“You blacked out,” Chloe said. “I’ll bet Jamie was there when you woke up.”
Brianna flushed as she recalled the way he’d stood against his horse, his arms folded, looking devilishly handsome. “Yes.”
“It’s how I met Malcolm,” Chloe said.
“Who’s that?”
“Brother to the laird of the castle and my husband,” she said.
“You’re married?” This was all too much to believe. She leveled her gaze at Evie. “And you’re married, too, I assume? Especially since you appear to be pregnant.”
Evie flushed, her cheeks turning pink. “Yes, Callum is my husband and the eldest and laird of this castle. And yes, I’m pregnant.”
This was strange and hard to believe. Here were her sisters, married to men of the past. She pressed a hand to her head where the headache pounded.
“And…Jamie?” she asked, her voice shaking a little.
“The youngest brother of the three,” Evie said.
Brianna smirked. “Who is he married to?”
“No one, yet,” Chloe snipped as she looked her over.
Evie met Chloe’s gaze, ignoring her sharp tone. “Chlo, it’s all coming true.”
“What’s all coming true?” Brianna demanded. There was still more information neither of them was telling her. She felt like she was in a nightmare with more questions than answers. It was hard to quell thepanic that wanted to erupt.
Evie took a deep breath, expelled it. “It may be difficult for you to hear right now. I know all of this is a shock and hard to believe.”
“You’re damn right it is. Shock is a bit of an understatement.” She clutched her hand around the stone once again, then shoved her fist into the front pocket of her jeans.
“The three of us coming back in time—you, me, Chloe—we were meant to be here.”
“And that means what exactly?”
“For God’s sake, Bri, stop being so dense,” Chloe snapped, her patience gone. “What Evie is trying to tell you is that there’s a prophecy that foretold of our arrival here. We were destined to be here. All three of us.”
Brianna stared at the both of them as disbelief pounded through her. Then she did the only thing she knew to do. She ran for the kitchen door.
Chapter Seven
Brianna burst throughthe kitchen, startling the maids and the others who were working there. Tears clouded her eyes as she ignored their gaping stares and ran to the other side, through the door, and found her way into the great hall. Jamie and Callum were still there, sitting at the table and conversing when she made her sudden appearance.
Jamie shot to his feet, but she ignored him as she made for the door. Without stopping, with her heart ramming against her chest and her feet pounding the strange straw-mat flooring, she barreled through the great hall door and back into the late afternoon.
The cold wind bit through her, stinging her cheeks and eyes. She paused there, her gaze scanning the area, looking for a way out. There were no cars within sight. Fine. She’d ride out of here. She ignored her stinging eyes and made for the stables. She ran across the greenway until she came upon the building, falling through the doorway and gasping for breath. She startled a poor stable boy who was grooming one of the horses. His head shot up, his eyes wide.
She swiped the tears from her frigid cheeks as she stumbled inside the stable. The air was thick with the smell of hay, leather, and musk of horses, a familiar smell that soothed her agitated soul.
“You,” she snapped. “Can you saddle me a horse?”
Mute, he nodded and dropped the brush he was using. He set about saddling a gray horse in the far stall while Brianna tried to collectherself. Her sisters were insane, and she was getting out of here. She was going to ride back to the nearest city and rent a car. Then she’d go back to Edinburgh and catch the first plane back to Nassau. As soon as she got back on that sunny beach with the crystal-blue water, she was never leaving. She would spend the rest of her life there, living alone. She didn’t need anyone or anything. She didn’t want anyone or anything. All she wanted was solace.
“Going somewhere, lass?”
Jamie’s voice behind her made her spin to face him. He leaned against the doorframe, one ankle crossed over the other and his arms folded over his chest showing off his thick forearms. His dark auburn hair was not quite as long as Callum’s but long enough to brush his shoulders. When the firelight from the interior torches hit it just right, glimmering golden strands intermingled with the dark red.
“Yes. I’m leaving and I’m not coming back.”
