“The piece of iron buried in the ground, that ye stumbled over? Might that have been a piece of it?”
Her brows drew together. “I wondered that, when I fell. But ’twas likely just a stray piece of iron. Something dropped there over the centuries. It could have come from anywhere.”
The flash of an idea gave Sean a tingle of excitement, though he kenned it came more from having an immediate action to take, than actual usefulness. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
He left the sofa, grabbed his pack, and settled back beside Kenna. His eagerness grew as he pulled out his charcoal and sketch pad and turned to a clean page. “Think carefully, Kenna. Be as specific as ye can. Any details will help.”
Sketching the edges of the wall on either side of the opening, as he imagined them from what he’d seen at the kirk, Sean left a gap where the gate would have been. “Was the gate taller than the wall? Shorter?”
“The point was even with the top of the wall, I think. ’Tis why I dinnae recognize it as a gate until we got closer.”
Sean sketched a rough outline. “Something like this?”
“Aye.” Excitement edged Kenna’s voice as she leaned close to study the drawing. “But not so distinct, of course, being covered by the vines.”
Nodding, Sean continued sketching. “And if we keep the design simple, could it have been like this?” He sketched some bars running the length of the gate, with a single cross bar, where it would have latched.
Kenna’s body curled into his as she leaned closer. “Mayhap.” Frustration edged her voice. “Everything happened so fast, I cannae remember more details of the gate. I’m sorry.”
Setting the pad aside, Sean turned to Kenna, their faces so close, her breath mingled with his. “Dinnae fash. Tomorrow I’ll go back tae the kirk and see if I can dig up any more of those iron pieces. Mayhap, if we’re lucky, they can tell us more.”
“Not without me, ye won’t!” Kenna pressed her bandaged hand to the front of his longshirt, then slowly removed it. “No worries. I ken how tae get there on my own.”
Sean’s groan was audible. There was naught but stubbornness in the set of her lips and near panic in her voice. He pointed to her knees. “And what do ye intend tae do about those?”
Her chin came up, her face a mask of determination. “I told ye I was feeling much better. But if ’twill settle yer mind, I’ll see if Owen has time tae drive usboth. He often takes me there, between the morning baking and when he opens for daily business. Ye should have the deliveries done by then.” She dropped her gaze. “He kens I go tae try tae stimulate my memory.”
Och! What a tenacious lass Kenna was. But ’twas difficult to appear disgruntled with her lovely face so close to his. Her hair had dried to curly perfection and smelled like wildflowers. Sean fisted his hands to keep from burying them in those soft coils and closing those last couple of inches, between them.
She tipped her head and gave him a small smile. “If ye agree, I promise tae just sit and watch while ye dig.”
Her attempt at looking and sounding contrite, failed, but in truth, he couldnae deny her. “Fine.” Would it be too much to ask to seal the bargain with a kiss?
“But I willnae waste the day!” In her excitement, she pulled back. “Tomorrow could bethe daywhere everything comes together. So, I’ll watch from the opening.”
“Where I’ll be digging?” He dinnae try to keep his frustration from the lost chance of a kiss and her new declaration, from spilling intae his voice.
Kenna’s face beamed with anticipation. “If we find more iron pieces—if ’tis truly the gate, mayhap I could hold ontae them, like I held the gate that night.” She grabbed his arm, wincing a wee bit. “It could work, Sean. It could work!”
Unable to contain his smile at her delight, he tried to remain the voice of reason. “Mayhap. But ye mustnae hold yer hopes too high.”
She nodded, but the expectation in her eyes was so bright, he feared her devastation if another day came and went with a handful of centuries still hanging between her and her family.
Sean sighed. ’Twas painfully clear that ultimately, whether she stayed here, or rejoined her family, either she, or he, would be irreparably heartbroken.
Chapter Ten
With their plan in place, Sean left the sofa long enough to retrieve the salve and bandages and brought them back, hoping after he finished, Kenna would rest while he went to help Owen.
Kneeling in front of her, jaw clenched, he forced himself to focus solely on Kenna’s cuts and scrapes as he gently smoothed salve over her knees and fashioned a light layer of bandages.
“ ’Tis perfect.” Kenna pulled the lower edges of her wrap closed after surveying the job he’d done. “Thank ye, Sean. Hopefully, I can still get my jeans over these, in the morning.”
He felt her eyes on him as he gathered the bandaging materials and put them back inside the bag.
“I havnae thanked ye, Sean. For all ye’ve done. But mostly, for believing me. And for what ye’re willing tae do tomor—” A sudden look of horror contorted her face. “Och! Ye cannae go! I cannae let ye.”
Puzzled by her rapid reversal, Sean stood, looked down at her. “What do ye mean? O’course I’m goin’.”
