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Highland Fling
By Tess Mallory
Dorchester Publishing
Copyright © 2003
Tess MalloryAll right reserved.
ISBN: 0-505-52526-7
Chapter One
The man was tall, dark and handsome and he gazed down at
Chelsea Brown as though she was just as beautiful as he, as
though she was precious to him. In real life she smiled in
spite of a sudden pain lacing through her scalp as her friend
Jix dragged a comb through a snarl she'd no doubt previously
created.
The tall man was still smiling at her. What did pain matter?
She could bear it. She could bear anything as long as he was
by her side. Who knew? Maybe this date would be the beginning
of something wonderful-maybe the earl or duke of whatever
would be the man of her dreams. Maybe-
"Oops," Jix said, her voice cutting through the self-induced
fog around Chelsea's brain. She opened her eyes just in time
to watch Jix's reflection in the mirror as she pulled a long,
gooey strand of chewing gum from the teased blond mess on top
of her head.
She met Jix's stricken gaze with her own horrified one. Their
other friend Samantha shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Chel," Jix said. "Just sit tight-I'll get some ice
and that gum will come right out, I promise." She hurried out
of the room, with Sam close behind her.
"I told you to throw that gum away," Sam said, her voice
dwindling as they moved further and further down the hall.
"Why in the world you'd chew gum whilewe're trying to ..."
Chelsea stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair stood
straight up on top like the tail of an irate chicken.
Oh yeah, this was going to be just great.
* * *
Griffin pulled back on the reins, sending Firestorm into a
skidding halt at the top of a small rise overlooking the
valley where his cottage, his refuge, awaited him. He couldn't
go there yet, for that would be the first place his father
would look. No, he'd have to find a hiding place, at least for
a time. He'd managed to steal a round of cheese and a bag of
scones from the kitchen before heading for the stables. It
wouldn't last long, but he'd deal with hunger when it began
stalking him. He could always hunt for his food.
The stallion moved restlessly beneath him as if chiding his
master not to be so impetuous. Griffin smiled. As if anyone
could accuse him of being impetuous. If anything he was known
for his restraint.
"Aye, Firestorm, I know, laddie. Ye want to be running free
and wild. But we've more important things to be thinkin' of
the day."
Free and wild. His smile broadened as he gazed out across the
verdant green countryside. Jix Ferguson had taught him just a
wee bit about not always doing what was expected. God knew she
was the most unpredictable woman he'd ever met. Too bad she'd
been so daft in love with Jamie MacGregor. No, actually it was
a good thing. For although Griffin had fallen half in love
with the lass, he knew in his heart it would never have
worked.
Not because he couldn't have loved her, but because he
couldn't imagine her loving him. Jix would've grown tired of
his fumbling and ineptitude in a fortnight. After all, she'd
had the choice of becoming his bride and had turned him down
in favor of MacGregor.
Griffin sighed and guided his horse away from the sight of the
valley below and toward the craggy rocks behind him. He was
nothing if not honest about his shortcomings. Oh, he was
handsome, he knew that. When he'd first come of age women had
been practically throwing themselves at his feet. But it
didn't take long before they looked at him not with lust, but
confusion.
Why wouldn't the strong, virile son of Red Hugh Campbell do
more than flirt? Why wouldn't he take them to bed? Why indeed.
He sighed. What would those women think if they knew the great
lord of Meadbrooke Castle, the next chieftain of the clan,
couldn't touch a woman without becoming physically ill? If
they knew his secret they would kill themselves laughing. And
that was the least of what would happen if this damaging
information got out. Their laughter and his complete
humiliation would be nothing compared to the loss of honor,
and the loss of the chieftainship. It would break his father's
heart.
He'd told only one person his malady-Jix Ferguson. She'd told
him his problem was something called "psychological." That it
was a result of an experience he'd had as a child. He'd seen
his father make love to a woman who was not his mother. He
tightened his jaw at the memory. If that was true, then he was
even more of a weakling than he'd ever imagined.
To keep the shame of his "condition" a secret, he had ceased
his flirtations with the women in Meadbrooke, claiming it was
not seemly to dally with girls he had known since childhood.
Instead he let it be known he was sowing his wild oats in a
village some miles away. He made a great show of leaving for a
few days of "sport" with his women, while the women at
Meadbrooke watched with envy as he road away. If they only
knew. In reality, he simply spent the time at his cottage,
losing himself in his studies, fighting the sense of guilt and
embarrassment that threatened at times to overwhelm him.
Firestorm whinnied, bringing Griffin's thoughts back to the
present. He'd given the horse his head and they were picking
their way carefully up a craggy hillside. An only child,
Griffin had never had brothers or sisters to play with, but
he'd had an older cousin who had told him of a cave in these
hills. A magical cave, the lad had claimed, full of wonders.
When he pressed him for details, Duncan had only said he
doubted Griffin would believe it if he told him. One day
Duncan disappeared, and eventually was given up for dead.
Griffin felt the loss keenly and had never forgotten the young
man or his tales of a mysterious cave.
Firestorm came to a stop at the peak of the hill. Gray shale
stretched up above them but there was no way to journey
farther on horseback. The rock was too unstable.
Griffin swung down from his mount and began his exploration.
If he could find Duncan's cave it would make a perfect hiding
place. He hated to make his father worry, but he knew no other
way to handle the situation. In the cave, alone, he'd have
time to think up a convincing story for the day he returned to
congratulate his father and his father's new bride, Maigrey.
"Stay here, lad," he said to Firestorm, glancing back at the
sun as it slipped downward in the sky. "I've no' much time."
He almost missed the opening to the cave. No more than three
feet high, it was hidden behind a thick, thorny bush. Down on
all fours, he managed to crawl through, only bumping his head
twice. Once inside, the rock sloped upward, creating a cavern
over twenty feet high-a magical cavern indeed.
Griffin stumbled to his feet and stared up at the ceiling of
the cave in amazement, unable to move. Duncan had been telling
the truth. It was unbelievable. The cavern stretched high
above his head, covered with moss or some sort of growth that
glowed, creating an eerie light. In one place water streamed
down the cavern wall in a dark waterfall, pooling in a small
natural basin on the floor, which in turn poured into a deep
pool of blue-green water.
Griffin caught his breath in awe. So this was why Duncan had
looked so enthralled when he spoke of the "magical cave." No
wonder. And though Griffin considered himself a man of
science, even he could not deny the air of supernatural
intrigue inside the glittering cave.
He walked over to the pool of water and knelt down beside it,
his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Clear, cool water
beckoned to him. The pool measured about eight feet across.
Smooth rocks formed the sides of the pool, which seemed to go
down into the earth, the water growing darker and greener, no
end in sight. He dipped one hand into the water and felt a
slight sensation in his fingertips, not unpleasant but totally
foreign.
His curiosity engaged, Griffin leaned closer to the pool, and
felt a thrill of wonder rush through him. A foot below the
water's surface, on the far side of the pool, a row of emerald
green crystals sprouted like flowers in a garden.
They glittered and sparkled, although the cave was devoid of
sunlight, gleaming in the darkness like emerald green stars.
Feeling dazed, Griffin reached down into the water, his
fingers outstretched. His fingers began tingling with the same
sensation he'd felt before, and startled, Griffin snatched his
hand away. Just before the feeling ebbed completely, he saw a
soft glow in the center of the crystals.
Cautiously, Griffin reached down into the water again,
oblivious to the fact his sleeve was being drenched. Some
memory gnawed at his brain. He was sure that he'd never seen
such an amazing gem in his life, and yet-it was somehow
familiar.
This time his fingers connected with the tip of one of the
crystals and a true jolt of energy coursed through him. A glow
inside the crystal he touched appeared, increasing in power as
he stared, dry-mouthed and wide-eyed, memory slamming into his
mind.
Jamie MacGregor's sword. That's where he'd seen this before.
On Griffin and Jix's wedding day.
In the middle of his wedding to Jix, she had refused to repeat
the sacred vows. Jamie had rushed to her side after snatching
his sword from Red Hugh. They'd stood there with Samantha
Riley, holding the sword between them, and the green stone at
the base of the hilt-a stone remarkably like the crystal ones
he had just found-began to glow. Jix and Jamie and Samantha
had all disappeared. Presumably they had gone back to their
own time.
Amazing. Could it be? Could these be the same type of stones
and if so, were they responsible for the miraculous trip
through time? Griffin's heart began to pound. If he found the
key to the seemingly magical stones he could journey back to
the days of King Arthur, to the days of Wallace and Robert the
Bruce, or even to the future. If only he could discover how.
Being a student of science and history, Griffin found the
possibilities fascinating, thrilling. Much more so than any
battle he'd ever fought, or any foe he'd ever vanquished. What
an adventure it would be to travel to another time! What a
wonderful life would be his!
As Griffin's thoughts raced, he realized he'd best stop
touching the crystals until he formed a plan. Who knew what
power they held?
At that moment the light in the center of the crystal bloomed
against the prism-like sides. Griffin blinked. He couldn't
move. He couldn't take his hand away. A tremendous energy
suddenly engulfed him, pulling him forward, plunging him
headfirst into the dark blue-green water.
If only he had asked Jix more questions about her journey
through time. If only she and Jamie hadn't gone to their time
so quickly, so unexpectedly, perhaps-
The world turned to emerald green as the water around him
began to whirl, surging around his body, pulling him down,
sending him into darkness. Griffin spun, trapped, voiceless,
frozen, spiraling past eternity, the darkness consuming him,
the deep void pulling him down, down, down into a mindless sea
of green.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Highland Fling
by Tess Mallory
Copyright © 2003 by Tess Mallory.
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
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