Charming The Highlander

“I’m not an electrician or a lineman,” he heard Grace say to Ian. “I’m only speculating here. If we create a dead short in that lift cable, then send enough amps through it, the ice should simply melt off.”

“Or?” Ian said, giving her a crooked look.

Grace shrugged, tossing her hands up and letting them fall back against her sides. “Or it might blow up,”

she said, darting a look at Grey, then back at Ian. “I don’t know.”

“How do we put power to it?” Ian asked.

“An arc welder would be good, but I don’t know if the one you have is powerful enough. There’s almost two miles of thick cable. It could take days to build up the kind of energy we’re talking about.”

“Our generator is powerful,” Ian suggested. “Would that work?”

“It would,” Grace said, her brows knitted into a frown again. “Is it portable?”

“No. It’s permanently wired into its own shed. There,” Ian said, pointing toward the hotel.

“But there are wires ru

If the sigh he sent through the building was any indication, Ian was getting mighty tired of problems.

“And what would that be, lass?” he asked tiredly.

“We could burn down the shed.”

The old warrior tore off his hat and threw it on the floor. “God’s teeth! It might as well all burn if the cable snaps,” he shouted in frustration. “Just quit talking about it and do the thing, lass.”

Grey walked over to Grace, who was obviously reluctant to blow his business to hell. He took her by the shoulders from behind and whispered into her ear. “If it doesn’t work, Grace, it doesn’t matter. It’s about to collapse on its own.”

She leaned back against his chest and looked up into his eyes. “I made you a promise.”

“Nay. You said only that you would try, and that’s all I’m asking now.”

“The generator might blow up, too, and take half the hotel with it if a fire breaks out.”

She looked so worried he wanted to kiss her. Didn’t she realize that none of it mattered?

“They’re only things, Grace. We’ll make sure no one is in harm’s way, and the rest can take care of itself.”

“It’ll take all day and half the night to make this thing work,” Jonathan said. “What about my disks?”

“Callum can take you into the mountains in the snowcat,” Grey told him. “He knows where the crash site is.”

Jonathan turned his attention to Grace, apparently having learned she was easier to deal with. “You have to come back with me to Virginia the moment I get the disks,” he said. “It’s the only place I can keep you safe.”

Grey waited, his hands still firm and steady on her shoulders, for Grace to decide which was more important to her, him or a satellite that held the key to future space exploration.

What he was asking of her was unfair, but it was also important. What she chose now would tell Grey if her heart was someplace out of this world or with him.

“I’m not going back, Jonathan,” she said. “And Gu Bràth is the safest place I can be right now. Callum can get the disks, I’ll work with Podly from here, and then you can hand-deliver it to AeroSaqii yourself.”

Ian gave a shout of relief, clapped his hands, and rubbed them together. “That’s a good lass.”

“Grace,” Jonathan said, staring at her, then darting a look over her shoulder at Grey. “Dammit, MacKeage. I’ll rebuild your damn ski lift if it’s destroyed. Grace’s project is worth millions of dollars.”

Grey heard only half of what Jonathan said. He was still reeling with relief that Grace had chosen him over her life’s work. He spun her around and embraced her so fiercely he heard her squeak.

It was only then that the guilt set in.

What was he doing?

Eight hundred years ago this is how it would have been; the woman he’d chosen for his mate would suppress her dreams, her wishes, and her hopes—all for him.

Grey was ashamed of himself, considering the heated lecture he had given his men yesterday. He was being selfish, demanding that his hopes for the future take precedence over hers.

“Grace,” he said, leaning back to see her face. “I—”

Morgan suddenly burst into the shed, nearly falling on the path of melting ice. “The Grange Hall is on fire,” he said, out of breath. “And they’re needing every able-bodied man they can get hold of to help put it out before it spreads to Hellman’s store.”

Grey let go of Grace and started giving orders. “Morgan, tell Callum to hook the large sled to the snowcat, bring it over to the hotel, and load it up with whatever men are available. Ian,” he said, turning to him. “Find us some tools. Shovels, axes, whatever will help.”

“But the lift,” Ian said lamely, already moving to do as he was told.

“It will be here when we get back,” he said, taking Grace by the hand and leading her toward the door.

He stopped and looked back at Jonathan. “You’re staying here, Stanhope. But know this. Just as soon as we get back, we’re going to the crash site. Then you and your disks are getting the hell off my mountain. And you’re leaving alone.”

Once outside, Grey turned Grace to face him. “I want your promise to stay here,” he said. “Ian will stay with you, and the two of you can work on the lift if you want.”

He waited for her to nod before he continued. “Promise me you’ll be watchful, Grace,” he demanded, gripping her tightly to show he was deadly serious. “You’ll be safe here as long as you keep close to Ian.

I’ve already warned him about the men who may be after you.”

She nodded again, and Grey pulled her into his embrace, rocking her back and forth like a child. “Did you mean it, lass? That you’re really staying?”

“I meant it.”

He leaned back. “What about your work?”

“This is the age of technology, MacKeage. With my computer and a good link-up, I can be thousands of miles away from anywhere and still be able to work. I’ll free-lance.” She glanced toward Gu Bràth, an impish spark lighting her eyes. “Do you think it will spoil the look of your castle if I put an ante

With a laugh born of pure joy, Grey lifted Grace off her feet and set his mouth firmly over hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, her own laughter sending a surge through his body that felt more like contentment than passion.

And Grey knew then why he was here.

Grace Sutter was the other half of his soul, and it had taken a storm and eight hundred years to find her.

And the real journey was only just begi

Chapter Nineteen

Working with Ian MacKeage was like being in a fourth-grade science class. The man had more questions than a ten-year-old. All he knew about electricity was that when he flipped a switch, a light came on or a motor started. Grace was careful to hide her amusement while she patiently answered Ian’s questions.

“Electricity runs through a wire the same way a truck travels down a road,” she told him as she stripped a foot of casing off the end of the wire she was holding. “The energy we’re using runs only in one direction, then returns back to the circuit through another wire.”

“It makes a loop?” Ian asked, squinting to see what she was doing.

“Yes. But the switch is what interrupts the electricity’s journey, shutting it off. When you flip a switch, it allows the energy to travel, making the lightbulb glow.”

“That makes sense,” he said, nodding while he scratched at his beard. “So we’re going to run electricity through this lift cable?”

Grace smiled at his quick reasoning. “Sort of. Remember that truck traveling down the road I spoke of?”

“I do.”

“Well, if a bunch of trucks are traveling in only one direction and the first truck suddenly sees that the bridge is out and has to come to a screeching halt, what will happen?”