Lightly tapping his thumbs together, Dagun stared down at the wide beam of wood fashioned to form the secure railing around the sides of the ship. He ran his hand along the grain smoothed first by craftsmen and then by the forces of nature. Ronan sensed the man was struggling to choose the proper words that would trick him into confessing his soul.
“Perhaps she has seen whatever it is that seems to be troubling ye of late,” Dagun said. “Mayhap, she intends to offer her help.”
Ronan slowly shook his head as he pulled his focus from the horizon and fixed it on his first mate. “Ye canna stand it, can ye?It’s driving ye mad that ye canna work out what might be wrong. Ye are as bad as ye were that time we made port in Dela Ruga, and ye couldna discover whether or not I’d bedded the governor’s daughter.”
Dagun folded his arms across his chest as he turned and leaned back against the side of the ship. “Well, I beg yer pardon, ye surly git. Forgive me for being fool enough to care about my captain. The man whose life I just happened to save when he wandered into the wrong pub at the wrong time. The one man bound to the sea but didna ken his arse from a hole in the ground when it came to surviving in port. Far be it from me to force m’self on anyone. From now on, I’ll beminding me own business, and ye can do as ye will. Let the devil take ye!”
Ronan stared down at the dancing waves lapping against the side of the boat, trying to hide a grin. He’d gone and hurt the poor beggar’s feelings. Dagun could be as tetchy as a sore-tailed mongrel at times. Maybe he should share a bit about the strangeness of late. What harm could it do? “Do ye ever feel as though someone is calling out to ye? That ye are supposed to find them? As if they need yer help and are reaching out with every bit of their soul to make ye hear them?”
“Mother of God! I thought ye were safe from the MacKay curse since ye were the second of the three sons to come out of yer mother’s womb?” Dagun’s eyes went wide, and he backed up a step.
“No, man. I dinna see how it could be the MacKay curse. I’ve had no dreams about a woman destined to be my mate. ’Tis nothing like Father said he went through when he discovered Mother was fated to be his wife.”
Dagun arched his brows nearly to his dark hairline and shook a finger in Ronan’s face. “Ye had best be thankful for that small favor. The clan still talks of how miserable yer father was during that time.”
“Knowing Father, if he was miserable—so was everyone else.” Ronan shook his head again. “’Tis nothing like a dream of a beautiful lass that I’m about to bed but canna touch. I feel a pull toward somewhere unknown. Or toward something—or someone. There is a great sadness reaching out to me. But I dinna ken where it’s from or who I am meant to help.” Ronan worried with the bronze medallions hanging around his neck.
“Well then, mayhap yer mother can be of help to ye. This sounds like something she could use her gifts for to guide ye. Help ye discover what ye are meant to do.” Dagun frowned, his clear blue eyes troubled. “I only met her the one time. Beautiful woman, but I didna miss how the entire clan treated her like a powerful being—a goddess, even—one they didna care to cross.”
“Aye.” Ronan resettled his forearms on the railing. “Her gifts are oft more of a curse than a blessing. No matter herkindness, her ability to heal and ease pain separates her from everyone. They fear her.”
Dagun nodded. “Aye. I remember ye saying the clan was not so accepting of a strange woman from the future. Especially with her abilities and powers.”
Ronan straightened, remembering the tale his father had told him many times. “They made her feel so unwelcome at first that she left for another realm for a while, right before the birth of me and my brothers. The Goddess Brid sent her back to Father right as the pains started coming to bring us into the world. Father made her swear to never leave him ever again.”
“They accept her now, though,” Dagun said. “Albeit with a bit of leeriness.” He winked at Ronan. “Ye canna blame them for being a mite careful around her. Ye told me yerself that any time anyone threatened yer da, yer brothers, or yer sister, that those doing the threatening somehow ceased to exist.”
Ronan snorted in amusement. “Aye, and no one’s ever had the nerve to ask what become of them, either.” He pushed away from the railing. “I dinna ken what to tell her, or even if I will tell her anything at all.” He aimed a hard glare at Dagun. “If she gets wind of this, there’ll be no peace for as long as we are at the dock. Do you understand what I am telling ye, man?”
Dagun backed away, hands lifted in submission. “I’ll not be the one to tell the lady a word about her son’s melancholy. But if I had a sack full of coins to wager, I’d be betting she’ll know as soon as she sets eyes on ye.”
“Aye…well, that’s why we’re taking the long way back to Scotland. I figure I can stall her for about another three weeks. But after that, she’d best be seeing our sails on the horizon.” Ronan scrubbed the stubble of his close clipped beard as he turned to take refuge in his quarters.
“By the way…” Dagun followed close on his heels, stealing furtive glances up and down the deck as he lowered his voice. “Did ye bed the Governor’s daughter?”
CHAPTER 4
He’s a new one,” Rosa said. “Refuses to leave his room—and his bed.It takes tall talking and firm nudging to get him to shift over to the chair long enough so I can change his linens.”The nurse shook her head, her expression one of worried frustration as she nodded at the room at the end of the hall.
“What’s his name?”Harley eyed the room with interest. She loved a challenge and refused to let the elderly residents give up on her watch.
“Mr. MacCallen.Showed up here with a suitcase full of books about the sea and the clothes on his back.”Rosa pulled a cloth shopping bag from her shoulder and handed it to Harley.“I picked him up a change of clothes and some toiletries with money from the general fund.Kind of odd that he had enough money for a private room but only had the one set of clothes with him.” She shrugged. “He must be one of those who thinks as long as he covers his behind the one day, it doesn’t matter if he has a fresh set of drawers for the next.”
“Any family?”Harley pawed through the tote, checking Rosa’s choices for the mysterious new resident.
“Far as I can tell, none. Poor fellow didn’t even list an emergency contact. He refuses to answer questions about friends or family, juststares out the window until you give up and leave him alone.” Her lips thinned into a grim line of determination as she patted Harley on the back.“You know as well as I do that if we don’t snap him out of it, he won’t be with us very long.”
Harley started toward the room.“I know.I hate it when they give up and die of hopelessness.”She quietly rapped on the door, waiting a polite few seconds before entering the room. “Good Morning Mr. MacCallen.My name is Harley, and I’m here to help you settle in.”
The stone-faced old man lay curled on his side, blindly staring out the window.His bent frame took up the entire bed. In his prime, he must have been a huge man. His shoulder length hair was a glorious, almost sparkling white that only a lucky few inherited rather than the more common yellowish gray of advanced years.His beard was also snowy white, making Harley think that Mr. MacCallen would make a great Santa Claus if he had the round belly to go with the rest of the traditional features.
She rounded the bed so she could look him in the eyes as she pulled his purchases out of the bag. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a book with the most vivid pictures of the ocean lying open on the bedside table. Setting aside the tote of new clothes, she reverently picked up the book and poured over the pages.“What a wonderful book. These are the best photographs I’ve ever seen. Look at the rich blues and greens of the ocean.”
“Do ye like the sea?”
The deep rumbling voice startled her, nearly causing her to drop the book.She glanced up from the pages and found herself staring into the most vivid pair of blue eyes she had ever seen—be the person young or old. She smiled and nodded while slowly turning the pages. Care had to be taken so as not to send the old man retreating into his silence.
“Someday,” she told him, “I am going to the ocean.Maybe even sail around for a few weeks just to enjoy it.I’ve always loved the sound of waves, and if the rivers and lakes give me chills, I can only imagine what the sea will do.”
