A Time for Everything Read Online Free Page B

framing a dirty face. “Nay, laird. Mum askit me tae stop wi’ Griselda. There be things she needs.”
    “Can ye be home by nightfall?”
    Jamie dropped his gaze, thinking. “Mayhap tomorrow morn, if it pleases my laird.”
    “Be safe, lad.”
    “Safe travels to you too, my laird. Thankee well for the privilege of riding Soulna.” The boy’s eyes shone as he looked at the horse. Dipping his head toward Angus, Jamie melted into the bustle of folk dotting the streets of the reenactment camp.

Chapter 3
    Angus set a modest pace. Once they’d left the few buildings that seemed to comprise the entirety of the town, she brought her horse up next to his. “We need to talk.”
    “Aye, lass. That we do. For one thing, I dinna ken which part of Ireland your people hail from. If I’m to be sendin’ runners, ‘twould help if ye—”
    “Stop.” She held up a hand. “Just stop.” Her eyes stung and Sam realized how close she was to tears. She swallowed hard, grappling for control. It wouldn’t help her case if she broke down. “You don’t have to pretend anymore, Angus. Just tell me where we are and how far it is to get back to Inverness. Okay?” She hesitated at the look on his face, which she couldn’t decipher. “I promise I won’t tell a soul about you or that other bunch of people back there.” She waved a hand in the general direction of the collection of shacks they’d just left.
    “Lass…” He seemed to be at a loss for words. Pity shone from the depths of his oh, so green eyes.
    “Look. If it’s money you want—”
    He snorted. “Right. As if ye’ve a pot to piss in. I’ve never seen such odd clothing on a woman. Ye must have scrounged it off a corpse. And a male corpse at that.”
    Sam decided she’d had just about enough. She sucked in an angry breath, feeling heat rise in her face. “I’ll have you know my family owns Seagrams.”
    “And what might that be?” He quirked an arched brow her way. It was as if he were indulging her. Already primed, Sam’s temper surged.
    “Just the largest whiskey distributing company in the world,” she informed him haughtily. Then she borrowed a page from his book as she tossed her heavy red hair back over her shoulders. “Surely you’ve heard of it.”
    “No, lass.” He looked sad. “Canna say as I have.”
    Silence settled over them like a shroud. The horses’ hooves made little squelching sounds as they plodded through the ever-present mud of the roadway. Sam gathered her courage. Before it could desert her, she blurted, “What year is it?”
    “Th’ year o’ our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety. How is it ye dinna ken that?” She saw a small muscle twitch in the side of his face. He seemed to be tense and picking his words very carefully.
    Her heart banged against her ribs. She wanted to knee the horse into a gallop and run until… Until what?
    Until I get back to my own time.
    Doesn’t look like a time-travelling horse to me.
    Shut up. Just shut up. She pinched her nose between her thumb and index finger hard.
    If what he said is true, it would explain everything . Sam forced herself to look about her. They’d passed a number of neat little homesteads, all of which looked a lot like the structures in what Angus had identified as Inverness. There wasn’t an electrical pole or wire in sight. Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard the distant thrum of either airplanes or cars since before yesterday’s thunderstorm.
    He cleared his throat, obviously trying again. “What year were ye thinkin’ it might be, lass?”
    “Two thousand twelve.” There, it was out. What would he say next? Sam stared at Angus, wanting to read his expression, but unable to since he’d hooded his eyes. “Uh, look,” she stumbled on, “I have things with me that can prove that.”
    “What sort of things?” His voice sounded like a tightly wound spring.
    “They’re in my backpack.”
    “Mayhap ye can show them to me later. Once we have