Wild Highland Rose (Time Travel Trilogy, Book 2) (11 page)

Again he frowned, wondering what it was he was remembering
—
or not remembering.  Frustration crested then died as he slowly forced a breath.  He had to remain calm.  Hold onto his wits.

"I see you're up and about."  Fingal Macgillivray towered over him, eyes narrowed and assessing.

Cameron struggled to remember what Grania had said about the man.  A captain, she
'
d called him.  Marjory
'
s
right-hand
man.  Which meant he wasn
'
t a friend of Ewen
'
s.  "More or less."  Cameron looked up at the Scotsman, holding his gaze, striving for a nonchalance he didn
'
t feel.

To his surprise, the man sat down next to him, his expression still guarded. 
"
Ye really dinna know me?
"

"
Only what Grania has told me.
"

The man shifted uncomfortably. 
"
Ach, the old woman is more daft than no
'
.  I dinna trust her ways or her wisdom.
"

Cameron shrugged, not willing to comment, any chance for a peaceful moment alone evaporating before it could begin.

"
I honestly thought you were dead.
"
  The man
'
s tone was neither apologetic nor gloating, neutrality sitting well with him.  Fingal might be a warrior, but it seemed he had a diplomatic side as well. 
"
I wouldna have left you there had I thought you were alive.
"

"
Really?
"
  Cameron studied the man opposite him. 
"
I sort of got the feeling you would have done more than that if
you hadn
'
t thought I was dead.
"
  It was a risky thing to say, but he had a feeling honesty was the right currency with this man.  Friend or foe.

Fingal
'
s lips curled into a faint smile. 
"
But since I thought ye were dead, the thought canna have occurred to me.
"

Nicely side-stepped. 
"
Well, why don
'
t we suffice it to agree that I
'
m alive and that I
'
m not exactly the man I was.
"

"
I can see that yer breathing, but as to the change, I
'
ll no
'
believe it until I
'
ve proof.
"

"
That I
'
m different?
"

"
That yer not using circumstances to try and play Marjory for a fool.
"

Cameron laughed. 
"
I doubt that anyone could play Marjory Macpherson.
"

Fingal crossed his arms over his massive chest. 
"
Mayhap, but that wouldna stop some from trying.
"

There was a warning there, and Cameron wasn
'
t fool enough to ignore it. 
"
I
'
ve no interest in hurting her, Fingal.
"
  There was truth in that.  Unless Allen
'
s accusations proved true.

The older man looked sharply at him. 
"
Maybe no
'
now.  But when you remember.
"

The words hung between them, leaving Cameron uncomfortable.
 
It was tempting to tell the man he wasn
'
t Ewen Cameron, that his memories if they returned would have nothing to do with Crannag Mhór or Marjory Macpherson, but he couldn
'
t take the chance.  Not yet.  Maybe never.
 
This world was a harsh one, and they didn
'
t suffer fools lightly.  A man claiming to be from the future would certainly not inspire confidence, let alone trust.

"
Maybe I won
'
t remember.
"

"
Nay.
"
  Fingal shook his head slowly.
"
Torcall Cameron will no
'
allow it.  Ye
'
ll remember.  Of that I
'
m certain.  It
'
s what ye choose to do with the memories that remain to be seen.
"

It seemed Grania had competition in the enigmatic department.  Wonderful.  Cameron leaned back against the stone wall, and they sat in silence for a while, each left to his own thoughts, until a commotion off to the left caught their attention.

"
Get out of here right now you wicked beasties.  Out I say.  Out.
"

The female voice carried from around the corner of the tower, the screech followed by a caterwauling that could only come from enraged bovines.

Cameron turned to Fingal, eyebrows raised in question.

"My sister, Aimil."

Cameron inclined his head.  The commotion continued.

"Angus Macpherson, come get these animals out of my garden before they destroy it completely."  The disembodied voice carried through the courtyard to the man by the ladder.  He yelled something up at Marjory and ran toward the voice.

Fingal and Cameron both rose from the bench, swallowing back their mirth, momentarily joined together in camaraderie.

"An-gus."  The single word came out as an indignant wail.

"
Sounds to me like Angus may need rescuing more than the animals.
"

With a terse nod, Fingal headed off in the direction of the ruckus.  Cameron was just thinking of following when he heard a cracking sound from the other direction.  Spinning around, he turned in time to see the ancient ladder split in two as Marjory tried to climb down.

Adrenaline kicked in and Cameron raced to the building, ignoring the jarring pain in his head.  Marjory struggled for a handhold on the roof, managing finally to dig her hands into the sod, leaving her precariously swinging back and forth from the edge of the thatch.  Cameron was torn between genuine concern and amusement.  He choked back a laugh.

Marjory glared angrily down at him.  "Dinna just stand there gawking.  Do something."

"Is there another ladder?"

"Nay."  The word broke off abruptly as her hand slipped from the roof, broken pieces of sod raining down on his head.

Cameron reacted instinctively, reaching out with both arms to catch Marjory as she tumbled downward.  Given his current condition, even her slight weight was almost more than he could handle, but he held his ground and pulled her safely against his chest.

The reaction was instantaneous, pheromones and chemistry causing an ignition so strong it threatened to rob him of breath, which was ridiculous considering he wasn
'
t even certain he liked the woman.

Their eyes locked, her breathing timed with his, almost as if they shared one heart.

"Are you all right?" he whispered, fighting to control the emotions raging through him.  There was just something about her, something that touched him on an intrinsic level he couldn
'
t control.

She nodded her head, her eyes searching his face, almost as if she were memorizing its lines and planes.  Or maybe she was learning them.

Either way the idea was insane.  He didn
'
t know her, she didn
'
t know him.  And even more pertinent was the fact that she believed he was a man she despised, possibly enough to kill him. Loosening his grip, he broke eye contact, breaking the spell.

Marjory frowned, as if surprised
to find herself in his arms. 
"
I
'
ll thank you to put me down, now.
"
  The breathless undernote in her voice assured him that he hadn
'
t imagined the combustion, although it couldn
'
t negate the sharp regality of the order.

"
Look,
your highness
,
"
he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, the tone as much a reaction to the way she made him feel as to her words,
"
if I hadn
'
t caught you, you
'
d have fallen right on your lovely little ass, which unless I
'
m badly mistaken would have hurt like hell.
"

"Well, I'm perfectly fine now, as you can plainly see.  So, I ask you again to unhand me."

"Fine by me."  He opened his arms, unceremoniously dumping her onto the ground.  She scowled up at him.  He smiled benignly.  "Next time, I'll let you break your neck."

He walked away without looking back.  Maybe Allen was right, and Marjory Macpherson deserved whatever she got.

*****

The man was impossible.  Despite her best efforts to stay away from him, she'd wound up in his arms no less.  Although, she had to admit, it had been good to have him there.  The distance from roof to ground was not that high, but still, as much as it rankled to admit it, he was right, she might have been hurt if he hadn't been there to catch her.

Her body tightened at the memory of his arms locked around her.  She closed her eyes and let her imagination have free reign, remembering their eyes locked together, imagining…

"Are ye finished lollygagging about on the ground?"

Marjory jerked out of her reverie, to find Fingal towering over her, a look of amusement playing across his usually stern features.

"I fell."

Fingal laughed.  "Well, I wouldna say ye fell so much as ye were dropped.  And, from the little bit o' the conversation I managed to overhear, I canna say that ye dinna deserve it."

"Dinna tell me you're taking his side."

Fingal visibly fought to control his mirth.  "Nay, lass, I willna ever side with anyone over you.  But the man did manage to save ye from falling and all he got for his efforts was the sharp side o' yer tongue."

Marjory hauled herself to her feet, pulling bits of sod from her hair and dress.  "Maybe I was a wee bit harsh, but I canna be too careful where he's concerned."  Satisfied that she was reasonably clean again, she gave Fingal her full attention.  "Did Angus save Aimil from the beastie invasion?"

"Aye, with my help, her garden is now cattle free.  There was a wee hole in the backside of the fence.  I've already set some o' the lads to fixing it."

They walked together toward the tower, increasing their pace at the sound of a commotion in the courtyard.  Rounding the corner, they were in time to see a young boy, his face as red as his hair, bent over at the waist with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Seeing Marjory, he straightened and staggered over to her.  "Me mother said I was to come straight here and report to no one but you."  He paused for breath.  "I ran all the way."

"You've done well, Thomas, but what is it you were supposed to tell me?"

The youngster fought for a breath, his words coming in short bursts.  "Camerons…at the…border.  Said…to tell ye…be here…on the morrow."  He beamed at Marjory, his message completed.

Marjory frowned.  She'd expected this, but the knowledge that Torcall Cameron was actually on Crannag Mhór land again was almost more that she could bear.  She felt Fingal's hand on her shoulder and was glad of the connection.

"Thomas, there's gingerbread in the kitchen.  Maybe Cook will give you some milk to go with it."

The boy's face split into an ear to ear grin.  Without further conversation, he loped off in pursuit of the promised treat.

"Well, lass, ye knew he was coming.  At least now ye know when."

Marjory stared at the tower gate almost as if she expected to see Torcall Cameron come roaring through it, claymore raised for battle.
 
"Aye, now I do."

"I canna imagine he'll want to stay long.  I suspect he'll want nothing more than to take his boy home to Tyndrum.  Dinna fash yerself about it.  'Twill be over before ye know it."

"I'm sure you're right."  She smiled reassuringly at Fingal.  "I just need some time to get used to the idea.  I think I'll take a walk."

"Do ye want me to go with you?"

"Nay, I've a need to be alone."

Fingal turned to go and then stopped, calling back to her over his shoulder.  "Dinna go outside the walls without one of the lads.  Ye canna be too careful with Camerons afoot."