forgive her, talk to her about what they could do to keep him alive. She hated the fact that he was angry with her.
But in all truth, she deserved it. She’d let him down.
Kenzie checked the solar but found it empty, along with the great hall. She took the stairs as quickly as she could, some of them not as high as the others, which made going up at a fast pace awkward.
The door to her room stood open, and walking past, Kenzie spied her maid sitting in the chair before the fire, mending the hem of the dress she’d managed to step on the day before.
Coming up to Ben’s quarters, she knocked once, twice on the double wooden doors but heard no welcome response. Peeking inside she frowned when this room was empty also. Where was he?
The thought that maybe he’d not returned or had been hurt on his way back here had her turning and running down the corridor only to slam into a wall of muscle as she reached the top stairs step.
“Oomph,” she said, reaching out to steady herself on his chest. He was a step or so below her and Ben was still as tall.
“What are ye running from, lass? Ye could’ve fallen and hurt yourself.”
The chastisement after their earlier fight did nothing to lessen the panic clawing at her conscience. For the few weeks that they’d been here together, living as she would suspect a husband and wife would, she’d grown to care for this wonderful medieval man.
Never did she wish anything to happen to him. Once, he may have just been an image in a painting she’d wondered about. Who was he? Was he ever happy? What was his life like? What happened to him? But now? Now, the thought that he was only weeks from death left her raw and reeling.
She loved him.
“I’m looking for you. When I couldn’t find you in your room, or anywhere in the castle, I worried that you’d been attacked on the road back to the castle.”
He ran a hand through his ebony hair, leaving it standing on end. “I was looking for you, lass. I shouldn’t have left ye on yer own. I left ye unprotected and I’m sorry for it.”
Kenzie sighed. “We need to talk. Let’s go to your room.”
Ben nodded and strode up the passage, Kenzie beside him. How was it possible that just being beside him, feeling his strength and power, left her breathless and set her heart to pound? Ben was no longer “just a little fun” while she was visiting the past. In the short time she’d known him, he’d become one of the most important people in her life.
They entered his chamber and the key in the lock clicked loudly. Kenzie stood before the fire, wanting its warmth just in case what Ben was going to say left her cold.
“I was angry with ye. Actually,” he said with a thinning of his lips, “I’m still angry with ye. I want to know why ye came back to my time? What did ye expect to achieve?”
Kenzie swallowed, choosing her words carefully. “I wanted to meet Gwen and Braxton, as you know. But I also wanted to meet you, if possible. I wanted to see Castle Ross, what it was like and how it worked before hundreds of years took its toll on the building.”
“Not to mention a fire, if what ye say is true.”
“Yes, that’s right. In my time, Castle Ross is a ruin.” Kenzie sat on the chair, folding her hands in her lap. “Ben, no one knows what happens to you or who did it. Originally, I came back to find out who it was, to solve the mystery that has haunted my family for generations. No one would believe me if I returned home with all the facts pertaining to your death and the destruction of this castle, but I had to know for myself. Maybe with research I could’ve solved your murder.”
“And now?” He stood by the door, having not moved. His gaze was hard, hurt, and she hated that she’d done that to him.
“Now, I want to stop it from happening. The last thing I ever wished is for you to be hurt. For something to happen to Alasdair or your home you love so much. I didn’t think.” She swallowed, trying to find words. To voice her thoughts and feelings, some of which she’d never thought to say aloud.
“What. Didn’t think what, lass?” His voice