That made sense and put her more at ease. It also enabled her to breathe again. She was being silly about that stupid dream. As she settled into the armchair with one foot tucked under her, she nodded. “This time of year, affordable places to rent are hard to find in this area. You mentioned you and your uncle won’t be here long, and with your accents, you sound as though you’re from Scotland. What exactly brings you to this area?” She sipped her coffee and took another deep breath;thankful her heart had finally slowed to a normal rhythm even though the arresting man from her dream sat smiling at her from the couch.
“Aye, we are from Scotland. Here on a work visa as consultants for the locking mechanism at the new lock and dam.”
He took another drink from his cup but appeared to be clenching his jaws. She must have gotten it too strong for his liking. “I’m so sorry. Do you need milk or sugar? I forgot to ask. I promise I’m not always this rude.” Some hostess she was. Poor man.
Caelan lifted his cup as though toasting her. “Nay, lass. Quite hardy just the way it is.”
Emrys ignored her. The old man seemed intent on paying attention to the dog. She also noticed he hadn’t even tasted his coffee.
“Mr. Emrys, would you prefer tea?” she asked, trying to remember where she had last seen the box of tea bags. She was sure she had some somewhere.
“Just Emrys, lass, and no. I am fine.” He gave her a polite nod, then returned his attention to Maizy.
A stretch of uncomfortable silence settled across the room. Only broken by the ticking of the old clock on the shelf above the television.
“The room isn’t much,” Rachel said, squirming in the chair to swap the feet she had tucked under her. The one she had been sitting on had gone numb. “But it’s clean,” she continued. “Warm in the winter and air-conditioned for the summer. Depending on the length of your stay, it should do for as long as you’re in town—as long as you don’t need anything fancy, of course.”
Both men nodded like a pair of bobblehead dolls. They seemed perfectly content to sit with their coffee and stare at her,and she had the eeriest impression that they’d do so as long as she allowed it. It made her feel like the prize pig at the fair.
Unable to endure their scrutiny any longer, she jumped up and edged her way to the hallway. “My shoes. I need to get my shoes, and then I’ll show you to the loft. We can talk money there, and you can decide if you still want to give it a go.”
“I dinna care if it takes every gold coin in my castle. It shall be worth it,” Caelan muttered.
“Excuse me?” She paused at the door, uncertain about what he had said.
“I said I am sure it will be worth whatever ye are asking,” he said, his strained smile making her wonder what he’d really said as she continued down the hallway to get her socks and shoes.
Adjustingthe vicious seam of the tight jeans splitting his crotch, Caelan shifted and glared at Emrys. “How the hell do the men of this century not cripple themselves with these feckin’ things? They nearly strangle your manhood and stop the blood from reaching your bollocks.”
Emrys wiggled in his baggy overalls, his grin somewhat hidden by his long, white mustache. “The sight of ye needs to remind the lass of what the two of ye enjoyed in her dream. From the amount of coffee she spilled and the high color to her cheeks, I’d say ye did yourself proud, my laird.”
They both went quiet as Rachel returned with her socks and shoes in hand. At the sight of her putting them on, Sam scrambled into her lap, whining and pawing at her hands.
“I am not leaving you, sweet little man. We’re just going outside. You can come too.” She hugged her cheek to his and rubbed his neck while murmuring to him as if he were a child.
Caelan couldn’t help but revel in the tender sight even though he was slightly jealous of the little dog.
She glanced up and met his gaze. “He hates being left alone. Almost panics whenever I have to leave him.” With the tiny beast still trembling in her lap, she reached around him and finished tying her shoes.
“I dinna blame him one bit,” Caelan said soft and low, praying she would take it as the caress he meant it to be. He ached with the wanting of her, wishing to be done with this game and head straight back to Scotland with her in his arms. The way they had made love in her dreams only made him yearn for her all the more. Never would he get enough of her. He burned to join with her again and again.
He cleared his throat and smiled as she gave him a leery glance. Best mind his words, he reminded himself. Just as old Emrys had said. But patience had never been one of his virtues.
She set Sam on the floor and motioned for Maizy who was still snuggled against Emrys’s leg. “Come on, you two. Let’s show our guests the loft, and see if it meets with their approval.”
Caelan rose and followed with the dogs while Emrys struggled to flounder out of the over-stuffed cushions. He held the door for Rachel, politely bowing his head as he towered above her. “I am sure the apartment will be perfect. As we said, we’ll not be here but a short while.” He gave her another charming smile, his face mere inches from hers.
Her breath seemed to catch in her throat, and her face flushed red, filling him with a sense of victory. Aye, she remembered the dream and struggled with him standing so near. Good. He wanted her to remember every second of their loving for all the rest of their days.
She ducked her head and whispered, “I’m going to need another cold shower.”
“Beg pardon?” he asked, knowing full well what she had said, but wanting to hear it again. He struggled not to crow like the proudest of cocks. He had served his precious wee lass well.
“The apartment has a shower,” she said, her cheeks flashing even redder. She scooted through the door. “This way. To the garage at the back of the house.”
Rachel led the way across the yard, dodging the bouncing dogs as they raced around her. “You can park your vehicle…” A faint frown puckered her brow as she scanned the yard and driveway, apparently searching for a vehicle other than her dilapidated truck. “How did you get here?”
Caelan halted and stood there with his mouth ajar while trying to come up with a reasonable lie. Neither of them had anticipated that question—and after all their studying about everything from the year 2007. He turned so Rachel wouldn’t see his face and arched both brows at the old druid.
