Free A Time & Place for Every Laird by Angeline Fortin

way.  And one for Hugh as well.
    Lifting her head, Claire realized that Hugh had fallen silent , and for a moment she worried that he had snuck away while her back was turned, determined to make his own way after all.  Rushing to the doorway, she breathed a sigh of relief to find him where she had left him.  However, there was an expression on his face she couldn’t quite make out under the beard.  “What is it?”
    “That car ,” the word rolled roughly in his deep brogue, “’tis a wicked fast thing.”
    The implication registered and Claire smiled sympathetically.  “Don’t like it much, do you?”
    “I’ve never experienced anything moving so quickly,” he justified.
    She had been in quite a hurry before, Claire reasoned.  Of course, she had been panicked and scared … not that she wasn’t now.  “I’d like to tell you that I could take it slower, but if we ever want to get there, we’ll probably have to go even faster.”
    Hugh’s throat worked visibly beneath his heavy beard. 
    “I’m sure you’ll get used to it,” she offered kindly.
    A strangled sound escaped him and Claire bit back a nother grin.
     

Chapter 8
     
    Agreeing that a hasty departure might be noticed straight away – or perhaps Hugh was delaying the inevitable – they decided to wait until the next day to depart.  Claire thought that surely if her house was being watched, the lack of activity within would lull Jameson’s suspicions.  Tomorrow she could leave, presumably under the auspices of making the most of her unexpected “ vacation.” 
    But w as she even being watched, she wondered?  Special Agent Jameson had seemed suspicious, but that might only have been his normal condition.  Claire chewed on her lip as she paced restlessly and peeked out through the blinds, searching the streets for unmarked cargo vans. 
    Looking out rather than watching her back.  Was it strange that she was more wary of Jameson than she was of her unexpected guest?
    “And this?”
    “That’s the thermostat,” she said , glancing over her shoulder.  The afternoon had progressed smoothly with mutual patience becoming their new unspoken standard after another brief but hot debate over the insanity of assaulting Dr. Fielding in his home and forcing the scientist to explain the ‘how’s and ‘why’s of Hugh’s presence in the twenty-first century.  Claire could understand the Scotsman’s need for answers – she was curious herself – but was certain attacking the responsible party would only shorten rather than prolong Hugh’s freedom.  “It adjusts the temperature in here and automatically turns on either the heat or the air … the cooling system… to keep a constant temperature.”
    Hugh nodded with some appreciation and continued his examination of the room.  Having gotten over his aversion to asking questions, he had been filling the time with questions about nearly every object in her home while she divided her time between pacing and working the bloodstains out of his kilt and shirt.  The thought of losing his clothing had visibly upset the Scot, and since she had time on her hands, Claire was determined to give her guest something to smile about.
    But he hadn’t as yet.
    The questioning had begun reluctantly, as if Hugh was loathe to ask anything more of her, but he had gained momentum as the hours passed, though he had quickly discontinued questions regarding how things worked when the engineer in her had given him a highly technical explanation of the ignition switch on the gas fireplace.  He had walked around each room, picking up or pointing to any unfamiliar object while she explained its purpose, from the water heater to the thermostat.  Light bulbs intrigued him, and the automatic gas fireplace fascinated him so much that he spent almost five minutes flipping the switch to start and stop the flames.
    Hugh bounced on her couch and bed, complimenting the comfort of both.
    “What happened after you fell