When they entered, she noted the room looked tidy and inviting.
He knelt before the small fire burning in the hearth and added two sticks of wood. "Are you warm enough?"
"Yes." She breathed in the comforting scents of lavender and wood smoke. "This is a beautiful room. Very pleasant. Thanks."
"I wish to make you feel most welcome here." He arose and faced her. "Did you bring anything with you? Clothing?"
"No." If only she hadn't set down her backpack in the clan tent, she might have brought it along with her. But what good would a cell phone or credit card be now? Those items would tell him she was from the future, and she wasn't sure she wanted him to know right now… not until she trusted him.
"Were you robbed?" he persisted.
She shook her head. "No one told me I should pack a bag."
"How did you travel here? On horseback? Did the chief's guards escort you?"
She plopped down in a straight chair near the hearth. "I came on foot, and no one escorted me." If she revealed the entire story, would he think she'd gone psycho and send her to Bedlam?
"What was the MacRae thinking?" he growled. "You're lucky you made it here alive."
"I agree." The time travel had been painful and shocking. She dreaded having to experience it again.
He frowned, looking dark and disturbed for a long moment. "In the chamber next to my father's, there are some old trunks of my mother's clothes. They have not been worn or washed in many years, but you may have them if you wish."
His words, spoken in a brooding tone, surprised her and touched her heart. "What happened to your mother?"
"She passed in childbirth when I was a lad of twelve summers."
A heavy sadness blanketed her. She couldn't imagine going through her teen years without her mother. "I'm so sorry."
"'Twas a long time ago," he murmured, his gaze seeking out the flames of the rekindled fire.
"Yes, but I'm certain you still miss her."
He nodded, then focused on her. "What about your own mother and father?"
The words slammed into her like a hammer to the chest. "I hope I get to see them again soon."
"I'll take you to visit them," he said, his words firm but upbeat.
"I wish you could."
"I can. Why not?" Spoken like a man who believed he could do anything.
"They're… far away. In America." She hadn't gotten to tell them goodbye, and she might never see them again. Tears burned her eyes. When she noticed him observing her, she turned away. "I wonder if what the physicists theorize is true? All time—past, present, and future—is happening at the same time?"
Crossing his arms over his broad chest, he studied her for an extended time. "I've never heard of this. 'Tis a mad idea. Why would you mention it?"
She shrugged, hesitant to reveal anything to him. "I'd tell you, but you won't believe me."
His sharp blue gaze pried at her mind as if he could read her thoughts. "I might."
"You might also send me away."
He drew back. "Never. Why would I when you're my sole hope for a normal life? A God-given treasure."
His words struck an emotional cord and almost brought a fresh deluge of tears to her eyes. Hating to get weepy in front of anyone, she blinked them back. "Do you promise not to think I'm crazy…or mad?"
"Aye."
