Highland Protector (MacCoinnich Time Travels Book Five) (18 page)

Jake stood in his driveway and
watched her drive away.

Chapter Nineteen

Amber slipped into a dress after her shower,
sat at the foot of the bed, and watched Gavin sleep. She felt him coming back
to her…slowly.

I’m bonded. A wife.

She might not have been forced to
bond, but she couldn’t let him die after he’d given himself to her. In her
head, Amber told herself she was raised with devotion to family, to duty and
honor.

But somewhere deeper, she knew it was
more than that. The vow she spoke embedded into her soul.

“You’re the man my mother told me
about.” The words, spoken aloud, solidified them. What would her father’s
impression of this man be?

Fierce and protective.

“He likes those qualities in a man.”
She thought of Liz. “And women.”

Amber?

Gavin’s voice sounded in her head.
She moved her gaze to his still form on the bed.

I’m here.

Alive?

She smiled.
Aye.

And me?

Alive. Just sleep…let your body heal.

His chest rose and fell in a deep
sigh.
You’re safe?

Completely.

Good. That’s good.

Silence met her then, and he slept.

An hour later, a knock on the door
startled her. “Amber?”

Helen’s voice shocked her. When was
the last time anyone could sneak up on her? She couldn’t remember. “Aye?”

The door opened slowly, Helen peeked
through. “Hey?”

A strange feeling of tears welled
behind her eyes. “Hey.”

“Uhm, Selma’s here. Is he awake?” She
opened the door a little wider.

“Not yet. By morning, I think.”

Helen’s brows pinched. “Well, we,
ah…Giles wants to sit with him for a while and give you a break.”

“I’m okay.”

Helen frowned. “Okay, Selma and I
wanted to chat with you. Won’t take long.”

From the doorway, Giles poked his
head in. “Hey?”

Part of her wanted to join Helen,
part of her wanted to stay.

Gavin?

Go. I’ll sleep.
The comfort of him in her head
should have felt awkward, but it didn’t.

Amber followed Helen down the hall
and smelled the wood in the walls, heard the squeak of a mouse far off in the
distance. When was the last time that had happened? The weight of her gift
simply wasn’t overbearing every sense in her system and all the nuances of the
home sat ready to explore.

Helen paused, placed an arm on
Amber’s shoulder.

She flinched and Helen pulled away.
“Nay, you didn’t hurt me.”

“But you expected it to?”

“Aye.”

Helen had tears behind her eyes. “Can
I hug you?”

Amber slowly opened her arms.

The other woman’s embrace brought
joyful tears to her eyes. Such a simple pleasure she’d lost most of her life.

Helen’s fist moved to her shoulder in
a playful punch. “Don’t ever,
ever
scare us like that again.”

Before Amber could respond, Selma
moved into the hall. “Hey? Can I get on the hug-fest?”

By the time Selma pulled away, all
three of them were holding back tears. Selma grasped Amber’s hand and walked
toward the library. There, she noticed a bottle of wine and two glasses already
filled. “I thought you might enjoy a glass.”

Once they were all comfortable, Selma
started in with questions.

“I really do feel fine,” Amber told
them. “My head is clear, well, except for Gavin’s voice.”

Helen leaned forward. “You can hear
him?”

Amber nodded. “It’s strange. I can reach
out for him with a thought, and he’s simply there.”

“Doesn’t that freak you out?” Selma
asked.

“It was worse having the thoughts and
emotions of everyone else.”

“That’s relative, I suppose. Aren’t
you a little worried about being bonded to someone you hardly know?”

Amber took a moment to sip her wine
and reflect on the question she’d asked herself the most since she woke. “My
mother always advised me not to worry about things I cannot change.”

Helen laughed. “You didn’t answer the
question.”

“He’s a good man, noble. My father
would approve.” Ian would approve, and he would have insisted on the marriage
after their intimacies.

Selma glanced at Helen. “Still didn’t
answer the question.”

“I’ve seen nothing in his character
to suggest he’ll be cruel to me. He’s fiercely protective.”

When Amber set her glass down, Selma
filled it.

“Have you slept with him?” Selma
asked.

“Of course. We’ve had to hold hands
for several nights.”

Both women sent Amber looks of
confusion.

“What?”

“Selma’s not asking if you slept
beside him. She’s asking if you’re no longer a virgin.”

Heat shot to Amber’s face. “Oh, aye.”

Helen’s eyes grew wide. “So
yes
,
you’re no longer a virgin, or
yes
you are still a virgin.”

Amber drew several strands of her
long hair in her hands and twirled the ends. “Nay, I’m…w-we didn’t. Not
completely.”
Oh, what am I trying to say?
From the expressions on Helen
and Selma’s faces, they wanted to know more. The wine was already swimming in
her head.

“So you two didn’t go all the way?”
Selma asked.

“Just a little hanky-panky?” Helen
added.

“Hanky-panky?”

Helen started to laugh. “Sorry. I
forget sometimes you’re not up on the slang. Let’s see… you and Kincaid fooled
around, kissing, touching…stuff like that?”

The fog cleared in Amber’s head.
“Aye. A little.” The memory left a smile on her face. She reached for Gavin and
felt him sleeping.

“That’s a devilish smile on your
face, Mrs. Kincaid.” Helen handed the glass of wine back to Amber.

“Mrs. Kincaid?”

“Sure. You exchanged Druid wedding vows.
That makes you Mrs. Kincaid. I guess you don’t have to take his name, if you
don’t want to.”

Amber stared into her glass, drank
from it. “Of course I’ll take his name. ’Tis not right if I don’t.” Her father
wouldn’t approve of her not taking Kincaid as her own.

“Don’t feel you have to do anything
you don’t want to, Amber. I know you’re married, but you hardly know the man. I
don’t care what you say, that has to be freaking you out. He isn’t from this
time, or your time. What if he wants to return to the future?”

Amber gulped more wine. “I haven’t
thought of that.”

Helen waved Selma’s question away.
“They can’t go forward in time.”

“Why not?”

Helen blinked several times. “Because
Amber belongs here, with us.”

Amber realized her glass was nearly
empty and set it aside. “I think food is in order if I’m to drink more wine, and
I think I might like to drink more wine.”

Selma pushed herself off the sofa and
left the room laughing.

Helen scooted closer. “I don’t want
you to move away.”

Amber took her friend’s hand. “I
don’t wish to either. My mother told me my cure was in this time, but I don’t
know if I’m meant to stay.”

“We don’t know if you’re supposed to
leave, either.”

“I think it’s best to do nothing now.
Gavin’s not awake anyway and even then, we have many things to consider before
any decisions are made.”

Helen smiled. “You sound so much like
your mother sometimes.”

“I miss her.”

Helen shrugged. “I miss them all,
too. Maybe when the baby is born we can visit. It isn’t like there are rules for
traveling in time.”

Amber grasped the pendent on her neck
and thought of home. When she did, Helen slid an identical necklace from her
shirt and smiled.

“Has Kincaid told you how he travels
in time?”

“We’ve not discussed it.”

Helen sighed as Selma walked back in
the room with a tray of fruit and cheese. Amber’s mouth watered at the sight.

A slight wave of concern struck her
from Selma’s direction. Amber eyed the other woman and probed. A sickening
image of injured children penetrated her brain. As soon as the picture swam
into her head, she pushed it away and felt Gavin’s shield surround her.

“What is it?” Selma asked.

“You’re worried about something.”

Selma blinked, twice. “I-I thought
your gift was gone.”

“It is… Well, I suppose it’s there,
but controlled. I felt your worry and looked for more.”

“I don’t think that’s the smartest
thing to do? I mean, weren’t all the emotions of others in your head been
nothing but a problem for years?”

“Aye, but before Grainna I could
control my gift. Use it to help others. What worries you, Selma?”

Helen swung her gaze toward the
feisty redhead. “Nothing. You.”

“I am not a child. You’re worried
about children. Whose?”

When Selma didn’t deny her, she knew
her gift had led her in the right direction.

“Keeping secrets is impossible in
this house. You both know that, right?”

Helen shrugged.

Selma tossed a grape in her mouth. “I
met Jake’s daughters.”

“Twins,” Amber said.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

The horrifying image flashed in her
head again…two identical girls lying still, unmoving. “I think Jake mentioned
it,” she lied.

“Well, I didn’t hear it if he did.
Shocked me when I saw them. Cute kids.”

Helen nibbled on a slice of cheese as
she moved her back to the sofa. “So what has you worried?”

“It’s probably nothing.”

Helen pointed her cheese at their
friend. “You do know that
it’s probably nothing
always turns out to be
something with us.”

“Don’t say that,” Selma scolded.

“You’re worried they’re in danger.”
Amber knew this as fact. A part of her wanted to celebrate the fact she knew
this…that her gift seemed to be working the way it should. However, knowing it
also meant Jake’s children might be in harm’s way.

“I’m just being paranoid. I had this
client. He kept asking for a love potion so the woman he loved would come
around. After several attempts, this guy realized that the love of his life
wanted someone else. My potions only bring clarity. They don’t force someone to
love you when they don’t.”

“He knew this?” Helen asked.

“On the second shipment I always
include a note highlighting what I promise. This guy didn’t listen. He sent me
a nasty-gram when his girl hooked up with someone else.”

“It can’t be the first time that’s
happened. You’ve been selling potions for several years.”

Selma met Amber’s gaze. “The guy
lives in Arizona. I saw a report about a murder of a young engaged couple in the
area that matched the description Mr. Love-Struck gave me.”

Helen grew quiet.

“Why are you worried about Jake’s
daughters?”

It was Selma’s turn to shrug. “I don’t
know. Just am.”

“Have you told Jake?”

“Jake thinks I’m wacked. He won’t
believe any of my paranoia.”

Amber shook her head. “Jake doesn’t
think you’re wacked.” Amber had heard Selma use the word wacked enough to
understand its meaning. “He tries to keep you thinking he doesn’t believe in
you so you don’t realize how much he does. If I had to guess, I say Jake might
have feelings for you.”

Selma reached for her wine while her
nose turned red and the freckles on her face stood out against her pale skin.

Helen sat forward on the couch. “Oh.
My. God. What happened with you and Jake?”

“Nothing!”

The denial was too quick.

The fluttering feeling Amber
experienced when Gavin touched her, kissed her, warmed her skin. “He kissed
you.”

Now there was no denial.

Helen squealed.

“It was a ploy,” Selma said. “To
convince his ex that we were boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Helen shook her head. “What? Why?”

Amber sat back and listened. While
Selma explained the details of the pretend relationship and how Jake had kissed
her, Helen filled each silence with questions. Before they drank another glass
of wine, Selma was telling both of them anything romantic with Jake was a
really bad idea. “I wouldn’t have felt anything with his kiss if I wasn’t so
horny. It’s been a while for me.”