she hoped would convince him to stay.
They drove into a valley and before them lay a dense forest of trees. It was lush and beautifully green, and Kenzie wondered if he’d even recognize the place. The trees were larger; there were more of them; and there was a road leading to his old home, yet, it was also eerily familiar.
“I know this place.”
She smiled at him and continued on. Within minutes, they passed the small village that sat by the bay and Kenzie smiled when she saw Castle Ross looming on the cliff above it all, as grand and foreboding as it ever was.
“You brought me home?” His tone didn’t give much away. Kenzie put the car in park before the gates and turned to him. “Come, I want you to see what I know as Castle Ross.”
Ben could feel the ghosts of his clansmen, of the centuries that had passed since he’d been here. Since any laird had occupied Ross land, and a shiver stole down his back. To see his home in such disrepair, broken and burned, covered by plants and trees alike, left a gaping wound in his heart.
He should have been better prepared. Fought harder against Clan Grant. That he hadn’t, and he’d allowed his people to be killed, and chased away without any support, shamed him. Ben ground his teeth and walked into what used to be the great hall.
“’Tis odd to be here. The place is the same, and yet so different.”
Kenzie came and stood before him, taking his hands. “The moment I saw Castle Ross I decided I must know the man behind the name. Who was Black Ben and what happened to him? And while I know all that, and I love you beyond anything in this world, you’re not happy, and I want to change that.”
“How?” he asked, not liking the way his lass was speaking. A sense of impending dread hovered above his head.
“If you wish, I can send you back, and I will; you just have to say when, but I need you to know that in my time, my estate, too, is a working farm. I, too, have tenants to look after, and while the system has changed since the seventeenth century, there are still people relying on me here. The home that Gwen and Braxton lived in is now mine and is where people come to stay, to visit and learn about our family and its history. I’m what people call a business woman, someone who earns money and is her own boss, her own master, in a sense.”
His gut clenched, and he frowned. “Ye’re not going to return with me, are ye? Is that what you’re trying to tell me, lass?”
Kenzie nodded. “I’m so sorry, Ben, but I can’t go back. My life is here, and I’m going to be selfish and say I want your life to be here, too. I don’t want you to go back.”
’Twas an impossible choice. How was one supposed to choose between one’s home, land, and all the responsibilities that came with that, for the other side of their soul? Without doubt, he could not live without the woman before him, but could he live without his home? He wasna sure.
“I dinna want to leave ye either, lass, but ’tis an impossible choice you’ve given me. This is your time and mine is in the past. Alasdair is supposed to be the next Laird of Ross. By staying, I take his birthright away from him. All that I am, that we are, would be gone.”
“Clan Grant took Alasdair’s birth right away from him, and you don’t know what type of trouble you’ll be walking into, should I send you back to your time. The castle is in ruins, your people scattered. How will you stay? Rebuild? Is that even possible?”
Ben ran a hand through his hair, looking up at what once was a high, wooden ceiling and now showed nothing but crystal clear blue skies. There were funds for rebuilding, for their future, but the castle had been attacked prior to being set alight, and there was a good chance Clan Grant had stolen all that he had, taken anything of value for their own keeps.
“I dinna know, lass.”
“Before you decide, there is one last thing that I have to offer.” Kenzie’s hands were clenched before her, and she looked on the verge of tears.
“What is it?”
She stepped away from him and went to stand in the middle of the