Page 76 of Falling for the Knight

He shrugged. “I wanted you for myself, and it seemed the quickest way to get you away from Cook. And I remembered how easy it was to carry you this way.”

Of course. He’d slung her over his shoulders like this on the first day they’d met. She’d passed out after seeing the chaos of Saxford’s inner courtyard, incapable of processing that she’d been marooned in medieval England. Though she’d only leapt off Leannan Falls at the urging of her sister Caroline, her reluctance had been due to the height—not to the possibility that the falls were truly enchanted. And yet here she was . . . the jump had landed her nearly on the doorstep of the man she was meant to love.

She took his hand again as they looked out beyond the castle walls to the lush green landscape beyond. Hannah loved to be up here just before the sun set and night blanketed everything. A view, Tristan had pointed out, that would have once terrified her.

But it also reminded her of home. Not Boston, but her true home, the one where she and her sisters had spent so many nights watching the sun set, lying in wait until it was dark enough for them to chase unsuspecting fireflies to fill their jars.

Hannah gave her attention to the riders. As they were about to enter the gates, one of them, a woman, looked up. At first, Hannah thought her mind must be playing tricks on her. Surely the woman riding in front of the dark-haired man only resembled Caroline because she was thinking of her sisters. But as she held the woman’s gaze, a joy so overpowering that it nearly brought her to her knees told her what her eyes had not yet completely reconciled.

Her sister Caroline was about to ride into Saxford Castle.

* * *

She was goingto faint again.

But just as he reached out to catch her, Hannah lifted the hem of her gown and ran back the way they’d come. He followed, calling to her, attempting to learn what—or whom—she’d seen below. But instead of answering, Hannah nearly fell down the last remaining stairs in her haste.

Tristan’s hand moved to the hilt of his sword as he followed his wife. She ran toward the newcomers as if . . .

Nay, it couldn’t be.

Even if her sisters had fallen through time as she had, how could they have found her so quickly? He’d sent men back to Edinburgh to make further inquiries, and he and Hannah planned to visit the city themselves as soon as Kenton’s visit came to an end. But the frantic pace she set . . .

When the visitors came into view, Tristan’s eyes found a woman who looked remarkably like his wife, her hair loose and flowing freely. Hannah’s shouts told him what he already knew—his instinct had been correct.

“Caro! Oh my God, Caro!”

When Caroline’s horse halted and the man she was riding with helped her dismount, Hannah ran up to her and the two women embraced as if . . . as if they’d thought they would never see each other again.

A lump formed in his chest and rode up to his throat. As he watched his wife’s reunion with her younger sister, Tristan felt his own eyes fill with tears. He did not wish to disturb Hannah, but he moved closer, choking back the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him.

Tristan glanced at her companion, a Scotsman, and the five other men on horseback. There were six in all, and their plaid was one he’d never seen before. Tristan held his hand out to the man who’d dismounted and now stood by Caroline’s side. He would normally wait for Gerard to make the introductions, but the circumstances were anything but normal.

“Tristan, Lord of Saxford and husband to Lady Hannah—”

“You’re married?” Caroline said as the two men shook hands.

Hannah and her sister broke apart but continued to hold each other’s hands. They began talking at once, and the Scot’s name was lost in the torrent of words.

“You’re here?” Hannah pulled her a little closer, as if she needed the proof of it.

“I thought I would never see you again,” her sister said.

“I thought the same. I can’t believe you are truly here, at Saxford.”

“After we jumped, did you surface in Scotland?”

“No, I woke up here, at Saxford. On the beach just down there.” Hannah pointed to the place where they’d first met.

“And how the hell did you get married? When?”

For the first time since she’d spied her sister approaching, Hannah looked at him. Dropping one of Caroline’s hands and taking his, she introduced them.

“Caro, this is Tristan. The man who found me.”

The sisters exchanged a knowing look.

“I think I understand. This is Callum. He found me, too.”