There was no guarantee that Nevil Munro wouldn’t follow them, so they traveled quickly across the highlands, careful to keep their eyes and ears open for approaching riders.

“Duff will see to it that they don’t follow us,” Dougall assured them.

“Aye, but we shouldnae let our guard down. Munro willnae be happy that we’ve taken Brenna back right from under his nose,” Logan said.

Brenna had been unusually quiet as they rode. Zeke was concerned about her. “Are you alright, Brenna?” he asked.

“Aye.” She turned her head to look at him. “What of ye? How is yer head?”

“I won’t lie. It’s still pounding, but at least it’s stopped bleeding.”

“When we get to Breaghacraig, their healer will see to it,” Brenna said.

Dougall must have overheard their conversation. “We’ve a doctor visiting the castle. Dr. Ferguson. He’s from yer time.”

Zeke noted the moment that Dougall realized what he’d just said and quickly tried to divert Brenna’s attention. “I’m fine. Really. No need for anyone to take a look at it.”

“What do ye mean when ye say yer time?” Brenna asked, obviously not to be distracted.

“Did I say that?” Dougall asked, doing a very good job of looking confused.

“Aye. Ye did.” Brenna cocked an eyebrow at her brother.

“’Twas not what I meant.” He shifted uneasily in his saddle.

“What did ye mean?”

Zeke held back his laughter. Brenna was not going to let this go.

“I meant to say he’s from the same place as Zeke.”

Brenna seemed satisfied with that answer, but Zeke knew it would only be a matter of time before they had to tell her everything. Once they did, he was sure she’d distance herself from him.

Despite their concern about Nevil Munro, they made it back to Breaghacraig without incident. Dougall and Logan reported in at the castle while Zeke and Brenna made sure the horses were given food and a stall in the stable.

They then waited in the courtyard for Dougall and Logan to return.

“You finally made it,” Zeke said to her. He was still in awe of these amazing castles he was seeing. This one might be the grandest of them all. It was, by far, much larger than Castle Treun with more outbuildings lining the walls of the courtyard. The people of Breaghacraig went about their business, not giving the couple standing in the center of the yard more than a cursory glance.

“I’m happy to be here,” Brenna said, her face lighting up into a glorious smile.

Zeke was happy for her. He wasn’t sure how much better life would be here, but at least she would have Dougall and Helene to care for her. The thought that he would be seeing Helene soon struck him like a bolt of lightning and it must have showed.

“Is all well with ye, Zeke?” Brenna reached out and took his hand in hers.

He gently squeezed her hand to let her know he was alright. “I’m fine. Please, don’t worry about me.”

Her eyes searched his. What was she looking for?

“Without ye I wouldnae be here today. I’d be married to that awful man.” He could see her shudder at the thought.

“I’m happy I could be of service.” And he was. He wanted her to be happy and to know the love she hadn’t felt at Castle Treun.

“So, ye’ll be on yer way then? Back to San Francisco.”

He saw the sadness in her eyes and he was surprised to find he felt sad as well. “Not right away.” He wanted to reassure her, but why. They both knew all along that their handfasting was only for show.

“Will ye come and see me at Dougall’s home?”

“I don’t know.” He wasn’t sure he was ready to see Helene again. “I’m sure I’ll see you here around the castle.”

“Brenna! Zeke!” Dougall called to them as they returned. “Brenna yer coming home with me and Zeke yer going with Logan.” He presented his arm for Brenna to take and they walked away. Brenna peeked back over her shoulder and Zeke waved to her. There was an ache in the area around his heart as he watched her walk away. The sensation he was feeling was very much like the one he’d felt when he let Helene go, but he had loved Helene. He certainly didn’t love Brenna, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he’d miss her when he was gone.

“Are ye ready to see yer sister?” Logan asked, drawing his attention back to him.

“Let’s go!” Zeke said.

They left the castle grounds and headed down a well-traveled dirt road that led them to a small cottage. As they approached, Zeke was surprised to see Sara dressed in medieval garb and tending a garden, of all things.

“Sara!” he yelled.

Her head popped up and she peered down the road towards them.

“Zeke!” She dropped her trowel and ran to him with her skirts lifted.

“Careful, love,” Logan said, watching her careening their way.

Zeke couldn’t help but laugh as he watched her barreling towards him. Just as she reached them, she tripped and fell into his arms. He crushed her to him.

“Oh my gosh! I’ve missed you so much,” she said.

“I’ve missed you, too.” Zeke said, placing her at arm’s length to get a better look at her. He had to admit she looked amazing. It was a great relief to see her in the flesh. He should have known she was fine. If she hadn’t been, Edna would never have sent him on to Castle Treun. Still, he felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Sara began to cry and Zeke pulled her close again, one arm around her back and the other cradling her head close to his chest. “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry.”

“I’m so sorry I lied to you,” she said. “I didn’t want to, but I knew you’d probably talk me out of coming here.”

“I would have and now that I’m here, I’m going to talk you into coming home with me.”

Sara and Logan exchanged looks. Zeke got the impression a whole conversation happened in that look. He looked between them and saw two people united. It was strange to see Sara like this, as part of a couple. She had dated other guys, of course, but there was something very different about the way she looked at Logan and he knew that things would never be the same again. Sara nodded at Logan and then looked back at Zeke. “I’m so happy here. Why don’t you stay? It would be so great to have my big brother here with me. You’d love it. You’d be witnessing history first hand.”

The thought appealed to him. He had enjoyed sparring with the warriors at Castle Treun. If he stayed, he could be with Brenna. That thought eased the ache that had been in his heart since she walked away, but he just couldn’t picture himself living the rest of his life here. “I can’t. I have the studio to run and I love what I do, you know that.”

“Arenae ye planning to take Brenna back with ye?” Logan asked.

An uncomfortable feeling came over Zeke. He couldn’t possibly stay here with Brenna, but bringing her back to San Francisco was out of the question.

“Brenna? Whose she?” Sara’s excitement at seeing Zeke had yet to wear off. “Come in and tell me all about her.” She took Zeke by the arm and led him to her front door. He glanced over his shoulder to see Logan seeming quite amused. “Logan, are you coming?”

“Aye, love. I’m right here.”

They entered the main living space of the tiny cottage and Zeke had to say he was quite impressed with how functional it was. A cozy little hearth was blazing away, warming the interior perfectly. There was a table with chairs for dining and an area that served as a kitchen with storage for their things and a rope was strung across the room where herbs were hung to dry.

“What do you think?” Sara asked.

“It looks like you,” Zeke smiled. “And before you ask, that’s a good thing.”

“I knew you’d love it,” she gushed. “I’ve even got a room for you, big brother.” She dragged him through a doorway and into a small bedroom that would be more than adequate for his needs.

“I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable here.” He glanced around at the small bed and hoped he’d fit. There was a chest for his things, which he placed beside it. He didn’t have much, so it was perfect.

“Are you hungry? Can I get you some tea?” Sara asked.

“Not right now. Let me look at you.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and gazed into the face of a woman who was overflowing with joy. She really was happy here. Getting her to leave may be harder than he’d imagined.

* * *

“Brenna, let me tell Helene about Zeke,” Dougall said.

“Why?” Brenna asked, stopping to wait for Dougall’s reply.

He turned to look at her. “Brenna, there are some things that ye dinnae ken and I’m nae sure how to tell ye.”

“What things?” She now stood hands on hips impatiently waiting. “Say what ye need to say.”

“Och! Yer nae going to believe this, but ye’ll come to find ’tis true. Did ye nae think there was something different about Zeke?”

“Aye. He speaks differently for one thing. He’s the laird of some place I’ve never heard of before. Is that what ye mean?”

“Laird?” Dougall sounded confused.

“Aye. He told Da that he was the Laird of San Francisco. Da was most impressed.”

“Interesting. I imagine he was.” Dougall took a deep breath and let it out. “Brenna, do ye believe in time travel?”

“Nae. ’Tis a crazy thought.”

“’Tis what I once thought, but ’tis true. I’ve done it, Brenna. I’ve time traveled and so has Helene. When ye helped her to leave Castle Treun, she wandered through the countryside for some time before a witch sent her to the future.”

Brenna tried not to appear too shocked by this news, but she could tell from the way Dougall was looking at her that it wasn’t working. “Go on.”

“Well, while Helene was there, she met a man named Zeke Barrett. He took her in and she lived with him until I traveled through time with Logan to find her.”

“Yer speaking of me Zeke, arenae ye?” She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her belly.

“Aye. He was Helene’s Zeke at that time. He was verra good to her and he took good care of her. I believe he loved her, but he knew that she and I were meant to be together and so he sent her back to me.”

“Do ye think he still loves her?” She felt as if she’d been punched in the gut.

He shrugged his shoulders. “’Tis why I want to be the one to tell Helene. I dinnae wish her to be shocked to hear the news, ye ken?”

“I won’t say a thing,” Brenna assured him.

“Thank ye. She’ll be pleased to have ye stay here with us.”

“Ye dinnae believe she’ll be angry with me?” Brenna felt incredibly guilty about the treatment Helene had received at the hands of her family. The last time she’d seen her was the night she helped her escape the dungeon. Brenna couldn’t help but fear that Helene might not want her here. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like here if she received the same treatment she’d received from Greer and Gillian, but perhaps she deserved it

“Nae. Helene is the sweetest woman. She’ll welcome ye with open arms.”

“I’m sorry for everything that happened to her at Castle Treun. Truly I am.”

“Ye can tell her that if ye like.”

Dougall placed his arm around her shoulders and they continued down the road. Brenna’s mind wandered to thoughts of Zeke. He was from this other time. She’d had hopes that Zeke would take her home to his castle with him, but now that she’d found he was from a different time in the future, she could only wonder about this place he was from. She wondered what it looked like there. Did he live in a castle? She had so many questions.

“It may take me a while to get used to this time traveling story ye’ve told me.”

“’Tis nay a story, Brenna. ’Tis the truth.”

“What is it like? The future,” she asked.

“’Tis full of wonderous things,” Dougall responded.

“Why did ye nae stay?”

“I dinnae believe I belonged there. This is me home. ’Tis where I am meant to be.”

Brenna wondered again about where Zeke lived. If Dougall and Helene didnae wish to stay there, then mayhap Zeke would want to stay here as well. As they approached Dougall’s home, Brenna was taken aback by it’s beauty. It was a grand home. It wasnae a castle, but still it was more than she’d expected. Her brother must be quite important here at Breaghacraig to have such a fine home. As they reached the front door Dougall opened it, allowing Brenna to pass through. “Ye can ask Helene about the future if ye have more questions. She spent more time there than I.”

Before he closed the door, Brenna took one last look at the land surrounding her brother’s home. A low wall surrounded a beautiful garden filled with shrubs and greenery. She could hear the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks nearby and smell the salty sea air as it wafted her way on the breeze. She was proud and happy for Dougall. This was his home and it was to be her home as well. No longer would she have to deal with her Da’s drinking, or the terrible Greer. She would find peace here in this home. She could feel it.

“Yer home is beautiful, Dougall,” Brenna exclaimed.

“Dougall, is that ye that I hear,” called Helene from upstairs.

“Aye. Helene, I’ve a surprise fer ye.”

“I love surprises. I’ll be right there.”

Helene rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs and put her hands to her mouth.

“Good day to ye, Helene,” Brenna said.

“Brenna!” Helene was obviously shocked to see her.

“Aye. ’Tis me.”

“Have ye come to stay with us?”

“I have. I hope ye dinnae mind.”

Helene came to her and embraced her. “I dinnae mind at all. I’m so happy to see ye.”

Relief swept over Brenna as she realized she had nothing to fear from Helene. She accepted her. “Helene, I wanted to tell ye that I’m so sorry fer everything that happened to ye at Castle Treun. I hope ye can fergive me fer me part in it.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. As terrible as it was at the time, I learned a lot from it and I believe it made me stronger and it brought Dougall and I closer together.”

“Truly? Yer nae angry with me?”

“Och. Nae. Yer Dougall’s sister and that makes ye me sister, too. Ye ken I’ve never had one.” Helene said.

Brenna relaxed. She’d never had a sister either. Well, she’d had Fingall’s wife, Gillian, for the last few months and that had been a disaster. She was happy to know Helene was nothing like her.

“Dougall, show Brenna to her room. We’ll be eating at the castle this evening, so I’ll be on me way to help Irene. Ashley’s busy with the new bairn and Jenna’s not up to the task either.”

“Helene, I need to tell ye something before ye go,” Dougall said.

“I dinnae have the time right now, Dougall. Ye can tell me when we sit down to eat. Brenna, Dougall can show ye where I keep me gowns. Help yerself to whatever ye like.” She rushed out the door leaving Dougall and Brenna staring after her.