Page 28 of Desiring the Highland Laird
Roslyn slid an arm around her shoulders, giving her the comfort she needed. She gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“Where is yer sister?”
Evie was uncertain how much Roslyn knew about her situation. She didn’t know if Callum had shared any information with her, so she erred on the side of caution.
“It’s that I miss her so much,” Evie said. “We were recently reunited and when I ended up here…” She paused, uncertain.
The older woman’s brows drew together in question. “What happened to ye?”
She sniffed back her tears, whisking them away, and took a deep breath. “It’s a long story. Where is Callum?”
“I dinnae ken. Shall I fetch him for ye?”
“Oh, no. That’s not necessary.”
She thought of the big, broad Scotsman. The first time she woke and discovered she was in a strange bed was disconcerting. The second she woke up and realized she was snuggled against him was pleasant. Thinking of it now sent a warming sensation through her. He had stroked her hair to keep her calm. No one had ever done that before. Or held her so close as if she were this precious thing that was dear to him.
She’d had boyfriends and lovers, sure. But none were…Callum, and she knew so little about him.
“What can you tell me about Callum?”
“Och, he’s a good lad, to be sure. He’ll be laird someday. He’s kind and looks after his brothers. Fiercely loyal and protective of the ones he loves. Honest. Valiant.”
Her tone suggested she’d known him for a long time and that she was proud of him and the man he was. Something about that made Evie’s heart pound hard and fast.
His brothers, she knew, were Malcolm and Jamie. She had yet to meet Jamie but knew there was something about his shameful behavior Roslyn wasn’t willing to share with her. As if she thought it might be gossip.
“He seems like a good man,” she said. “As does Malcolm.”
“Och, Malcolm is a rogue at best. He’s had his fair share of bonnie lasses. And, Jamie, well, he’s no much better. I do my best to keep the lads in line. Their sister passed on several years back. And their mam…well, she died when wee Jamie was born. All that’s left are the lads and their da.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
She, herself, had lost her parents when she was a teen, so she understood the loss of a parent well. Even when Brianna came to care for them, she and Chloe had clung to each other, forming an unbreakable bond. It was why it hurt so much to lose her again, albeit under strange circumstances.
“He dinnae say how you came to be here with us, though,” the woman said, giving her a sideways glance.
She sensed Roslyn was as curious about her as she was about them. She understood. There were many unanswered questions. Like if the stone could take her back home. Why she was here. Evie bit the inside of her lip, wondering how to reply. She decided to tell her as much of the truth as possible.
“I come from far away. I was…being chased by a man who wanted something from me.” She glanced down at her hand in her lap to see the fading lines of the stone still on her palm. “Honestly, I’m not sure how I ended up here. All I know is I woke up in this bed.”
And recalling that once again made her cheeks warm.
“Because Callum saved ye from him, didn’t he?” She grinned, her eyes glinting with pride for the man. “I’ve known him his entire life. As I said, he’s a good lad. He’ll take good care of ye now that ye’re in his keep. Ye’ll see.”
Evie believed her. Even when she sat at the table with the three of them, she didn’t have any ill feelings. Not like she did when she met Bruce MacDonald. There was something about Callum, his father, and his brother that gave her comfort. And something about Bruce that made her leery of him.
“’Tis getting late. Ye’ll want to get some rest. Let me fetch ye a nightgown.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s necessary—”
When Roslyn gave her the side eye, Evie complied. “All right.”
The woman excused herself from the chamber and returned a moment later with a white garment draped across her forearm.
“This was Abigail’s,” she said. When Evie’s brows drew together in question, she said, “His sister.”
She had to admit, she was uncomfortable wearing something of his dead sister’s, but Roslyn seemed to think nothing of it. She helped her undress and slip the long night gown over her head. Once she was dressed for bed, Roslyn folded the gown over her arm.
