Wild Highland Rose (Time Travel Trilogy, Book 2) (25 page)

Cameron smiled.  "Yes, I'm sure."

"But you haven't caught any fish.  Isn't that the whole point of fishing?"

Cameron sighed.  There was simply no explaining the art of doing nothing to someone who probably thought tossing a caber was recreational.  "Just be patient, we'll catch something."

"Do you really think the fishes will eat pieces of oatcake?"

Better them than him.  "I'm not sure really, but they were plentiful and the cook didn't seem to mind my having them."

Marjory laughed.  "I'll wager you didn't tell her what you were wanting them for."

"No, I didn't."  He grinned sheepishly.  "She probably thinks I've developed a taste for them."

They sat in companionable silence, watching the fishing pole, waiting for something to happen.  A brisk breeze had come up and the little boat rocked back and forth.  Suddenly, the pole jerked and the line pulled tight.  Cameron drew back on the stick, feeling the line pull in the opposite direction.  "I think we've got something."

Marjory leaned over the side, trying to see.  "What do we do now?"

"Good question.  Normally, you use a reel to help you pull it in, but I didn't have time to figure out how to make one.  So, I guess we'll just have to do it manually."

"Manually?"  She looked at him in confusion.

Hell, everything they did was manual.  "On our own, without the aid of the reel,
"
he explained.  She really didn't look any less confused, but at least she nodded as if she understood.

He handed her the stick.  "Here, you hold on to the pole."  She grasped it in both hands.  "Great, now with a little luck, I'll bring this guy in."  He started to pull the fishing line in hand over hand.  Fortunately, the fish wasn't very big, or it wasn't putting up much of a fight.  Marjory was leaning out over the water, pole in hand.

"Where is he?  I canna see him."

"Keep watching, I've almost got him here."  The line hadn't seemed very long when it was empty, but now that he wanted to get to its end, it seemed to stretch on forever.

"Wait a minute, I think I see him."  Marjory pointed to a flicker of silver just over the side.

Cameron leaned over the edge, allowing his line of vision to follow her pointing finger.  Sure enough, there was a flash of fin.  He yanked on the last of the line, sending a spray of water over Marjory and the fish flying through the air.  It landed in the boat with a flop.

"You've caught him."  Marjory's voice held a note of awe.  Cameron felt as though he had just slain a dragon.  She peered at the fish.  "It looked bigger in the water."  Okay, a very tiny dragon.  "I think 'tis a wee babe.  It looks so helpless."

Great, so much for the conquering hero stuff.  "Shall we let it go?"

"Aye."  She shot him a smile that warmed him all over.  Back to king for a day.

"No problem."  He picked up the little fish and worked the hook from its mouth.
 
"All right, fish, this is your lucky day."  With a grin at Marjory, he tossed it over the side.  The fish hit the water with a smack and quickly disappeared from sight.

"Well, that's it then.  We've fished."

Cameron threw back his head and laughed.  "That we have, Marjory Macpherson, that we have."

The little boat rocked on the water, the motion soothing, the silence around them comfortable.  Marjory seemed content for the moment to simply trail her hand through the water and watch him fish.  There was something so domestic about this:  The perfect way to spend the day.  The perfect woman to spend it with.

The thought brought him up short, surprising him with its tenacity.  He liked Marjory
—
most of the time.  But surely his feelings didn
'
t go beyond that.  After all they were practically strangers.
 
An image of their bodies tangled together filled his mind, the memory of their passion crescendoing until he actually felt the heat between them as if it were happening now.

"Where have you gone?"

"Beg pardon?"  Her words jerked him back to reality, embarrassment replacing other emotions. 
"
I was thinking about what a wonderful day it is.
"

She studied him for a moment, as if questioning the truth of his statement, then nodded in acceptance with a smile. 
"
I was thinking how happy I am, too.  How much I like being with you.
"

His stomach sank as the reality of her words hit him hard.  They were heading down a dangerous path.  One he shouldn
'
t
—
couldn
'
t
—
pursue.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she took in his expression.  "Did I say something wrong?"

He reached for her hand, taking it firmly in his, wishing away his riotous thoughts.  "No, not at all."

"Then why, may I ask, are you frowning?" she asked, worry creasing the line of her brow.

"I'm not really.  See?"  He grinned, praying that it was convincing
,
but knowing from the look on her face, it was not.

"Dinna lie to me, Ewen.  Tell me what's wrong."

He chewed on his upper lip a minute, trying to formulate his words. 
"
It
'
s hard to explain.  But I guess the truth of it is that I feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

"Taking advantage?  How?"

He blew out a long breath, not certain if this was the right time or place for confessions, but convinced that it was important she know.  Important that he tell her.  He wanted no secrets between them.  No matter the cost.

The loch was still peaceful, the storm on the far side forming a spectacular backdrop.  The dark angry clouds seemed at odds with the gently lapping water.  Somehow it seemed to mirror his predicament.  The peace he felt here with Marjory was a lie, nothing more than a precursor to the storm that would follow.

He was so tired of being alone.  Of trusting no one.  His gaze met hers, his heart heavy. 
"
I
'
m not who you think I am, Marjory.  I
'
m not Ewen Cameron.
"

"
I dinna understand.  Of course you
'
re Ewen Cameron.  You just dinna remember that
'
s all.
"
 
She fought to make sense of his words.  If he wasn
'
t Ewen Cameron, then who was he?  The little voice in her head insisted his words were true.  That she
'
d known it all along.  But she brushed them aside, not willing to examine the possible implications.

"Look, Marjory,
"
  Ewen was saying, his voice sincere, his eyes begging her to listen. 
"
My name is Cameron.  That
'
s all I remember.  But I know it isn
'
t Ewen.
"
  He took a deep breath, and she felt herself mimicking him as she drew in her own breath, waiting for his next revelation.

"When I woke up after the fall…"  He paused as if searching for the right words.

She released her breath, and pulled her hand from his, waiting for him to continue.  A look of pain washed across his face as she moved away.  He looked so lost and alone.  But she was confused and afraid, herself.

Her heart urged her to take his hand again, to keep contact, but her head was yelling that distance was much better.  Her head won out.  It was much easier to think clearly when they were not touching.

"
God, this is difficult.
"
  He buried his face in his hands, and then as if thinking better of it, raised it again to look at her. 
"
I think that Ewen, your Ewen, died, Marjory.  At least I'm pretty sure of it.
"

"
But you
'
re here.
"

"
No.  That
'
s what I
'
m trying to tell you.  Ewen isn
'
t here.  He died in the landslide, and I woke up in his place.  I know it sounds insane on the surface, but if you
'
ll think about it.  Think about me, you
'
ll see that I
'
m speaking the truth.
"

She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to tell her he was speaking in jest.  He shifted uncomfortably, the little boat bobbing with the motion, but his gaze was steady and he didn't look away.  Merciful heaven, he wasn't jesting.

"Look, I know it sounds insane.  Especially since I don
'
t remember much about before, but, Marjory, what I do know for certain is that I'm not Ewen Cameron."

"Aye, you've made that abundantly clear.  And I canna argue with the fact that you
'
re different now than before.
"
She paused, feeling her cheeks grow hot. 
"
The old Ewen Cameron would never have done what you did…last night.
"
  She finished, mortified that she
'
d said it out loud. 
"
But that doesna mean you
'
re no
'
him.  Only that the knock on your head changed you.
"

Ewen shook his head. 
"
It goes deeper than that and you know it.  How many times have you told me that a man can
'
t change that much?  Think about it
,
Marjory.
"

"
Maybe I want it to be so.
"
  She could admit that much, but anything beyond that was simply more than she could fathom.

"
But you can
'
t handle the implications.
"
  He paused, burying his face in his hands again. 
"
Well neither can I, but unfortunately
,
that doesn
'
t change the facts.
"

She waited, her brain numb.

He looked up again, his amber gaze meeting hers.  "There's something I haven't told you."  He blew out a breath.  "I do have memories, Marjory.  They're disjointed and out sequence, but they are clear on one thing.  My memories are of things that haven't happened yet, of things that haven't even been invented yet."

"What are you saying to me?"  She felt her heart skip a beat.  This was not what she'd expected at all.

"I'm saying that I think I've traveled back in time, Marjory.  From my century to yours."

"And what century would that be?"  She tried to keep the skepticism out of her voice, but it was difficult.

"The twenty-first."

"But that
'
s…that
'
s…"

"Five hundred years from now."  He reached for her hand, but she jerked it away.

"That canna be.  People dinna go about hopping in and out of bodies and dashing about through time."

He leaned forward, looking her full in the eyes.
 
"A few weeks ago, I suspect I would have agreed with you, but now I can't argue with the fact.  It has to be possible because it's happened to me."

"I'm no' saying I believe you, but for the sake of argument, what memories exactly do you have that support this daft notion of yours?"

He
bit his lip again, contemplating her question.  She waited for his answer, outwardly composed, inwardly reeling.

"Well, there was the mirror for one."

"Mirror?"

"The shield."

"My father's shield?  What has it got to do with any of this?"  Her heart pounded.  Next thing he'd be telling her it was a magic shield.

"
I wanted to see what I looked like, remember?
"

She nodded, waiting.

"
In my mind's eye, I can see what I looked like before I came here, Marjory.  Even with the memory block, I can still see my face."

"So…"

"So, when I looked in the shield, the face that was reflected there wasn't mine.  It was your husband
'
s."

"That sounds…"

"Crazy," he finished for her.  "I know, but it's true."

She struggled with the enormity of what he was telling her.  "So you're saying that you're trapped in Ewen's body?"

"Yes."

"Holy mother of God."  The implications sent her reeling.  Who had she kissed then?  The shell of her husband or a stranger she had never seen?

The small seeds of contentment that had been sprouting so hopefully inside her withered and died.  She looked at him, pushing her fragmented emotions deep inside her, focusing on his face.  There was more, and she already knew she wasn't going to like it.