tension in his body that he would very much have liked to continue what he was doing, perhaps without the pesky scabbard in the way. It was a little frightening — even Eamon was frozen in her arms, his big eyes fixed on his father.
“Da’s so tough,” he whispered, and she sighed with relief. At least the little boy wasn’t scared.
“Hey, Eamon. Want to come and play with Gwyneth?” Anna was at her side — she turned, surprised to see the woman. Anna’s sharp eyes flicked to her. “Niall might need someone to talk him down,” she said softly.
Eamon, ever easily distracted, was already at Anna’s side, ready to go and visit his favorite friend — chuckling, Anna lead him away, leaving Helen free to approach Niall, who was standing at the gate, watching as the villagers began the trek back home. The look on his face was stormy, and Helen hesitated, not quite sure how to start this particular conversation. But Niall started it for her.
“He’s lucky those villagers dragged him away,” he said in a low, angry voice that she’d never heard from him before. “Or I’d have taken the scabbard off my sword and —”
“You’re better than that,” she said sharply, taking his hand in hers as a way to shock him out of the dark mood he was in, remind him that there was a real world to return to. “You’re a better man than that. What kind of example would that set to your son?”
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and she could tell that her remark had hit home. After a long silence, he opened his eyes again, and this time he looked calmer, more relaxed. The anger was still there, though, and she sighed, putting her arm through his.
“What do you say we go for a walk?” she suggested. “It’s a nice day. I never see it this sunny.”
“It is,” he acknowledged gruffly, his eyes darting up to the surprisingly blue sky. “Where’s Eamon?”
“He’s with Gwyneth and Anna, probably planning how he’s going to run the place when he’s Laird,” she said, and that almost drew a smile from him. “Anna’s happy to take him for a little while. Let’s go for a walk on the lake shore, give you a chance to cool off a little.”
“I suppose I could use a walk,” he said reluctantly, shooting a glance at her under his furrowed brows. “We’ll see if we can find any trace of the Kelpies.”
“If it has to be a business walk, sure,” she said irritably, rolling her eyes as they set off across the land bridge. He kept her arm clasped in his — there was something oddly old-fashioned about it, like they were two genteel nobles taking a turn about the garden — instead of a gruff harbormaster and a neurotic private investigator from two different centuries, two different worlds… she sighed a little, feeling very far away from the thoughts she’d been having about whether it was possible for the two of them to have any kind of life together. They were just so, so different.
“What’re you thinking about?” he asked softly, and she shook her head to clear it, a rueful smile on her face.
“Just how strange it is, being here. Of all the places … it feels like home, but the Sidhe could have dropped me anywhere, right?”
He shrugged, looking thoughtful as he turned his gaze to the waters of the Loch. They were heading down onto the shore now, and the wind across the Loch was picking up, ruffling her hair and making her grateful for the warm shape of Niall at her side, protecting her from the worst of the wind. “I don’t think they operate that way,” he said thoughtfully. “I think they’re very careful — not just about who they take, but where they put them.”
“You think I was meant to be here?” she asked, half joking — but the way he looked at her made her bite her lip, her heartbeat increasing inside her chest.
“Aye,” he said simply. “I do.”
Just for a moment, she entertained the wild urge to kiss him… but her usual fear rose up like a dragon in her chest and snuffed out that impulse, so instead she turned out toward the Loch, fighting her own disappointment with herself. He seemed to respect her standoffishness — she felt him gently untangle their arms, his own eyes on the shore. “Look. Hoofprints.”
Her heart sank. For a moment, she’d