Prescribed for Love (12 page)

Even if
Cat
’s errant thought had been accurate and she
had been brought into the past to play match-maker, Lainie and Branan did not need any assistance.
When
the group began their walk to the village, t
he two
flirted
with each other
incessantly
. Their tender whispers
brought a smile to her face
, even as their behavior made her roll her eyes
.
Realistically, Cat was just jealous; she
had always
wished she had had more time for these flirtations when she was
younger.
Finally, the lovers
separated
as
the party
approached their destination.
Lainie
invited Catriona inside to meet her mother.

After the introductions, Cat
asked about the older woman’s symptoms
. She had developed a fever and cough many weeks ago that had also been accompanied by terrib
le pains in her back and head.
Cat
could not be sure, but it sounded
like
the woman had had the flu. Now
,
the woman
was
still
weak and
had a lingering cough.
She was even sometimes delirious.
Cat was willing to bet the woman had developed pneumon
ia. Reaching into her purse, Cat
pulled out a package of antibiotics she had refused
to use when she had been sick.
It was rather ironic that even though she went through pharmacy school, she hated taking pills.

Pulling Lainie aside she said, “I need you to give these to your mother every day. Have her drink them with a full glass of water.
She must take all of them.
I cannot guarantee they will work, but there is a good chance.”
Cat hoped the infection was bacterial and not viral; otherwise, the pills would be a complete waste.

During their
return
trip to the castle
, Cat
began a conversation with Ailsa. She wanted to learn more about
Alasdair
before giving serious consideration to a fling.
“So
,
tell me about your brother.”

“Why, do ye have a special interest in the man?”

I am going to have to work on my subtlety skills.
“Not the type you are implying,” replied Cat, even
though that was a complete lie
. “I simply want to know what kind of man he is since I will be staying under his care until I can find a way home.”

“Oh, ye have nothing to fear from him.
Alasdair
’s behavior can be rough, but he truly is a kind soul. He does everything within his power to provide for his people. He willna
e
mistreat ye—if that is yer concern.”

“
No, I wasn’t worried about that,” replied Cat. When Ailsa seemed disinclined to provide any additional information Cat added, “
He sounds as if he takes his re
sponsibilities very seriously.”

“Aye,
he does.” Ailsa continued, “Our father was a good and kind man, but he didna
e
plan much for the future.
Each
winter
t
here was only ever enough
to get the castle and its
inhabitants
through
to the next spring, never any surplus
of provisions
.
Honestly,
he didna
e
take advantage of the land. This is part of what
began
the
recent
problems with the Camerons.
They
began encroaching into our
borders since they were always struggling to provide for their numbers.
My father forced them off our lands—rightfully so—but
Cameron took this as a great insult
.
He thought my father was
mocking his inability to provide for his people—why else would a man waste such a resource?
”

“
Did Cameron retaliate
?”
ask
ed Cat.

“
Aye, and severely.
A few years back, there had been a winter much harsher than in years previous.
We barely made it through.
The Camerons were nae as fortunate;
they lost many
souls
that season
. Desperate to avoid repeating the disaster of the winter, he tried to take our land from us.
Our father fought his army back, but was fatally wounded in the battle. We had barely laid him to rest when the Camerons struck
again
.
They set fire to our farmland and
villages
. My mother had been visiting
one of
the
villages most viciously attacked by the Camerons. She was
nae
able to escape the flames.”

“
I…I don’t know what to say…
that’s
truly horrific. I’m so sorry
” whispered Cat.

“Aye, it was
terrible
. But
,
my brother has
done his best to be
a
better
laird.
We have finally started to put away greater stores of food, and he prepares the men well for a potential attack.
Alasdair
feels another fight w
it
h the Camerons is unavoidable since
they still want our land
. I can only
pray
he is wrong—though their recent activities lend credence to Alasdair’s suspicions
.”

Ailsa finished her explanation as they once again stepped within the confines of the keep.
“Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
asked Cat.
Lady Help
still has work to do!

“Would ye like to join me and
the other women? We could always use an extra set of hands
for
the mending and weaving,
”
suggested Ailsa.

“Sure. Although
,
I must warn you, I am not very good at either.”
While Cat was doubtful she had been sent into the past to patch holes in socks, she knew going to a room full of women could work to her advantage. If there was one thing that never changed over time, it was women’s habit of gossip. She could listen to the idle chatter to hopefully ferret out the needs of the castle. Although Ailsa said the keep was finally coming to rights, Cat still bet she could find a way to improve upon something.

Unfortunately,
Cat quickly grew to regret
her decision
.
She was so inept at sewing Ailsa had to show her everything, step by step. Cat could hear the other women
try to suppress their
giggle
s
as
she was walked
thr
ough the m
ost basic stitches
.
Instead of gossiping as Cat had hoped, all the women were giving her pointers on how best to improve her technique. She knew the women were not being mean, but it was still embarrassing. It was not as if Cat had never developed a craft, the problem was simply that crocheting had not yet become a common practice.
It was a shame she had not learned
to
k
nit instead;
she saw plenty of
women engaged in that activity.

An idea popped into Cat’s head as she spied a broken knitting needle
across the room
.
“I’ll be back in a little while.”
Catriona
grabbed the
damaged
needle
and put it
in her purse
before going
outside. Needing to be away from any wander
ing eyes, she
wandered
ab
out the
keep to find a secluded area
.

Satisfied
she was now a
lone, Cat
found a place to sit and
took the broken piece
from her purse
. Digging even deeper she withdrew
her Swiss Army K
nife.
To the best of her ability, she
began to whittle the needle into a crochet hook. It actually turned out to be fairly easy. She
short
en
ed the
needle to a more blunt point, and then carved out the indent needed to form the hook. However, the new areas were now rough and would catch on the thread.
Unsure if it would work, Cat reached into her purse and pulled out her emery board.

She began to file her new hook with gusto.
The board did not work quite as well and sandpaper would have, but C
at was still satisfied.
“
H
a! Success
!"

***

As if attuned to Catriona’s every movement, Alasdair noticed as she left the castle, wandering to a little-used part of the keep. As if afraid of discovery, she kept looking behind her. Intrigued, Alasdair followed her, but kept his distance to ensure he would not be discovered
—he
was curious
to learn what she was doing
. From a few yards away,
Alasdair
watched as Catriona worked diligently on something in her hands. Finally seeming satisfied she held
up a small stick and said, “
H
a!
Success!”

“And just what have ye done successfully? That doesna
e look to be verra effective as much more
than a toothpick,” said
Alasdair
as he finally
decided to
let his presence be known.

Catriona turned and let out a small
shriek, “
Don’t do that! Y
ou scared the shit out of me!”

“I apologize
, I didnae mean to scare ye. I simply wanted to discover why ye felt ye needed such privacy.
”

“
Now who’s spying on whom
?
And, if you could tell I wanted privacy, why would you follow me?
”

Alasdair shrugged his shoulders unapologetically. “Ye still havenae answered my question
. What is that wee stick ye a
re so excited about?”
He still did not understand how such a simple item could
e
licit such a response.

“It’s a crochet hook,” she replied. When
Alasdair
looked at her confusedly she continued, “It’s a type of craft, for making lace or blankets. I was trying to make myself useful
to your sister
, but I’m not very good at sewing, weaving, or knitting.
At least with this I could
actually accomplish something
.”

“Ye are a guest in my home, ye
dinnae
need to busy ye
rself with such tasks,” replied
Alasdair
.
He was a bit affronted that she should feel the need to work.

“That’s kind of you to say, but that doesn’t change anything.
Plus, I’ve already had this argum
ent with Ailsa—I
cannot just sit idly by while each day passes me by. I need
to work for my future.”
Alasdair
had to admit he was impressed. He had never seen a woman so driven. Considering the trouble his lands had come to by the lack of his father’s planning,
Alasdair
thought
if ever he decided to take a wife
he would want to see this quality in
the woman
.
Looking at Catriona,
Alasdair
had to admit she would make any man a fine wife.
Aye, well, I cannae take a wife. But,
that doesna
e
mean I
canna
e
enjoy a
willing
woman
’s embrace
.

Deciding to test
his luck,
Alasdair
reached for Catriona’s arm and pulled her to her feet
so her breasts just grazed the front of his chest
.
Seeing no hesitation in her eyes, Alasdair smiled.

***

That smile should be illegal!
Catriona could feel her heart begin to race as she anticipated his next action. She expected him to once again kiss her, but instead he lowered his head to nibble at the se
nsitive spot just below her ear; t
he hairs on her arm stood as if she had been electrified. She still was not entirely certain she would pursue the fling she had been contemplating, but she thought she should let this continue—as a preview of sorts.
Really Cat? You’re just gonna sample him—like he’s a box of chocolates?