The wind seemed to blow the door shut behind me after I entered the small house. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the light given from a small hearth fire. I quickly realized that I was the only woman in the room. An American woman from the future with a bunch of rugged Scottish Highlanders from what I assumed was the 18th century. I paused for a moment remembering what Lottie told me about the Highlander way of life. It was stamped out by the British after Culloden. I was fairly certain it happened at some point during the 1740s. Meaning that whatever time it was, it was before Culloden. So, the 18th century likely wasn't a terrible guess. I would need to consult my book to be certain.

My heart sank. My book on the Scottish Highlands was in my satchel and my satchel was still at Mistress Campbell's place. The only worldly possessions I truly care about were there and I had no idea where there was. Eventually, I would need to make my way back there but now was not the time. It was now dark and I would likely die a gruesome death in the wilderness before even making it to Mistress Campbell's. No, my best bet was to stay...for now.

The man Jamie and I had met at the river seemed to be glaring daggers at me from his spot near the hearth. One of the men called him. Dougal. He responded to it, leaving me to assume that was his name. At least I could finally put a name to the face that didn't seem particularly fond of me.

It was then I noticed two men seated near the fire. One of them being Jamie, my savior. I could see his shoulder injury better with the light from the fire. It looked rather gruesome, but I could fix it. I had been trained to do such things. These men had not. One of which looked like they were about to break Jamie's arm to put it back into place.

"Wait! Don't do that!" I called to the man with Jamie's arm in his hand. All the men in the room stopped to look at me. I swallowed hard. I was going to have to explain why I was stopping them. "You'll break his arm if you do it like that."

Jamie looked at the man and gently nudged his shoulder away a bit before looking back at me. The other men didn't look quite convinced. I was going to have to explain how I knew that. I couldn't rightly come out and tell them I was almost a doctor. It was barely believable in my time, so it would be impossible in this one. "My father had a degree in medicine, a doctor. I-I helped him. Many times with injuries such as this one."

I made eye contact with Jamie. "Let me help," I said. It was more of a statement than a question, but I waited for Jamie's approval. It was his arm, so it was his say, I mused. "I owe you," I added, hoping it would help his decision-making process. Although, I owed him for saving my life from Randall and then again for being the reason his shoulder was in this state because I spooked the horse.

It felt like I waited forever for his answer, but finally, he gave a small nod. I quickly approached him while the men that stood around him backed away. I stood in front of Jamie and took hold of his arm, examining the injury once more in the light. His skin was very warm, which surprised me. I wasn't expecting him to be so warm, but thankfully he didn't seem feverish. "I suppose I ought to apologize for causing your condition," I whispered to him without making eye contact, instead I focused on the strong muscles in his arm.

"Ach, no," Jamie said rather quietly. He then quirked an eyebrow, his face still marred with an expression of pain. "Unless ye did it on purpose."

"And risk my own life in the process?" I retorted, raising my own eyebrow back at him, completely forgetting it wasn't just the two of us in the room and that we were surrounded by nearly a dozen men.

His mouth twitched to nearly a smile through the pain. "Ye slipped in the mud. My own fault. I shouldna ha' let ye off there."

I scoffed slightly before looking at him. I smiled and shook my head. I needed to just get on with it. He was in pain, he didn't need me talking his ear off before it was fixed. I had a job to do. I licked my lips before giving him a final diagnosis. "I need to get your arm back into joint, but first I need to get the angle of your bone just right. For a while, it will hurt worse than it does now. But once everything is back into place you should feel some relief. Do you understand?"

"Aye," he said through gritted teeth, giving a slight nod of his head.

I pulled his wrist up and his elbow in. Then I exhaled slowly. "This is the worst part," I told him, cupping his elbow.

Again, his mouth twitched in what would have been a smile had he not been in pain. "It canna hurt much worse than it does. Get on wi' it."

It was obvious he was a brave man and sometimes bravery made men stupid. I had seen it many times during the war years. But now, I had just told Jamie it was going to hurt worse, but he had just decided to shoulder through it. Although, being surrounded by a group of rugged men didn't help matters. I couldn't help but wonder if his brave demeanor was more for him or them.

Thankfully, the injury was still rather fresh and the muscles hadn't had much time to swell. Had they had time to swell, it would have made my job much harder. Nearly impossible for someone my size if it had gotten that bad and typically men always let it get that bad. Stubborn creatures men are.

I whipped Jamie's elbow upward. His shoulder gave a soft crunching sound and then the joint was back in place. I smiled at my handiwork, not realizing that I was still holding onto him. Jamie too smiled, in amazement. Using his good hand, he explored the area where his shoulder had been out of joint. He then looked at me and smiled, a genuine smile. It was infectious. I found myself smiling along with him. I couldn't help it.

Jamie then looked down at my hands which were still on him. I blushed and quickly removed my hands from him.

"It doesna hurt anymore!" Jamie grinned in delight. He then reached up and grabbed my hand. He squeezed my hand and I found myself squeezing back. "Thank you. Truly," he said.

"You're welcome," I responded as the warmth from his hand seemed to permeate my cold ones. God, he was warm. Although, given the fact that I was always cold likely made him seem warmer to me. But I appreciated his warmth nonetheless.

Dougal cleared his throat behind us. I then slipped my hand from Jamie's and folded my arms across my chest. "It will be tender for a few days yet. Don't extend the joint for two or three days and when you do start using it again, go very slowly. If it hurts, even a little, stop what you're doing or you can injure yourself and we'll have to do this all over again. You'll also need to put warm compresses on it daily."

He nodded his head.

"You'll want a sling for that arm as well to keep it immobilized."

Jamie seemed to stare at me like he wasn't sure what I was saying.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. I had forgotten that my vernacular wasn't always going to match up with the 18th century. Thankfully, I could at least pass it off as me being from across the ocean which was essentially the truth. "You need a piece of cloth," I said holding my hands out to gesture the length. "Or a belt to tie around you to keep your arm still so that you don't hurt your shoulder again." I gestured how one's arm should look in a sling and gestured toward my shoulder with my other hand.

This time Jamie nodded. He understood what I was saying, but I wasn't so sure that he liked what I was saying. Men usually never did like medical advice, whether the doctor was a woman or not.

I put my hands on my hips. If Jamie had understood me, I was certain that the other men did. Why was no one assisting? "Well?" I asked turning toward the other men. "Does anyone have something to offer?" I had learned long ago that men, even in my time, did not like being directed by a woman; but if you made it seem like it was their choice they were more likely to help. Sure, it was manipulative, but I knew what I and my patient needed.

A man with dark hair tied back offered a belt toward me. "Thank you..." I paused for a moment not knowing his name. My brow furrowed a bit, but I just repeated the thank you again before snatching the belt from him. I then began to tie the belt around Jamie to immobilize his arm.

"Thank ye, Murtagh," Jamie said. The man who had given the belt nodded.

I was slowly beginning to figure out the names of the men around me. Part of me wondered if Jamie had done that on purpose. Already, I was finding that this man was rather perceptive. I had never met a man quite so perceptive from the get-go, except my own father of course. I smiled as I thought of my father. He had truly been a special man and I missed him. But even if I were in my own time, he wouldn't be there.

After the belt was tied, I stepped back with my hands on my hips looking at Jamie. "There," I said. "That should do for now."

Jamie nodded his head and smiled at me again. I smiled again. Again, it seemed to be a natural reflex of mine when I saw him smile. He opened his mouth to say something when the man behind me howled in pain. I quickly turned around and pushed the hovering men out of the way. The man was holding near his knee. I gently moved the man's hand to get a glance at the injury.

"You were shot, right?" I asked him.

The man nodded his head, clearing trying to put on a brave face despite any pain. It looked like the bullet had just grazed the man's leg. In my time, such an injury wasn't as serious as others. But at this time, especially given sanitation methods, it could be challenging.

Dougal then responded. "Ye seem to have some skill healing. Can ye stanch the lad's wound well enough for him to sit a horse?" While his words seemed kind enough, his tone was skeptical, as if the fact I knew how to put a shoulder back into the joint was a fluke.

I stood as tall as my small frame would allow and told Dougal, "Yes, I can perform a simple task of dressing a wound." I paused for a moment. "Of course, the proper essentials would be required to keep the wound from becoming infected."

Nope. Infected wasn't the proper term. Thankfully, I was a keen student in medical school. "...or rather, inflamed." I folded my arms across my chest. "We wouldn't want to make things worse, now would we."

Dougal seemed to ponder my words for a moment. I wasn't normally this defiant, but I knew men like this. Again, I needed to make it seem like he was the one making the choice, not me. Finally, he nodded his head. "What do ye need, lass?" he asked.

The other reason I had spoken to Dougal in such terms was to give me time to think. Thankfully I had assumed right he would need a moment to consider my words, giving me time to figure out what sort of items I would need in such a primitive setting. "Alcohol, for starters," I said.

Several of the men were quick to hand me flasks. I accepted the one from the man Jamie called Murtagh mostly because he seemed the nicest thus far. He had teased Jamie and helped him. While he said anything to me personally, I could already sense there was at least a warmth toward Jamie and I hoped that if Jamie was to keep his promise to me, that Murtagh would be quick to follow after Jamie in that way.

I needed fresh bandages. I highly doubted the men carried sterilized bandages on them. The next best thing was clean cloth and given by the smell of these men, I assumed their clothes were not clean either. I looked around the cabin and saw a rope drawn across the room with something draped over it. "Is that laundry clean?" I asked, pointing behind the men.

"Aye," a startled woman said from the corner, cowering. I hadn't realized she was there. So, I wasn't the only woman in the room after all. And clearly, she hadn't wanted these men in her home.

One of the men walked across the room and snatched a petticoat from the line. They tossed it to me. "Sorry about this," I muttered to myself before I ripped the petticoat into strips. I poured some alcohol onto the strip of cloth and pressed it against the man's leg. He hissed and winced in pain.

"Easy there, Rupert," Jamie said from behind me.

"If we don't clean it," I tried to explain to the man. "The wound will become inflamed and if gangrene sets in, you could lose the leg. You don't want that, do you?"

The man shook his head, sucking in air.

I tried to hide a smile and then set to properly dressing the wound. It had been so long since I had felt useful. There really wasn't much I could do caring for Stephen. I gently patted Rupert's leg when I was finished and stood again. "Anything else need tending to?" I asked.

"No," Dougal stated firmly. "We'll go at once, while it's safe."

I was beginning to gather that Dougal was the leader of whatever this little group was and they did whatever he said. Dougal walked to the door when Jamie called out to him in Gaelic. I wasn't sure what he said. But when Dougal spoke again in English, he looked at me and said, "She'll come with us."

Another man I didn't know guffawed at this. "Why do ye no just leave her here?" he asked.

Dougal looked at the man rather impatiently before he walked outside. The man still wanted an explanation. So, Murtagh explained, "Wherever the redcoats are now, they'll be here by dawn, which is no so far off considering. If this woman's an English spy, we canna risk leaving her here to tell them which way we've gone. And if she should not be on good terms wi' them, we certainly canna leave her here for Randall to find. Either way Angus, it's better for us that she comes along."

"She may be useful doctoring, given the way Jamie seems to always find himself injured," Rupert said, his tone was teasing.

"The lass fixed ye as well, Rupert," Jamie ribbed back as he managed to stand on his feet.

I heard Rupert chuckle but I found myself focused on Jamie as he stood beside me. I could help but look up at him, admiring his height. He seemed to notice that I was looking at him because he looked down and smiled at me.

"Are ye coming or would ye prefer the English to find ye?" Dougal asked as he stood at the threshold in a rather menacing position.

Despite knowing none of these men for more than a few hours, I already strongly disliked Dougal; but I also knew I would have to be careful not to cross his path. Witty remarks and retorts would do me no good with this man. Jamie nudged me with his good arm before he cocked his head towards the door, motioning me to go. I nodded my head back at him, lifted my petticoats so I wouldn't trip over them-Mistress Campbell being quite a bit taller than myself, and walked outside with my head held high. It would do no good to let Dougal know he could get to me.

It was dark outside and the moon was now covered by clouds. The rain was pelting down on my face and I was going to have to ride a horse again. I didn't see how the situation could get much worse than that. But Dougal grabbed my elbow and pulled me toward the horses. "Jamie, get yourself up," he called to be heard above the rain. "The lass will ride wi' me."

I had absolutely no desire to ride with Dougal. The only person I trusted even a little was Jamie. Thankfully, he spoke up. "She'll ride wi' me," Jamie said taking my arm from Dougal's grasp with his good arm. There was some definite tension there as the two men looked at each other silently, despite the darkness. Jamie then continued. "She can hold the reins if I canna manage one-handed."

I tried to look up at both of them, but I had to close my eyes to keep the rain out. Rupert walked by and diffused the tension. "I'm injured too, Dougal. Perhaps the lassie should ride wi' me."

Honestly, I would rather ride with Rupert than Dougal, but I would much prefer Jamie.

Dougal muttered something in Gaelic to Jamie before he turned toward me. "Should ye try anything, I shall cut your throat. D'ye understand me?"

I wanted to scoff. This man had no trust in me. Besides, I wasn't really in a position to try anything...especially atop a horse. Not that Dougal knew that. Although I suspected Jamie did. He didn't say anything in my defense, which was probably for the best. It was better Dougal not know my weakness. I told Dougal that I understood.

Jamie released my arm and mounted the horse. Dougal then stooped suddenly beside me holding out his hands laced together. I honestly had no desire to be atop a horse again. It wasn't until Jamie offered me his good hand to help me up that I placed my right foot on Dougal's hand.

"Your left foot," Dougal hissed.

I thought I heard a small chuckle from Jamie, but I could have been hearing things. Especially given the pouring rain. I hastily removed my right foot and stepped up with my left and took hold of Jamie's hand.

Dougal gave a slight grunt as he lifted me into the saddle in front of Jamie, who gathered me close to him with his good arm. Despite the pouring rain, Jamie was still quite warm, for which I was thankful. Even with the afghan around my shoulders, I was still cold. So, I leaned back against him.

As the other men began to mount their horses, Jamie began to twist and turn from behind me. I looked at him as he was attempting to use his injured arm. "Careful now," I chided him, attempting to gently hold his injured arm in place. "I thought I told you not to use that. What on earth are you trying to do?"

"Get my plaid loose to cover ye," he replied. "You're shivering so hard it's making my teeth rattle, lass. My plaid'll keep us both warm, but I canna do it one-handed. Can ye reach the clasp of my brooch for me?"

While I somewhat doubted that he was actually cold, I managed to get his brooch unclasped. After some tugging and awkward shifting, which made me blush in the darkness, we managed to get the plaid loose. He twirled the cloth and let it settle shawllike around his shoulders before he put the ends over my shoulders and tucked them neatly beneath the saddle edge. We were snugly wrapped beneath the cloth, pressed together closely. I was small enough against him that the plaid shielded my face a bit from the rain.

I probably should have been embarrassed by how close I was to him, but I was rather thankful that the plaid hid from view how tightly I clung to Jamie beneath it. Like our first ride together, I had one hand tightly clasped to his thigh and the other around the arm, his good arm, that was at my waist. Despite how uncomfortable the situation was, I felt rather comfortable and safe in this position beside a man I hardly knew.

"Thank you," I told him as urged the horse to begin moving. He didn't say anything, but I felt him move behind me. I assumed he nodded his head. I then asked, "Where are we going?"

A short rueful laugh escaped his lips. "Tell ye the truth, lassie, I don't know. Reckon we'll both find out when we get there, eh? We'll be riding all night and the next one too, I reckon."

"How comforting," I muttered to myself.

He laughed again. I hardly ever made Stephen laugh and at present, I couldn't even remember a time when I had.

At some point during the night, I fell asleep against Jamie's chest. When I awoke, the sun was shining and the rain had stopped. Thank God. I tried to stretch a little. I ached in places I had never ached before. I hoped we would stop soon so that I could properly stretch.

"Sleep well?" Jamie asked with a chuckle.

"Is that even possible while riding a horse?" I groaned which elicited a chuckle from Jamie. "I'll take that as a no." That time I didn't hear Jamie chuckle, but I felt a rumble in his chest and that made me smile.

I took a deep breath and took in my surroundings. I was surprised to find that in the daylight, the stretch we were on seemed somewhat familiar. Granted, the last time I had been in Lottie's automobile; but I recognized the rock formation ahead of us. It was shaped like a rooster's tail. Lottie had called it Cocknammon Rock. She had said something else about it too. I stared up at the rocks, trying to remember what she had told me about them. And then it came to me.

The English used them for ambushes and if there was an English patrol...which there likely was given they were chasing after us. But I couldn't just come right out with it, could I? Dougal was likely suspicious of me. Murtagh had said as much. I looked up at Jamie. He was my only hope. I was going to have to get him to come up with the idea on his own as to not draw more suspicion on me.

I cleared my throat. "Have you passed through here before?" I asked him.

"Not for some time," he responded.

"Is-is it safe?"

I felt him stiffen.

"I mean, with Randall and his men on our trail. I don't know much about these types of things, but isn't being in the low grounds a disadvantage? At this moment, couldn't they be up there waiting for us?" I probably delved too far, but I needed him to understand.

He seemed to. "It's a bonnie place for an ambush, right enough," he responded.

Jamie then clucked our horse and urged it up alongside Dougal's. They began talking in Gaelic. I had expected as much. The horses then slowed to a walk and then stopped altogether. Dougal looked up at Cocknammon Rock and scrutinized it. His expression hardened. I silently prayed that he saw it for what I knew it to be.

Dougal then lifted his arm and shouted something in Gaelic. In response, Jamie grabbed me round the waist and unceremoniously dropped me to the ground. "Hide yourself," he told me before he shouted something in Gaelic and raced after Dougal along with the other men.

I rolled down the small hill thankfully stopping short before plunging into the river. I somehow managed to stand, despite the petticoats seemingly working against me. I looked after the men, Jamie in particular. Just before he disappeared from my view, I could swear that I saw him removing his injured arm from the sling.

"Men," I muttered to myself with my hands on my hips, shaking my head. They were going to be gone for a time, giving me time to make a decision concerning my future. Should I run or should I stay?