A Time & Place for Every Laird by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader TXT) 📕

“But how did you get out of the building?”Claire persisted. “Its security is state of the art.”

He shrugged. “I dinnae ken yer terminologybut ’twas simple enough tae elude the roving eye. I had a view frommy cage into the outer room, which allowed me tae see the mobileportraits staged there.”

“The monitors?”

He only raised an impatient brow to indicateonce again that he was not familiar with the term. “It wisnaedifficult, watching the movement of the eye within our prison wallsand the portraits, tae ken that they showed only what the eye couldsee.”

So he had some brains, Claire thought. He’dbeen smart enough to glean information from what he saw andextrapolate that information into usable data. Impressive. Butstill …

“I can’t believe you managed to get out ofthe building.”

“’Twas simple enough,” heshrugged once again. Clearly the gesture was a dismissive one, andClaire got the impression that he thought she was wasting his time.Well, impatient or not, she wasn’t going any further withoutanswers.

“There are guards everywhere in there,” shepointed out. “How did you get past them all?”

“Past them?” he laughed arrogantly. “Ha!They were but a wee annoyance.”

“But they had guns. Firearms.”

“Those puny guards were nae match forus.”

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Claireblinked at him in horror. “Did you kill them?”

The Scot met her gaze, his humor waning.“Nae, I dinnae. It wisnae necessary tae do so in order tae overcometheir petty resistance.”

“Thank God!”

“The Indian, however …” he added withanother nonchalant shrug. “I fear he dinnae feel the same moralobligation tae the sanctity of life.”

“Oh, God!” Claire moaned, resting herforehead against the steering wheel.

“Ye think they wouldnae hae done the sametae either of us if they had the opportunity?”

Claire rocked her head against the uppercurve of the wheel. “I think they won’t hesitate when they find younow.”

“Then I shall hae tae assure that theydinnae.”

She looked up doubtfully. “Should I even askhow do you plan to do that?”

“Wi’ yer assistance.”

Rolling her eyes, Claire laugheddisbelievingly. Regardless of the effort she had put forth so farin his favor, she would be a fool to continue with this madness.She had put herself at quite a risk already. “You expect me to helpyou?”

“Ye already hae.”

“Because I felt sorry for you,” she toldhim, and the Scot bristled at the words.

“I dinnae need yer pity. I dinnae needanyone’s pity!”

“Then get out and start walking!” she shotback.

He was scowling at her once more, but Clairecould see the respect growing again in his eyes. He probably wasn’tused to women talking back to him. Given his attire, he wasprobably more used to damsels in distress and wilting maidens. Or …Claire raised a brow. Perhaps he was just used to clubbing themover the head and dragging them off if they misbehaved.

“I shall accept yer assistance,” he said inmagnanimous tones.

“I haven’t offered it,” she pointed out,amazed at his arrogance. “And every bit of logic in me arguesagainst doing so.”

“But ye will,” he responded with astoundingcertainty.

Was she that easy to read? Could he see soreadily that what her mind knew and what her humanity insisted onwere at odds? “What makes you so certain?”

He met her gaze steadily then, and Clairecould see the crinkle of the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyesas if they were smiling at her. “Ye hae a soft heart.”

Claire just stared at him, wide-eyed.“That’s what you’re going with?” she snorted, shaking her head.Cautious Claire. The one who never did anything stupid. Damn it butshe was going to get the World Cup of awards for Most MomentousMistake Ever Made after this. “What is your name? I might as wellknow it if I’m going to help you.”

“Hugh,” he said, the name surrounded by thesoft roll of his brogue. “Hugh Urquhart.”

Claire humphed and jerked the gearshift backinto drive.

“And yers?” he asked. “I might as well knowit if ye’re going tae be my savior.”

Twisting her lips to keep from smiling,Claire looked away so that he wouldn’t see the reluctant humor.“Claire Manning.”

“My pleasure, Miss Manning,” Hugh said withunexpected gallantry that had Claire shaking her head onceagain.

“Oh, it’s all mine, you know,” she murmureda little sarcastically. “Just so we’re clear … I’ll help you and inreturn you promise you won’t kill me. Deal?”

“Ye hae my word,” he said solemnly, holdingout his hand, and Claire daringly slid hers into his roughenedpalm, intent on giving it a firm shake.

But then the strangest thing happened. Hishands – dirty and bloody as they were – engulfed hers. They werestrong, warm, and rough, and just the feel of them made her shiver.It was not a shiver of fear.

It was something else. Something more.

And apparently he felt it as well. His eyeswidened as they both stared down at their clasped hands, his solarge and dark surrounding hers.

A metallic bang and a shout sounded nearbyand jolted them both. A busboy from a restaurant in the mini mallwas tossing garbage into a dumpster behind the building. Hugh movedaway and turned in his seat until he was facing forward, but Clairecould almost see the questions bursting from his mind.

She had questions as well.

The biggest one was, which of them held moreanswers?

Shaking her misgivings away, she pulled backinto traffic. “Oh, and it’s Mrs., not Miss. Just so you know.”

Chapter 4

Surely this Hugh Urquhart’s eyes could notget any rounder, Claire thought as she pushed the button on theceiling of her car to open the door of the garage attached to hertownhouse. As it went up, his eyes widened, much as they hadrepeatedly during the short ride there. Once the anxiety of theirescape had passed, Hugh had begun to look around, seeing perhapsfor the first time the world outside the lab if her theory of timetravel was correct.

A dozen times he had lifted his hand – theone that wasn’t clinging to the armrest – to point out this orthat, his lips parting with the questions forming on them, butinquiries had never come. Whether he was too shocked or simply tooproud to ask, she had no idea, though there was a part of her thatleaned toward the latter. If she hadn’t been so worried, it