Highlander's Challenge (2 page)

Highlander's Challenge

by Jo Barrett

Europe. She couldn't go without her Gummies for an entire day, much less a month while touring the country. It was one of the few things she and her client had in common. The cherry flavored treat slid effortlessly down her throat as she stepped up beside her client. Jenny took her offered handful of candy while taking in the view as Tuck continued to survey the area. The people and their clothes were out of place, almost comical in such an age-old setting, but Tuck easily imagined the former inhabitants, thanks to Jenny's incessant lecturing on how modern man compared to ancient Scots. There was something very appealing about a Highland Warrior.

She hadn't cared too much for the battle stories they'd heard on their previous tours. She'd seen enough pain and blood in her life, one of the reasons she got out of the army. Nor did she wish to relive it through Scottish history. But a man in a kilt wielding a claymore certainly held her interest. She wouldn't tower over that sort of man. A painful lesson she'd learned back in grade school. Men didn't like women bigger than them, no matter the age.

She could almost see him. A dark Highland Warrior surveying the choppy waters below, his long black hair whipping his broad shoulders from the turbulent wind off the water.

"You know, even though this is beautiful, I don't think I could live here. It's too—rough."

The wind carried Jenny's voice to Tuck's ears, snapping her out of her momentary trance. She was slipping. It wasn't like 12

Highlander's Challenge

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her to daydream on the job. It wasn't like her to daydream at all. What was it about this island, about this assignment?

Internally cursing her momentary lapse, she said, "I don't know. I kind of like it. There are plenty of rougher places to live, believe me."

Tuck watched the remaining stragglers, holding tight to her thoughts. She wouldn't screw this up. With Mr. Maxwell as a reference, she'd be able to stop freelancing and set up a real company, hire some assistants and branch out. She'd be the best in the personal protection business.

"Yes, it does suit you," Jenny said sagely. Ignoring her client's insightful look, she glanced at her watch. "Time to go if you want to make that other castle before we have to catch the ferry back." With a nod, they walked to the car.

Tuck looked back at the massive walls reaching up to the sky, one last time. Jenny was right. The roughness of Arreyder Castle was very much like her. It had been beaten by the elements, by wars, by time, and by men, but it still stood, strong and proud, ready for battle. Shaking off the uncharacteristically poetic thought, she climbed into the car and headed for their next stop. Once they reached Raghnall Castle, several miles away, they fell in behind yet another group of tourists. They wandered the ornate rooms, while Jenny hung on every word coming out of the guide's mouth.

Tuck held in her sigh. No doubt more lectures on Scottish history were sure to result from their latest excursion. 13

Highlander's Challenge

by Jo Barrett

Ending the tour in the garden, relieved the day of wandering historic landmarks was almost over, Tuck's eyes zeroed in on a gorilla of a man. Did she recognize him? Had he been at Arreyder Castle or on the ferry?

No, she would've remembered him, but his intense perusal of the statues seemed orchestrated, and his constant fidgeting with something in his coat pocket unnerved her. Every muscle in her body tightened.

It could be a gun or a knife. Or it could be nothing more than his keys. Either way, she had to be ready for anything. She flexed her calf muscle, comforted by the strap of her knife sheath cutting into her leg. Not her first choice in weapons, but it would have to do. Jenny had a sincere dislike of firearms and refused to be near one even if it might very well save her life. Tuck had almost turned down the job because of that not-so-small stipulation, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity—ergo, no gun.

But damned if she didn't wish she'd brought it along anyway. No one would've been the wiser, and she'd feel a hell of a lot better with her Beretta strapped to her leg instead of her survival knife.

"You aren't listening," Jenny said with a dejected sigh. Tearing her gaze from the stranger, she glanced at her client. "Sorry, just doing my job." Frowning, Jenny walked over to a large fountain, her step not nearly as light as before.

Tuck bit back a curse. She wouldn't apologize for the truth. With a glance at the man still studying the statues, she followed, silently slipping up beside Jenny. Keeping her eyes 14

Highlander's Challenge

by Jo Barrett

on the milling crowd, she couldn't help but wonder why people wanted to walk all over these old castles. But even she had to admit she liked a few of them.

No. One of them. Arreyder Castle. But this one was too fancy for her tastes. Raghnall Castle had been built in the Baronial style with turrets and steep roofs and decorative doodads all along the roofline. Formal terraces covered with roses, gardens of every type spread over a dozen acres, and a statue walk of life-sized limestone figures surrounded the pale stone structure. Not her style at all. She liked the rougher castles where the walls were built to withstand invasion and the grounds were laid out for military training, not for strolling through. She could almost picture some dandified man in one of those white powdered wigs shoving snuff up his nose as he trailed after some giggling female wearing a dress big enough to sail a ship. Tuck shook off the image, disgusted with herself for letting Jenny's obsession with history interfere with her work—again.

"Are you ready to go?" Tuck asked, not liking the way her thoughts repeatedly strayed or the way the man in the long jacket was easing toward them.

"Oh, no. Not at all. This has such a softer feel to it than Arreyder Castle. I could spend hours wandering the grounds, imagining I've gone back in time. Couldn't you?"

"No. I couldn't," she lied, easily picturing herself standing alongside a dark Highland Warrior atop the battlements they'd walked less than an hour ago.

Shaking her head to dispel the image, she said, "Look, I've got an uneasy feeling about this place." And that gorilla, she 15

Highlander's Challenge

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added mentally, concentrating on her job and not imaginary men. She'd been let down enough by real ones.

"You've got an uneasy feeling about everyplace," Jenny grumbled.

Tuck shot her a look, but remained silent. Jenny's mouth turned up in a crooked grin. "I think you're afraid. The ghost stories the guide told bothered you, but you won't admit it."

Shaking her head, she said, "I'm not being paid to listen to some local spout off a bunch of tall tales."

"I think you're afraid of the unexplainable." Jenny laughed softly. "I thought you were tougher than that, Tuck." Tuck snorted quietly at her dig, not willing to let it get to her, although there was some truth in what she said. But who wasn't a little afraid of the unexplainable? She was of a mind that if she couldn't touch it, taste it, or smell it, it wasn't a part of her world. Nor did she want it to be. Just like that imaginary warrior. Men like that didn't walk the earth anymore. Just Amazonian women like herself. Too tall, too strong, and too—freckled.

Crossing her arms, she said, "It's the living I'm concerned with at the moment, not the dead." Another lie. Maybe she needed to find a replacement for this job after all. Jenny and all her dreamy talk of the past was getting to her more than she realized.

The man Tuck had been watching disappeared behind a hedgerow, setting off all her internal alarms. "I think you've seen enough of this place. Let's go." She took Jenny by the 16

Highlander's Challenge

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arm and stepped away from the fountain, but the woman planted her tiny feet.

"Wait, I have to do something first." Tuck dropped her hand with a weighty sigh. "Like what, sniff every last flower on the place?"

"I want to make a wish."

She snapped her head around. "You want to what?"

"Make a wish. If you drop a penny in the fountain, your wish is supposed to come true."

Tuck blinked, holding in her snort of laughter at the sincere look on Jenny's face. "You're serious." Jenny sighed as she crossed her delicate arms. "You never listen."

"Listen to what? A bunch of tourist trap nonsense? They just tell all those stories about fairies and stuff to get you to buy junk. Now, let's go," she said, motioning with her head, setting a few of her short curls loose. They danced around her cheeks, teasing her skin, but she ignored them. Jenny rummaged around in her massive purse and came up with two shiny pennies. "Here," she said, shoving a coin at Tuck. "We're both going to make a wish."

"I am not tossing a penny into a fountain like some kid." The man reappeared from behind the hedgerow closer to them than before. Every instinct told her to grab Jenny and make a run for the car, but she didn't want to make a big scene or unnecessarily frighten her client. Jenny was sort of fragile, or she was in comparison to herself.

"Come on, we've got to go," Tuck said, firmly gripping Jenny's arm.

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Highlander's Challenge

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"No. I mean it, Tuck. We're making a wish." Keeping her eye on the stranger, she said, "You're a doctor, for crying out loud. Medical and otherwise. You've got more PhD's than a sergeant has insults. You can't possibly believe this stuff."

Jenny tilted her chin up as one thin brow rose. "I have also performed years of serious study in psychic phenomena and modern day witchcraft. I've seen things I cannot explain scientifically. Therefore I've decided to never discount any possibility, no matter how ridiculous it may seem." Tuck sighed heavily. "If I do this, then can we leave?"

"Yes. And please quit staring at the gentleman like he's some sort of underworld hit man. It's embarrassing," Jenny whispered sternly.

Shooting her a frown, Tuck said, "Any possibility, no matter how ridiculous."

Jenny shuddered, although she tried to hide it. Tuck hated scaring her, but she needed to see how serious this was. Her life could be in danger, and standing at wishing wells out in the open where any yahoo could take a pot shot at her wasn't smart.

"He's just a tourist like the rest of us," Jenny said, but her eyes darted to the man, then to the other strangers milling about the garden.

"He's about as much a tourist as I am," Tuck murmured. The stranger moved toward the castle without looking back once.

"You see?" Jenny said, the apprehension gone from her voice. "He's just a man enjoying his holiday." 18

Highlander's Challenge

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Tuck took a steadying breath, slightly relaxing her taut muscles. Something still didn't feel right about this, but she couldn't deny the fact that the he was strolling toward the building like he hadn't a care in the world.

"As I have said repeatedly, why would anyone wish to kidnap me? It simply isn't logical. I realize my father's status and financial situation is rather monolithic, but if one would look closely, my person is not a part of that fortune. Now," Jenny said, adjusting her glasses. "Before we make our wishes, you need to know the story behind the fountain." Tuck rolled her eyes heavenward. Not another fairytale. She'd had about all of those she could ever want. She'd not only stopped believing in them a long time ago, she'd wiped them clear of her mind completely. But her client, the somewhat mousy but determined doctor, was doing her best to pump her full of every fanciful thought Scotland had to offer.

And damned if it wasn't working. The imaginary dark Highlander refused to be ignored. The minute they got back to the hotel, she was putting an end to this assignment. She'd just have to find another wealthy client with lots of connections to get her to the top.

"But on the solstice the water sprite returned to the magical waters of the burbling stream, leaving his heart sadly broken. Isn't that a wonderful story?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah, wonderful."

"You're not listening again," Jenny said with a soft scowl.

"No, no, I listened," she said quickly, remembering that a happy client was a cooperative client—and a breathing client. 19

Highlander's Challenge

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"The, uh, sprite jumped into the water. So, are we ready to toss these coins and beat it?"

Jenny sighed with a shake of her head. "You have absolutely no romance in your soul." Tuck didn't let that remark go too deep, but knew it would sting for a long while. "I'm a soldier. That's why your father hired me, remember?"

"You're a woman, too." Jenny turned away, a frown pulling down her lips. "But then I guess I'm more scientist than woman. The scientist and the soldier. We make an odd pair, you and I."

Tuck didn't like the twinge in her chest from the pain clearly written on Jenny's face. Or maybe she just recognized something familiar she didn't want to acknowledge. Either way this assignment was over.

"So what are we supposed to wish for?" Tuck asked, eager to get this childish stuff done with and get out of there. Jenny's lips turned up into a bright smile. "Our heart's desire, of course."

"And this—water sprite is supposed to grant our wish?"

"Yes. Silly, isn't it? What a grown woman will do to—never mind," she said, waving away the rest of her sentence. "Just make your wish and toss the penny into the fountain. And you have to keep the wish to yourself so it will come true." She watched as Jenny clamped her soft brown eyes closed and hugged the penny to her chest. With her long chestnut braid trailing down her back, she looked like a sweet kid about to blow out her birthday candles instead of a nutty genius pushing thirty. She lifted her lids and tossed the shiny 20

Highlander's Challenge

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coin into the water, her hopes and dreams reflected in her eyes.

Lonely. Tuck recognized the feeling all too well. Neither of them really belonged to anyone or anything. Always the odd girl out. Jenny's father may want her guarded, but he wasn't really interested in his daughter's life. That was obvious. That was painfully familiar.