being and give up everything to be with him forever. “Did you have to learn the sight, or did it come naturally to ye?”
“Ah, I see, you wish to learn more of what ye can do? Is that what ye’re asking me, lass?”
“I am, I suppose.” She bit her lip, wondering how to ask her next question and afraid of the answer at the same time. “Do ye use your abilities to tweak the future?”
“That’s forbidden, my dear. An unwritten rule, if you will. I used my sight to simply offer someone a chance for a different path than the one they were walking. I’ve never used my ability to see what was to come and then try and alter my life to cheat destiny. Some things, my dear, are best left to fate.”
“I understand,” Kenzie said, as she heard male voices entering the hall. Braxton strode into the room, along with Ben who had young Madeline on his shoulders. He threw the little girl up in the air as he got her down. Her tinkling laugh filled the room before she ran off toward her waiting Nurse. Both men stood before the fire at the opposite end of the room, their backs to them, seemingly unaware of their presence.
“I can see by ye study of the laird that ye like Ben.” Gwen took Kenzie’s hand, it was warm and comforting. “Ye can tell me, lass. I won’t judge ye.”
“I do like him, but not in the way you may think.” Kenzie met Gwen’s gaze. “I think I judged him too harshly when we first met. I should’ve trusted your opinion of him and seen past my annoyance at a man who was not only drunk, but extremely ill.”
Gwen laughed. “Aye, he was that, but Ben has always been a rascal.” She squeezed her hand and headed back toward the servants. “But if you like him more than you are admitting, that would be fine, too, my dear. Your life is your own.”
Kenzie looked back to where Ben was standing. A shiver stole through her when their gazes locked. The pit of her stomach twisted in the most delightful way, and she swallowed, unable to look away. He was dressed in dark trews and jacket, an emerald green waistcoat that was done up to the base of his neck. Both the men had mud splattered on their lower legs, having been riding—probably looking for more outlaws such as had tried to kill them last week.
Gwen shrieked and strode quickly over to them “What are ye doing! Ye need to go change. Now. The wedding is about to start and ye’re as dirty as pigs in a sty.”
Kenzie chuckled as both men, shamefaced, headed toward the stairs to change. Kenzie followed Gwen outside and looked around while waiting. The front of the house was riddled with cart tracks that had marked the muddy ground. In the distance, Kenzie could see the small square church that looked much like a house, the only feature indicating that it was a house of God, and not a barn or outbuilding, was the steeple on its roof.
The building certainly wasn’t standing in her time, so at some point it must’ve burned or fallen down. She would look into that when she returned home.
Two very large trees stood by the road that led away from the house, and Kenzie wondered when they had been cut down, as they hadn’t survived the passing of time either. The stable looked reasonably similar, although the thatched roof was now slate tile. Kenzie headed across the yard and noted where the vegetable garden was situated was lawn in the twenty-first century and housed a pretty little rose arbor that looked over the sea.
“The house is different, is it not? Tell me about it.”
Kenzie jumped a little at Ben’s deep baritone. She’d not heard him sneak up on her and it only enforced that she was really quite vulnerable in this time. She had no fighting skills, no ability to get away or idea of where she was going. The forest around the estate was a lot denser than she was used to, and overall, everything was just…different. It was any wonder Gwen had asked her to keep close by and do as they said at all times.
“Some things are different, like trees, plants, and roads, but otherwise, it’s eerily similar. At times, I feel like someone’s hired my house, and I’ve stepped on to their movie set.”
Ben frowned. “I dinna