The Highlander's Time

help but give her credit for her bravery. There were few men, let alone women, who could hold his stare as long as she had. Releasing the blonde, he caught her fist when she took a shot at him. “Take care of them,” he told Father Thomas.

    ***

    “Jenny, are you okay?” Charlzie whispered as she took hold of Lila's shoulders. They were carrying her up the stairs the hard way, but the idea of letting her sleep off her stupor on the table was beneath them. “She really socked you this time.”
    “I'm fine.” They'd finally relented, with Father Thomas' blessing, to Lila's demand for a drink. It was almost funny when they had to explain to her she didn't get to place a bar order. Wine was what they had and it was all Lila was going to get. Ten minutes of shouting later, they were worn to the bone. Fortunately, the sweet-natured cook, Elspeth, was able to locate a jug of wild whiskey. Lila coughed through the first mug, and then drank herself to oblivion.
    Now, out cold, they were making slow progress, but on the upside it was at least progress toward their room. Elspeth kept clucking her tongue, but she wasn't being mean. Hell no, the cook was being honest. “This is going to be hardest on Lila.”
    “You're telling me. She's gotta stop not only drinking, but can't go all diva attitude with these guys. These men aren't going to forgive her for blasting them when they don't buy her a Mercedes for her birthday. They don't even believe in money. This is a barter society.”
    “Okay, so this is going to get really interesting.” The clang in her temples grew in direct proportion to the stress leveled on her shoulders. Picking up Lila around her calves, they made it another ten steps before they had to rest. “After we tuck sleeping beauty into bed, we're going to have to form a strategy for keeping her out of trouble.” She wasn't worried about Charlzie and her. They could adapt until they could discover a way home. “We'll have to keep her off the sauce.”
    “Easier said than done. We don't even have her dad here to help us.”
    “Her dad has been co-dependent for years. If ever there was a time she could dry out, it’s now. We'll just have to get Dudley to agree with us. If she can't get her hands on liquor, then she'll get the hint.”
    “I still think you’re too funny calling him Dudley the Delusion.” Huffing out a breath, they lifted at the same time. “Hey, he came to your rescue.”
    “Don't remind me.”
    “He's got great bedroom eyes.”
    “Tell me about it.” Recalling the moment he'd stopped Lila from going ballistic on her, Jenny exhaled softly. A memory of his hard biceps beneath her fingers socked through her. Tamping down on her musings, she felt her mouth go dry. She wondered if his lips were hard or soft. If he kissed like a man who was determined to own her mouth and ergo own her soul or if he gave wussy kisses like most of her past relationships had?
    Laird Iaen Kincaid was too handsome for words. Broad shoulders that narrowed to his tapered waist, he had the thighs of a body builder and an ass to die for. It wasn't so much his build, which was awing, but his ability to take command. He held the air of a man who knew exactly what he was doing every minute of the day. If she had to sum him up, she'd say he was a man born to lead, a person destined for greatness.
    “I made it to the top,” Charlzie's announcement pulled Jenny out of her thoughts. “Not too much further.”
    Jenny stared at the third bedroom off the balcony. “We could drag her the rest of the way.”
    “Are you sure you're all right?”
    “I have a little headache. It's probably all the stress.” I didn't sign on for this . That was a gross understatement if ever she'd thought one.
    It didn't help that she was way out of her normal element where she stomped out fires and kept Lila's latest fiasco from gracing the front page of the International Tattle Tale. If she actually bought into the whole time travel theory, which she was starting to believe, she was now in charge of keeping them all alive. The pressure grew until her breath caught in her chest. She wasn't equipped for this. She didn't know how to do this.
    Like she'd done when her mom died and her dad had climbed into a bottle of sour-mash whiskey, she looked for a silver lining. “At least we have Father Thomas on our side.”
    Big or small, she'd take any other miracles God decided to throw her way. “I'm going to rest here for a minute.”