it peeled off three more rings.
“Are ye not going to answer it?” he asked, unable to remain quiet any longer.
“No. I already know what they’re going to say, and I don’t want to hear it.” She walked to the door and stared outside. The phone eventually quieted. She turned and grimaced in disgust as the light that was labeledmessageson a black box started blinking red.
She blew out a heavy sigh and raked a hand back through her hair. “Caelan, I’ve enjoyed our visit. But I have some errands to run, and then I have to get busy if I’m going to get everything done before my vacation is over. She pushed open the door and tipped her head toward the porch while dismissing him with a smile.
With a defeated nod, he stepped out onto the porch but paused just as he passed through the door. “I realize we’ve just met. But if ye need anything, I hope ye trust with all your heart that ye can call on me. I will help ye any way I can.”
“That’s very kind. Thank you.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth again and bobbed her head with a stiff nod.
He gave her a sad smile and stepped off the porch. Emrys was right. This would not be easy. The lass had been betrayedso many times that she wasn’t about to trust anyone. He glanced back just as she melted deeper into the house and closed the solid wooden door that sealed off the screen door to the kitchen. He didn’t know which was worse, watching her mistreatment in the Mirrors of Time or seeing the aftereffects of so many bitter moments in her past.
“It nay matters,” he swore softly. “The lass will learn to trust me.” He rolled his shoulders, then stood taller as he strode across the yard, determined to show her he meant her no harm.
Rachel blewa stray curl out of her eyes while ratcheting the log chain tighter around the base of the stump. This task had become a quest. A matter of honor and stubbornness. The huge, sprawling stump blocked the entrance to the field she intended to lease to her neighbor. If she allowed the man to grow his soybeans on her little bit of acreage, what he paid her in rent would be enough to at least cover the taxes and insurance for the house and land—and with any luck, maybe even more, depending on his harvest. In her current state of financial desperation, she wasn’t about to let a stump stand in the way of having at least two good-sized bills taken care of for the next year.
She stepped back and cocked her head to one side, critically eyeing her handiwork. “Think it’ll hold?”
Sam and Maizy stared at the stump and Rachel with equal interest. This wasn’t the first time the dogs had watched her play tug of war with the stubborn mass of wood. Both of them yawned. Apparently, her current tactic to conquer the thing was less interesting than when she’d hacked at it with an ax, dugaround it, or tried dislodging it with pry bars. She didn’t want to try burning it out. The thing would smolder forever.
“This is going to work,” she assured them. “You wait and see.”
After a determined nod, she tightened the leather pulls on her gloves and hoisted herself up into the seat of the ancient tractor. After a deep breath and a glance at the heavens for Granny to bring her luck, she turned the key and coaxed the wheezing piece of farm machinery to life.
She twisted in the seat and watched the chain, easing the tractor forward until the slack came out of it. It held fast around the stump just as she had planned. This would work. The smell of victory charged her full of adrenaline. She gunned the tractor for the winning lunge, and the engine sputtered and died. “Aw, come on, Bessie, really? Now? Where’s your hunger to win?”
She hopped to the ground and pulled her screwdriver out of the tool pouch strapped around her waist. “I’m serious, Bessie,” shel told the tractor. “Now is not the time to be a stubborn piece of shit!”
“Such a mouth on a woman!” Caelan rumbled with a deep laugh that both infuriated and excited her.
She whirled to face him, lost her footing in the tangle of long grass, and ended up sprawled on her backside. Teeth clenched to keep from hammering him with some even choicer words. She glared up into his amused, green eyes. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to sneak up on someone when they’re around loud machinery? Especially me!” She thought about throwing the screwdriver at him but needed it to adjust the carburetor.
“Your wee bit of loud machinery appears a mite quiet about now.” He flashed a crooked grin at her.
