Page 69 of A Promise Through Time

“I know. Totally out of character for me.” She turned her head to look at him. She seemed to be examining every inch of his face, before she looked up at the sky once again. “All I ever really wanted was to live a quiet life in my home town, near my family. I wanted a husband and children and to be able to do all the things that I love.”

“Tell me about them,” he said, enjoying the sound of her voice and the fact that she was confiding in him for the first time.

“It’s kind of boring, really,” she said, raising her hands up in front of her face and examining her fingers.

“I’m nae bored, lass. Tell me.”

“I like to cook, although the only time that happens is when my mother isn’t around. I’d probably be better at it if I got more practice. I like to make things and I’ve always dreamed of having my own little shop. That’s what I really want to do. And that’s all there is to tell,” she finished.

“There’s more to ye than that, lass,” he said.

“Not really. I’m a pretty simple person. I don’t have any great dreams to speak of. I’ve been pretty happy with my life, except for my love life.”

“Love life. Ye mean ye havenae had a man in yer life”?

“Right. I’ve been burned more than a few times and so now I guess I’m extra cautious.”

Some of the words she used made no sense to him. “Did these men actually burn ye? Do ye have scars?”

She laughed. “No. No. When I say burned, I mean they weren’t very nice to me.”

He understood what she meant. She’d been hurt by men in the past and he guessed that he wasn’t much better. “I’m sorry to hear it. Ye deserve to be loved and treasured.”

“What about you? Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Most people think I’m only out to have fun. They dinnae believe me to be serious or responsible, as I’m sure ye learned from yer time at Breaghacraig.”

“I did hear that a few times,” she confirmed.

“Ye see, I’m from a family of nine children. I fell square in the middle. Ma and Da worked hard to feed us. They had little time to spend caring for us and so we had to rely on each other. I spent much time on my own, never having to answer to anyone. I found my share of mischief and I found that I liked it. As I got older, that mischief became focused on the lassies. They thought me handsome and I had a way of convincing them to do things they might not otherwise do. I never thought of the consequences of my actions, but I should have.”

“How did you end up at Breaghacraig?” she asked.

“My family drifted apart after our mother and father died. I was grown and ready to strike out on my own when they passed. I don’t know where my siblings went or where they are now, I’ve never heard from a one. I rode into Breaghacraig one day thinking I was pretty important. They invited me to take part in their morning practice. I thought I was much better with a sword than I truly was and I found out the truth of it that day when I ended up on my arse more times than I could count. I guess they felt sorry for me, because they asked me to stay onwith them. They taught me to be a warrior and they accepted me into the clan. They replaced my family and now I find I have the beginnings of a family of me own.”

“Elena,” Tina said.

“My wee daughter. I never knew it was possible to love someone as much as I love her and so quickly.” It had truly taken him by surprise. “Now that I know that kind of love, I want more of it. I want to share it with someone.” His eyes met hers. He hoped they told Tina that it was she he wanted to share it with.

She looked away from him towards the flowing stream. He hoped he hadn’t said too much. This was all new to him and he wasn’t sure how to proceed. One thing he was sure of was that he could only do so much. It was going to be up to her to decide whether or not she wanted to be his woman and whether she wanted him to be her man. There was a tiny flicker of hope in his heart. He was hoping that by the end of this day it would become a blazing fire.

Chapter 15

“Have ye nae fished before?” Donal asked as he plodded into the stream up to his knees.

“Not like this,” she answered. Tina wasn’t sure exactly how he intended to catch a fish, but one thing she was sure of was that she’d enjoy watching him try.

He stood with his legs set far apart and his hands perched just above the water. His patience was amazing as he stood completely still and waited. He explained that he planned to catch a fish as it swam through his legs.

This was better than anything else she could be doing right now. Donal was so focused on the water that he was unaware of anything else. Especially the fact that she was watching him so closely. Several minutes passed with no success, but he still didn’t move. Tina decided she really didn’t care if they had fish for dinner and so she rolled up the legs of her pants and silently crept into the water. When she was close enough, she used both hands to splash water at Donal. Much to her surprise, he must have known what she was up to because he lunged for her,grabbing her around the waist. Her feet went out from beneath her and they both tumbled into the water.

Tina shrieked, “It’s freezing!”

Donal picked her up, carried her out of the water and lay her on the plaid, he propped himself up over her. “Ye are a wee devil,” he chuckled.

“I didn’t want to share you with the fish,” she explained, “and I wasn’t sure how much longer you were willing to stand there.”

“Ah, so ye wished to have me attention.” He used the edge of the plaid to wipe away a rivulet of water that was trailing from her hair to her face.