Page 75 of Highlander’s Heart

He wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. He smelled like smoke and iron and sweat.

And he was alive.

She leaned back too look at his dirty, blood-sprayed face. From behind him, two more men approached, and Kate tensed.

“We won, lass.” He grinned. “My cousins arrived with help. Owen was in Falnaird with Craig and Amy. We won.”

“Oh, thank God,” she whispered again, mindlessly stroking his dirty, bloody coat which served as armor.

He kissed her, quickly, almost roughly. The rush of the battle must still be thundering in his veins. Kate’s head spun, her body weakened, but one of the men cleared his throat, and Ian stilled. Then let her go unwillingly. He turned and shook his head with a friendly chuckle.

Kate studied the men. There was an undoubtable resemblance between the three of them, although the other two looked more similar. All three were tall—giants compared to her. Ian was the most muscular. One of the cousins was a little older and had dark hair reaching his jaw, whereas the second one had hair the color of pale gold. Although it was hard to see their color in the darkness, both had catlike eyes. The three shared gorgeous, high cheekbones, square jaws, and straight noses any Roman statue would die for. Both of his cousins were handsome, strikingly so, but she only had eyes for Ian.

“Craig, Owen, meet Kate Anderson,” he said, gesturing at first the dark-haired and then the blond cousin. “Kate is the best cook I’ve met in my life.”

The cousins studied her, assessing, and Kate felt an urge to make them like her. In another life, if she were from this time and she didn’t need to go, maybe she’d hope for his family to accept her, to welcome her. She felt Ian straighten next to her, his shoulders tensed and rose. Did he want them to like her, too? The thought warmed her cheeks.

“Good evening, mistress,” Craig said with a small, polite smile. He watched her intently, and Kate had a strange sensation of being under an X-ray machine.

“Good evening,” Owen said and flashed a smile. “I canna wait to taste some of yer cooking that has impressed our Ian so much.”

Kate’s face flushed a little and she smiled, fidgeting with the edge of her dress.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” she said. “I’ve heard so much about you from Ian.”

Craig’s smile fell and he frowned. So did Owen. Both glanced at each other, then back at Kate.

“Where do ye come from, mistress?” Owen asked.

Oh no. What should she say? Again, her accent must have betrayed her. She glanced at Ian but then raised her chin. She’d just be evasive.

“From far away,” she said.

“How far?” Craig took a step towards her.

Ian moved closer to her. “Why, Craig? What does it matter?”

Craig continued drilling Kate with his eyes. “It matters because the lass speaks with a peculiar accent and manner. So peculiar, I’ve only heard it from one other person.”

One other person? Could it possibly be he’d met another American? A time traveler like her?

“Who?” Kate said, her throat dry.

“My wife, Amy.”

Kate cleared her throat. “Your wife?”

“The one and only.”

“H-how did you meet?” Kate said.

“’Tis a good story. Involving an underground storage room in Inverlochy Castle. And a tunnel.”

“Through time?” Kate exhaled.

A smile spread across Craig’s face. He clapped Ian on the shoulder. “Ye bastart. Did ye find yerself a woman from the future, too?”

Owen eyed Kate with an open mouth.