He didn’t know. Maybe time demanded sacrifice. Maybe love did too.
“Aye,” he whispered. “And maybe that’s the curse. The heart remembers what the body’s lost.”
She reached for him, her hand warm against his jaw. “Then let this be something the heart keeps too.”
He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes, unsure how he’d ever life without the caress of her fingers on his face. For a fleeting instant, he imagined a life not bound by centuries, but one where a cottage, her laughter, and the simple peace of knowing morning would still find her in his arms.
But when he opened his eyes, a strange shimmer rippled through the air above the glen. The faint hum of the box trembled at the edge of his hearing, low and insistent, like a heartbeat warning of an ending.
Lainie felt it too. He saw it in the way her smile faltered.
“Donell?”
He forced a grin, though his chest ached. “Perhaps the gods grow jealous, lass.”
“Then let them wait,” she said fiercely, pulling him close.
The wind caught in her hair, twisting it into gold ribbons. He kissed her once, slow and sure, as the shimmer faded into the horizon.
For now, the box was silent again. They still had time.
By evening, the air had turned heavy, the light in the glen dimming to a pewter glow. The faint hum of the box never quite left her ears, though Donell pretended not to hear it. They walked back to the cottage hand in hand, saying little, as if words might tip the balance between now and never. When they reached the door, a gust of wind rattled the panes, carrying with it the first cool scent of rain. Lainie glanced toward the hills, unease curling low in her belly. Somewhere beyond the horizon, thunder rolled—a low, distant warning that their borrowed time was running thin.
7
WHIZ!
“What in bloody hell was that?” The look on Donell’s face was priceless, and Lainie couldn’t help laughing. They’d spent a couple of days in the cottage and glen, but they’d transitioned to exploring more of the modern world.
“It was a car. Instead of riding horses and in carriages, we have cars.”
“Good Lord, the contraption nearly killed me.”
Lainie didn’t think she’d ever seen a man jump as high as Donell when the little Euro car flew by.
“They can be dangerous.” She wiped at the tears collecting in her eyes.
Donell gave her a sideways glance, the corners of his lips turned upward.
“These dinna feel right. They are clutchin’ on my man goods,” Donell said with a wink, fiddling with his pants.
Indeed, they were clutching his man goods. Lainie’s nipples pebbled, and the heat between her legs moistened just from looking at the massive bulge in his jeans.
“That’s the way of things here. You will blend right in.”
He raised his eyebrow, and this time she winked.
After getting over their initial shock and Donell’s anger, they’d spent the morning leisurely making love and eating breakfast. The time passed in the blink of an eye, and still, they had no idea why he was there. Lainie had gone out and bought him some modern clothes, jeans, and a sweater. He looked like a model who’d hopped out of the pages of a magazine, only sexier and much more muscular.
As much as she loved the idea of staying inside and having sex for the rest of eternity, they needed some fresh air.
“Do ye think they’ll recognize me?” Donell pointed to MacDuff Castle.
Their footsteps crunched as they walked up the gravel path to the massive structure.
“No, they wouldn’t believe you were him even if it crossed their minds.” Lainie felt sure, even if he were dressed in a kilt, no one would think him Donell, Laird of MacDuff, come to the future.
“Perhaps I should give the tour,” he chuckled. His soft burr caressed her soul. Even when she no longer had him, she would never be able to forget the way he said her name or whispered sexy things in her ears.
