CHAPTER TWELVE
Maggie stared in horror at the spot Declan had been.
With him, her only chance of saving Dominic had vanished as well.
Oh, why hadn’t she taken the time to look for the locket first? She should have known it was some kind of key.
Who knew where Declan had gone. What if this portal worked willy nilly, spitting out travelers hither and yon with no rhyme or reason? Jenny had mentioned something about unstable wormholes but for the life of her she couldn’t remember what it was.
She dropped down on to a mossy hillock and wiped the tears from her eyes.
She’d really screwed things up.
First of all, she’d changed history and Liam had been killed.
Who knew if Jenny was still alive? If she ever had been?
Second of all, Dominic was at death’s door with an infection that could have been cured in days if she’d had the sense to bring him along.
Why hadn’t she thought to bring him back to Seattle with her?
Granted, he might not have survived the ride here, but still.
And finally, even if he did survive, she had to face him and confess to losing his beloved brother to some temporal beast that gobbled up anyone with the misfortune to wear a heart shaped pendant.
It was tragic.
Truly it was.
With a sigh she stood. She should go back to the castle. Sit with Dominic.
Even if Declan did make it to Seattle, he wouldn’t know where to go, or what to do to get the medicine his brother needed. And even if he succeeded, it could take a long time—days, maybe weeks—for him to complete the mission.
Dominic did not have that much time left.
She wanted to be with him while she could.
And it did occur to her that—whether he lived or died—she was stuck here now. The thought of being here without him was unendurable.
A sound behind her snared her attention. She whipped around. Her legs nearly collapsed when she saw Declan, standing there, with an enormous duffle bag over each arm. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a Seahawks jersey. His hair had been styled and his beard trimmed into an adorable scruff. He grinned. “I’m back.”
“But you just left,” she breathed.
He nodded and walked through the stone circle. “Well, that’s a temporal aberration for you. When traveling through time, time itself becomes irrelevant.”
She gaped at him. Those words…so familiar…
“Oh, Jenny says hello.”
“You saw her?”
A flush rose on his cheeks. “Aye. She helped me get the medicine we needed.”
She took one of the duffels from him and they headed for the horses. “What else did you bring back?”
“Lots of things. She thought you could use a care package.” He reached into his pocket and handed her an orange-wrapped candy bar.
God bless Jenny.
When they reached the horses, Declan stilled. He turned to her. His throat worked. “Maggie of Seattle. I owe you an apology,”
“You owe me nothing.”
“I do. I do. I was…what word did she use? A douche canoe.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Did Jenny call you a douche canoe?”
He grimaced. “More than once.”
Poor guy. “She’s a tough nut.”
“What does that mean?”
“She’s hard to get. You know a woman who’s difficult to win.”
His flush rose higher. His lips curled. He turned away to load the bags on the saddles. Maggie’s suspicion rose.
“How long were you there?” She had to ask. She had to know.
“Two weeks.”
“I see.” He helped her into her saddle then mounted himself. He grunted and adjusted his jeans; probably not used to riding in skin-tights.
“And you and Jenny?”
He flinched. “What?”
“Did you…” she flourished a hand.
His ears went pink, giving her the answer she needed.
“Ah… Did you get the penicillin?”
He blew out a relieved breath. “Aye. Oh aye.”
“Excellent. Then let’s go. Dominic should start a course right away.”
“Aye.” He set his heels to his horse’s flanks. With some surprise she realized he was wearing Air Jordans.
But one thought roiled in her bemused mind.
Declan and Jenny…
Imagine that.
* * *
Dominic emerged from a black fog aware of a sharp pain in his chest and fur on his tongue. He could hear bickering, and the last thing he remembered was engaging in a brutal battle with his greatest enemy, so he thought it best to lie still and listen.
“Nae. ‘Tis far too risky.” Ah. Declan. Thank God he was here.
“Risky? Doing nothing is far riskier.” His heart thumped in joy to hear Maggie’s voice. That she was bellowing at Declan was good too. “Honestly, Declan. What do you have to lose?”
“Half our crop?”
“Or all of it? If you wait too long the rains will destroy everything. What’s more, your crofters will die if they’re not brought into the castle walls.”
“What makes you think the rains will be that bad?”
Dominic cracked open a lid in time to see her waggle a thick tome at his brother. “Because this says so.”
Declan frowned and tried to take the book from her. She didn’t allow it.
“No. I told you. It’s not a good idea for you to know too much about your future.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. What’s the point of knowing the future if you canna use the knowledge to keep your people safe?”
“I’m telling you how to keep your people safe, for God’s sake. Why do you have to be so fricking stubborn?”
“What does that mean, fricking? Jenny said it all the time.”
“Stop trying to change the subject.”
It was damn entertaining watching them quarrel. He had no idea why.
Or he did.
The energy between his brother and his woman was just as it should be. A prickling irritation.
He might have chuckled because she turned to him. Her eyes widened and she dropped the book and rushed to his side. “He’s awake! Look Declan, he’s awake!”
“I see that. Welcome back, brother.”
“Welcome back?” The words clung to his throat. Maggie poured him some water and helped him drink—although he needed no help. It was a delicious wash, bathing his throat with cool clear water.
“Ah.”
“Aye. We feared we would lose you.”
“That bad?”
“Your wound became putrid,” Fergus, the doctor, said from somewhere beyond his field of vision. But then, all he really saw was Maggie.
She rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Don’t use that term. It’s revolting.” She patted his shoulder gently. “You had an infection,” she said, enunciating each word as though he were a child. “We gave you some medicine.”
He frowned at her then shot a glance at his brother, who nodded. “Penicillin.”
“What is that?”
“A miracle potion, apparently.” Fergus stepped forward, his palms raised to the heavens. “It brought you from death’s door in three days.”
Maggie frowned at the doctor. “Pish. It’s just medicine.”
“And where did you get this just medicine?” Dominic asked her.
She glanced at the doctor and pressed her lips together, then murmured, “Um, Declan went to Seattle to get it.”
What the hell?
She patted his hand. “We’ll tell you all about it later.”
“Right,” Declan nodded and for the first time Dominic noticed what he was wearing. The same strange breeks Maggie had worn the first time he’d seen her. He opened his mouth to ask…something, but Declan didn’t allow him a moment. “Now,” he said. “According to Maggie, a great rain is coming. One that will flood the valley. She thinks we should have an early harvest, though if we do that, we will likely lose half our crop…”
He babbled on, but Dominic wasn’t listening. Not really. His gaze was locked to Maggie’s face as she glared at his brother.
God he loved her.
He needed to tell her.
And he would.
Soon.
With that thought, his exhaustion overcame him and he drifted off to sleep while they squabbled around him.
* * *
He was stronger every day, a fact that made Maggie’s heart ache. There was no way she could have the dreaded conversation with him while he was ill…but he wasn’t so ill anymore, was he?
Though she desperately needed to know how he felt about them, most specifically, if he wanted her to stay, she was frightened to death the answer wouldn’t be the one she needed to hear.
That was probably why she put it off for over a week.
Not that they didn’t spend time together—they did. Talking, cuddling, kissing. Nothing more, though, because his wound was still healing. She had to insist. Though he was somewhat adamant as well.
He enjoyed exploring all the trinkets Jenny had sent with Declan, enjoyed quizzing Maggie on their purposes. The toilet paper befuddled him, as did Maggie’s delight at finding it. He really enjoyed the perfume Jenny had sent, but he was especially intrigued by the Swiss knife and the powerless egg beater drill her cousin had found at a store that specialized in prepping for the Zombie Apocalypse.
But then, men were probably bedazzled by tools no matter the era they lived in.
Dominic was also fascinated with the book Jenny had sent—The Macintoshes of Dar.
Maggie came upon him reading it in bed when she went to check on him one morning.
Though the sight of him poleaxed her—beautiful and braw, stark naked on the bed, reading a book, was there ever a more alluring vision?—she attempted a glower. She propped her hands on her hips and growled, “You’re not supposed to read that book.”
He glanced up at her and grinned. “It’s interesting.”
She tried to tug it away from him but he resisted. “Come on. I want to read it.”
He pulled her down by his side instead. Kissed her brow. “You’ve read it.”
“I have. But it’s different now.”
“The book changed?”
She shrugged. “History changed. We changed it.” Fortunately not too much. Liam had not died without sons; her family lineage was intact. And Declan had assured her the Nazis lost the war…and Starbucks still served leaded coffee.
“I like that.” Dominic kissed her again. He was so warm, his skin so soft. She regretted her decision to wait until he was fully healed to have him again. “We changed history, you and I.” He turned back to the book, opening it to a page near the back and she frowned.
“It’s not good to know too much about your future.” She knew this. It was an immutable fact. It was brought up in each and every time travel movie she’d ever seen.
“I’m no’ reading about my future.” He curled her against him and pointed to a very familiar photo, a smiling woman in the arms of a very handsome man who stared down at her in adoration. “Did you know this woman made a fortune selling apples?”
She patted his arm. “I do. That’s my grandmother. And it wasn’t apples. It was Apple stock.”
“Stock?”
“In 1980, she invested in a small start-up company that made computers—” At his frown, she began again. “A company that made…tools for people.” Surely he would understand that. “She invested on a whim because she liked the name.”
“What was it?”
Maggie winked. “Macintosh.”
His chuckle warmed her.
“Anyway, it was a smart investment and it made her very rich.”
He flipped back a few pages. “Was there really a world war?”
“Hmm. A couple.”
“They sound horrible.”
“They were.”
“And a man on the moon? And these…cars?”
She pulled the book from his grasp. “It’s not a good idea to know too much about the future.”
“You keep saying that.”
“It’s true. Self-fulfilling prophesies, future times, grandfather paradoxes and all that. You don’t want to create a rip in the space time continuum.”
He ignored her blethering. “You really do live in a miraculous age, Maggie.”
Hope flared in her chest. “Would you… Would you like to see it?”
His frown burst her bubble.
“Nae.” He forced a smile. “Declan’s been telling me about it. How fast things are. About the crowded cities and the stone roadways. The fact that people are no’ a community anymore.” His lashes flickered. “Will you be happy? Going back?”
She stilled. She swallowed heavily. This was it. This was her moment. She met his eye and said, “No.”
“Nae?”
“I would no’ be happy. Going back. I would rather stay here. With you.”
He stared at her. Said nothing, only stared.
Her chest tightened. Her lungs locked. A cold wind howled through her soul “But if that’s not what you want, I’ll leave of course. I’ll—”
“You are no’ leaving me, Maggie-mine. Not ever.” His expression went fierce. His nostrils flared.
Oh lord. She loved his ferocity. She loved his snarl. She loved him, her highland warrior. “What are you saying Dominic?”
“Do you no’ know?”
“I’d like to hear it.”
“Then I shall say it. You willna leave me, Maggie-mine, because I love you. Need you. Cannot bear to face life without you by my side. And…” A glimmer danced in his eye. “Because you’re carrying my son.”
Her eyes widened. “I…am?”
“Aye. According to this book you love so much.” He flipped through the pages and found what he was looking for. “He will be born in April. And his name will be Steve.”
“Steve?” Her joy, her elation fizzled into bewilderment. She wrinkled her nose. Why on earth would she name her baby Steve?
“Aye. Steve Jobs of the Macintosh Clan.”
“It does not say that.” She snatched the book from him and scanned the page. And lord have mercy. It did.
She also saw, before she had a chance to look away, that there would be many more children coming from this union. And that she and Dominic would both live long and happy, healthy lives and—
Dominic smacked the book closed and shot Maggie a blistering, hungry stare.
Enough reading. He had other thoughts dancing in his head. He was feeling stronger, and she was here in his bed, and it had been far too long since he’d had her.
He tossed the book to the floor and pulled his woman into his arms.
Oh no. She would not leave. Not ever.
She opened her mouth to protest, or to say something at least. It began with, “I love you t—”
Whatever it was, it was not as important as the message he needed to give her.
Without a word, he settled his mouth over hers.
He kissed her for a long, long while.
And more.
THE END
Don’t miss Declan’s adventures in Seattle in the next installment of The Dundragon Trilogy, coming soon!
If you love hot highlanders, be sure to read Sabrina York’s Untamed Highlanders from St. Martin’s Press!
Lana and the Laird—Coming in 2016