Page 79 of Highlander’s Bride

They’d finished recording the album last week, and now that it was in production, Bryanna wanted to see her family before they would need to give more concerts. He enjoyed playing the lute for small audiences in pubs and local outdoor concerts, but he never wanted to be famous, and the same was true for Bryanna. They agreed they’d only give small performances and would be happy with less money, as riches were never anything either had aspired to.

And in the modern world, one was rich with so little. Running water and a flush toilet were luxuries that modern-day people didn’t appreciate enough. Electricity was still magic to him, and as long as he had a warm house and Bryanna could get her medicine without worrying about money, that would be a happy life for him.

He wasn’t a warrior here, and, surprisingly, he didn’t miss his sword. He liked peace. He liked that he didn’t need to worry about enemies, spies, and raids on his property.

But at the same time, he liked being independent and he liked being a provider. It hadn’t been easy for him, the adjustment to the modern world. He didn’t have many skills that modern people had, so the fact that he could provide with his music, that it was valuable and unique here and that he could play music with the woman he loved… He couldn’t have asked for more.

“We did it together,” Bryanna said, linking her hand with his.

Pamela smiled. “Well…shall we go home? You two must be exhausted. It was a long flight, wasn’t it, Raghnall?”

“Aye.”

An hour’s drive later, they arrived at Bryanna’s home. Well, it wasn’t her home anymore. Her home was a small cottage on the shore of River Croe, a piece of heaven on the exact place where they had visited Odhran’s farm back in his time. Seven hundred years before, she and Raghnall had sat and talked and she told him she’d felt she was where she was supposed to be.

There were no farm buildings anymore, and the cottage that stood in that place was only a hundred years old and in a bad condition. Bryanna and Raghnall had bought it and renovated it together.

When he and Bryanna had unpacked in her old bedroom, it was time for dinner. In the dining room, Pam had set up the table and reheated the roast, boiled potatoes, and green beans that already stood steaming on the table. The mouthwatering aromas made Raghnall’s stomach gurgle hungrily.

“Well,” Pam said. “Please, take your seats.”

The family sat at the table, and Pam served the food to each plate, pouring the steaming roast juice over them. After a short prayer, everyone started eating. The atmosphere wasn’t easy, and when neutral questions about the trip and the weather were out of the way, silence hung in the room, interrupted by the quick ring of forks and knives against the plates.

Raghnall had learned to eat with the fork, but he was still clumsy and preferred to eat with his fingers. But he didn’t want to offend his mother-in-law, so he did his best.

He felt Pam’s eyes watching him and looked up at her. There it was again, that gaze like she was looking at an animal she didn’t see very often. Curious. Careful. Studying his every move.

“So, Raghnall… Ahem. Are you really from the Middle Ages?”

He swallowed whatever was in his mouth and straightened in his chair.

“Mom!” said Bryanna.

“What? You told us that crazy story about traveling in time, and that he…he’s from another century. So I want to know who my daughter married. Is he a lunatic? Or is…is there more to the world than we understand?”

Raghnall held her gaze for a long time. “I was born in the thirteenth century.”

He saw Pam’s face go paler and her cheeks pinken at the same time. Kris gave a half chuckle, half whimper.

Bryanna’s mother straightened her back, her chest rising and falling quickly. “Will you promise to treat my daughter with respect? Love her, protect her, care for her?”

There was an edge to her voice, like she was struggling to keep it even. She must be in more distress than he realized.

Raghnall took Bryanna’s hand in his. “I swore to it the moment she was my bride.”

Pam nodded sternly. “This is all a parent can hope for. Whether you’re from the Middle Ages, or just imagine you are, as long as you’re good for my child—and I can see that you are—I accept you as my son-in-law.” She looked firmly at Bryanna. “Because I love my daughter, and everything I’ve ever done was to shield her from harm and keep her whole. I see that whatever your background is, you’re on my team. And that’s all that matters.”

Raghnall nodded to her. Team was the modern version of clan, and he liked that. “Aye,” he said, looking into his mother-in-law’s eyes. “Team Bryanna.”

Mom and Raghnall both looked at Kris, who rolled her eyes. “Gosh, you guys are so dramatic. All right. Team Bryanna, too.”

Bryanna cackled and shook her head, taking another bite of the potato. “I’m team Kris on this. Way too dramatic.”

That night, when Bryanna lay in his arms in their bed, after he’d thoroughly pleased her, he brushed his fingers through her hair, enjoying the silky softness.

“Thank ye for showing me yer home, Bryanna,” he whispered and planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. “Thank ye for making your time home for me.”

“Does it feel like your home?” She cupped the side of his face.