Laird of the Game by Lori Leigh Page A

without the turbo jet propulsion of her Kenmore dishwasher. With no electricity, they made love by candlelight every night, and didn’t stay awake past sunset – too exhausted to see the moon rise.
    If she ever made it back to the future, Melissa vowed to check herself into the Sanctuary Spa for a month to undo the damage to her manicure.
    How did these people survive? The warriors would return from battle fatigued and exhausted. They dropped on the rocky, hard ground and slept where they fell. It seemed as if everyone had a cut or a bruise, and the hospital tent was always full of bleeding men. Melissa was excused from bandage wrapping duty and encouraged to paint.
    Alex sent out patrols twenty-four hours a day. They had four major battles and one minor skirmish. Their points totaled 600 for the week, which gave them a 250-point lead over the Prince. They trained in hand-to-hand combat every day and spent many more hours in a saddle. Alex was relentless. He didn’t back down after a victory, and challenged the Prince in every way possible on foot, horseback – during daylight and the night. The warriors answered to their commanders who reported to the Laird. It was an army in motion at all times, and throughout all of the bustle and activity, he never lost sight of his lady. He knew where she was and who she was talking to at every moment. By the end of the first week, the strain had taken a toll on him, as well as his brothers.
    He found her sitting beside the Lock with her head down, crying. When he asked what was wrong she mumbled she was homesick for her family but still wouldn’t tell him where she had come from or why she couldn’t send a letter to tell them she was all right.
    “I’m beginning to look like I was dropped from a cliff and rolled in mud,” she sobbed against his shirt. Her dress was mud splattered and her hair made Godzilla look like a pretty boy. “I look like a gerbil. Gideon won’t give me a razor to shave my legs – he cringed when I told him what it was for and refused to give it to me.”
    Thank God , Alex silently prayed!
    He picked her up and held her in his lap to comfort her. It was late in the day and they were both tired. He dried her tears with his shirt-tails and kissed her swollen, hot lips. The wave of guilt that tore through his heart made his throat tighten. He wanted to tell her everything, and just couldn’t watch her so upset without feeling like a monster.
    “Melissa,” Alex asked while he stroked her back to calm her. “What’s a gerbil?”
    It broke the tension and she chuckled. “It’s a hairy little rodent.”
    “I like your legs just the way they are,” he cooed in her ear, and also cringed at the thought of her using Gideon’s razor on her lovely skin. “We will have the Prince routed out of the mountains soon enough. In a few weeks we can go looking for your mysterious family?”
    “You’d come with me?” Melissa was shocked, and her head popped up to see his face.
    “I will follow ye where ever ye go lass.” He tugged on the piece of tartan that he had given her that first night together. “We belong together, and if ye want tae see your family then we will go verra soon.”
    She felt a tingle run up her spine as she contemplated taking him back to her home in the future. But, could she find the magical door that had brought her here? Could they both pass through that door to return to her life? Her arms tightened around him, and she forgot the misery of missing her sisters.
    “Were they so horrible tae ye, tha’ ye still canna talk about them lass?”
    “No,” Melissa said quickly. “They are so far away it will take a miracle to reach them.”
    “I believe in miracles,” he said wistfully.
    ***
    William was ordered to lead an overnight raid. Alex paced the camp at dawn, anxiously waiting for him to return and report on his progress.
    Melissa could tell Alex was annoyed by the harsh commands and gruff tone in his voice.
    She sipped her