Page 19 of A Bridge Through Time
"Are ye sure? Ye look like ye might faint."
This time, she noticed the amused glint in his eye and realized he was teasing her. He knew she was admiring him and was practically preening with the knowledge.Damn.She was going to have to remember not to be so obvious about her attraction to him.
"Irene said you were feeling better. It looks like the healer got you all bandaged up. I guess it wasn’t as bad as we originally thought, thank goodness." She walked closer to the bed, smiling nervously and he reached his hand out to grab hers. He pulled her closer still.
"Look at that. Is that real fur? I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. It’s very luxurious." Ashley was babbling and he was obviously enjoying her discomfort. Too late now. He knew she was attracted to him; she’d made it far too obvious.
"Ashley, please sit."
"Okay." She sat on the edge of the bed.Is it hot in here?She felt herself blushing and resisted the urge to fan herself.
"I wanted to thank ye again for carin' for me."
"It was my pleasure."
He was smiling at her again. Would it be wrong to just lean over and kiss him? He had the most beautiful lips and…oh, my God, she was staring at them. Breaking her gaze from his, Ashley only succeeded in babbling some more.
"I'm kind of nervous about going downstairs. I feel like I don't belong here. Everyone was looking at me as if I came from another planet."
"‘Tis fine, lass. Just tell them yer from America. They dinnae ken where it is either. They'll ken that ye be different."
"Cailin, I have to ask you a question."How was she going to ask this? She should just do it. So what if he thought she was crazy? She thought she was crazy.
He smiled encouragingly. "Ask me whatever ye like."
"What year is it?"
Obviously puzzled by her question, he answered, "1514."
"I'm sorry, did you say 1514?"
"Aye, lass."
She felt the room beginning to spin.Breathe, Ashley, breathe.He’d said it was 1514. How could that possibly be true?
***
Cailin was concerned by Ashley’s reaction when he answered her question. She was anxious, her eyes widening in shock. He thought she might fall off the bed, so he wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her.
When she spoke, her voice was very small. "Cailin, you're going to think I'm crazy, but I don't know how I got here."
"Surely ye remember? I brought ye to Breaghacraig. We rode the horses together.” Worried about her reaction, he tried to joke. “I had not thought ye daft before, but mayhap I was mistaken.” Just in case she couldn’t tell he was joking, he winked at her.
"That's not what I mean." She was chewing her bottom lip and seemed distressed. "It's not just that I'm not from this place. I'm not from thistime. I'm from the future, Cailin. I'm from the 21st century. Five hundred years from now."
Cailin frowned. "Did ye hit yer head, lass? Yer nae making sense."
“No, Cailin, just think about it for a minute. You don't understand half of what I say. You’ve never heard of America. My clothes aren’t what women wear in your time. Just think about it! And another thing that’s weird—I’ve seen you before,” Ashley admitted, before she lost her courage. “In San Francisco. You kept showing up, everywhere I went. It was you, wasn’t it?”
“I’ve never been to this San Francisco, Ashley. I don’t know how it could be me ye saw.”
Cailin watched Ashley, as she grew more and more distraught. She stood up abruptly. "I can't stay here. I have to go. How do I go back?"
"Ashley, love, dinnae fash. I will help ye if I can. I hate to see ye looking so sad. I'd do anything to see yer smile again, to see the lass I’ve just spent the last two days getting to know. Mayhap we should speak with Irene about it.”
“Oh, no, I don’t think I should tell anyone else. They’ll think I’m crazy.” She was frantic, twisting her hands together nervously.
"Ashley, just give me some time and I'll take ye back."
