The Highlander's Bargain (5 page)

“Wait here. I have bottled water in the backseat. It’ll be warm, but you can rinse your mouth.” She hurried to her car and back. Twisting off the top, she handed him a clear vessel filled with water.

He took it from her, rinsed his mouth and spat into the grass. The day had been full of ups and downs with no respite in between, and he’d simply attended a fair. Was it always thus in the twenty-first century? Were it not for Erin, he’d consider going home this very minute, but something about her drew him. He’d see where it led, at least for a se’nnight. Mayhap he’d regain his enthusiasm after a good rest. “Naught about this adventure is as I expected,” he muttered.

She moved close, smoothing her hand up and down his back again, and again the comforting sensation flooded his senses.

“Expectations are tricky little buggers,” she murmured. “It’s best not to have them at all.”

He frowned, scrutinizing her. “Why is that, lass?”

“Well, if you don’t have any expectations, you’ll never be disappointed.”

His breath hitched. “Are you oft disappointed, my lady?”

“Not anymore.” She handed him the lid to the container, averting her eyes. “Are you better now? I’ll take the back roads where I can. It’ll take longer, but I think you’ll be able to handle the ride.”

“Speaking of roads,” he said as he ran his boot over the hard surface, “what is this?”

“Asphalt.”

His brow shot up, and he shook his head. “
Ass
fault?”

She glanced at him, and one side of her mouth quirked up. “It’s hard to explain.”

Lady True used the word
ass
to mean
arse
. He wasn’t certain he wanted an explanation. “I’ll take your word on the matter.”

“Ready to go?”

Following her back to her vehicle, he pondered what he’d learned about her. He’d glimpsed the deeply buried wounds reflected in her eyes. Who had hurt her so badly that she no longer held any expectations for her life? He reached for the dagger always at his waist, finding nothing where it ought to be. She didn’t know it yet, but she’d just secured a champion. He wanted nothing more than to protect her from harm and erase the hurt. Mayhap she’d heal in the process, and one day he’d see joy reflected in those lovely eyes. Joy and expectation.

CHAPTER FOUR

E
rin stood next to Robley by the side of the frontage road, his discomfort a tangible force. The nausea, stress, fatigue and disorientation he suffered brought a wave of empathy crashing over her. Poor man. Poor sweet, protective and totally unprepared, naïve, fifteenth-century knight. And to think he’d come to the twenty-first century on purpose. What would’ve happened to him if she hadn’t been there when he came through? He might have eventually turned into one of the homeless roaming the streets of Minneapolis, robbed of his cash and his weapons.

How could he possibly have known what to expect? The pace of twenty-first-century life, the culture and societal norms, technology and the sheer numbers of humanity compared to his time must cause all kinds of overload. She ran her hand over his back, knowing her touch would settle him. Another of her gifts—healing touch. Nothing miraculous. She couldn’t cure cancer or anything like that, but she could ease pain and physical discomfort. She could calm overwrought nerves.

Did she have faerie blood running through her veins? Is that where she’d inherited her abilities? If so, it had to have come from her dad’s side, because her mom was totally oblivious to other people’s feelings. Her dad, on the other hand, could charm bark off a tree. Was that because he picked up on what pleased others? Maybe she’d give him a call and ask him a few pointed questions. She turned her attention back to Robley. “Are you feeling better?”

“Aye.” He nodded. “Let us continue on our journey, only slower if you please, my lady.”

A tiny thread of pleasure wormed its way into her heart. She loved the way he called her his lady, even though she knew it was nothing more than a common way of addressing a woman in his era. Oh boy. She needed to distance herself from him, clamp down on the attraction flowing between them, or she’d suffer the inevitable heartbreak sure to follow. Had she learned nothing growing up with a mother who thought each new lover would be her ticket to happy town? And even if they weren’t all losers, the relationships never lasted. Erin had absolutely no interest in setting herself up for that kind of heartache and disappointment.

“I’ll do my best to go slower,” she said. “We have to take the freeway to cross the river, but then I can follow the back roads. I think I have a plastic bag in the back you can keep with you in case you need to hurl again.” He nodded, and once again she was awash in his reactions. This time confusion and frustration.

For some reason, he was way easier for her to read than most people, and her ability with him had grown as the day wore on. She usually had to concentrate to get a sense of what people were feeling. With Robley, the impressions just flowed. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not, but she’d have to remember to shut it out. “The faster we get to Target and get you situated the better.”

“Dinna fash. I’ve been through worse, lass. Let us be off.” He gestured forward. “Do all women in your time dress as you do?”

“For the most part.” She arched her brow. “Why?” As if she didn’t know. She’d learned over the years how to ignore the testosterone-laden vibes coming at her. She’d been bombarded with them during high school and college. Even when they weren’t directed her way, they filled the atmosphere like pollen during late spring. With Robley, it was doubly hard, because she found him equally attractive. She couldn’t help reacting.

“’Tis disconcerting. Women of my time are much more modestly clad.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Humph.” He shot her a rueful expression. “I dinna believe I will.”

Erin turned her car off of Cedar Avenue and into the motel parking lot. She glanced at Robley. He was ready to drop, and exhaustion fairly pulsed from him. The Super Target experience had been almost as overwhelming and fascinating for him as the Renaissance festival, and she’d had a tough time dragging him out of the store. Her backseat was piled high with bags, some full of nonperishable food so he wouldn’t starve before she could get back to him. The rest held clothing and necessities. She pulled into a parking space and cut the engine. “You sure experienced a lot of new stuff today, huh?”

He shifted, nodding. “This is the inn?” he asked in a less-than-impressed tone.

She fought hard to shut out the distressed uncertainty rolling off him. She needed to give the poor guy some privacy, and she didn’t need the guilt. “This is it. My place is only a few minutes from here.” She grabbed her purse, which held the debit card he’d given her when they’d shopped. “You ready?”

“How much will this cost? Do the innkeepers provide their patrons with hot meals?”

“Um, not this particular inn, no. That’s why we bought the groceries.” She pointed to the sign. “It’s cheap. Let’s go. Once you have a room, I’ll teach you how to use the phone. You can call me if you need help. We’ll unload these bags once we have your key. Ready?”

His jaw clenched. His unhappiness was clear even without her gifts, and she hardened her heart against the onslaught. It would be OK. He was a full-grown man and a knight. He’d be fine. Maybe if she said it enough times, she’d believe it.

“Aye.” He opened his door and climbed out. “Where do I go?”

“We need to get you checked in. Follow me.” She led him toward the office, each step adding another dollop of guilt to her growing heap. If their situations were reversed, would he dump her at an unfamiliar, seedy place in a foreign land? She shook it off. Even though their day together had been great, and she knew enough about him to know he posed no threat, who in their right mind would open their home to a complete stranger?

Wait. Hadn’t she done that with roommates over the past couple years? Sure, she’d been in school with them, but they hadn’t been close friends or anything.
Argh!
Why had fate chosen her to break Robley’s fall through time? Wasn’t her life already complicated enough?

He opened the heavy glass door and held it for her. She heaved a sigh and approached the counter, where a short balding man sat on a tall stool with his nose buried in one of those gossip rag newspapers. A vacuum cleaner hummed from somewhere down the hall, and the dark burgundy carpeting reeked of mildew. “He needs a room.” She jerked a thumb toward Robley.

The attendant’s eyes widened as he took in Robley’s kilt. He fired up his computer. “Name?”

“Robley MacKintosh,” she supplied before he could go into his “of clan MacKintosh” routine.

“How many nights, and will he be using Visa, MasterCard, American Express or a Discover card?”

“I dinna ken . . .”

Erin placed her hand on Robley’s forearm and spoke to the guy behind the counter. “Do you take cash?”

“Certainly. All I need is a driver’s license.” The man glanced at Robley. “Or a passport.”

Crap, crap, crap.
Why hadn’t she thought of that? Robley frowned in confusion at her and waited. She averted her gaze. Now what? She could put his room on her credit card, which was close to maxed out, but what if he disappeared back to the past after weeks of charges? She couldn’t handle one more iota of debt, nor did she want to take the risk.

Should she try to use Alethia’s debit card? But if the attendant asked her for ID, which he might now that they’d cast a cloud of suspicion over Robley’s presence, she’d be screwed. They’d both be screwed. The attendant might report the card as stolen, and that source of extra money would disappear. Stymied, she scowled at Robley. “Come on.” She turned on her heel and stomped out of the cheap, smelly motel.

“Where are we going now?” he asked. “To another inn?”

“Nope. To my place.” She was nearly bowled over by the flood of relief coming her way. His smile nearly blinded her with its brightness, and all the misery he’d carried on the way into the nasty place disappeared. Her insides melted, and relief thrummed through her as well. Oh boy. Not good. “You’re going to have to pay me, just like you would if I ran an inn.”

“Agreed.” His stride quickened, his step much lighter. “Room and board.”

“Sure, and when I take you places or we do stuff, we use True’s debit card.” Her stomach growled, reminding her that they hadn’t eaten. “We’ll stop at my place. You can change your clothes, and then we’ll go for pizza.”

“If it pleases you, lass.” His eyes, so very impossibly blue, fairly sparkled.

She drove them the short distance to her apartment building, an old, dark brick building with four large apartments on each of the two floors. She lived a few blocks off Cedar Avenue, very close to Lake Nokomis and Minnehaha Parkway. She loved her neighborhood. It was so close to great places to eat, the beach, and the walkway around the lake. She parked in her reserved spot in back and shut off her car, just as a 747 roared overhead low enough to rattle windows. Air traffic over her south Minneapolis home was the only drawback, but she hardly even noticed the noise anymore.

“Bloody hell!” Robley cringed into his seat, his eyes turned to the sky with a look of alarm followed by stunned disbelief. “What the devil is that?”

“Sorry. I should’ve mentioned the airplanes.” She opened her door and climbed out, ducking to peer through the window at him. “We’re near the airport here, and we get planes overhead all the time. You’ll get used to it.”

“Planes? Airport? I dinna believe I will,” he grumbled, unfastening his seat belt. Mumbling to himself, he climbed out.

More prayers? She bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh. “I’ll bet you’re rethinking your whole ‘trip to the future’ idea about now.”

“Nay.” He arched an eyebrow and shot her a lopsided grin.

Thump, thump, thump went her treacherous heart. Maybe she could rethink her “no messing around with the sexy Scot” policy while they were at it?
Nooooo.
She clamped down on her raging hormones and opened the back door to grab a few bags. But he’d be in the twenty-first century for such a short time, she rationalized. Too short to mess her up. She lifted her gaze to find him staring at her. How could such cool blue eyes look so dang hot? “Grab some bags. I’m starving. The faster you get settled and changed, the sooner we can eat.” She moved to her trunk and opened it. “Don’t forget your weapons.”

He did as he was told, muttering, “Managing female.”

“Motel?” she shot back. He laughed, and if she’d had a tail, it would’ve wagged like crazy at the sound of his sexy laughter raining over her. Once they had everything, she led him into the building to her second-floor apartment. “Here we are.” She shifted her load around and unlocked the door. “Home sweet home.”

He walked into her apartment, his gaze traveling over everything. “Where is everyone?”

“Everyone?”

“Your family. Do you no’ have siblings, uncles and aunts, parents, grandparents?”

“Of course I have a family, but they don’t live with me. Most people get their own places once they reach adulthood.” She moved into her small kitchen and dropped the bags containing food on the counter. “Come on. I’ll give you the tour and show you to your room.”

“No wonder you balked at my staying here with you. We are without chaperones.”

She snorted. “Yeah, that’s it. No chaperones.” Bags in hand, she led him to the second bedroom across the hall from hers. “I’ll bring the bedding once you’re done changing and putting your things away.” She stepped back while he entered.

Before she started her master’s program, she’d worked as an OB-GYN surgical nurse, making a pretty decent living. She’d been able to furnish her place, including the extra bedroom. She, her stepsister and two half brothers got along well, and Erin liked having a place for them to stay when they were in town. Once she started school, having the extra room had allowed her to take in roommates to help cover the rent.

Robley set his Target bags down and moved around the large, airy room, testing the mattress and opening a drawer of the dresser.
“This will do nicely. My thanks. I shall endeavor to be a worthy guest.”

“Just put the seat down and clean up after yourself, and I’ll be happy.”

His brow furrowed. “Seat down?”

“Yep. Before you change into your new clothes, let me show you the bathroom.” She stuffed her hands into her front pockets and backed out of his room.