The Laird's Future Bride (2 page)

“Why the hell am I still going to this idiotic Valentine costume party weekend alone?” Holly yelled as she tripped over a stone. The sky roared, and lightning slashed across the sky and hit the ground within meters of her.
Okay…that has to be a sign.
Holly turned to head back down the muddy driveway only to scream when lightning slammed in front of her. Spinning back around, she dropped the dress and gripped the suitcase tighter, needing to hold onto something as she ran for the castle with the lightning chasing her.

Holly prayed that if she lived, she would enjoy her much needed holiday, meet a sexy Scotsman and finally get laid. It would be memorable and special with someone from a different country. Holly was a virgin. She was reluctant to give in and do the deed, as Jane called it, with just anyone. Holly had heard too many stories about how people wished they waited for someone special. Even Holly’s own mother had told her she wished she’d waited for Holly’s father.

“You always remember the first person you have sex with, even if you try hard not to,” her mother had said.

Even Jane had said she wished she’d saved it for the boyfriend she had now. Holly wanted to learn from other people’s mistakes. She’d held off, determined to keep it for someone special. When her parents had died almost a year ago, only a week before her eighteenth birthday, she’d closed herself off from everyone and mourned. Holly promised herself, though, if she lived through this and made it into the castle without being struck by lightning, she would give it up to the first man she saw.

Lightning slashed right in front of her, and she screamed. It seemed to be all around her, a circle of white flashing light. Holly froze, then spun to see the lightning surround her until all she could see was white flashing lights. The ground shook and became more uneven beneath her. Moving her feet further apart to stabilize herself, she watched as the lightning smashed to the earth. Terrified, Holly dared not even blink, fearing she would miss her chance to escape and run to freedom.

After what felt like hours, but what was probably only seconds, the lightning stopped in front of her and the castle doors came into view. Holly let go of the suitcase and ran like her life depended on it. When she reached the doors, she pulled one of them open only to smash into a hard surface. Before she could fall, arms came around her.

“Och now, lass, I’ve got ye.”

The strong Scottish brogue sent shivers coursing through her. Holly stared up into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, set into a strong masculine face, with high cheekbones, and a sharp chin, with bushy red eyebrows matching a fiery red mane. Her shivering cold, wet body felt so soft against his warm broad, muscular chest. What did he do for a living? He was bloody huge and towered over her five foot two,
which wasn’t hard
, she thought a little incoherently.

Clearing her suddenly dry throat, she calmed her racing heart by taking deep breaths, moaning when she remembered her promise if she got free. This guy would sure be special to be her first, if he weren’t married. A strong woodsy smell invaded her senses, and her whole body came alive. Horrified at her response to a stranger, she held her breath. Oh, no, the man who held her, and who currently looked down at her with amusement clear in his eyes and on his face, was the heavenly smell she smelt, and she’d just been sniffing him and breathing him in like he was her last breath.

Giving a huff of embarrassment, Holly pushed at his chest. “Thanks for the help. I’m going to go find the loo and freshen up. Ahh…ladies’ room, and clean myself up.”

Holly watched the man’s eyebrows furrow. His piercing blue eyes felt like they could see into her soul, and she shivered at the sensation of his intense stare.

“Lass, I dinna know what loo ladies room is.”

Holly groaned. “Sorry. I keep forgetting Australians use different words for things. The bathroom facilities? The toilet?” He still didn’t look like he was sure of what she meant. “I need to go to the…” she pointed to her private parts and made a whizzing noise.

“Ye need to use the garderobe, the chamber pot?”

Holly knew her eyes widened; surely he meant a toilet. Feeling the heat grow on her cheeks, she nodded, hoping he would show her where she could freshen up.

“I was just heading out to meet me men for training. I find meself wanting to stay now. Where did ye come from? I canna see ye're escort. I have nay sent for anyone, and I know me mother has nay bride candidate coming. I think she’s finally given up. Thank God.” He ran his fingers through his thick red mane. “Ye are dressed in ye're finery.” He glanced behind her. “King James, did he send ye? He’s given me orders to marry before the year is out. Ye're accent is strange, though. Where did he send for ye from?”

What the hell was the guy going on about? Holly turned behind her to see if a camera crew was filming this for something, but what she saw had her gasping. Everything looked different. There were buildings Holly was sure hadn’t been there when she walked up to the castle through the storm. Holly moved past the large man, entered the castle, and froze. It was mostly empty except for a few men and women milling about dressed similarly to the man and her.

Holly groaned and hoped she wasn’t too early for the party, or hadn’t interrupted something, like a movie or TV show being filmed. Holly had wanted to leave extra early to be sure she found the place and could fix herself up and get warm if the rain messed her up. “I’m sorry. Am I early for the party?”

She turned back to the man, who frowned. “What party, lass?”

“The Valentine party.” She rummaged through her satchel, pulling out her iPod, wallet, some makeup, mobile phone, camera, and a cloak, until she felt the invitation at the bottom. “Aha. Here it is.”

She put the gold invitation in his hands only for him to drop it and take a step back away from her. He was now completely white as he stared wide-eyed at her. “Are you okay?” She touched his arm, as a feeling of concern for this man washed over her.

“Ah, lass, I’m sorry, she was nay meant to use her magic ever again,” the man muttered. Then he looked around the huge hall, paused, picked up the invitation, and yelled, “Mother! Mother! Get here now!”

Unsure of what was going on, Holly studied the huge room around her. The stone walls were covered with three different large tapestries. Another wall had fancy weapons mounted. The room had a bunch of long tables, most with long benches. Only one table, at the top end of the big hall, had chairs. The floor was covered in what looked like straw.

Maybe Jane had tricked her and booked some kind of re-enactment weekend instead of a party. Jane always thought she needed to have more fun, and said Holly shouldn’t let the death of her parents rule her life. Holly knew Jane meant well, but it hadn’t even been a full year since they’d died.

Holly turned back to the man in front of her, easily six feet tall, with broad shoulders and bulging muscles. His blue eyes glared toward the far left corner of the room, where a woman in blue was hurrying to them. The woman was small like Holly. Her hair was covered with a white cloth, but Holly could see her blond eyebrows as she came close to the man.

“Mother, explain why this lass is here.” The big man crossed his arm over his chest and narrowed his eyes on the petite woman.

“Why, son, I have nay idea what ye mean. Why would I know why this lass is here?” Holly would have believed the woman innocent except for the sparkle of mischief in her big green eyes.

The large redheaded man sighed and pulled both Holly and the petite woman toward the back of the castle, large hands gripping each of them by the arm. The man’s touch sent strange tingles coursing through her. Holly tried to break his hold and hoped she wasn’t coming down with what Jane had.

He stopped at a door on his left and pushed them into a room, then shut the door and turned to them both. “I am sorry for what has happened to ye, lass.” He glared at his mother and whispered so low Holly barely heard, “Mother, if ye get caught, ye will be burnt for witchcraft. Ye know King James is terrified of witches. So tell me now. What have ye done?”

The woman gave a huff, ignored her son’s question, and turned her attention to her. “Where are ye from, lass?”

“Australia. Is this part of the game or party? I’m supposed to play a part?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed, and Holly could feel her appraisal. “Ye’re verra bonny. I hope it dinna cause problems.” Her eyes scrutinized everything about Holly, making her feel even more uncomfortable than she already felt. “We are gunna have to make it known ye are me son’s or ye’re gunna have all the men vying for yer attention. We will need to come up with a backstory, as I’ve never heard of Aust…ral…ia. Where is that?”

Wow. Who hadn’t heard of Australia?
“Can we stop playing for a moment? I would just like to know what is going on first before I play along or decide to leave.”

“I’m sorry. I used all me powers to get ye here. There will be nay leaving for ye.” The woman gave a long, drawn-out sigh, and sat in a chair. “I’m getting old and I want grandbabies to play with and spoil before I die. Me son here…” she pointed to the silent hulking redhead, “said he would nay marry anyone but the perfect woman for him.”

“Ha. And you think I’m that woman?” Holly straightened her shoulders and glared at the man’s mother. “Look, lady, I don’t want to play this game anymore. Whatever my friend paid for the re-enactment of medieval times you can keep. I won’t ask for a refund.”

The woman shook her head. “Me lass, ye do speak funny. I am sorry for bringing ye here, but me son has turned down every woman I have brought for him from this time.” The woman turned to her son. “Duncan, I know I promised never to use me powers again after the witch incident with King James, but ye are getting old, and even the king himself has ordered ye to marry, and well, I so wanted ye to have a match like I have with yer father.”

Duncan groaned and closed his eyes.

“I’m verra sorry for what I did, Duncan. I will nay do it again, I promise.”

The woman’s sweet voice would melt butter,
Holly thought
.

Duncan opened his eyes as the woman opened her hand, and a small spark flew out. Holly blinked, not believing what she’d just seen, and watched as the woman closed her hand and opened it once again, a spark like lightning flying out.

Oh, my God
. Holly felt uneasy. This was starting not to feel like a game, and what she just saw surely couldn’t be some kind of special effect.

“See, son, I canna use me powers. I only get sparks. I used all me powers to get her…” the woman pointed to Holly, “here. Losing me power is the sacrifice to bring the lass here.”

Holly glanced between the two people, hoping they were acting, she was dreaming, or some such thing. Maybe she’d been hit by the lightning that had surrounded her earlier, and she was unconscious and dreaming. Pinching her wrist a few times, she winced on the fourth and the woman stood and captured Holly’s hands.

“Stop pinching yerself. Ye’re nay dreaming.”

Snatching her hands out of the woman’s hold, Holly snarled at her, “I have to be dreaming. This is all crazy.”

Duncan scrubbed his hand over his face, growled, and turned to her. “What is yer name, lass?”

“Holly. Holly Drake.”

“Well, Holly, I dinna ken how to tell ye this without having ye think I’m crazy or running out of here, but here it goes. This is me mother, Magan MacLeod. She has brought ye from wherever ye’re from to me home in Scotland in the year of our Lord fifteen eighty. I am Duncan MacLeod, Laird of the MacLeods. I’m twenty and eleven and the oldest child. I have a brother who is out training me men now. I should be there with him, but am here trying to figure out what to do. Are ye from this time? Or from a different time?”

Holly could feel her whole body going numb. For some reason, she knew Duncan wasn’t playing a game or re-enacting; he was telling the truth. She looked around the room with its wooden table and chairs by the fire on the far side of the wall and a tiny round hole that looked to be a window.

She needed to sit down. Ignoring Duncan’s question, Holly moved to the closest seat and sat. “Oh, my freaking God. I’ve lost my mind.” Holly started to cry, stopping when she felt Magan’s hand settle on her shoulder and pat her.

“There now, lass, it’s not that bad. Me son is a powerful laird. He can provide ye with anything ye want. Ye’ll be happy here.”

Holly couldn’t help the hysterical giggle that slipped through. “Oh, lady, you have no idea what you have done. Where you have brought me from. If I hadn’t seen the sparks of lightning come from your hands myself, I would think you crazy and this all a re-enactment.” Holly wiped her face with the long sleeves of her dress and looked up into Magan’s bright green eyes. “I am in Scotland on holiday with my best friend, Jane. This holiday was her idea before we started university. I think she was trying to cheer me up. My parents died in a car accident almost a year ago. A car is a big metal object with wheels that takes us places. I am eighteen, nineteen in three weeks’ time. I live in Australia, which is a twenty-four hour flight around the other half of the world. Oh, and I’m from the year twenty fourteen.”

Duncan started yelling at his mother in a language Holly didn’t understand. Magan yelled back until finally Duncan quietened, and they spoke calmly for a while. Holly knew she should say something, but she was still trying to wrap her head around what she’d seen and what she’d been told. She could feel Duncan’s gaze bore into her as he spoke to his mother.