by Jennae Vale
“Cormac?” Jenna said, using her sweetest voice.
“Aye, lass.”
“Where you come from, what do you do for work?” She needed to get a clearer picture of exactly who Cormac MacBayne really was.
“I be me brother-in-law’s captain,” Cormac answered.
“Your brother-in-law?”
“Aye. Robert MacKenzie. He’s married to me sister, Irene.”
“I see. Does he pay you to do this?” she wondered aloud.
“Aye. Why do ye ask, lass?” Cormac questioned.
“I was just curious. You don’t seem to have any money.”
“Edna said me coin would be of no use here.”
Edna again. Who was she and what was her part in all of this? “And where did you say you lived?” Jenna asked.
“I live at Breaghacraig, with me family,” Cormac replied.
Jenna was chewing on her bottom lip, wondering how she could discover if he was lying. So far, he seemed to be telling the truth. He wasn’t evading her questions and he didn’t hesitate with his answers. The fact that he claimed he was from another time troubled her. To top it all off, he expected her to believe his story.
“Cormac?”
“Aye, lass.”
“You said you’re a captain. Does your brother-in-law have an army, or something?”
“Aye.”
“Wow. Really? Why does he need an army?” An army of his own, in this day and age, seemed highly suspect. Cormac’s story is getting stranger and stranger by the second.
“To protect his family, his home, and his lands,” Cormac responded.
Jenna sat quietly in the backseat, petting Chester and pondering Cormac’s answers.
“Is all well with ye, Jenna? Ye seem to be full of questions. Have I answered them to yer satisfaction?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I’m just curious about where you come from. That’s all.”
“‘Tis fine. Ye may ask me anything, and I will always tell ye the truth.”
“I appreciate that, MacBayne.” She dismissed him by focusing her attention on the dog and let him go back to quizzing Dylan on the way everything in the vehicle worked. She had decided she would maintain her distance, by referring to him as MacBayne. She would reserve the right to call him Cormac, for times when it worked to her advantage.
***
Sitting next to Dylan in the front of the truck was an education for Cormac. He was happy that he could ask anything of Dylan, and it would be answered without judgment. Jenna, on the other hand, was a puzzle he was having a hard time deciphering. One moment she was all sweetness and light - and the next she was calling him MacBayne and snarling at him. Rather than dwell on it, he focused his attention on the wondrous bridge they were crossing. He had never seen anything like it and he was craning his neck in all directions to get a better look, as they passed beneath the grey steel towering above their heads. He would have such amazing tales to tell, upon his return home.
As Cormac turned to watch the view through the back window, he noticed Jenna staring at him with a most unhappy expression on her face. He caught her eye and she smiled half-heartedly in his direction.
“What time is everyone coming over, Dylan?” she asked.
“Some people are coming earlier, around six. The one’s with kids - you know. Then everyone else will be there later.”
“You have everything arranged, right?”
“No worries, Jenna. It’s all taken care of. The only thing I have to do is get a keg delivered and we’re good to go.”
Cormac wasn’t sure what they were talking about, and he raised an eyebrow in an unspoken question to Jenna.
“We’re having our annual end of summer party tonight,” Jenna explained.
He nodded in response somewhat worried about dealing with a lot of new, modern strangers he didn’t know.
Jenna seemed to realize he was worried, and reassured him. “It’s a lot of fun. You’ll have a good time, I’m sure.”
“Lots of beer and babes, my friend,” Dylan chimed in.
“Beer and babes?” Cormac repeated.
“Mmhmm… you’ll see. We have to get home in time to let the caterer and party planners into the house. We’ll be there in no time.”
“I dinna doubt it. This carriage travels verra fast,” Cormac observed.
“This is nothing. You should ride in the Porsche, if you really want to see fast,” Dylan boasted.
“I hate to break up the bromance you two seem to have going on, but Dylan, I don’t want any trouble tonight. I hope you told your friends they’re going to need to behave themselves. I don’t want the neighbors calling the cops.”
“Don’t worry, I invited them,” Dylan announced cheerfully.
“The cops? Or the neighbors?” Jenna retorted smoothly.
“Funny, Jenna.”
“Dylan, what is a bromance?” Cormac asked. From the way Jenna had said the word, he couldn’t imagine it being anything good.
Dylan laughed. “It’s just what they call it, when two guys enjoy each other’s company. Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad.”
Jenna was snickering in the back seat as they pulled into the driveway of a large house, set at the very top of a hill on a narrow and curving road. There were other houses close by, but this house was, by far, the grandest of them all. As they were getting out of the truck, a heavy set, dark haired man walked up the driveway and waited to speak with Jenna.
“Hi, Jenna.”
“Hey, Travis, what’s up? I hope you’re coming to the party tonight.”
“Wouldn’t miss it. I just thought you should know that Jonathan has been hanging around here. I’ve seen him coming out of the driveway, a couple of times. I don’t know if he’s been in the house or not, and I wasn’t able to stop him before he left, to ask what he was doing here.”
Jenna looked worried. “I knew I should have changed those locks.”
Cormac came over and stood by her side. He put an arm around her waist and surprisingly, she didn’t resist.
“Thanks for letting us know,” Dylan offered. “We’ll see you later, Travis.”
The man waved as he walked down the driveway and returned to the house next door.
“I can’t believe Jonathan’s been here. What are we going to do, Dylan?” Jenna anxiously ran her fingers through her hair.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get a locksmith out, first thing in the morning and change the locks. In the meantime, I guess we should go inside and see if he’s done any damage to the house.”
Cormac kept his hand on the small of Jenna’s back as they mounted the steps to the front door and entered. To Cormac’s eyes, everything looked very neat and orderly, but there was no way he would know if anything were wrong.
***
Jenna and Dylan made their way from room to room, checking to see if anything was missing.
Relief swept through Jenna when they found everything was exactly as it should be. What is he up to? She had a very uneasy feeling about the situation. Jonathan had been extremely angry with her when she got the marriage annulled, and he’d walked away with nothing. He obviously wanted her money and when he hadn’t gotten it, he’d made his displeasure known in lots of different ways. The events at the karaoke bar paled, in comparison to some of the stunts he’d pulled since their divorce.
She didn’t have too much time to worry about it however, as the doorbell rang and Dylan opened the door to the caterer and party planners. An army of people made their way into the house, to prepare for tonight’s celebration. Food, decorations, flowers and serving trays made their way from the front door to the kitchen in the arms of the catering staff. The DJ arrived and set his equipment up, out on the back patio by the pool and the people who would be serving the food were getting lengthy instructions from the caterer.
“We should probably get out of their way and let them do their thing,” Jenna suggested. “Dylan, why don’t you show MacBayne around.”
“Jenna,
ye can call me Cormac,” he responded, with a twinkle in his eye.
She ignored him, “Dylan?”
Dylan nodded. “Okay. I’ll take care of it.”
Jenna headed towards the stairwell. “I’m going to go upstairs and try to take a nap. My head still hurts, after last night.”
“No worries. I’ll handle everything down here,” Dylan reassured her.
***
Cormac watched as Jenna made her way up the stairs. He wished there was something he could do, to win her trust. He knew she had just been through a terrible experience with her ex-husband and he could see the pain etched on her face whenever Jonathan’s name came up in conversation. While he was more than capable of protecting her, Cormac could tell she wasn’t going to let anyone else take care of her. Particularly him. He would have to work on that. She needed him, even if she was unaware of it.
“Cormac, let’s go check out the pool,” Dylan suggested, once Jenna disappeared.
“Aye.”
They went out through the floor to ceiling doors, which folded open, exposing the entire back of the house. Cormac couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the pool. “What is this?”
“It’s a swimming pool,” Dylan answered.
Cormac bent down and put his hand in the water. “‘Tis warm,” he announced, surprised.
“It’s heated. Nice, huh?”
“The water is so verra clear.” Cormac touched the outside wall of the pool. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Ye have yer own wee loch.”
Dylan grinned. “It’s a man-made loch. You’ll have to go for a swim later.”
“Aye. I’d like that.”
Dylan showed him around the house, which was filled with the most wondrous items. The kitchen fascinated Cormac. At three times the size of the verra nice kitchen at the other house, which he’d not had the time to explore, this one opened into the rest of the house. The ceilings were vaulted, giving the whole first floor a feeling of spaciousness. He loved the box Dylan called a refrigerator. It kept everything so verra cold. He knew his sister Irene would love it. The cooking was not done in an overlarge fireplace like it was back home, but in an oven and atop a stove. Water came out of a faucet - already hot, or cold. Cormac wondered where it came from. Did they have a well? He could spend all day trying to understand all of these things he had never seen before. Dylan was most helpful and answered most of his questions, but there were some things even Dylan didn’t know. Jenna had so far refused to answer any of his questions, saying that he knew very well what everything was and to stop pretending he was from a time in the past. Cormac chuckled, thinking about her. He’d convince her yet. It was just a matter of time.
***
The doorbell started ringing at about 6 p.m. as Jenna and Dylan’s married friends began to arrive with their babies and small children. The plan was for them to enjoy some time at the party and then be heading home before the rowdier crowd arrived at around 9 p.m.
The children were all enamored with Cormac. They seemed to think he was a giant, and they all stood and stared up at him. To put them at ease, he squatted down to their level and introduced himself. Jenna thought his Scottish accent made him seem all the more magical in their eyes and before long he had children crawling all over him. Cormac had become the perfect baby sitter.
“Where did you find him?” Jenna’s friend Emily asked, with an envious look in her eyes.
“On the Marina Green,” Jenna honestly offered.
“He’s a keeper. Look at him, with those kids.”
Jenna couldn’t help but smile as she watched Cormac with the children. He even had Emily’s baby boy tucked into his side. The kids were climbing over him, as if he was a jungle gym. He didn’t seem bothered by it at all and in fact, encouraged their play. He took the children out to the barbecue area en masse and saw that they were fed, and then sat and told them stories about faeries and magical beings in the Scottish highlands. They were fascinated and their parents were happy beyond belief to have some uninterrupted time to chat with their friends.
“Are you okay, MacBayne,” Jenna questioned at one stage. “I can see that you’re a hit with the children, but if you need a break, I’d be happy to take over.”
“I’m fine, lass. I miss my sister’s children back home and these bairns are easing my heart a bit.”
“Auntie Jenna,” called a little tow-headed boy.
“Yes, James, what would you like?”
“Auntie Jenna, I like the big man,” James said.
“His name is Cormac and I’m happy you like him.” Jenna smiled warmly at the boy.
“Will he be here next time we come visit?” the boy asked.
“I don’t think so. He lives in another country, very far away,” Jenna answered.
“Awww…” All the children moaned at once.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be here all night,” she assured them.
“Aye. I’m not leaving yet.” Cormac gave Jenna a sweet, sexy smile that melted her heart.
“Well, I’d better get back to my other guests. Thanks for keeping them busy.” She hurriedly crossed the room to a large group of laughing women. She didn’t want to give him the impression that she might be falling for him, because she was determined she wasn’t.
The other women were all talking about Cormac - and how handsome, sexy, and strong he was. They were speculating about what he might look like with his shirt off and about what might be under that kilt.
“Jenna?” Emily asked with an inquisitive smile.
“Don’t look at me. I haven’t seen him with his shirt off, and you ladies need to stop ogling him as if he’s a Chippendale’s dancer,” Jenna protested.
“Okay, if you say so miss, but I think I might wrap him up and take him home with me,” Emily laughed.
“I think Ben might object to that,” Sarah chimed in. “So, I’ll take him home with me.”
“No one is taking him home with them.” Jenna sounded a bit testy, even to her own ears.
The other women simply giggled and eyed her jealously. She had to admit, she was having a difficult time keeping her emotions in check where Cormac was concerned. Keep your distance. He’s luring you into his web of sexiness. Grrr…
Cormac watched Jenna from across the room and completely enjoyed the sight of her turning from a very becoming shade of pink to crimson red. Whatever those lasses were saying to her, was making her verra uncomfortable. He was pretty sure they were talking about him. The surreptitious gazes sent his way were a sure giveaway. He had been enjoying the little ones verra much, but it was time for them to go and they all lined up to give him hugs and kisses goodbye. Some cried at having to leave and others yawned sleepily in their parents arms. Everyone thanked him profusely and offered him something called babysitting jobs. He guessed that was what he had just been doing.
The families had no sooner walked out through the door than another crowd of people started arriving. They were loud and boisterous and the greetings ranged from handshakes, slaps on the back, to kisses, and hugs.
“Cormac, I want to introduce you to my former team mates,” Dylan said proudly. “I was on the football team in college, until I blew my knee out.”
“Football?”
“I know you don’t know what it is, but it’s the greatest sport ever. The guys are going to go downstairs to the game room and we’re going to play some video games. I’ll explain it all to you while we’re down there. Come on.”
Dylan led the way, spouting off names as he passed a group of verra large men. “Sam, Tony, Diesel, JoJo, Tank…”
Cormac couldn’t possibly remember all their names, but it really didn’t seem to matter. They all greeted him with firm handshakes and a few slaps on the back as they headed downstairs to a room Cormac hadn’t yet seen.
“This is the game room, Cormac. You can play pool over there,” he said pointing at a large table, the top of which was covered in green fabric. The table had holes in the corners and in the si
des and there were many different colored balls set within a triangle and sitting atop it.
“This is an air hockey table. And this… this is foosball.”
Cormac was both amazed and confused by all he was seeing.
Dylan pointed out another area of the room. “But this, over here, is the best of all. This is our video game system. Don’t worry, we’ll show you how to play.”
“Don’t they have these things where you come from in Scotland, Cormac,” Sam asked.
“Nae, we dinnae have anything like it.”
“Well, you’re in for some fun. We’ll go easy on you, don’t worry,” Tank chimed in.
“Thank ye,” Cormac said, wondering just what was about to happen.
Upstairs, Jenna was busy greeting more friends, who were coming through the front door in a steady stream. Everyone was eating, drinking and generally having a very good time. The caterer had the food under control. Trays were being presented to the guests with various hors d’oeuvres, beautifully created in easy to eat portions. The barbecue had been fired up out on the patio and lanterns, candles and small outdoor lights cast a magical glow over the pool and waterfall. Those who brought their swimsuits were enjoying the hot tub, as well.
