The lady of Clan MacKay approached the bed and gave Harley the sort of look that made it seem as if she understood exactly whatHarley was going through.“You can call me Rachel. Don’t be afraid. You’ll come to no harm here.”
Harley sniffed and swiped a hand across her face, trying to stop an onslaught of tears so she wouldn’t start hiccupping again. “You don’t sound like him.”She sniffed again, grappling with the rising hysteria about to choke her.
Rachel motioned for her son to step back, then sat in the chair beside the bed.“That’s because I’ve only been in Scotland for the past twenty-eight years. The accent isn’t quite the same as those who are born to it.” She tipped her head to one side and grinned. “What part of Kentucky are you from? You sound like home to me.”
“Southwestern tip of the state. By the Mississippi. What do you mean I sound like home?”
Rachel leaned forward as though about to share a juicy secret. “I’m from that part of Kentucky too. From the year 2007. I was probably about your age when I traveled back in time.”
“Wait. What?” Harley peered closer at the older woman with the fine lines at the corners of her eyes and the silver in her hair. “That’s impossible. If you were my age in 2007, and you’ve been here twenty-eight years, then how can I be here and be my age, and you be…your age now…when I’m from the year 2008?” She didn’t want to insult Ronan’s mother, but the facts begged an answer.
Rachel shrugged. “That, I am afraid, is a question for Einstein.I can only tell you what is. Not how the laws of the universe control the outcome.”
Harley scrubbed her face with both hands, wishing she had never opened her eyes and discovered herself dumped in the middle of this confusing mess. “How did I get here? I don’t remember what I was doing or what was going on before I woke up here.All I know is that when I woke up, I expected to see my messy camper—not the inside of an ancient castle.”
Rachel gracefully rose from the chair and rested her hand on Ronan’s shoulder.“My son will help you find your answers, and you have my word that our entire family—our clan—will help you in any way we can.I promise you, there’s nothing you cantell us that will surprise us. Unless it’s about an invention from the future that was introduced after I crossed over into the past.”
After an obvious nudge from his mother, Ronan held out his hand. “I will never hurt ye or lie to ye, Harley, and I am verra glad to be the one to help ye.”
After a nervous glance at Rachel, Harley pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was about to pound its way out of her ribcage. “I am so afraid,”she whispered, hating to appear cowardly. She had always been brave, never afraid to tackle any adventure, but this—this adventure terrified her.
He eased forward with a gentleness that made her both leery and hopeful that he was as nice as he really seemed. “I willna hurt ye, Harley, and I swear no one else will hurt ye, either. I would never allow that. Come, now. Try to trust me.”
She stared at his outstretched hand, then willed herself to find the courage to take it. Warm and callused, something about his touch steadied her. She was still confused and frightened out of her mind, but something about her hand enclosed in his gave her the strength she needed to move forward.
He gently tugged, helping her out of the bed. “Come, lass—I mean, Harley. Time to find yer land legs, and see yer new surroundings.We are quite welcoming here. I promise ye.”
“Since it appears to be a Scottish habit, you can call melassif you want to. Sorry about snapping at you before.” She held tight to his hand, pulled herself up, and immediately lost her balance and fell against his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “Easy there, lass. I have ye and willna let ye fall.”
There was something about his scent—the same wild crispness of the open sea gusting in through the window across the room, mixed with a warm male she instinctively knew would never harm her. She breathed him in while noticing the impressive expanse of hardened muscle pressed against her. “I’m just a little light-headed…sorry.” She pushed away and resettled her footing but kept hold of his arm. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
Rachel smiled and headed for the door.“Ronan will bring you to the main hall for supper. You need to eat and rebuild your strength. Then we’ll find you some clothes, so you’ll feel more comfortable about moving among our people and not appearing out of place.”
“Not appearing out of place,” Harley repeated, staring at the door that Rachel closed behind her. Her heart rate returned to panic mode, and she fixed Ronan with a pleading look. “Please tell me this is just a bad dream—or a terrible joke.”
He gave her a sad shake of his head. “It is real, lass. I ken it is a lot to understand, but I promise ye, ye are not alone.”
“Why are you being so…nice?” She didn’t want to insult him, but why would he bother to help her, bother to be so caring?
“Because I have listened to yer heartsong pleading for my help for several long weeks now, and I am determined to accept the task and do so.”
Ronan waseager to do anything it took to erase the worry from Harley’s beautiful whisky colored eyes and coax her full lips into a smile. Her skittishness as they slowly made their way down the hallway concerned him. She was not ready to meet the others. Not yet. The way she clutched his arm to steady her hesitant steps shot her nervousness into him, made him ache to put her at ease.
“Do ye think yerself strong enough to climb a few steps?” he asked, then changed his mind as she stumbled. It took all his reserve to keep from sweeping her up into his arms. “Would ye mind if I carried ye, lass?”
She pulled away and eyed him with the leeriness of a trapped animal. “I can walk, thank you. For some reason, I’m just a little stiff and shaky, but I’ll be fine. I just need a little time to get all the kinks worked out, that’s all.” She jutted her chin in the direction they had been headed. “You go ahead if you have things to do. I’m sure I can find my way.”
“It would be more than a little rude to leaveye.” Why would she expect such behavior from him? Never would he stoop to such coarse manners. Such actions would be beyond contemptible. “And nothing I have to do is more important than yerself.”
“Why?” She hugged herself as they walked, refusing to hold on to his arm any longer.
“Because—” He didn’t have an answer for that. He was used to giving orders, having his word accepted without question, and not having to explain himself. “Because yeareimportant. Let that be the end of that. Would ye like to step outside and breathe in the sea air? It always strengthens me.” He gave her an awkward shrug. “It might strengthen ye as well.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, cringing with indecisiveness as she glanced first at him, then eyed both directions of the long hallway. “Some time outside might be really nice before I meet everyone else.” She seemed to pull into herself, like a cowering animal that had been mistreated in the past. He ached to hold her and assure her he would let no harm come to her.
“Will there be many people at supper?” Pure fear shone in her eyes.
