Page 14 of Highland Warrior

The way the wind tasted on the ridge above the loch. The way Ian’s voice wrapped around her name was like a promise. Even now, her pulse quickened just remembering.

“Was it real?” she whispered into the quiet. The silence offered no answer, only the steady ticking of the clock, marking time she no longer belonged to.

And there was the brooch. Where had it come from if not from Ian?

A gust of wind rattled the glass. She looked up, half expecting to see the mist rolling off the loch outside her window instead of the neon glow of the city.

It had been two weeks and six days since she’d returned, and now she was more than ready to go back. She’d called the museum in Scotland and given them her two-week notice, finishing up her work only days ago. They’d been such a fabulous place to work. She’d visited twice a year and worked remotely from the U.S. the rest of the time. A sad sigh escaped her. Her job had meant so much.

Her heart leaped, nearly bursting from her. Now she’d be living it! Giddiness bubbled up in her chest, and her hands came to her face. She’d asked Ian to give her three weeks to settle things at home, and then he could call her back to his time.

She’d visited with her parents and friends and told them she’d be traveling to work permanently in Scotland. They’d been excited and planned to see her. Natalie had nixed that idea, letting them know she’d be traveling quite a bit and working on various digs. She wouldn’t be accessible for quite some time.

Lucky for her, both of her parents worked, and she rarely visited with them anyway. She was an only child, so she didn’t have to worry about siblings. Carrie was the one she worried about most. Her best friend had been crushed. Could she tell her the truth? Telling her would be risky.

This was her last night in her apartment, and Carrie would be here any minute. Since Carrie’s living arrangements had been with her parents, Natalie had asked her to sublet the apartment. Carrie was ecstatic about the opportunity. The setup worked out well for both of them. The times Natalie did come back to visit, she wanted to have a place to stay and a place to keep her things should she need them.

Maybe she should tell Carrie, and if something happened, at least one person would know. But what about her parents?

She’d have to deal with them later. When she and Ian had discussed it, she’d told him she would have to visit her family at least once a year. He’d understood, and if they could figure it out, he would come, too. She was too nervous to let him, though. The power of the brooch would bind the lovers together. If they were already together, who was to say it would work, and if they were in 2008, what would become of his people?

A loud knock at the door alerted Natalie to Carrie’s arrival. Time to do some explaining…

“Carrie.” Natalie exhaled. “God, I didn’t even hear the elevator.”

Carrie grinned, holding up a bottle of wine. “Because you look like someone who’s forgotten the existence of both sleep and carbs. Are you okay? You sort of disappeared for—what—two weeks? No texts, no calls. I was about to file a missing-persons report.”

Natalie stepped aside. “Come in.”

Carrie flopped onto the couch, scanning the apartment. “Everything looks the same, but you don’t. You’ve got this…” She gestured vaguely. “Glow. Like you joined a yoga cult in Scotland.”

Natalie laughed, though the sound came out shaky. “Something like that.”

Carrie poured wine into two wine glasses she pulled down from the cabinet. “So? Tell me. You went off the grid, and now you’re back with a glow and a thousand-yard stare. What happened?”

Natalie hesitated. How did she explain a world of stone keeps and torchlight, of men who still believed in honor and ghosts that bent time? “It’s going to sound insane,” she warned.

“Good. Insane’s my favorite genre.”

Natalie took a sip of wine for courage. “I went somewhere. Not just geographically. I don’t even know how—it was like time folded, and I fell through the crease. I met someone there. Ian.”

Carrie raised a brow. “Ian. Please tell me he’s not another musician.”

“He’s… definitely not.” Natalie smiled faintly. “He’s real, Carrie. As real as you sitting here. But he’s not from here. Or now.”

Carrie stared, a flash of concern on her features. “You’re telling me you met a Highlander in… the past?”

“I know how it sounds.” Natalie rubbed her temple. “But when I close my eyes, I can still feel the wind off the loch, smell the peat smoke. I can still hear him saying my name.”

Carrie leaned forward, voice softening. “Honey, maybe it was a dream. You’ve been under so much stress⁠—”

“It wasn’t a dream.” The words came out sharper than she meant. She looked down at her hands, then slowly pulled the brooch from beneath the pillow. “This is how I got there. Or back. Or whatever you want to call it.”

Carrie studied it, frowning. “It’s beautiful. Old. Probably worth a fortune.”

“It’s not about that.” Natalie closed her fingers around it, feeling its warmth again. “When I hold it, it’s like I can feel him reaching for me.”

Carrie’s skepticism faltered. “You really believe this.”