Page 16 of Desiring the Highland Laird
The corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. “I no mean that, lass. I mean ye fell from the sky.”
Hot pinpricks went over her as she stared at him. “I fell from the sky? How?”
“It doesna seem possible to me, either, lass. But my da insists ye fell from the sky and are from the future.”
He sounded as though he didn’t believe that she was from the future. But looking at him in his sweat stained tunic and dirty breeches told her she was no longer in her own time. He was unlike any man she had met. Tall, ruggedly handsome, with muscular biceps straining against the material of his shirt.
Her stomach clenched into a tight knot. She didn’t want to believe it herself, but then, it was clear she was no longer in the museum. Her mind raced, trying to remember the last thing she did. Everything was a bit fuzzy, though. Running through the museum, trying to escape Bruce. The way he grabbed her by the ankle. She had kicked him and scrambled up the stairs.
She had the stone.
She glanced down at her hand where the dark red imprint was. Had the stone transported her back in time?
She found her voice at last. “I’m in the…past?”
“It seems so, lass,” Callum replied, his tone calm and patient.
“What year is it then?” she demanded.
“’Tis the year 1357.”
She had no response to that. Upon hearing she had landed in the fourteenth century, she did the only sensible thing. She fainted straightaway.
Chapter Six
“God’s teeth,” Callumsaid under his breath.
Mayhap he should not have told her she was from the future. He, himself, wasn’t certain about that.
If she was able to get out of the bed, it was clear she had no broken bones. How she fell from the sky and landed all in one piece, he had no idea. She was one lucky little lass. With a sigh, he scooped her off the floor and into his arms once more. He moved to the bed and placed her on it.
Rather than leave her alone in the bed, this time, he climbed in next to her, pulling her to him and holding her shivering body close. Her teeth chattered. Much to his surprise and delight, she snuggled closer. He stroked the length of her hair, watching as the light shone through the red-and-golden strands.
He admired her delicate features. High cheekbones, long lashes brushing the edges of her upper cheeks. Her nose and cheeks were covered in a smattering of freckles, as if she was sun kissed. Heart shaped lips beckoned for attention. A bonnie lass, to be sure, and one who had elicited an immediate reaction, making him wonder what was wrong with him.
Nothing. Nothing was wrong with him. As he held her close and that remembered dream drifted through his mind again, he was certain she was the one.
Evie. She said her name was Evie Sinclair.
Of Clan Sinclair? Despite what his da said, he was unconvinced she fell from the sky and simply appeared. TheSinclairs had a stronghold not far from their own Dundale Castle. But even so, why was she alone? Did she run away from the keep? Was she lost?
Mayhap he would return her to her clan when she was able to travel. The laird of Sinclair would want to know she was safe.
She was soft and delicate. All skin and bones.
Not for the first time, he wondered what had happened to her chin and shins. It was difficult for him to push aside the overwhelming feeling he had seen her before. As though he knew her. As though they were connected.
An odd feeling, that.
A sigh escaped her as she shifted against him. One smooth leg rubbed against his. Though she didn’t mean for it to, it sent a sensation of arousal through him.
Och, now was not the time for that.
The right thing to do was release her, get out of the bed, and tuck her under the thick coverlet. When he tried to pry her from his arms, she tightened her grip on him, as though he were a lifeline and her salvation.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispered.
He continued to stroke her hair as much to soothe her as himself.
