A Thistle Beyond Time: Book 2 of The Thistle & Hive Series Read online

  “Aye. She told me Jenna would be me wife, but I’m nae so sure. She isnae sweet like me brother’s wife.”

  “Who’s your brother’s wife?”

  “Cailin is newlywed to Ashley. She is a twenty-first century American lass, like Jenna. She lived here in San Francisco before she met me brother.”

  “Ashley Moore?”

  “Aye. That’s her. Do ye know her?”

  “Aye. I mean, yes. She is Jenna’s best friend. She went to Scotland on a vacation and called to tell Jenna she was getting married. We haven’t heard from her since.”

  “‘Tis not likely that ye will.”

  “Cormac, you need to tell me everything. I can’t help you if I don’t know the whole story.”

  Just then, Sophia returned with two huge plates of food and a steaming pot of coffee, which she placed on the table in front of them.

  “Here you go.” She focused all of her attention on Cormac, leaning over him and pressing her ample bosom into his arm as she poured him some coffee. “You let me know if you need anything else. Anything at all.” She winked at him and gave her hips a little extra sway as she walked away.

  “Are all of the women in San Francisco like Sophia? I’ve seen many beautiful lasses in the short time I’ve been here. Mayhap I can find someone else to bring back with me. Someone more like Ashley.”

  “Believe me, Sophia is nothing like Ashley.”

  Dylan began to eat, but Cormac looked a bit confused by the utensils and the food. This is really odd, Dylan thought. He seems like he’s never seen a fork before.

  “Hey, dude, you alright?”

  “Dude? Who is dude?”

  “You. It’s twenty-first century American.” Dylan showed Cormac how to use the fork and with a smile he dug right in. He tasted the coffee and made a face.

  “You should put cream and sugar in it. It can be kind of bitter otherwise.”

  “Cailin told me of this coffee. He had some when he visited yer time.”

  That caught Dylan’s attention and he put his fork down and focused on Cormac.

  “What do you mean, my time?”

  “Edna will be angry with me, but I must tell someone. Ye must promise to say naught to Jenna about Ashley. ‘Tis important she come with me because she wants to, and not because of Ashley.”

  “I won’t say anything about Ashley. I promise. Now tell me what you meant, by my time.”

  “You see, Dylan, I be from the year 1514 in Scotland. Edna sent me from that time to bring Jenna back to Breaghacraig with me.”

  Dylan’s mouth was hanging open at this revelation. Being a huge fan of sci-fi, he was more than willing to believe Cormac. He was open-minded on most topics and believed that just because he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, it didn’t mean that something didn’t exist.

  “Whoa, dude! That’s amazing. How did she do it?”

  “I dinnae know. I stood at the bridge as she told me to do and when the fog came, it whirled around me for a while and then left. I opened my eyes and I was here and I saw Jenna, just as Edna said I would.”

  “What about your clothes. You’re wearing a kilt, but you have a t-shirt and a really cool leather jacket on. I don’t think they have those things in the sixteenth century.”

  “Yer right. She told me that the lasses here would find me irresistible in these clothes.”

  “I think she was right. Every woman we passed on the street did a double take when they saw you. I might have to copy your look.”

  “It did not impress Jenna. She couldnae wait to get away from me.”

  “Don’t give up on her yet. I’ll see what I can do to help you. You gotta understand, she just got out of a bad marriage and she’s mad at the world right now.”

  “Jenna was married?”

  “She was. She married this guy named Jonathan. None of us, her family or friends, liked him. We thought she was making a huge mistake, but she didn’t want to hear it. It turned out he was just interested in her for the family money. Once she found out, she dumped his ass and got her marriage annulled. She felt really betrayed and she’s still getting over it.”

  “She is lovely to look at, but she has a viper’s tongue,” Cormac observed.

  “Sarcasm is her weapon of choice, bro. She’s really a great girl. She’s kind of hard on the outside and this whole Jonathan thing hasn’t helped with that, but she’s a sweetheart once you get to know her. You’ll see.”

  “I trust ye, Dylan. Will ye be unhappy to have yer cousin leave yer time?”

  “Nah. I’d be happy for her… if she really wanted to go. I’d want to go to. Do you think that would be possible?”

  “I dinnae know. We’d have to ask Edna.”

  “How do you communicate with Edna? Do you use mental telepathy? Or does she materialize right in front of you?”

  “I’m sorry, Dylan, I dinna ken mental telepathy. If ye want to know how I talk to Edna, it’s in me head. I dinna think I can explain it any other way.”

  Dylan was finishing up the last of his food and he was grinning from ear to ear.

  “We’re going to have to find a way to get Jenna to let you stay at the house. Leave it up to me. She’ll be pissed at first, but she’ll come around. You’ll see.”

  Sophia brought the check. “Can I get you guys anything else?” Again, she was totally focused on Cormac, who was having a hard time with the slang.

  “We’re good to go, Sophia.” Dylan handed her some cash. “I think that covers it.”

  “Do you want change?”

  “Nope. You keep it.”

  “Hope to see you again, Cormac. I work most mornings. Just ask them to sit you at my table.”

  “Thank ye, lass. I’ll be sure to do that.”

  As they left, Sophia followed them to the door. Dylan watched with interest as she blew Cormac a kiss and then nearly fell over when he returned it with a devilish smile.

  THREE

  Jenna was running the vacuum cleaner when Dylan returned with Cormac. She didn’t hear them enter and when she finally did look up, she jumped, clutching her chest.

  “You scared me!” Her heart was racing in her chest.

  “Sorry, cuz,” Dylan apologized, with a sheepish grin on his face.

  Jenna looked around Dylan and an angry scowl lit across her features as she spied Cormac.

  “I thought I told you to take him to a shelter! What didn’t you understand about that?” She snapped.

  “I couldn’t do that to him, Jenna. He’s from another country and he doesn’t know anyone here. He’s a good guy, really. We just spent the last hour having breakfast and getting to know each other.”

  “Dylan, I know what you’re up to, so you can stop right now.” Letting go of the vacuum, Jenna crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dylan replied.

  “I know this is all a practical joke. I don’t know how you pulled it off and I don’t know where you got this guy from, but I can’t believe you would do that to me. You know how upset I’ve been lately and when he appeared out of nowhere, well… I thought he was a serial killer or something.”

  “I would never harm ye, lass.” Cormac said, as he peeked around from behind Dylan.

  “I know that now, but at the time I was pretty scared.”

  “I apologize to ye. I didnae mean to scare ye.”

  “It wasn’t a practical joke, Jenna. This guy, Cormac, is from Scotland and he was sent here by a witch. That’s the Edna he mentioned. Anyway, he’s not even from this time. He’s from the sixteenth century. Can you believe it?” Dylan asked excitedly.

  “No. I can’t believe it and I don’t. Nice work trying to convince me of something completely impossible. Have you been taking acting classes lately, Dylan, ‘cause you’re pretty good. If I didn’t know you better, I might even believe you.”

  “It’s true, Jenna. I’m not making it up. Tell her Cormac.”

  “He’s telling the truth, lass. Edna
sent me from the year 1514. She said ye were to be me wife.”

  “Now don’t start that again. You both need to give it up. I don’t believe you. There’s no such thing as time travel. Period. The end.”

  “Okay. I won’t mention it again, but we’re not lying and time travel is totally possible, you’ll see,” Dylan insisted.

  Jenna got a chill down her spine. How could she possibly see? Something was off here, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Best just to let Dylan have his fun and ignore his Scottish friend as much as possible. She stood there, vacuum cleaner in hand once again and looked from Dylan to Cormac, where her gaze rested. He was truly an amazing looking man. He could have stepped out of one of those fancy men’s cologne ads. He was definitely not hard on the eyes. Speaking of eyes, his were the most beautiful shade of blue. The word cerulean came to mind. Although why, she couldn’t say. It wasn’t a word she ever used. I guess I’ve read one too many romance novels. His face was perfectly constructed - the features were bold and angular from his straight nose, to his strong jaw line. He was definitely all man. His mouth revealed very kissable lips and she wondered if they were as soft as they appeared. His body was next up for examination as she continued her perusal. He had broad shoulders, strong arms and hands. His chest was straining the bounds of his t-shirt and tapered to narrow hips and really nice legs. That kilt he wore was so sexy. She wondered if it was true that nothing came between a man and his kilt. Jenna suddenly became aware of the fact that the room had gone completely silent. She raised her head and was embarrassed to see two pairs of eyes watching her. A slow, sexy grin spread across Cormac’s face and she thought she might just faint from embarrassment and the devastating affect that grin was having on her heart.

  “I’ll get the guest room set up for Cormac, since we’re the only people he knows here and we can’t just put him out on the street to fend for himself.” Dylan broke the uncomfortable silence.

  “He looks pretty capable of taking care of himself, if you ask me. Can’t he just stay at a hotel?” Jenna asked.

  “Don’t be like that, Jenna. We don’t want Cormac going back to Scotland with stories about how rude Americans are, do we?”

  “I guess not. Okay. He can stay, as long as he doesn’t mention taking me back to Scotland to be his wife. Understood?”

  Both men nodded in agreement.

  “Come on, Cormac. I’ll show you to your room.”

  “Jenna, lass, thank ye.”

  “You’re welcome. I think.”

  ***

  Cormac followed Dylan to what would be his bedroom. It was small in comparison to his bedroom at Breaghacraig, but there was plenty of room for him to be comfortable. The bed was large and the windows let in enough light to keep the room bright and cheery.

  “This is it.” Dylan extended his arm as he presented Cormac with the room.

  “‘Tis verra nice. I will be most happy here.”

  “Well, don’t get too comfortable. We’ll be heading to the other house in the East Bay tomorrow.”

  “Ye have another home?”

  “Yeah. They both belong to Jenna’s parents, but they’ve more or less given them to her.”

  “Where do they reside?”

  “They have homes all over the world. They never stay in one place very long and they haven’t been back to San Francisco in years. The bathroom’s in here.” He led Cormac to his own private en-suite.

  “Dylan, ye may need to explain things to me. We dinna have rooms like this where I come from.”

  “Right. I almost forgot.” Dylan showed Cormac how everything worked in the bathroom. He showed him how to turn the lights on and off in both rooms and where he could find towels and soap. “You look like you’re about my size, so if you need any clothes, you can borrow mine.”

  “Aye. Ye are most generous, Dylan. Thank ye.”

  “No problem. Tonight we’re going to a karaoke bar in Hayes Valley. You should be okay wearing what you have on. It’s been a winner for you today. Why mess with success?”

  Cormac just shook his head. This was almost too much for him. He could barely understand what was being said around him. Why had he let Edna convince him to come here in search of a wife? Jenna had not been verra happy to see him and she had tried to get rid of him, almost immediately. She had, however, given him quite the once over when he came back with Dylan. She was attracted to him. Cormac knew that look. Many a lass had looked at him the verra same way. As she examined him from head to toe, Jenna looked like she was planning to devour him for dinner. That thought alone had the blood rushing through his aroused body. She was a comely lass and he wondered what it would be like to hold her in his arms, to feel her hands on his body, her lips on his lips. He groaned aloud at the thoughts wreaking havoc with his brain.

  Dylan cleared his throat, “I’ll leave you to it, then. You might want to rest a bit. I’ll bet time travel really takes it out of you.”

  “Aye. I believe yer correct. I should rest.” Cormac was feeling a bit drained, but it was unusual for him to lay abed during the day. He would never do that back at Breaghacraig, as there was always so much that needed doing.

  Dylan closed the door behind him and Cormac lay down and closed his eyes. He had no sooner done so than he heard Edna’s voice.

  “Cormac. Can ye hear me?”

  “Aye, Edna. ‘Tis ye?”

  “Who else would it be? How many people talk to ye in yer head, dear?”

  Cormac smirked, despite knowing Edna couldn’t see the reaction. “Only ye, Edna.”

  “Yes, well, how is everything? Have ye met Jenna?”

  “Aye. She is quite a lovely lass, but she doesnae care for me I’m afeared.”

  “Don’t ye worry, dear. She’ll come around. Remember ye only have a week to get her to agree to return with ye. Then, at that time, ye need to go back to the exact same spot so I can bring ye back.”

  “Her cousin, Dylan, has been helping me, else I’d be staying at something she called the homeless shelter.”

  “Oh, my. Thank goodness that didn’t happen. Be patient with her. She is not a happy young lady. She has had a life lesson at the school of hard knocks and it will take her time to trust ye.”

  “Are ye sure she is the one for me?”

  “I would not have sent ye otherwise, now would I?”

  “Nay. I would hope not.”

  “As I told you, try to fit in. Don’t act surprised by anything you might see.”

  “‘Tis been difficult, but I dinnae believe anyone has noticed. I told Jenna’s cousin about Ashley. He willnae tell a soul.”

  “Good. I’m glad you have someone to confide in. If ye need me, just call to me.”

  “I will.”

  And then she was gone and Cormac decided it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to sleep for a while.

  ***

  Jenna was perplexed beyond reason. She had been puttering around the house for the last hour, cursing Dylan. She didn’t think she was going to be able to deal with having Cormac under her roof. The last thing she wanted was to find herself attracted to him. She wasn’t ready for that. She was still reeling from the deception she had been living with during her marriage to Jonathan. Romance was not high on her ‘to do’ list. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t on there at all.

  “Damn, damn, damn,” she muttered.

  “Damn what?” Dylan had just walked into the kitchen to find Jenna, holding her head in hand, cursing soundly.

  “Dylan, what were you thinking?”

  “Huh?” Dylan cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

  “Inviting Cormac to stay with us. I’m not sure how I feel about having a total stranger sleeping right next to my bedroom.”

  “Afraid you’ll accidentally end up in his room? Or him in yours?” Dylan teased.

  “You know what I mean. And stop that. No one’s going to end up in anyone else’s room. I don’t have time for that.”

  “Jenna, of course you have time for that. It mi
ght be the best thing for you. Don’t let Jonathan mess up the rest of your life, just because he was a scam artist.”

  “I’m not ready yet, Dylan. So, don’t push me,” she snarled.

  “Okay, okay. You win,” Dylan conceded. “I told Cormac he could come with us to karaoke tonight.”

  “I don’t know if I want to go.” Jenna continued cleaning, and avoided eye contact with her cousin.

  “Why? You were fine with it earlier,” Dylan protested.

  “I’m just not feeling very sociable.”

  “Jenna, you can’t become a hermit. You’re going and I won’t take no for an answer. You need to lighten up and have some fun.”

  Jenna wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at her cousin. He was right. She really needed to get out of her own way and start living her life again. “Okay. I’ll go, but I’m not singing.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Dylan chuckled.

  Jenna ignored Dylan and continued her cleaning rampage through the kitchen. Not that it needed to be cleaned, but it kept her busy and it was somewhat therapeutic for her.

  “You missed a spot,” Dylan was not about to leave the kitchen without making her laugh.

  “Where?” she asked, seriously, eyeing the granite counter top from all angles.

  “Jenna, hello… I’m kidding. Can I at least get a smile out of you?”

  She forced a smile to her face. Dylan grabbed a wet towel and flicked it in her direction, spraying her with water. “Dylan… don’t! You’ll mess up the kitchen.”

  “Then you’ll really have an excuse to clean,” he teased, as he ran past and poked a finger in her ribs.

  “Dylan, stop!” Jenna shrieked with laughter and chased after him.

  “Not until you promise me you’ll smile more often.”

  Dylan grabbed her around the waist and tickled her.

  “I will… I promise.”

  Dylan let go and she swatted at him as he ran across the kitchen, laughing. He turned to head for the doorway, but was blocked by a large Highlander leaning against the doorframe.

  Jenna’s laughter stopped abruptly as she took in all 6’4” of Cormac MacBayne, looking hotter than hot with a sexy half smile on his very handsome face.