CursedLaird by Tara Nina Page B

name rolled on her lilt. She paused and he couldn’t take his eyes
off the tip of her tongue as she wet her lips. “I’m not even sure if I
understand it all myself. You’ve been in some sort of cursed state for a long
time. You’ve got to be hungry. Let’s go inside and I’ll fix you a bowl of
stew.”
    “Lass, food is not at the top o’ mi needs at the moment.”
Struan steeled his resolve against the charms of the beauty he longed to touch
as he said, “But it will satisfy mi hunger in the only way I can allow.”

Chapter Five
     
    Caledonia wasn’t sure what he meant about food not being his
top need at the moment. But she knew she had to get him inside before someone
saw him. She wasn’t prepared to answer questions about who he was or where he
came from. Hell, she wasn’t even certain about that herself even though she’d
witnessed his release. She turned on her heel and started toward the house.
When she realized he wasn’t moving, she looked over her shoulder and asked,
“Are you coming?”
    He gave her a nod and followed. Inside the kitchen, she
noted his sudden discomfort. He stood stock-still in the doorway. It seemed as
if this new world closed in around him. Confusion filled his expression while
he took in his surroundings. She touched his arm and smiled up at him.
    “Let me help you. I’m sure things are very different from
your time.” She pulled out a chair at the table and motioned for him to sit. He
hesitated then removed his claymore, hung it on the chair and sat.
    Caledonia lifted the lid on the pot of stew Momma left for
her to eat for dinner. She spoke as she worked. “This is a stove. I’m not sure
how food was prepared during your time, but today we use this.”
    She pointed out the features of the stove, how it worked and
the different knobs. She turned a knob and the gas eye lit with a click. Struan
watched without question but she noted his eyebrow arched when the flame
appeared under the pot.
    She took two glasses and two bowls from the cabinet. She
filled the glasses with ice and water, explaining the refrigerator and the tap
as she moved. Each time she looked at him, he appeared to be an attentive
student absorbing everything like a dried sponge soaking up a large water
spill. When he pointed to the ceiling, she followed his finger. His mumbled
one-word question had her swallowing a laugh. In no way would she insult him.
He needed to learn if he were to survive in this new age.
    “Magic?”
    Caledonia shook her head as she moved to the switch on the
wall. “No, it’s a ceiling lamp and it’s powered by electricity. See?” She
flicked the switch down, cutting the light and filling the room with total
darkness, minus the glow from the flame under the pot on the stove. Instantly,
she flicked it up and light flooded the room, making him blink. She returned to
the stove, stirred the stew then filled the bowls.
    “Here, Momma makes the best stew.” She handed him a spoon
then paused, not sure if they had utensils back then. He must have seen her
hesitation as he spoke.
    “We had spoons, bowls, pots. None o’ this magic ye call
e-lec-tri-city,” he stumbled over the word but got it out. “No running water as
ye have but we survived. Castle MacKinnon was the finest o’ its time.” Pride
filled his words. His chest puffed and his face beamed. “After we eat, I wish
to go home.”
    Caledonia touched his hand. “Aye, after we eat.”
    Throughout the meal, she answered his questions. It
impressed her that he listened, digested what she told him then chose his
questions wisely. It was as if he strategically planned what he asked before
doing so. His hunger for knowledge nearly matched his hunger for food. She
filled his bowl four times before he claimed he’d had enough. She placed the
bowls in the sink just as the back door opened and in walked her parents.
    Struan sprang to his feet and drew his sword. Caledonia
moved quickly to his side and gently touched his arm.