My Highland Bride (Highland Hearts #2) Read online

  “I think he’ll be just fine, Granny.” Lady Trulie beamed at Colum as though he were a prized horse being selected for breeding with a favored mare. “Besides, you said you received the same vision I did.”

  Oh holy hell. Colum stiffened. Both the Lady Trulie and Mother Sinclair had seen him in another of their damn visions? The last time he’d appeared in one of their visions, they’d seen him poisoned and left for dead.

  “Very well.” Mother Sinclair’s mouth tightened into a flat, determined line. “In one week’s time, another of my granddaughters”—she motioned toward Lady Trulie—“Trulie’s middle sister closest to her in age, will arrive.”

  Colum waited, all the while wondering from where or maybe from when the next Sinclair sister would come. He’d speak to Gray later about the disloyalty of the man toward him. Hell’s fire. He’d fought at the man’s side for years. Did that no’ account for anything? ’Twas damn shameful the way his own chieftain had allowed a pair of women to reign over him in such a way. If all they needed were additional guards to protect such an important visitor, why the blazes had Gray no’ given the order himself? “I’ll see to it additional guards are set in place. Have no fear for the lady’s safety. I shall personally see to it.”

  “That’s exactly what we want,” Granny said as her tight-lipped frown softened into a sly smile. “We want you to personally see to Kenna.”

  Gray leaned over the fur-covered arm of the settee and scrubbed one hand across his mouth. His gaze was locked on the floor, and his shoulders trembled as he coughed a strange snorting sound into the folds of the plaid draped across his chest.

  Was the MacKenna laughing? Colum took a step closer and glared at him. “M’chieftain?”

  Gray straightened and let his hand drop to his lap. He sucked in a deep breath, then cleared his throat. “Aye, Colum. See to it the guards are doubled about the keep. But I do charge ye personally with the seeing after of Lady Kenna at all times. As soon as she arrives, she is yer responsibility. See that ye stay at her side.”

  Stay at her side. Colum smelled a verra large rat. What the devil did these three play at? “Is there anything more I should know about the Lady Kenna?”

  “Nay. Not a thing.”

  Colum studied Gray. The man’s face grew ruddier by the minute. Instinct warned Colum, “Run like hell, man!” Colum cleared his throat and edged closer to the door.

  Granny strolled behind the couch and set a staying hand on Gray’s shoulder as he leaned forward to speak again. “I’m sure you’ll figure it all out when the time arrives. But know this…” Granny pointed the crystal end of her staff at the center of Colum’s chest. “Trulie and I chose you for a reason. You would be wise not to disappoint us.”

  Disappoint them? When had he e’er failed to protect a charge? When had he e’er failed his chieftain? “I swear to ye, I will keep the Lady Kenna safe.”

  Again, Gray scrubbed a shaking hand across his mouth and muttered something toward his lap. Colum peered closer. Wariness set off more inner alarms as he picked up on the unspoken byplay going on between Lady Trulie’s pointed glare and his chieftain’s apologetic shrug.

  Colum swallowed hard and eased closer to the door. Had Gray just said it wasn’t the Lady Kenna’s safety that concerned him? Colum studied Gray closer. Aye and fer sure, the man had said just that—he felt certain of it. Lore a’mighty, may the gods have mercy on my soul.

  Chapter 2

  KENTUCKY—TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

  The fire popped and crackled in the cast-iron stove, but Granny’s voice came through the red-hot coals loud and clear. “It’s time, Kenna—time for you to join us here in the thirteenth century.”

  Kenna balanced the bowl of popcorn on the arm of the couch and leaned toward the open grating of the stove. The handful of popcorn she’d just shoved in her mouth at the exact moment of Granny’s announcement threatened to strangle her. Kenna coughed, swallowed hard, and thumped her fist against her chest.

  “Come again, Granny?” She wheezed in a deep breath, then hurriedly gulped down a sip of iced tea to wash away the knot of popcorn lodged in her throat. “You want all of us to join you and Trulie? Permanently?” Please say it’s just time for a short visit. I’d love to see you and Trulie…for a short visit.

  “No. Not all of you. Just you. It’s time you came back and grabbed hold of your destiny.” Granny paused. The only sound coming from the woodstove was the lively crackling of the fire. Granny’s firm tone silenced the sound of the flames as she continued, “The twins will be staying in the twenty-first century for a bit longer.”

  Kenna unfolded from her cross-legged position on the couch. What if she didn’t want to grab her destiny in thirteenth-century Scotland? What if she liked it right here in twenty-first-century Kentucky just fine? Yes, seeing Granny and Trulie would be wonderful, but there was just too much going on here to leave right now. Life was finally starting to settle down and run smoothly. It was kind of nice living like normal people for a change—or as close to normal as a girl born to a long line of women able to jump back and forth across time ever got.

  “The twins are graduating this month. Tell Trulie the terrible twosome turned into a pair of intelligent eighteen-year-old beauties,” Kenna said, hoping that if she changed the subject Granny might back off a bit. But that was another thing. Even though her baby sisters were eighteen years old, how could Granny suggest leaving them alone to fend for themselves? Granted, Mairi and Lilia were mature for their age, but they still weren’t ready to get booted from the nest and fly solo.

  Kenna scooted to the edge of the couch and propped her elbows on her knees. She had to buy them all some time. “Lilia’s creating her own line of natural cosmetics for the shop. She’s already got every teenage girl in town clamoring for the lip gloss she developed.”

  The flames lengthened and danced faster across the chunks of wood. The coals fanned a hotter orange-red as Granny’s tone took on a decided edge. “Tell the girls I’m very proud of them and it’ll be their time to join us soon. I’m sending an old friend to look after them, since you’re coming to join us now. Eliza will help them sort through whatever they might need until their time to come back to us arrives. They have a bit longer to hone their skills in the twenty-first century before I call them back to the past.”

  So the twins got to enjoy more time with indoor plumbing, Internet, and take-out pizza but she didn’t? Why did she have to leave now? “But Granny, I need—”

  “Enough, Kenna. You knew this time was coming, and you know better than to argue with me once I’ve made up my mind.”

  Kenna blew out a huffing breath. Isn’t that the freakin’ truth. Arguing with Granny was a lot like arguing with the weather. Both did as they damn well pleased no matter what anyone said. But maybe she could at least get away with bargaining for a little reprieve.

  “Just give me a month.” Kenna held her index finger up closer to the fire. She couldn’t see Granny, so she didn’t think her elder had opened the fire portal enough to create a viewing window, but you never knew for sure with Granny. “Give me one solid month to get everything ready before I jump back.” Surely Granny would grant her some time to get things settled…and maybe in that time, if she thought about it really hard, she could figure out an excuse Granny wouldn’t be able to deny that would allow her to stay comfortably ensconced in modern times for a few more years—at least.

  “One week.”

  “A week?” Kenna scooted off the couch and knelt in front of the woodstove. “I can’t be ready to jump the web in just a week. That’s impossible.”

  “Make it possible, Kenna. One week is all you get.”

  Gray-white ash crept up the chunks of glowing embers as the heat of the fire abated. Granny’s voice took on a metallic, hollow sound, fading in and out as the connection through the fire portal weakened. “Don’t waste your time pouting or plotting to stay in the future. You knew this day was coming. Accept your destiny and embrace it.”
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br />   Kenna held her breath to keep from shouting “It isn’t fair” into the dying flames. No. I can’t do that. Granny deserves respect. No matter how much Granny pissed her off, she couldn’t defy the woman who’d given up so much to ensure that her four granddaughters not only survived their rough beginnings in the thirteenth century but thrived in whatever time Granny chose to place them. “Fine. I’ll see you and Trulie in a week.” Fighting against the squeezing frustration cutting off her air, Kenna stirred the coals one last time and forced out a strained “I love you, Granny.”

  “I love you too, gal.” Granny’s pleased chuckle fanned the coals a hotter orange for a brief instant. “You’ll thank me, gal. I promise. You will thank me.”

  Kenna slammed the cast-iron door to the stove shut and closed all the dampers. She very much doubted she’d thank Granny when she was balancing on a chamber pot or washing in icy water dipped out of a loch. The thirteenth century. Dammit. Kenna shuddered, flopped back on the couch, and dropped her head to her hands.

  Keys rattled in the front door right before it swung open and banged against the wall. Giggles and frantic shushing echoed down the hallway. Kenna straightened and glanced at the ancient mantel clock squatting in the center of the bookshelf. Lovely. The twins were home, and they were late. Again.

  “Would it kill you two to be on time? Just once?” Kenna snatched up the bowl of popcorn and headed to the kitchen. She was in no mood to deal with bubbly sisters who were currently lucky enough to not have a freakin’ care in the world.

  “We’re not that late. It’s only five after,” Lilia said with a glance toward the clock.

  Both grinning girls—twins who looked nothing alike—plopped down on stools in front of the bar separating the den from the kitchen.

  “And sounds like you’re in a real snit. Are you really that torqued over five measly minutes?” Mairi helped herself to the bowl of popcorn, then peered at Kenna with a look that irritated her even more.

  Kenna clenched her teeth and tapped a finger against the countertop to a silent count of ten. She didn’t need to explode at them. It wasn’t her sisters’ fault that Granny had decided her visa to the twenty-first century had expired. She turned to Lilia. “Five minutes is five minutes. We agreed you would both be home by seven so we could go over next week’s schedule at the shop—since, if you recall, we’re introducing the new seasonal line of bath oils.”

  A flash of irrational sisterly irritation heated Kenna even further. “And how many times have I asked you not to wear my tops? You stretch them out so much I can’t wear them after you’re done with them.”

  Petite but well-endowed Lilia glanced down at the snug T-shirt straining across her full bosoms. “Oh. Sorry. I thought you said you didn’t want this one anymore.”

  “What’s going on with you?” Tall, willowy Mairi reached across the counter and gently patted Kenna’s hand. “Spill it, Kenna. You never get like this unless someone’s crossed you. What’s rubbed your fur the wrong way?”

  Kenna gripped the edge of the counter so tightly, her knuckles popped. How could she tell her baby sisters their comfortable life was about to get put through the time-travel grinder again? Her heart sank even lower. How can I tell them I’m about to leave them too?

  “You’ve been talking to Granny, haven’t you?”

  Kenna nodded without lifting her gaze from the yellowed countertop. “Yes, Mairi. I spoke to Granny. The two of you just missed her.” She huffed out a heavy sigh and sagged against the cabinet. “She sends her love and said to tell you both she’s very proud of you.”

  “If that’s what she said, then why do you look like you’re about to throw up?” Mairi’s eyes widened and she suddenly sat ramrod straight. “Oh, no—is Trulie all right? Please say she didn’t lose this baby too.” Mairi hopped off the stool and rushed around the counter to Kenna’s side.

  “Oh, no…not again.” Lilia rounded the other end of the kitchen island.

  Kenna waved both sisters a step back. “No. No. Nothing like that. Trulie’s feeling fine, and is due to deliver our little niece or nephew into the world any day now.”

  “Then what?” Lilia bumped Kenna with a curvaceous hip and grinned. “Did Granny tell you it was your turn to go back to the past and hook up with a sexy Highlander?”

  Kenna didn’t say a word, just turned and glared at Lilia. Baby sister already knew the truth of it, and she hadn’t even needed any of her damn foretelling visions that happened to be her dominant talent as a Sinclair time runner.

  “Holy shit, she did, didn’t she?” Lilia’s mouth dropped open.

  “Holy shit,” Mairi echoed.

  Her sisters’ profound statements pretty much summed up exactly how she felt about the situation. Kenna yanked open the overhead cabinet door, blindly patted her hand to the back of the shelf, and snaked out a dust-covered bottle of brandy. “Granny didn’t exactly put it that way, but she might as well have. You know she’s always had plans on seeing us all settled, and she never liked this point in time on the web. In Granny’s mind, thirteenth-century Scotland is the only era fit to claim as home base.” Kenna plunked the round-bellied bottle down to the counter and nodded to Mairi. “Get some glasses. I need a drink, and you both will too after you hear Granny’s plan.”

  “Wow. It really must be bad if you’re gonna let us drink too.” Lilia circled back around and perched on the stool. “Especially Granny’s brandy.”

  “Here.” Mairi slid the glasses into a line beside the bottle. “But are you sure you really want a drink? You know alcohol always makes you feel like crap no matter how little you drink.”

  Kenna nodded, pulled the stopper free of the bottle, and poured a generous splash of the dark-colored liquid into each of the glasses. They’d gotten this bottle when they’d accidentally missed their targeted era on a practice jump and landed in fourteenth-century Italy. Granny had taken a liking to the sweet brandy and she’d brought a bottle of it back when they’d returned home. What a jump that had been. The girls had loved Italy.

  A strained rumble gurgled up from her queasy middle. “I already feel like crap.” And she did. The thought of jumping back to the past had her stomach churning. She often wondered if something was wrong with her. She was a freakin’ time runner, for cripes’ sake. A Sinclair. Born to a long generation of females able to skate back and forth across time whenever they pleased. Kenna downed the swallow of brandy and cringed against the burn. She was some time runner all right. Every time she jumped the web, she vomited everything but her socks. Kenna swallowed hard against the rising nausea, already roiling with a sickly burn. Damn. She was about to puke at the very thought of time-running again.

  “So when do we leave?” Lilia asked. She sniffed the contents of her glass, wrinkled her nose, and set it back down. “I’m not gonna drink that. It smells like cough syrup.”

  “We don’t leave.” Kenna licked her lips and refilled her glass with an even more generous splash of Italy’s best. She stared down at the rich ruby liquid as she haltingly forced out the words. “I’m…going alone.”

  Mairi intercepted the glass just as Kenna raised it to her mouth. “No more. Not until you’ve shared what’s going on. After that, you can drink all you want and sleep beside the toilet.”

  The idea of retching the night away stayed Kenna’s hand. Mairi had a point: making matters worse by self-induced misery was not the solution. “Granny says it’s time for me to jump back. Alone.”

  “She wants you to leave us? Here? In this century?” Mairi gathered up the three glasses and set them in the sink.

  “I can’t believe Granny would have you leave us.” Lilia leaned forward, propping her chin atop her fists. “What are we supposed to do without an older adult to make sure we don’t do anything stupid? I know we’re not considered minors anymore but until we turn twenty-one, we’re still kind of limited when it comes to business dealings. Nobody wants to deal with a couple of kids. What if we need a loan or something to expand the
shop? How are we supposed to support ourselves?”

  Kenna shoved the ancient brandy bottle back to its place on the high shelf. So much for fueling myself with liquid courage. “She says she’s sending a friend to look after the two of you until it’s your turn to jump back. Someone named Eliza. Do either of you remember Granny ever mentioning her?”

  “A friend named Eliza.” Lilia straightened on the stool. The dubious look on her face said it all. Lilia didn’t like this sudden upheaval any more than Kenna. “I don’t remember Granny ever talking about some woman named Eliza.”

  “Is she a time runner too?” Mairi leaned against the counter beside Kenna. Her dark brows puckered with a worried look and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Mairi struggled when it came to meeting new people, because all the Sinclair siblings had learned at a very young age that their survival depended on knowing whom they could and couldn’t trust with their family’s secrets.

  “I don’t know.” Kenna closed her eyes and bowed her head. She suddenly felt a great deal older than her twenty-three years.

  “How much time do we have left with you?” Lilia slid off the stool and scooped up the sweater she’d tossed across the back of the couch. She hugged the fuzzy gray garment against her chest and stared down at the floor. “I don’t want you to go. I’m tired of our family being split up across centuries. It was bad enough when Trulie and Granny jumped back.”

  Kenna’s heart ached at Lilia’s words. She felt exactly the same way. “I don’t want to go either.” She rounded the counter and hugged an arm around Lilia’s shoulders. “But Granny sacrificed so much for us. How can I refuse? I owe it to her to at least give whatever she’s got cooked up a chance. Look how happy Trulie is. Granny’s grand plan worked out great for her.” Kenna struggled to keep her tone upbeat and convincing. Quite a feat, since her spirits were currently sagging so low they could wipe out her footprints.