Reunited (Book 2 of Lost Highlander series) (22 page)

She heard him yelling for her as she ran away from the hut, not sure if she was heading toward the road or deeper into the forest, and not caring.

With every gasping breath and every pounding step she saw that girl flash before her eyes. The long, luxurious hair that was the color of fall leaves. Her pert nose and rosy cheeks.

She stopped short just as she came to a rushing stream. She put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath, calm the racing of her torn up heart, so she could think. It was a mistake. She should have kept running.

She remembered when they’d first met, and she’d brought him modern books and magazines. They’d spent hours asking each other fascinated questions about the other’s time. The first time he’d kissed her, the first time he’d said her name. Every memory cruelly sliced a fresh wound.

With a gasp, she remembered their first time together, out on the back lawn, under the stars. She’d wanted him so much, and when she tossed her pride to the wind and begged him to stay, he didn’t. He went back to his own time.

While it had hurt, she had admired his sense of duty. Had it been duty to his wife that made him leave her? A deep shudder of self loathing wracked her already shaking limbs. Was she the other woman?

His brother knew. That explained the crack about the honeymoon and the look of pity. She wanted to die of shame. Her mind raced as a new realization hit her.

That girl, who was married to her love, her Lachlan—oh, it cut deeply to think it. But that girl had been in the middle of some very passionate activity with Pietro when they walked into the hut.

Perversely, she was overcome with outrage that the harlot was cheating on Lachlan. Oh dear god, what was wrong with her? A scream reverberated through the forest and she clenched her fists, not wanting to care. But it had been Pietro back there, and she couldn’t let him be hacked to bits for sleeping with Lachlan’s wife. She leaned over and heaved at that thought, then turned and raced back to the hut.

Lachlan looked relieved when she burst in the open doorway, but she ignored him. Pietro was being held against the wall by his neck, blood running from his nose and one eye swollen, but still conscious. Bella was sobbing into her small, pale hands.

Piper just stood there, not sure who she hated most in that room, but seething with some very unfriendly feelings.

“You’re married?” she finally yelled.

Lachlan wiped his free hand over his face and tried to reach out to her. She stepped away.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I can explain.”

Piper felt dizzy as the common words came out of his mouth. Some things never changed.

Pietro glanced at her weakly. “Piper? Is it really you? What the hell is going on?” he burbled through the blood.

“Let him go,” she demanded, wanting to hit Lachlan, but knowing if she touched him she might disintegrate.

He looked torn apart with some emotion she couldn’t read, and he punched Pietro as he yelled.

“He has ruined everything.” He hit him again. “Ye canna be with her,” he said, almost to the brink of tears.

She’d only been this scared once before when she had foolishly accepted a ride from a nice enough looking guy who started acting erratic and wouldn’t stop the car when she’d asked him to. She’d had to jump out at a red light and make an embarrassed dash across three lanes of cars.

Now Lachlan was acting like the crazy guy and there was no way she could just jump out of this situation. Almost choking on her anger and fear, she grabbed his arm to keep Pietro from getting hit anymore.

“Stop,” she begged. “Why are you doing this to him?”

“Because he has been with her,” Lachlan said, his voice broken and rough. He tossed a filthy glare at Bella, who glared back.

“Now ye shall have to free me,” she said petulantly.

Lachlan roared with frustration and looked like he was going to take it out on Pietro’s face.

Piper’s eyes burned. All her anger melted into sorrow and hot tears spilled over and rolled down her face.

“You want to kill him because he slept with her and she wants to be free of you?” she asked. “Do you love her so much, then?”

Lachlan dropped Pietro, who slid to the floor. With a nervous glance at Lachlan, Bella ran and knelt by his side, wiping away the blood from his face with her skirt.

“What?” Lachlan asked, then dropped his head forward onto his chest. “Love her? No. Ye dinna understand.”

He took a step toward her and she sobbed and stepped back. The hut was so small she’d hit the other wall in two more steps, so she raised her chin defiantly as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

He pointed to Bella, noticed how close she was to Pietro and his rage bloomed again. He reached down and pulled her up by her arm, shoving her away. Even with no love lost for this girl, Piper flinched at his callousness.

“Ye canna be with him,” he snarled at her. He looked defeated as he turned back to Piper. “That,” he said, “is Isobel Glen.”

Piper stopped crying mid sob, she was so stunned. She looked at the small, frail girl, who was shaking in the corner and trying to look brave. This was her many times great-grandmother?

Lachlan turned to Pietro’s crumpled form and his voice grew louder with every word. “And she must only be with Connor McKellen, not yer bloody stable master from the future.”

She leaned over and grappled for the edge of the chair, seeing bright sparks as her vision started to fog over. Oh, this was it. She was already ceasing to exist. They’d tried to come back to fix things and instead they’d managed to make it worse. Lachlan grabbed her arm and steadied her.

“But that’s me,” Pietro garbled, spitting blood. “How did ye know that name?”

Piper tipped her head to see he had pulled himself up and was leaning against the wall.

“Tell them, Bella,” Pietro urged, an amazed and thoroughly confused look on his battered face.

Bella didn’t look happy to have all eyes on her. “Aye, that is the name he gave me.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Did ye lie to me?”

Pietro shook his head and winced at the pain it caused him. “No, it’s my middle name, and my mother’s maiden name. She’s a McKellen.” He looked at Piper to explain. “I didn’t know what happened to me. I thought my name sounded too foreign. Are we really in the past, then?”

Piper sidestepped Lachlan and helped Pietro sit down on the edge of the bed. She tore off a piece of one of her slips and handed it to him for his bleeding nose. Sitting down next to him, she patted his arm, and asked him what had happened to him.

He explained how he must have passed out in the barn, and when he woke up everything was all wrong. Not knowing what to do, he’d run out into the forest and met up with Bella, who was running away from her brute husband. Lachlan bristled.

“You knew she was married?” Piper asked.

“She said she was afraid of him, that he was insane. I wanted to help.”

Lachlan took a step toward Bella, then stopped and ground his teeth together.

“Ye’re afraid of me?” he asked with a sneer. “Since we’ve married ye’ve bit me, kicked me and tried to slash me with my own sword. Which is half as big as ye are. Ye’ve the strength of a mad bull.”

 Hearing Lachlan say the words himself shriveled Piper’s heart. Maybe she could have pretended that Pietro and the girl were confused, but he had said it himself. Since they married. She gave Pietro a reassuring glance before she got up and flung herself at Lachlan. She bounced off him, but kept trying to shove him backwards.

“Why did you marry her, you idiot? You said you chased off her suitor, wasn’t that enough?”

Lachlan’s face flamed and he took Piper by the shoulders, trying to calm her. “I did what I had to. I was desperate to save ye, my love.”

At this Bella shrieked with laughter. “He didna chase off my suitor. Galwain would never ha’ given me up. This scoundrel compromised me and forced my father to give me to him.”

She spat the words, then crossed her arms in front of her, lip quivering. Every word she said was like a slap to Piper, but Piper couldn’t help see how upset she was. She hadn’t been given a choice, and … wait.

“What does she mean, you compromised her?” Piper said, knocking Lachlan in the chest again.

Lachlan grabbed her hand and held it, his eyes blazing blue fire.

“Will ye Glen women stop abusing me, please,” he said, keeping hold of her hand. “I did no such thing and ye know it, ye wicked wee harpy.” He rounded on Bella, then turned to Piper beseechingly. “Her betrothed was a greedy old fiend and wouldna leave. The girl has an impressive dowry—”

“And that does no’ bother ye one bit, does it?” Bella hissed.

“I dinna care about yer money,” he yelled, practically shaking the walls with his fury. He rolled his shoulders and sighed. “Do ye no’ believe me, Piper?” he asked, leaning down and resting his forehead against hers.

His main objective was to keep her from disappearing off the face of the earth. He loved her. He left everything and everyone he knew and traveled through time to save her. Of course she believed him. Still though, she didn’t like him being married to someone else, not even in name only. She reached up and kissed him on the mouth.

“Well, I guess we did it,” she said with a shaky laugh. “We found Connor.”

“Aye,” Lachlan agreed, relief washing over his face that Piper was back on his side. He looked at the injured Pietro and frowned. “What to do about him, though?”

“Ye’re all mad,” Bella pouted.

“What do ye mean?” Pietro asked, gingerly prodding at his ribs. “Piper, just tell me what’s going on.”

Piper looked at her employee and friend with new eyes. This man was in fact, her great-great-great, many times great-grandfather. And he had flirted with her! She may have even toyed with the idea of letting him take her to dinner. How awkward would that have been? She thanked her lucky stars she stayed the course and wallowed in her heartsick misery, rebuffing his more than friendly overtures and clinging to her memories of Lachlan.

Bella was still huddling over by the wall in her shift, which was spattered with Pietro’s blood. Her little stick arms were covered in goosebumps. Piper found her dress wadded up in the corner of the hut and handed it to her. Bella smiled weakly and gave her a quick nod of thanks. These were her ancestors.

With a glance at Lachlan, she just jumped in and spelled it out for Pietro.

“You’ve fallen back in time. This is 1729. You’re my thirteen times great-grandfather, or thereabouts.”

Pietro pressed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets, grunting at the pain it caused his swollen eye. He leaned his head back and laughed.

“Sure,” he said. “Yeah, all right. I’m in.”

“Ye’re all possessed,” Bella said.

Lachlan took Piper’s arm and led her away, leaning down to speak quietly in her ear.

“Do ye think he will want to return to his own time?” he asked nervously.

Piper looked over at Pietro and wouldn’t blame him one bit if he did. She couldn’t allow Lachlan to hold him hostage here, until he impregnated her great-great etcetera grandmother. Ew. She frowned.

“I can hear ye,” he called over to them. “I said I was in, didn’t I?”

Piper rushed over to him. “Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked. “It’s a lot to take in.”

Pietro swatted her hand away when she tried to feel his forehead for fever.

“Yes, I feel fine, except of course, for the beating.” Lachlan looked chagrined but Pietro shrugged. “I’ve been expecting it since I first met her.”

He turned to Bella, who was gaping at him. “My mother always said, ye’ll know when ye know. And it turns out to be true. I know.” He gazed at her tenderly. “I love ye,” he told her.

“That’s settled, then,” Lachlan interrupted, destroying the moment. “We shall ride for my land and get an annulment—Father Roderick will be amenable—and these two lovebirds shall be rightfully married.” He looked smug until Bella stepped forward.

“No,” she said. She rounded on Pietro. “I dinna love ye. I wanted ye to take me to Edinburgh, that is all.”

Pietro’s eyes drained of their newfound joy. His battered face drooped. “That isn’t true,” he said. “We …” he blushed crimson and she laughed cruelly.

“I only bedded ye so this one would have to free me,” she said, waving her hand contemptuously at Lachlan.

Piper stared dumbfounded at her. “Oh my god,” she said. “Is every one of my Glen ancestors a monster?”

Lachlan wouldn’t meet her eye. “A bit, aye. Ye must have gotten yer sweetness much further down the line.” He growled the last part, staring Bella down. “Ye will marry this man, and live on my land and be happy about it.”

“No,” she repeated, not cowing one bit anymore. Piper felt the tiniest bit of respect for her, against all her better judgement. “I mean to be married to no one and live in Edinburgh and be independent, like my aunt.”

“Yer auntie is a widow,” Lachlan said, as if that settled matters.

“Perhaps I should arrange to be widowed as well, then,” she screamed, running forward and scratching Lachlan.

She was so fast Piper only realized what had happened when Lachlan was holding his torn cheek and seething. She got in between the two of them, hoping she wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire if there was another skirmish.