She said it as though she’d been waiting for her arrival.
Chloe wrapped her arms around her sister, holding her tight, never wanting to let go. Relief sputtered through her. Relief Evie was alive and well and hugging her hard. Relief they were together once again. When she finally pulled back, she held her at arm’s length.
“What are you doing here?” Chloe asked.
But it was Malcolm who answered with a chuckle. “Och, lass. This is my brother’s wife.”
CHAPTER 11
“Wife? You’re married?”
Evie flushed, her cheeks turning pink, as she helped her to her feet. Chloe cut a glance to the men standing at the table. One was clearly younger than the other one.
“Sorry I didn’t send you an invitation to the wedding, but you were a few hundred years in the future,” Evie said with a sheepish grin.
She took her by the hand and led her way from Malcolm, who remained where he stood.
“Chloe, this is my husband, Callum MacLeod.” Evie beamed with pride as she introduced him.
He stepped forward with a nod of greeting. “We’ve been waiting for ye, lass.”
Her brows drew together. “What does that mean?”
“It’s a long story. And this is Jamie MacLeod.”
As he approached, Jamie’s grin deepened, two dimples carving into each cheek as he reached for her hand. His fingers were warm and sure against hers as he lifted it, brushing a delicate kiss across her knuckles much like Duncan had when he had bidden her farewell. A spark of amusement flickered in his dark eyes, and the way he looked at her sent a shiver racing up her spine. He was effortlessly charming, devastatingly handsome. As soon as he took her hand, Malcolm was at her side, shooting a dark glare at his brother.
“’Tis good to meet ye at last, lassie.”
Evie shooed him away. “That’s enough of that.”
“Aye,” Malcolm agreed.
If Chloe didn’t know any better, he was jealous. She turned back to her sister.
“It sounds as though you were expecting me.” She said it in jest, but the look on their faces told her she had struck on the truth.
Evie cleared her throat, then hooked her arm in hers and led her away from the great hall. “Let’s get you to a room so you can rest. I’m sure you’re exhausted. I’ll explain everything.”
Chloe stole a glance over her shoulder and met Malcolm’s gaze. He gave her a smile and a nod. She had many questions, questions she hoped Evie would be able to answer.
Evie led her away from the great hall through a doorway and to a stone curved staircase. It was narrow and they had to climb single file up and up and up. At the top, Evie led her down another hallway with several closed doors. She pushed open the last door on the far end.
The room was small with only a bed, a large chest, a couple of chairs in front of the hearth, and a bedside table that held a candelabra. The hearth was cold and dark across from the bed, but Evie set about building a fire as though she’d done it all her life. Chloe watched, fascinated, wondering how she had acquired those skills. They had grown up in Texas where there was no need for a wood burning fireplace except for one or two times in winter. And even then, they had survived by building pillow forts in the living room and bundling up in their favorite flannel.
“You’ll want different clothes,” Evie said as she placed the logs on the rack. “Roslyn can help with that.”
“Who’s Roslyn?”
“She’s the cook. Well…” Evie paused, and sat back on her heels. She peered up at Chloe. “She’s more than a cook. She does a lot of things for the household. She’s taken me under her wing and taught me to cook.”
“You cook now?”
The only thing Evie knew how to cook was a box of mac and cheese and sometimes she even burned that.
“Not well, but I can knead a mean loaf of bread.” She turned back to the fireplace and finally got the fire started. “There, that should warm up the room nicely.”
Overwhelmed, Chloe backed her way to the bed and sat. She pressed cold fingers against her temple that was throbbing with a raging headache. Everything ached from her head to her toes and she was cold. She clutched her elbows.
