dreamed I would see. Colin MacLean, unhorsed by a woman."
"'Tis not funny, and you'll not mention it again."
"Quite right, quite right, but 'twas so—" he gripped his side with laughter.
Colin spun on his heels and stormed from the room.
"Damn Sassenach."
58
Highlander's Challenge
by Jo Barrett
Chapter Four
Tuck followed the woman down the hallway, her thoughts jumping around in her head like Mexican jumping beans. Where was she? How did she get here, wherever here was? And why did she feel the oddest urge to grab that stubborn, bull-headed Scot by the shirt and—no she wouldn't finish that thought. If she did it meant she'd finally gone over the edge. Sex had no place in this delusion. If it was a delusion. That explanation was rapidly losing its validity. Everything felt too real. All of her senses, and a few she rarely ever used, were operating at peak performance. She could smell, touch, taste, see, hear everything around her. And those unused senses, the ones her hormones ruled, were doing some very bizarre things. But she was determined to ignore them.
It was bad enough that Ian's teasing and that kiss to her hand had thrown her for a loop, but MacLean was a different story entirely. Parts of her body were tingling eagerly. It was enough to make her stomach twist into knots.
"Are you not well, lass?" Elspeth asked.
"Oh, um, sorry. I guess I'm just a little tired. It's been a rough day." A fatigued sigh escaped her lips. She hadn't felt this drained since boot camp.
"We'll get you cleaned up and in some proper clothes then you'll feel like yourself again."
"Proper clothes?" She glanced down at her jeans, not happy with what the woman was insinuating. But if she was being inducted into this reenactment thing then proper 59
Highlander's Challenge
by Jo Barrett
clothes meant a dress of some sort. Women didn't go around in jeans in the—whatever century she was supposedly in. She took a deep breath, letting that thought settle into place, but her rational side didn't exactly buy it. Nor did it buy the only other explanation left to her.
Time travel.
She snorted. Right. Time travel. I must be insane . She could not, would not accept that possibility. It wasn't tangible. It scored right up there with fairytales, wishing wells, and water sprites.
"Water sprites," she rasped, stumbling to a halt.
"What's that, lass?"
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud." What had Jenny said about the fountain and a water sprite? There had to be a connection. Or was she really going off the deep end?
She rubbed at her temple where one doozy of a headache was forming. Her only option at this juncture was to go along with whatever came her way and adapt as she saw fit. The blood was real, and so was that finally honed steel MacLean had held at her throat.
Regardless of where or when she was, whether she was crazy or sane, she had a job to do, and the best way to accomplish that was to gather all the information she could. She needed to know whom she was dealing with before she could plan her next move.
"So, Elspeth. What's your relationship to MacLean?" she asked, making her tone as light as she could, which was just this side of a demand, but for Tuck it was as good as she got. 60
Highlander's Challenge
by Jo Barrett
The woman's soft honey eyes glittered with warmth. "He's my nephew, the dear."
Dear? "Right. And he's been gone a while, I take it."
"Aye, nearly six months. I expect they'll have many an adventurous tale to tell." Elspeth shook her head with a small grin.
"I'll bet," Tuck muttered, holding back her snicker. Their stories would likely rival the ones her old army buddies used to tell. There'd be so much exaggeration, they couldn't be believed.
And his claymore was—this—big . She cleared the chuckle from her throat. Making stupid jokes wouldn't get her back where she belonged.
She glanced at her watch then discretely slipped it back under her sleeve. "What's the date? I lost track of time on my,
"'Tis not funny, and you'll not mention it again."
"Quite right, quite right, but 'twas so—" he gripped his side with laughter.
Colin spun on his heels and stormed from the room.
"Damn Sassenach."
58
Highlander's Challenge
by Jo Barrett
Chapter Four
Tuck followed the woman down the hallway, her thoughts jumping around in her head like Mexican jumping beans. Where was she? How did she get here, wherever here was? And why did she feel the oddest urge to grab that stubborn, bull-headed Scot by the shirt and—no she wouldn't finish that thought. If she did it meant she'd finally gone over the edge. Sex had no place in this delusion. If it was a delusion. That explanation was rapidly losing its validity. Everything felt too real. All of her senses, and a few she rarely ever used, were operating at peak performance. She could smell, touch, taste, see, hear everything around her. And those unused senses, the ones her hormones ruled, were doing some very bizarre things. But she was determined to ignore them.
It was bad enough that Ian's teasing and that kiss to her hand had thrown her for a loop, but MacLean was a different story entirely. Parts of her body were tingling eagerly. It was enough to make her stomach twist into knots.
"Are you not well, lass?" Elspeth asked.
"Oh, um, sorry. I guess I'm just a little tired. It's been a rough day." A fatigued sigh escaped her lips. She hadn't felt this drained since boot camp.
"We'll get you cleaned up and in some proper clothes then you'll feel like yourself again."
"Proper clothes?" She glanced down at her jeans, not happy with what the woman was insinuating. But if she was being inducted into this reenactment thing then proper 59
Highlander's Challenge
by Jo Barrett
clothes meant a dress of some sort. Women didn't go around in jeans in the—whatever century she was supposedly in. She took a deep breath, letting that thought settle into place, but her rational side didn't exactly buy it. Nor did it buy the only other explanation left to her.
Time travel.
She snorted. Right. Time travel. I must be insane . She could not, would not accept that possibility. It wasn't tangible. It scored right up there with fairytales, wishing wells, and water sprites.
"Water sprites," she rasped, stumbling to a halt.
"What's that, lass?"
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud." What had Jenny said about the fountain and a water sprite? There had to be a connection. Or was she really going off the deep end?
She rubbed at her temple where one doozy of a headache was forming. Her only option at this juncture was to go along with whatever came her way and adapt as she saw fit. The blood was real, and so was that finally honed steel MacLean had held at her throat.
Regardless of where or when she was, whether she was crazy or sane, she had a job to do, and the best way to accomplish that was to gather all the information she could. She needed to know whom she was dealing with before she could plan her next move.
"So, Elspeth. What's your relationship to MacLean?" she asked, making her tone as light as she could, which was just this side of a demand, but for Tuck it was as good as she got. 60
Highlander's Challenge
by Jo Barrett
The woman's soft honey eyes glittered with warmth. "He's my nephew, the dear."
Dear? "Right. And he's been gone a while, I take it."
"Aye, nearly six months. I expect they'll have many an adventurous tale to tell." Elspeth shook her head with a small grin.
"I'll bet," Tuck muttered, holding back her snicker. Their stories would likely rival the ones her old army buddies used to tell. There'd be so much exaggeration, they couldn't be believed.
And his claymore was—this—big . She cleared the chuckle from her throat. Making stupid jokes wouldn't get her back where she belonged.
She glanced at her watch then discretely slipped it back under her sleeve. "What's the date? I lost track of time on my,
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