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

“Why? Do ye make a habit of licking a man’s face?” he teased.

  “No! I don’t,” she cried indignantly. “It’s your fault. I don’t seem to be able to control myself around you. I’m really not that kind of girl. I’ve never in my life been the one to initiate kissing and, and…” She waved her hand around in the air finding herself unable to complete her thought.

  “I like it, lass. I like the way ye go after what you want. Dinnae stop. I’m happy to let ye do what ye will with me,” he said playfully.

  Cormac had tipped his head to the side to get a better look at her face and he looked so sweet that Jenna had to fight with herself not to reach up and kiss him again. Jenna, what are you doing? She warned herself. I just want to jump his bones. I’ve got to get a grip. He is a visitor to our country and he is only here for a few more days. You know you can’t ever do anything part way - and when he leaves you’ll be miserable. So, don’t go there. Well, maybe just a little.

  Cormac could see the indecision on Jenna’s face. He truly wanted her to come to him because she wanted to, and not because he’d pushed her, but one thing he was sure of was that the next time they kissed, he was going to be the one to start it. He reached out to hold her hand and she let him lead her as they continued their walk down the beach. Progress. She had been allowing him to hold her and touch her all day. He didn’t want to frighten her back into her shell, so he’d settle for the small successes he was having and not go any further while they were here at the beach.

  The waves lapped at their shins and ankles and a few times, a larger wave crashed against them, sending Jenna laughing into his arms. The sounds of the waves, the feel of the sea breeze and the smell of the salty air would all be burned into his memory forever. This was a good day. He was glad he was here with her, but he wanted so much more. More time with Jenna, more Jenna herself and the hope of a life together at Breaghacraig. He wanted her to become part of his large extended family, his clan. He didn’t dwell on how he could make that happen, for now he merely wanted to enjoy this moment, the light shining in her eyes as she gazed into his, the feel of her hand holding tightly to his own and the way she seemed to be allowing him to take care of her for this little while.

  They had walked for what seemed to be many hours and yet, not enough. In fact, it had been under an hour. They stopped occasionally to watch a pod of dolphins playing just offshore. Seals, sea otters and pelicans also made appearances to the evident delight of Jenna, who was practically jumping up and down at the sight of them. It did Cormac’s heart good to see Jenna so happy. He had doubted it was possible the first day he met her, and yet here she was, holding his hand, smiling, laughing, and seemingly very happy to be with him. He wasn’t sure what had brought about this change in her, but he would accept it and be grateful. The sun was dipping lower in the sky, and its light played softly across the surface of the water. Chester had been loping along beside them, barking and biting at the waves.

  “We should probably head back,” Jenna sighed.

  “Aye. We’ve walked a long way.”

  “I wish we could stay here forever. It’s so peaceful and beautiful,” she replied.

  “Then we should stay,” Cormac replied matter-of-factly.

  “Unfortunately, we can’t. Dylan is probably wondering where we are by now. Come on, let’s go,” Jenna said as she reluctantly headed back the other way. Cormac followed along with Chester, who was completely soaked by the waves. “Chester, look at you,” Jenna observed. “You’re going to need a bath when we get home.”

  Cormac chuckled as he watched Chester continue to enjoy himself in the water. This really had been the perfect day. He wondered what the evening would hold in store for him. He was hopeful it would turn out to be as lovely as the day had been.

  ***

  Jenna was walking backwards, gazing up at Cormac. He gave her one of his bone-melting smiles, showing a row of nearly perfect teeth. He was perfection as far as she could see and Jenna drank in the sight of him. She turned around and proceeded to run through the waves breaking on the shore, hoping that Cormac would join her. She peeked back to see him in hot pursuit. She didn’t get far before he picked her up in his arms and began to carry her back towards their blanket.

  She threw her arms around his neck and enjoyed the moment; something she didn’t allow herself to do very often. She set skeptical, untrusting Jenna aside and went with her gut, which told her Cormac was not going to hurt her and it was okay to let herself enjoy her time with him. So what if he wasn’t going to be here very long? Maybe they could keep in touch via e-mail after he left. She could even take a trip to Scotland to see him and while she was there, maybe she could find Ashley. If only she could remember, what she did with the name of that inn Ashley had mentioned. She made a mental note to search for it, when she had a chance. All too soon they reached the blanket. Cormac didn’t seem to want to put her down and stood holding her as her cousin Dylan ran up from the water with his surfboard.

  “Hey, you two, I was wondering where you were.”

  Jenna wriggled out of Cormac’s arms. “Time to head home?”

  “I hate to leave, but the sun will be setting before long and we should get back, I’ve got a hot date tonight,” Dylan boasted.

  “They’re all hot, Dylan.” Jenna rolled her eyes. “Let’s get packed up.”

  They gathered the blanket, towels, cooler and chairs and headed back up to the truck.

  “Jenna, would you mind driving? I’m beat,” Dylan asked.

  “Sure, give me the keys.” Jenna took the keys from Dylan’s hand and unlocked the doors. They stowed most everything in the bed of the truck and Dylan once again got his surfboard in place for the long drive home.

  “I’d like to try driving,” Cormac stated, eyeing the driver’s seat with interest.

  “Have you got a driver’s license?” Jenna questioned, already knowing the answer.

  “A driver’s license?” As she’d suspected, Cormac looked completely baffled.

  “I’ll take that as a no,” Jenna laughed. “You can’t drive unless you have a license.”

  “And how do I get one?” he asked.

  “It’s a long process, especially if you have no driving experience at all. Do you drive back in Scotland?”

  “Och, nae,” he answered, as if she should have known the answer. “Me horse gets me where I need to go.”

  “Maybe if you were staying longer I could teach you, but you’re going to be leaving soon, so we wouldn’t have enough time.” She secretly hoped that he wanted to learn badly enough that he’d give up his plan to leave. She poked him in the ribs. “Get in.”

  Dylan had already settled in the back seat with Chester and appeared as if he would be asleep before they hit the freeway.

  Cormac watched everything Jenna did as she settled into the driver’s seat and prepared for the return trip home. He probably thinks I can’t drive, she thought. “Don’t worry, Cormac, I’m a really good driver. Probably better than Dylan. You’ll see.”

  She started the truck and headed for home. Sideways glances at Cormac confirmed that he was uncomfortable with her behind the wheel, so she did her best to reassure him with a smile.

  The drive home was quiet. Dylan and Chester snoozed in the back and Cormac had finally relaxed enough to enjoy the scenery and let go of his death grip on the dashboard. Jenna was delighted that Dylan was leaving her home alone with Cormac tonight. She thought about what the evening might entail, anticipating a night spent in his arms, when traffic suddenly came to a dead stop in front of her, and she had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting any other cars.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Jenna apologized.

  Dylan didn’t move. Chester opened one eye and when he was satisfied that all was well, closed it again. Cormac seemed to be the only one at all rattled by the event.

  “What happened, lass? Did ye nae see them stopping?” Cormac asked, concern written all over his handsome face.

  “I was
day-dreaming. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you alright?” she asked.

  “Aye, I be fine, especially if ye dinnae do that again,” he teased. “What were ye day-dreaming about?”

  She knew he was fishing to see if she had been thinking about him, so she fibbed. “I was wondering what to make for dinner. That’s all.”

  Traffic started up again and they crawled past a wreck on the side of the road. Cormac’s eyes grew wide with interest. “What has happened here?” he asked Jenna.

  “Looks like an accident,” she stated, as the lanes in front of them began to open up, allowing her to increase back up to the speed limit. “The highway patrol was there, but no ambulance, so no one was hurt.”

  “Highway patrol?” he questioned, lifting one eyebrow.

  “The car with the flashing lights on top. They patrol the freeways, making sure people are obeying the rules of the road and helping motorists who’ve had accidents or breakdowns.”

  Cormac nodded in acknowledgement, and appeared concerned. She was quite certain he didn’t understand any of what she had shared. He must really live in the boonies, she thought, either that - or he’s a good actor. “Who makes sure people follow the rules where you come from?” she asked innocently.

  “‘Tis Robert who does,” he answered.

  “You work for Robert, right? So, do you help him with that sort of thing? Are you like the highway patrol?”

  Cormac nodded. “Aye. When there is trouble, we handle it.”

  She wanted to know more, but decided she’d approach the subject slowly. She had to figure out if he was delusional, doing a fine acting job to prank her, or last and least likely - telling the truth.

  “I’ll need to hit the grocery store. Would you like steak for dinner tonight?”

  “I be happy to eat whatever you cook, lass. Do ye have a bow I could use?”

  “What would you need that for?” Wait, was he talking about a bow, like for your hair, or a bow-and-arrow bow?

  “So I can go hunt for our dinner. Ye will have to show me where yer game is located, but I have no doubt I can bring back meat for our meal.”

  Jenna tried hard not to roll her eyes at that crazy pronouncement. “No need to hunt when we have a grocery store nearby. You can come with me and see how we get our food here in my time,” she announced, with a hint of sarcasm.

  “‘Tis no trouble at all, lass.” Cormac responded seriously, as if he’d completely missed Jenna’s cynicism.

  “We don’t hunt around here, Cormac. I mean, some people do, but you’d have to drive quite a way and you’d need a hunting license, if it’s even hunting season right now.” Her lack of hunting acumen was showing.

  “I see,” Cormac said, but she knew he really didn’t. “Another license,” he muttered.

  The rest of the drive was uneventful and they made it back home without waking Dylan or Chester.

  “Hey, Dylan, why don’t you hose Chester off before he comes inside? I’m going to take a quick shower before I head to the store; you probably should too, Cormac.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” Dylan teased, lifting his arm into a mocking salute. “Right away!”

  Dylan took Chester around to the side yard and Cormac helped Jenna unpack the truck.

  With everything put away, they went their separate ways to shower and agreed to meet back in the living room in thirty minutes to go shopping. Jenna just hoped she could resist the urge to meet Cormac in his bedroom, instead.

  ***

  The trip to the grocery store turned out to be quite amusing, as far as Jenna was concerned. Cormac couldn’t have looked more shocked if he’d tried. She could see that he wanted to act as if this was no big deal for him, but his facial expressions and the way he wanted to examine absolutely everything was a dead giveaway.

  She was bombarded with question after question about the packaging, the products and most of all, the meat. She realized she was woefully lacking in her knowledge of food production.

  “Ye mean ye dinnae even know where yer food comes from?” he asked in surprise.

  “Well, I know where some of it comes from, but mostly it comes from big companies, I guess,” she tried to explain.

  “What are ‘big companies’?”

  “You know what, let’s not ask any more questions. Can we just get the things we need and get out of here?” She was missing Dylan about now. He never tired of answering Cormac’s many questions. Dylan might not even know what he was talking about at the time, but he always gave him some sort of reasonable answer.

  They got the grocery cart through the checkout stand without incident. She could tell Cormac was biting back his queries and it made her giggle to herself. All in all they managed to survive the grocery store and made it home, where they unloaded the groceries and Jenna set about getting dinner started. Cormac sat at the kitchen counter and watched her every move. She felt a little as if she were on display, but had to admit to herself that she kind of enjoyed his undivided attention.

  “Can I help ye with that, lass?” he asked.

  “Sure, can you cut up the salad stuff?”

  “I believe I can,” he smiled that heart-stopping smile of his and she sighed. It was becoming more and more difficult to ignore her growing attraction towards him.

  Jenna directed him on what she wanted cut up and how to cut it and he did an excellent job. He put everything into the salad bowl and watched as Jenna made the dressing.

  “I’ve never had salad,” he offered. “As a matter of fact, I dinnae even ken what any of these vegetables are.”

  “Really? What kind of vegetables do you have where you’re from?” she asked curiously.

  “Carrots, parsnips, peas,” he listed.

  She had already assumed he’d never been to a grocery store, and now she was certain he was unfamiliar with a lot of the produce she’d purchased. “Hmmm…”

  She was baking potatoes on the grill and they were almost ready when she started cooking the steak. The air was filled with the aroma of barbecuing beef, which she left for a few minutes while she set the table outside. Cormac sat in the spot she indicated. She observed that he seemed quite relaxed and happy, which made her feel the same. It was just the two of them tonight. Dylan was out on his date and he’d informed her that he wouldn’t be back until tomorrow morning. The only company they had was Chester, who was pretty much glued to Cormac’s side. The dog loved him and Jenna was beginning to think she might just understand why.

  Candles lit the table as they ate their food. Cormac was very complimentary about her cooking. In fact, he couldn’t seem to tell her enough how grateful he was for the wonderful meal she had prepared. Jenna watched with a smile as he tasted and enjoyed all of the unfamiliar foods that were in his salad. She was sure to keep his wine glass full of the delicious cabernet she had opened.

  “This has been a beautiful night, lass,” Cormac stated.

  “It has been, but it’s not over yet. Help me clear the table and clean up a bit and I’ll serve our dessert.”

  Cormac was a good helper and had no problem doing his part in the kitchen, unlike Jonathan, who’d thought Jenna should be serving him and cleaning up after him all the time, despite the fact that he had no job to take up his time. Jenna was finding more and more things to admire about the man who had appeared out of the fog. If only she knew the truth about him. The story both Cormac and Dylan had told her couldn’t possibly be accurate. Although nothing was impossible in her mind, it was surely improbable - but she couldn’t totally discount his story. She’d decided to reserve judgment for now and enjoy his company.

  Jenna grabbed a large bowl and filled it with ice cream from the freezer. She added crushed up cookies and chocolate syrup, and two spoons, carrying it to the cozy sofa outside. She lit the gas fire pit and motioned for Cormac to take a seat. He sat in the corner, arms extended over the back and Jenna nestled herself in next to him, tucking her feet up under her backside. She held the bowl between them and took a
spoonful of ice cream and fed it to Cormac. She wished she had thought to take a photo, because the look on his face was priceless. He closed his eyes in obvious delight, relishing the flavors.

  “More please,” he requested, with a sheepish grin.

  Jenna was happy to accommodate him and realized she really hadn’t needed two spoons, because they ended up sharing one. She couldn’t remember being this happy, not since long before Jonathan and she sighed, enjoying being completely at ease.

  “I like it when ye smile, Jenna,” Cormac said, studying her upturned face.

  “I like it, too. I haven’t had much reason to smile lately. It feels good.”

  “What happened to make ye so unhappy, lass? Was it yer husband?”

  Jenna really didn’t want to bring the subject of Jonathan into what was turning out to be a perfect night, but Cormac had asked and she wanted to be honest with him.

  “Jonathan fooled me. At first he was everything any woman could want in a man. He was caring, kind, funny…” Jenna hesitated and Cormac put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his side. His warmth and strength poured into her and gave her the courage to continue, even though she was embarrassed by her tale. “I didn’t know until after we got married that he has a gambling addiction. He was placing bets on everything, from ball games to horses and he wasn’t very good at it. He racked up quite a large amount of debt with a local bookie and couldn’t pay him back. Eventually, the bookie came looking for his money and he came here, to my home, and threatened me. I, of course, paid the debt and then confronted Jonathan about it. He swore he would never gamble again and seemed so grateful to me for helping him. He said he was going to get counseling to help him break the addiction. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, thinking that everyone deserves a second chance. Next thing I knew, the bookie was at my front door again looking for money. The guy seemed as embarrassed as I was, and he told me that Jonathan was nothing but trouble and that I should throw his ass out. I was shocked to hear him say that, and I started snooping through Jonathan’s things, searching for evidence of what he was involved in. I peeked at his text messages one day while he was napping and I found all the evidence I needed, to know he’d been using me. It started long before he’d even asked me to marry him. He had another woman, whom he had known for years and they’d texted to one another about how he’d only married me to get at my money - and that after a while, he intended to divorce me and get half of everything I had. Then he’d be free to marry her.” Jenna’s voice tapered off, her bitterness at what Jonathan had done squeezing at her throat.