Love Beyond Boundaries (A Scottish Time Travel Romance): Book 12 (Morna's Legacy Series)

by Bethany Claire

  “Do you think we’re on a street with lots of lights, right now?”

  Ross, who I could see was growing angrier by the second, nodded as he reached to roll down the window to his left.

  “Aye. Look.”

  Sure enough, the street we were on was draped in lights, with nearly every house more decorated than the last. The only way we could see anything that was worth looking at was by keeping that one window down, which we couldn’t do; the freezing snow and sleet were coming down too hard to keep the window cracked for more than a second.

  I laughed and leaned back into my seat. “It’s really a big con, isn’t it?”

  Rolling up the window, Ross turned to look at me. “Aye, and the company that offers these tours know it. ’Tis infuriating.”

  I pointed to the speaker above my head. “And do you think they have the Christmas music on so loudly so they can’t hear us bitching about it throughout the whole tour?”

  His eye widened as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him. “Aye.”

  Sensing Ross’ anger, I attempted to salvage the date with a little distraction. I patted the seat next to me so he would move closer as I spoke to him. “Let’s just forget about what we’re supposed to be seeing, and just get to know one another a little better.”

  Ross took a big, long breath, smiled at me, and scooted closer.

  “Aye. Ye are right. Tell me what ye do, lass. We spent so much time speaking of Beth during our first date, we truly learned little about each other.”

  “I’m a physical therapist, and I specialize in helping people who have been injured due to accidents or illnesses. I own my own practice.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I’d forgotten Caleb mentioned yer profession to me. From what he says, ye’re the best in Boston.”

  I cringed. I hated talking about myself, especially my work. While I was proud of what I did, the work drained me. Giving my all to patients every day always left me exhausted when I closed up to go home. It had become increasingly important over recent years to really separate my work and home life. Real breaks from my work allowed me to be more fully present when I was with my patients.

  Not that my work didn’t sometimes seep into my personal life. I had several patients who, once discharged from being my patient, had become cherished friends.

  “And what about you? I know you manage the building now, but what did you do before? And what brought you to the States because, if I’m guessing correctly, you’re from Scotland, yes?”

  He hesitated and ran a hand through his thick, dark hair, and I couldn’t help but wonder what about my question made him uncomfortable. Was it my question about his past work history or the mention of his homeland? Regardless, based on the guarded expression in his gaze, I didn’t think he was about to give me enough information to figure it out.

  “Aye, Scotland. I’ve done many things, none of them worth speaking about.”

  “Hm.” I made the noise as I narrowed my eyes at him, hoping he would open up a little more if I let the silence between us sit for a moment. He didn’t, and knowing that he didn’t really owe me any information this early on, I decided to let it pass.

  “Your accent is incredible, by the way. I love it.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “Ye wouldna have thought so if ye’d met me when I first came to the States. My…” He paused, and my suspicion that he was trying to hide something rose again. “Those that knew me then often said they could barely understand me. I’ve worked to lessen it, just a bit.”

  “Oh, don’t do that.” I protested. “It’s quite sexy.” I blushed, hardly believing my admission. I glanced at the half-empty glass of champagne sitting next to me. I hadn’t had nearly enough to blame my loose lips on that. I just felt comfortable around him. Too comfortable, really, especially considering how guarded he seemed to be.

  “Thank ye for that. Doona worry, I’m certain that no amount of work will change my accent from what ’tis today. I fear I am stuck with what I have now.”

  Needing to recover from my embarrassment, I continued to try to draw something more out of him. “What about your family? Do any of them live here?”

  He gave his head one small shake. “No. I doona have much family left. My Da died when I was verra young. I have no siblings, and my mother...” He paused and glanced away. That small gesture was enough to let me know that this too was a painful subject for him. Ross—it shocked me to realize that I didn’t actually know his last name—was turning out to be far more complicated than he first seemed.

  “You don’t have to tell me about anything you don’t want to.”

  He turned back to me and gave me a sad smile. “There is no reason for me not to tell ye, lass. ’Tis only that thinking of her makes me rather sad. I havena seen her in years. She had me later in life, and now she has—I believe the term for it now is Alzheimer’s. She doesna know me anymore, and ’twould only upset her to see me. I write often, and she is well cared for. She is the only reason I would ever return to Scotland. Since ’twould do neither of us any good for me to see her, I shall likely only return to see her buried.”

  That was a lot to unpack. If his mother was the only thing that would ever bring him back to the country he grew up in, there was clearly more hurt lying beneath the surface. And what on earth did he mean by, ‘the term for it now is Alzheimer’s?’ That made him sound like he’d been around way before the disease had a label. I didn’t imagine he was that many years older than me. But there was only one response that could be deemed appropriate to what he’d just shared with me, and it wasn’t more questions.

  “I’m so sorry, Ross.”

  He shook his head and gave me his signature shrug. “’Tis life. We all carry wounds. Now…I believe ’tis my duty to discuss a way for me to make amends to ye for this rather abysmal date. Will ye allow me to think up another Christmas activity for us to do tomorrow?”

  It delighted me that before this date was already over he was thinking about the next. Despite the fact that I’d gone into our first date certain it would be a bust, I was now just as certain that I wanted to spend more time with my new acquaintance.

  “Sure. Although, if this snow keeps up, we’re not going to be able to leave the building tomorrow. Maybe we should do something at one of our places? Do you have a favorite Christmas movie?”

  He shrugged again. Why was his shrug so freaking sexy?

  “I couldna say. I havena seen verra many.”

  “Have you seen It’s A Wonderful Life?”

  He shook his head and my eyes widened in horror. What sort of sad, senseless world had this man grown up in?

  “Then, it’s decided. That is a film you cannot go one day longer without seeing. I would invite you over to my place, but my sister has just moved in and the place is a disaster. I’m still not fully unpacked.”

  “No worries, lass. Ye can come over to my apartment, and I shall cook ye dinner. All ye need to bring is yerself and this film ye seem so keen on me seeing.”

  “Done.”

  Approximately one hour later, the driver pulled up in front of our apartment building. Ross stepped out first and immediately gave the poor guy a piece of his mind.

  “Do ye have the name of yer boss, sir? For I’ve need to contact him straight away. While yer driving was satisfactory, this wee tour is a scam, and ye all well know it. Ye should be ashamed of yerself.”

  The college-aged kid sighed and reached into the front of his coat to pull out a business card. Clearly it wasn’t the first time he’d had to deal with unhappy customers.

  “Look, dude. I’m just trying to earn a little extra money while I’m home during Christmas break. I’m sorry you didn’t have a good time.”

  Ross took the card from the young man, and without saying another word, reached his hand inside the car to help me out into the snow.

  He leaned in to whisper into my ear as I stood up out of the car. The warmth of his breath caused shivers to rush down my spine.
r />   “Let’s get ye inside before I decide to toss this fool into that pile of fresh snow over yonder.”

  Laughing, we ran hand-in-hand to the door, not stopping until we were safely inside and stomping off the excess snow from our boots inside the doorway.

  Ross reached to call the elevator while I continued to stomp around on the mat. The doors to the lift opened quickly, and he held them open for me as I hurried inside. The moment the doors closed, he pulled me close.

  “May I kiss ye, lass?”

  I nodded, but then my brain seized up with nerves, which immediately caused me to grow nauseous. I didn’t know if it was because it had been so long since my last kiss, or if the proximity of him was just too much for me to bear in that moment, but I panicked as his lips came toward me and threw my head to the left so that his lips landed hard on my cheek.

  Mortified, I stumbled out of the doors the moment they opened on our floor and mumbled a goodbye to him over my shoulder.

  “Thanks for a great time. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I wasn’t for sure, but I thought I heard him laughing as I all but ran away from him.

  I barely made it to my bathroom toilet before I vomited up my champagne.

  Ross stood at the end of the hallway, allowing Allanah time to make her way inside her apartment. His laughter at the awkward moment quickly grew to frustration as he made his way down the hall.

  A date that should’ve gone terribly had been even better than the first. He’d even set himself up for another. And he couldn’t blame that date on Caleb’s meddling.

  The moment his key made contact with the lock, he could hear Tink begin to lose her mind with excitement. Opening the door, he quickly reached for her leash and bent down to scoop up the wee pup that was more fur than body.

  The squirmy dog licked his face up and down as he glanced around his apartment for any puddles of pee. Unable to help himself, he snuggled the dog close and kissed the side of her face.

  “Thank ye, lassie, for going along with the housebreaking so splendidly. Ye truly are a bright pup. I’ll give ye that.”

  Hooking the leash to her collar, he made his way back to the elevator to take Tink outside before the storm got even worse.

  The elevator still smelled like Allanah as he and Tink stepped inside. It sent memories of her warm cheek hitting his lips as he moved in to kiss her, and he laughed once more.

  It had been without a doubt, the worst kiss of his life.

  Why then, did he suspect that it just might end up being the one that he cherished the most?

  Chapter 11

  At a quarter to six the next evening, I looked myself over in the mirror and did my best to swallow my rising nausea.

  “Sue, I think you need to take a breath. Your shoulders are pulled up far too close to your ears. You’re tense.” She pushed herself up from the floor where she sat helping me unbox stuff and moved over to grab my shoulders as she massaged them gently. “Why do you seem so much more nervous today than you did yesterday?”

  Taking her suggestion, I drew in a shaky breath and tried to relax.

  “I don’t know. I think it’s because despite my best efforts not to, I quite like him. And I’ve gotten in my head about kissing him. If I repeat last night’s fiasco, I’m done for; I know it.”

  She raised her brows at me, and I had the sudden urge to hug her, though I was kept from doing so by the tight grip she had on me. Perhaps it was because I was missing Beth and just needed the comfort of family around me, but time and time again over the past few days, I would look at my sister and be overcome by the realization that I’d missed her far more than I’d let myself feel. I hoped that all she said was true, and that finally, she was here for good.

  She grimaced, which did nothing to help my nerves.

  “Yeah, well, giving him your cheek, and then running off to vomit isn’t great. But you’ve got to shake it off.”

  “I’m going to do my best.”

  I pulled away from her and moved over to the box labeled ‘TV cabinet,’ and began to rummage through it for my copy of It’s a Wonderful Life.

  “Georgie, can you go into the kitchen and grab the bottle of wine that’s sitting on the counter?”

  It didn’t take me long to find my copy of the film. By the time I turned around, Georgie was standing beside me with the bottle I planned to take over to Ross’ apartment with me.

  “Okay. I guess it’s time for me to go.”

  Georgie nodded. “Have fun. And remember, don’t panic. It’s just a kiss.”

  That was easy for her to say. She’d never laid eyes on Ross. She had no idea how intimidating his good looks were.

  “Flip the camera around and show me the apartment. The food’s set. Now we need to make sure you aren’t about to frighten her off by inviting her over to a disaster of an apartment.”

  Ross rolled his eyes and did as Sydney bid.

  “I did clean, lass. I’m not a fool.”

  “I didn’t say you were, but you are a guy, and sometimes things that you would never think of will be glaringly obvious to a woman.”

  He panned the length of his living room with the camera so Sydney could look things over.

  “Do ye approve?”

  “I’m impressed. Now, turn me back around so I can tell you goodbye.”

  Laughing, he flipped the camera back to his face.

  “Ye are the bossiest lass I’ve ever known.”

  Sydney shrugged. “Probably true. Okay, I better let you go so you can take Tink outside before she gets here. That way maybe she will be good for the duration of your date. Text me tomorrow?”

  He nodded. “O’course. Goodnight.”

  As if Tink had understood every word Sydney had just said to him, the pup jumped up on his leg in anticipation of being led out into the snow.

  “Alright, alright, lass. But ye canna roll around in the snow as ye usually do, and we canna stay out verra long. ’Tis nearly a blizzard outside. I doona want ye freezing to death.”

  Tink yipped in response. Reaching for the dog’s leash, he headed to the front door.

  He and Tink made it just past Allanah’s door before she stepped out into the hallway. He called out to her to get her attention, and she turned and smiled at him. It took only a second for Tink to steal the show as her attention shifted toward the pup.

  “And who is this?”

  She crouched down in the hall as the pup bounded toward her.

  “Her name is Tink. ’Twas a trick of Beth’s.”

  Allanah looked up at him as she continued to pet Tink’s head.

  “A trick?”

  “Aye. She asked me to watch the pup. She said ’twas a gift for the girls, though ’twas truly just for me.”

  Allanah laughed, and Ross loved the sound of it.

  “That’s the best sort of trick I can think of. Sounds like you came out on the winning end.”

  “Mayhap so. I dinna think so at first, though I canna deny that the wee beastie is growing on me.” He paused and bobbed his head toward his apartment. “Go ahead and make yerself at home, lass. I’ll just be a moment. I need to take Tink out before it gets too dark.”

  Giving Tink one last pat, Allanah stood and moved to the side so he could pass her.

  “Oh no, it’s okay. Let me just set this inside really fast, and I’ll go with you.”

  He frowned at her. “Are ye sure?”

  “Yeah. Absolutely.”

  It took no time for her to set her wine and movie inside his apartment. Together, the three of them made their way to the elevator. As the door opened and they stepped inside, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was also thinking about their kiss the night before. By the slight red tint to her cheeks, he imagined that she probably was.

  Dinner was incredible—rigatoni with vodka sauce accompanied by a salad and some of the best garlic bread I’d ever had in my life. By the time we sat down to watch the movie, I was full, happy, and—for the moment—no longer nau
seous.

  “You’re a very good cook, Ross.”

  He smiled and shook his head as I dug in for another bite.

  “Doona be fooled, lass. ’Tis the only thing I can properly make on my own, and ’tis only because I’ve had plenty of practice making it this past week.”

  “Ah. That explains your lack of appetite.”

  He laughed. “Aye, though I canna tell ye how pleased I am that ye enjoyed it.” He gave the fire one last poke and faced me. “Shall we watch it?”

  “Yes, I think we should. You’ll love it.”

  He shrugged—his favorite gesture—and moved to flip off the lights for the movie.

  “We shall see.”

  I braced for the inevitable awkwardness. That part of the earliest stages of dating when you sit in a darkened room with someone for the first time, and neither party knows whether to reach for the other’s hand or how close you should sit. It was a ritualistic, fumbly half-hour that I knew well, which was part of the reason it astonished me when Ross reached for me the moment he sat down on the couch, shattering my expectation that he would be like all the others.

  “Come here, lass. The only reason I would ever wish to sit through a Christmas movie is to hold someone as beautiful as ye close to me.”

  You’d think I would be too old to swoon at a line like that, but my insides ran hot as the compliment swept through me. As eager to be inside his arms as he was to get me there, I leaned against him, my head resting on the front of his chest as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

  “Do you not like Christmas?”

  I felt him shrug behind me.

  “There was a time when I did.”

  “But not anymore?”

  There was a small gap before he answered me, and I knew that I wasn’t going to get an explanation.

  “Mayhap this year will be different.”