Page 51 of Desiring the Highland Laird
“Strange, isn’t it? To think I landed here without injury.”
“Indeed,” he agreed.
And though neither of them said it, they both understood there was something that had protected her during her fall. Some form of magic that had kept her alive as she plummeted through time and space and landed here on the ground near Dundale Castle.
“There is something else I didn’t tell you,” she said.
“What is that?” Concern laced his voice.
She craned her neck to look up at him. “That day when I first met you, I had this unmistakable feeling I knew you already. That we had met somewhere before.”
Her cheeks warmed as she thought of the dream she had had before leaving Edinburgh. That he was the man in her dream and she had climbed into his lap. That she had dreamed of the castle not far in the distance.
There seemed to be an understanding that came into his eyes as he looked down at her and then he gave a slow nod.
“I felt the same.”
Her brows lifted. “You did?”
“Aye. As though I…” He halted, pressed his lips together and looked away.
“As though you dreamed about me?” she asked, hopeful.
His head snapped back in her direction. His voice was a low whisper. “I did dream of ye.”
A breath shuddered out of her. “I dreamed of you, too.”
They stared at each other a long, quiet moment. There was nothing more than the whisper of a breeze across the highlands. She smiled at him, relieved they had finally found some common ground.
“Mayhap there is something to this prophecy, then,” he said.
“Mayhap,” she agreed.
Beneath her palm, the ground vibrated. She looked out into the distance but saw nothing.
“What was that?” she asked.
His brows drew together as he followed her gaze. “I dinnae see anything.”
Then they heard it. The distant thunder. But it was not a storm brewing. It was something else. Hooves.
She rose to her full height which meant she came to the edge of his shoulder. He moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close as they both lookedout into the distance. Shapes formed on the horizon moving quickly. Shapes that looked like men on horseback.
“Horses?” she asked.
“Aye,” he agreed. “I dinnae like the looks of this. We best get back to the keep.”
He helped her into the saddle quickly and together they rode back to Dundale. But Evie could not shake the feeling that something was not right.
Chapter Eighteen
They hurried backto Dundale. As they galloped through the portcullis, she spied Malcolm and Hamish in the yard sparring. Callum brought his mount to a quick stop and shouted for the stable hand who ran up to take the reins from him. Before she could dismount, he was at her side, lifting his arms up to her. She slid out of the saddle, grateful for his strength. Taking her by the hand, he rounded the horses and charged toward Hamish and Malcolm.
“Riders approach,” he said.
They stopped what they were doing. Hamish turned to look at Callum. “Riders?”
“At least a dozen or so,” Callum said.
