Page 10 of A Bridge Through Time
"I'm pleased to meet ye, Ashley Bytheway. I am Cailin MacBayne of the Clan MacKenzie, at yer service." He lifted her hand to his lips and softly kissed it.
Ashley thought she might faint for a second time, but took a deep breath and tried to get her rebellious body under control.
"My last name is ‘Moore’, not ‘by the way’. Ashley Moore," she laughed. "I love your accent."
"Accent?" He seemed puzzled again.
"Oh, I guess you don't have an accent, do you?I’mthe one with the accent. This is your country after all."
"Are ye Sassenach, Ashley?"
"What is Sassenach?"
"Are ye English?"
"Oh… no, I'm American."
"American?" He raised one eyebrow in query, as if he’d never heard of the United States.
While she was certainly enjoying meeting the real Mr. Cailin MacBayne, something seemed a bit off. "I'm from America," she repeated with a cautious smile.
He frowned. "Where is America?"
"Really? You don't know where America is? Have you been living under a rock?"
"Nay, lass, I live in the castle at Breaghacraig."
"You live in a castle?"
"Aye."
It was Ashley’s turn to look puzzled.
"Do ye nae have castles in America?" Cailin queried.
"Um, no, not really."
"Well, ye will see one soon enough."
"That sounds great, but maybe some other time. I really need to get back to the inn. I don’t suppose you could take me there?" she asked hopefully. Maybe she could buy Cailin dinner to thank him properly for his help. She'd enjoy the opportunity to get to know him a bit better. After all, she’d travelled all this way, in hopes of meeting her mystery man. She still couldn’t believe he was standing here, right in front of her.
Just then, Cailin put his finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet as he listened carefully for something she hadn't heard. Ashley looked around, but saw and heard nothing. Cailin stood up and reaching for her hand, strode along silently, taking her with him.
Ashley wondered where they were going. Although she’d only just met him, she was not in the least bit apprehensive about following Cailin. Instead, she was busy wondering what it would be like to kiss this gorgeous man. Was he searching for a spot where they’d have a bit more privacy?I really need to get mymind out of the gutter.Ashley mentally shook herself – what was she thinking? It was simply not in her nature to kiss some guy she had just met only moments before, no matter how gorgeous he was.
Gripping Ashley’s hand, Cailin crept further into the trees and hid them both beside a large boulder. To Ashley's ears it was still quiet in the surrounding area, but suddenly she picked up the sound of voices and undergrowth breaking beneath the hooves of horses, which were coming this way. Cailin motioned for her to stay behind the boulder, while he pulled his horse further into the bushes and out of sight.
Ashley didn't have a good feeling about the situation. The little hairs on the back of her neck were standing at attention. It seemed to be taking Cailin a long time to return, and she was getting increasingly more nervous. If she could just see where he was, she'd feel better.
Ashley moved out of her hiding place in search of him. When she caught sight of Cailin, he was crouched low to the ground, and rushing back towards her. Ashley still wasn't sure what was happening, but she was going to figure it out. She had opened her mouth to question what was wrong, when Cailin grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back behind the boulder. Ashley was about to protest when she heard a whizzing sound and something flew past her head. Whatever it was, it hit Cailin in the shoulder, knocking him backwards. He went down hard, landing on his back and hitting his head on one of the large rocks that littered the ground.
Ashley stifled a scream, slapping her hand over her mouth, and scrambled on hands and knees to Cailin's side.
"Oh, my God! Cailin, are you alright?” It was obvious he wasn’t all right, he had what appeared to be an arrow sticking out of his shoulder, which was bleeding profusely, and he was out cold. Ashley knew instinctively that she had to get him somehelp, or he could die. She scanned the area helplessly, trying to figure out what to do, where to go. Surprisingly, she still had the backpack, but she doubted snacks would be of any use right now.
Why was someone out in the woods, shooting arrows at them? This must be some terrible mistake. Maybe they were hunters and they’d mistaken Cailin and herself for deer. She had to locate the hunters and ask for their assistance. She darted out into the clearing, just as a group of riders came crashing through the trees. They barely came to a stop at her sudden appearance, almost running her down.
Before her stood a dozen or more men on horseback, all dressed as if they were going to attend a Renaissance Faire. Ashley craned her head back to look up at them. The horses were enormous and the men riding them were tall and heavily muscled. The leader stood out among the men, his fine clothing and ‘in charge’ demeanor giving him away. He sat atop an eighteen hand black stallion that was pinning his ears and gnashing his teeth at her. Ashley tried to appear brave as she grabbed the bridle, so the horse wouldn't knock her over with his nose.
