Highlander's Charm (Highlander Heat #3)

She chased Nanna downstairs and into the inner courtyard. The enclosed area was abuzz with their clan, a stream of them making their way toward the great hall across the paved stones.

Ian moved in beside them, his towering form blocking what little sunshine peeked through the thick patchwork of gray clouds. “The laird awaits you both in his solar. He didnae wish your reunion to take place afore all.”

“Thank you, Ian.” Nanna nodded briskly at the warrior who always had his watchful eyes on them.

They entered the great hall. Trestle tables held stacked platters of cooked meat, boiled eggs, and bread. Serving maids carried trays holding steaming bowls of oats, while the returning warriors jerked out the wooden benches and sat. Just as well, her father had opted for a private meeting. She had no desire to greet him for the first time in this crowded hall.

“Oh my, there’s Josiah.” Nanna patted her chest. “He must have been with your father’s traveling party. He was courting me in the months before you were born.”

“Which one is—” Ah, no need to ask. An older broad-shouldered warrior with a weathered face and his sword swinging from his side marched toward them, his intense gaze on Nanna.

“Well, well, so my ears were no’ deceiving me. Jean MacIan has returned to Mingary.” Josiah motioned toward the laird’s solar at the side of the hall. “Your son willnae believe his eyes either even though he’s heard the news. He’s anxious. You best hurry.”

“It’s good to see you too, Josiah.” Nanna blushed, actually blushed.

“Aye, save a dance for me later when the pipers play. We have much to celebrate this day.”

Goodness, Nanna had not spilled all her secrets yet, and she’d get the rest of them out of her before this day was done.

They weaved around the room, and she brushed against a wall hanging embroidered with the MacIan clan crest.

Ahead, a warrior opened the solar door and Nanna raced through.

This was the moment they’d been waiting a fortnight for. She walked in and the guard closed the door with a gentle snick.

John paced the room, his broad back carrying the weight of a sheathed claymore.

From the corner chair, Janet shot to her feet. “John, they’re here.”

He spun around, his gaze wide on Nanna. “Mother, is it truly you?”

“Yes. I’ve so much to tell you.” She rushed across the room, her arms open.

John swung her off her feet. “As do I. Mere days after you went missing, I returned from Skye to mayhem. My men had already scoured the surrounding hills for you, but I continued to search and I came upon an old woman and her son deep in the forest, a seer.”

“Then you met the fortuneteller, as did I.” Nanna’s eyes went wide. “Did you speak to her?”

“Aye, she insisted magic had taken you away but would one day return you. ’Twas all gibberish, or at least until she spoke of the folklores surrounding those born under a falling star, the same tales you used to speak of to me when I was a lad. I sat with her around her campfire. She said she’d felt a disruption in time. I clung to her words, because you’d vanished, and I had no other answer for your disappearance than what she spoke of. She said you lived, and one day you’d return. She told me I’d have to be patient, and that your return would only occur when the time was right.” He set her back on her feet. “I didnae care for that part of her prophecy, and I never believed ’twould take over twenty years for it to come about. I’d almost given up hope.”

Relief poured through Lila. Her father knew. The fortuneteller had paved the way for the acceptance of their return.

“I met the fortuneteller at Edinburgh’s markets,” her grandmother continued. “She traveled to the future to aid me. Because of her guidance, I was able to wish my way back to the past.”

“Even though I was told, ’tis hard to believe you’ve been beyond our time.” John scraped a hand along his jaw. “Tell me what happened after Marybelle passed. I must know it all, and what started the disruption.”

“Lila was so tiny, and I knew her life would end as quickly as her mother’s. I couldn’t lose them both, and I made a wish with all my heart for Lila to live. A black void opened, and within the blink of an eye, we were far away.”

“How far through time, and to where? I was never told, no matter how much I pleaded with the fortuneteller.” He cupped Nanna’s cheeks.

“We arrived at a time over four-hundred years from now, where there is such medical advancement. Lila was placed within a glass-enclosed capsule and cared for by people holding the greatest of abilities. They saved her life as none here could. Certainly no amount of searching you undertook would have found us. Oh, John, you must meet your daughter.” Nanna waved her forward. “This is Lila.”

“Come, child.” A beaming smile lit his face.