Page 48 of A Bridge Through Time
They were the words Ashley had been waiting to hear, but she was still afraid. It would have been easier if he hadn’t asked her to stay, hadn’t made his intentions known. Now, she knew that her decision had the possibility of breaking both their hearts.
“Cailin, you take my breath away,” she admitted. I love you, too. Just give me a little more time, to be sure I can do this.”
“I’ll give ye all the time ye need, but be warned, I’m going tae do my best tae convince ye tae stay.” Cailin leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, caressing her cheek. His eyes never left hers, as he twirled a stray curl of her hair around his finger. “I’ll not make it easy for ye, lass.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” she smiled.
***
As they walked back towards the keep, Ashley said, “I think I need a bath. I smell like a combination of horse and puppy.”
“Ye smell wonderful to me. Sweet as a summer’s day.”
Ashley tilted her head skeptically. “I’ll smell a lot better after a bath.”
“Would ye like me to help with that?” he asked, with a wicked twinkle in his eye.
“I don’t know whether you’d be a help, or a hindrance.” She arched an eyebrow and gave him the once over. “Hmmm…hindrance, I believe.”
He almost pouted, pretending his feelings were hurt. “I only meant to have the boys bring ye the tub and hot water. I dinnae ken what ye were thinking!”
“Thank you,” she laughed. Kissing her finger and touching it to his nose, she announced, “I’ll see you later.”
Cailin watched as Ashley’s hips swung seductively back and forth, as she made her way up the stairs. God’s teeth, she was beautiful. It was all he could do to keep himself from marching up those stairs after her. The thought of her disrobing and soaking in the tub had him clenching his hands into tight fists, in a futile attempt to control his lustful thoughts. He imagined what it would be like to run soapy hands over her glistening wet skin. He thought of laying long deep kisses onto her full lips.
“Ahem… Cailin, did ye nae hear me?” Irene asked.
Cailin tore his gaze from the stairs and scrubbed his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“Be ye well?” Irene queried with a flash of amusement in her eyes. “Why are ye just standing there like that?”
“I be thinkin’,” Cailin muttered.
“Oh, I see. Well, whatever yer thinkin’ on, it has ye lookin’ like a lovesick puppy.” Winking at him, Irene poked him in the ribs and walked past him up the stairs. “Ye’d best get that water for Ashley. She’ll be waiting.”
TWENTY-SIX
Ashley relaxed into the warm water and tried to enjoy the hot bath. Her head was spinning from all of the revelations that had become known today. First, Lena’s admission of being a twenty first century girl and her true identity as the missing Arlena, and then Ashley had discovered how good the MacKenzie clan were at keeping a secret.
Of course, the most important revelation had been Cailin’s. He’d told her that he loved her. Just the thought of it sent goose bumps erupting from her head to her toes and brought Ashley so much joy she could hardly stand it. The fact that she felt the same way about him was the icing on the cake. It made the question of whether she should return to Glendaloch even more pressing. Although she was leaning towards staying in Breaghacraig, she had to be realistic. Love simply wasn’t always enough to keep two people together. Somehow, if this was going to work, she had to have faith in Cailin and she needed to trust him. After her experience with Dax, it was something she had a hard time doing. Dax had certainly proved he couldn’tbe trusted and from her recent experiences with other men, she’d concluded no man could. It was the harsh reality of the world she lived in. If she really thought about it, Cailin – and for that matter, the rest of the clan – seemed both honest and trustworthy. The words they spoke had weight to them. The world they lived in required it. Ashley knew she needed to make a decision soon. The men were leaving in a week for the fight with Sir Richard. She couldn’t send Cailin off to battle with any indecision regarding their future clouding his thoughts.
The water had begun to cool and Ashley got out of the tub. She dried herself off and did her best to get dressed without any assistance. Thankfully, there came a knock at the door and Helene peeked around the doorway.
“Helene! I’m so happy to see you! I thought I might be stuck in my chamber for a very long time. I’m terrible at lacing up the back of these gowns and I certainly couldn’t go out like this in order to find someone to help me.”
“Dinnae fash, I’m here to help. Cailin told me ye were takin’ a bath and that I should come check on ye.” Helene quickly took charge and started swiftly lacing up the gown.
“That was very sweet of him. I forgot I was going to need your help. My mind was elsewhere, I guess.” Ashley marveled at the thoughtful way Cailin was always taking care of her. She could really get used to it.
“Aye, I ken yer meaning. The very same thing happens to me on occasion.”
“And what are you thinking about, that sends your mind elsewhere?” Ashley asked in a teasing voice.
Helene’s cheeks blushed to a bright crimson.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s really none of my business,” Ashley said, immediately regretting teasing the young woman.
Helene remained silent for a minute as she began to brush Ashley’s hair and began working it into one of her intricate braids before she responded in a dreamy voice. “I be thinking of a big, braw man and when I do, he’s all I can think of. Any other thought that comes into me mind is instantly banished.”
