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knotted the reins and put them over the bay’s head. Cupping his hands, he motioned for her to mount.
    “I’ll take the side where the faerie’s tent stood,” she said, settling herself on the horse.
    “As you wish.” He peered up at her, his expression contrite. “My sincerest apologies for the disruption I have caused you, my lady. My greatest wish is to set things aright.”
    Lord help her, he was incredibly appealing when he wasn’t being incredibly arrogant. Too many emotions swirled through her. Fear and grief, not to mention the shock the day’s events caused to her system. Her unfortunate attraction to Hunter only added confusion to the mix. Being attracted to the man who had taken her from her life and family made no sense at all. She had to get home.
    What would her dad do without her there to help him run their fencing club? Who would take over the mixed martial arts and fencing groups she instructed? Her throat tightened. Her chair would be empty at dinnertime. Who would help her mom and grandmother with Sunday dinners? Her sister-in-law didn’t enjoy cooking like she did. Besides, she was busy chasing after her niece. Her heart wrenched at the thought of little Allie. Who would play with her as only an aunt could? Plus, she was the one who made sure her grandparents got to the grocery store and to doctor appointments. She nodded, not trusting her voice.
    Turning the gelding’s head in the direction of the pines, she gave his sides a kick. The destrier went easily from standing into a smooth canter, and despite everything that had happened, she loved having such a well-trained horse at her command.
    Her dad had seen to it that all three of his children learned to ride at an early age. They kept horses on her grandparents’ farm, and her family had spent as much time as possible there when she and her two brothers were youngsters. Her brothers had learned to joust and perform mock battles on horseback. She’d trained alongside them, but she preferred to ride solely for pleasure. Charging a quintain with a lance or knocking her brothers off their mounts held no thrill for her—being knocked from hers even less.
    She surveyed the ground as she went, looking for any sign of the missing knight, his squire and page. Drawn to the place where the faerie’s tent had been, she held herself rigid, expecting some residual effect from the portal through time. Bruises and aches from her journey still throbbed. Weary to the bone, only adrenaline kept her going. She slowed her mount and walked him toward the spot where Hunter had kidnapped her.
    How was it possible for the faerie’s tent to be in two centuries at once? She’d seen Hunter fall through the rear tent flap. The way he’d landed, it looked as if he’d been hurled with a lot of force behind him.
    She caught a glimpse of metal near one of the pines and moved closer to investigate. A cry escaped her at the sight of her very own sword on the ground. She slid off the horse and hurried to the place where it lay. Wonder of wonders, her leather scabbard rested on the dirt a short distance away—just as she’d placed it before starting the exhibition. Only then, she’d been on different ground, on a different continent and in the twenty-first century.
    Her knees buckled, and she sank to the pine needles on the ground. Her hand shook as she reached for the sword her parents had given her. She wrapped her palm around the tang. The feel of the leather-wrapped steel crossguard and the leather-wrapped grip against her skin set off a wave of misery.
    She wanted her mom, dad and grandparents. She wanted her brothers and the safety of home and the comforts of her proper century. Wrenched from everyone who mattered, being separated by time and distance just didn’t compute. Her head spun with the effort to wrap her mind around what had happened. Tears filled her eyes again, and desperation welled. The sound of thundering hooves approaching barely