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

by Jennae Vale

  “Together,” Cormac said, much to Jenna’s disappointment. “But only for dinner. After that I’d like to spend my final evening here with Jenna alone.”

  “No problem, bro. I’ll leave you alone after we eat,” Dylan continued with a grin, opening the door.

  “I’ll cook,” Jenna said. “We’ll go shopping for groceries while we’re out.”

  “Okay. See you later then.” And with that, Dylan and Chester were gone, leaving Jenna alone with Cormac.

  “We should get dressed,” Jenna announced, as she headed for her room. “Let’s go get some coffee.”

  “And food?” Cormac asked hopefully.

  “Of course,” Jenna answered. Cormac appeared very happy with the response, clearly he must have been starving. “I’ll meet you back out here.”

  ***

  The coffee shop was quite crowded and Cormac couldn’t believe that all these people were waiting in line for coffee. He didn’t understand it. Coffee was good, but he didn’t think it was so good that it warranted stores on every corner and lines out through the door. People in this time seemed to always have a cup of coffee in one hand and their phone in the other. They were completely unaware of what was going on around them. Dangerous to be sure. Why only this morning, he had seen two people almost hit by the speeding wagons people used to get around. They barely looked up from their phones to notice their near demise.

  Jenna paid for the coffee and pastries and led the way to a corner table for two. She ordered herself a drink with a verra long title and he got his coffee black. After drinking it with cream and sugar, he had discovered that he preferred it black. It had tasted bitter at first, but after getting used to it, he discovered he enjoyed the flavor of the coffee. Everything here was either too sweet or too salty to his taste buds. Jenna handed him a bagel and cream cheese.

  “Thank ye, Jenna. What do I do with this?” he asked, holding up the small container of cream cheese.

  “It’s to spread on your bagel, silly,” she smiled sweetly at him. He watched carefully as she spread cream cheese on her own bagel. He immediately followed suit and took a bite and then another. If this was his breakfast, he was going to be hungry again verra soon. He sipped his coffee and admired Jenna as she ate. She was so ladylike and dainty in her movements. Exactly the woman he had imagined would be his wife. He deliberately pushed the thought away. It would do nothing but serve to sadden him.

  Cormac perused the people in the room. Since his arrival, he had taken great pleasure in observing those he saw around him. He tried to imagine what their lives were like. He knew not everyone lived as Jenna and her cousin did. He had seen people, who in his time, would likely be merchants or artisans. There were plenty of poor and homeless. He had seen evidence of that daily. At Breaghacraig everyone was well cared for and had what they needed to live a good life. He knew that wasn’t the case in all parts of Scotland in his time, but those the MacKenzies were responsible for had no complaints to speak of. He felt sorry for those in San Francisco whom he’d seen sleeping in doorways and being passed by as if they didn’t exist. He was just about to ask Jenna about it when there was a scuffle outside the coffee shop. An older woman was wrestling with a much younger man, who was attempting to steal her purse and her phone. Cormac immediately rose from his seat and before Jenna could stop him, he was outside.

  The man had managed to snatch both objects and was running down the street.

  “Cormac, wait!” Jenna called. “Don’t go after him. He might have a gun!”

  Cormac didn’t heed her warning, instead, charging off down the street after the thief. The man quickly turned a corner and Cormac flew after him. They were running down an alley now and Cormac was right on his heels. Turning, the thief flashed a knife and Cormac quickly grabbed his arm, forcing the man to drop the knife. Cormac grabbed the man by his shirt and threw him up against the nearest wall.

  “I believe ye have something that doesnae belong to ye,” Cormac growled fiercely.

  “Here, take it,” the man’s voice quivered as he held out the purse and cell phone. “Just let me go.”

  “I’m afraid not, lad.” Releasing the man from the wall, Cormac grabbed his arm and started back down the alley. The man’s feet barely touched the ground as he was dragged along. At the corner, a breathless Jenna had just turned her ankle and fallen to the ground. “Dinnae move or ye’ll regret it,” Cormac warned the thief. The man nodded and stood perfectly still while Cormac scooped Jenna off the ground. “Ye shouldnae have come after me, Jenna.”

  “I was afraid he’d hurt you,” Jenna said.

  Cormac laughed. “Ye were afraid that this wee man could hurt me? ‘Tis not likely.” He renewed his grip on the man’s arm, placing him in front of him while also carrying Jenna in his arms and heading back to the woman whose purse had been stolen. All along the street, people were applauding Cormac and as they approached the coffee shop, they were met by two police officers and a paramedic.

  “Cormac, you can put me down now,” Jenna whispered.

  He gently placed Jenna on her feet and noticed she was obviously favoring her ankle. The paramedic, who had been tending to the other woman’s bruises, led Jenna to the back of another strange-looking wagon, where he examined her ankle.

  “Sir, that was very courageous of you.” One of the men in blue uniforms was talking to Cormac. “You can release your hold on this guy. We’ll take it from here.”

  “I have a few questions for you, sir,” the other man in blue said. Cormac watched as the man was led away to the backseat of a black and white wagon with flashing lights on top. Much like the one he had seen that day, on their way home from the beach.

  “Aye. What would ye like to know?”

  “I just need to get your statement. What you saw, etc.”

  “Thank you so much,” the older woman gushed as she threw her arms around Cormac. “You’re my hero.” She continued holding onto him, despite Cormac’s attempts to extricate himself.

  “Sir I need to know your name and address, etcetera. If you could just fill out this form for me I’d appreciate it. You can sign it down at the bottom,” one of the men said.

  Jenna hobbled back to his side and whispered, “I’ll help you with that. Officer, can we take this back into the coffee shop to fill it out?”

  “Sure. We’ll be out here for a while.”

  “Ma’am, you’ll need to let go of my friend,” Jenna said politely to the bag theft victim.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I just can’t thank you enough.”

  Cormac peeled the lady’s arms from around his waist and set her away from him. Her bright smile belied the fact that she had just been the victim of a crime. Cormac moved to pick Jenna up again, but she waved him off. “I can walk, thanks.” She limped to the door of the coffee shop and Cormac opened it, ushering her inside. They sat back down and Cormac stared at the papers in his hand. “Here, let me see that,” Jenna offered.

  Cormac handed the papers to her and Jenna produced a pen from her purse. “What is that?” Cormac wanted to know.

  “It’s a police report. I’ll fill it out for you and then you can sign it on the bottom. I’m sure that’s all they’ll need, although they might need you to testify in court.”

  “When will that be?” Cormac asked.

  “Oh, it won’t be for a while, I’m sure.”

  “I’m leaving tomorrow, lass. I’ll nae be here.”

  Jenna looked disappointed, but she began filling the paper out. When she was finished, she handed the pen to Cormac and pointed to a spot on the paper for him to sign.

  “Okay. That should do it. Let’s go give this to them and then we can leave,” Jenna said.

  Cormac handed the papers to the police officer and they checked to make sure they had his contact information. “Thank you, sir. We’re grateful for your help. We’ll be in touch.”

  “‘Twas no trouble at all,” Cormac replied.

  They started to walk away and Cormac noticed
that Jenna was still favoring her ankle. He swept her up into his arms and the people who had gathered to witness the incident broke out in applause again. Jenna buried her head in Cormac’s chest. “You really don’t have to carry me, you know. I can walk,” she said in embarrassment.

  “Not verra well, lass. I’m going to take you home to rest,” Cormac raised an eyebrow as he answered. “Believe me, ‘twill be quicker my way.”

  “Let me call a cab, please.”

  “Dinnae waste yer time, lass. We’ve nae got that far to go.” He felt her relax in his arms and knew she wouldnae continue to resist.

  EIGHTEEN

  “San Francisco has a new hero tonight and from the response to this cell phone video taken earlier today, he’s setting hearts across the Bay Area aflutter.” The evening news was on and Jenna and Cormac sat in total amazement as the news anchor continued. “Earlier today, a woman was robbed of her purse and cell phone outside a local coffee shop. The victim tells us that a man wearing a kilt ran after her assailant, and not only retrieved her possessions, but also captured the thief, disarming him of a knife.”

  Cormac recognized the woman he helped when she appeared on the screen. She was smiling brightly as she described what happened. “His friend ran after him, turned her ankle and fell. He picked her up and carried her back, all the while holding my attacker by the scruff of the neck. It was unbelievable, like something you’d see in a movie.” The video continued, showing the woman hugging Cormac tightly around the waist and followed their every move, even as far as Cormac picking Jenna up and carrying her away as the crowd applauded.

  “Oh my God,” Jenna said. “You’re on the news!”

  Cormac’s mouth had dropped open as he watched the television disbelievingly. “Jenna, how did I get inside the box?”

  “You’re not in the box, Cormac. Someone took a video of the whole event with their cell phone.”

  “I dinnae ken what ye speak of.”

  Jenna pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and held it up, waving it in front of him. Cormac nodded his head at her, but was still deeply puzzled. “It takes photos and video,” Jenna said. Cormac shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Watch, I’ll take a picture of the two of us. Come closer and look at the phone.” Cormac did as he was instructed and Jenna held the phone up in front of them. He could clearly see himself in the phone’s glass screen. “Okay. Smile.” He glanced at Jenna and saw her smiling brightly. He did the same and she took the photo before turning the screen back towards him. “Now look. See, there we are.”

  “Is it magick?” Cormac questioned, studying the screen carefully.

  “No, silly, it’s technology. I can’t believe you’ve never seen a cell phone. You must be the only person left on the planet who hasn’t.”

  Cormac nodded slowly, still fascinated by the photo. “Aye. Ye may be right.”

  “So, if I push this button, it takes a video.” Jenna pointed the cell phone at Cormac, who furrowed his brow.

  “What is it doing now?”

  “You’ll see.” She stopped the video and played it back for him.

  “If I didnae see it with my own eyes, I wouldnae believe it.” He took the cell phone from her hands. “Can I see it again?”

  “Sure. Touch the arrow on the screen,” Jenna showed him how to replay the video. “So you see, someone at the coffee shop had their phone out and recorded everything. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. If they find out where you are, they’ll be camped out on our doorstep wanting to talk to you.” Jenna reached over to the coffee table and picked up her laptop. She tapped on the keys and brought the news video up online. “Wow! That video’s gotten thousands of hits already, and it’s only been up for an hour. Looks like it’s going viral.”

  “Viral?” Cormac was more confused than ever.

  “Don’t worry about it. Hopefully no one I know will see it. If they do, and they alert the media… well, you don’t want to have to deal with that.”

  Someone was bound to recognize her and that could spell trouble for Cormac. He hadn’t exactly been truthful with her and she was afraid that any extra scrutiny he might receive would bring up uncomfortable questions. If he answered them the way he had answered Jenna’s questions, it would be bad for Cormac. Jenna’s cell phone vibrated in her hands. She checked the caller ID and not recognizing the caller, decided to let it go to voicemail. Her phone vibrated again, almost instantly. This time it was a text from Dylan. ‘Just saw the two of you on the news. Stay in tonight.’

  “Jenna, is all well?” Cormac seemed concerned.

  “Oh, yeah, it’s just Dylan. He says he won’t be able to join us for dinner.” The phone buzzed yet again. “And we should probably stay in tonight.” She smiled brightly, trying to reassure him. “I wasn’t planning on going out anyway.” Instead of responding, Cormac lifted her foot in his hands and gently probed her ankle. “It doesn’t hurt anymore,” she reassured him. “I just turned it. No big deal.”

  “Good. I’d not want to see ye hurt, lass.” The expression on his face told her he cared a great deal, about what happened to her.

  “I’m fine. No need to worry about me,” she said, although she was secretly delighted at his attentiveness. “We’ll just stay home and relax.”

  “Jenna, tell me about yer life here in San Francisco. I ken that ye dinnae spend all yer time at the beach, or attending feasts. What do ye do that makes ye happy?”

  Jenna thought long and hard about the question. She realized that Cormac must think she was a spoiled rich girl. She hadn’t shared the details of her life with him. She’d been enjoying a vacation from her everyday life and had been happier than she had been in a long time. “Hmmm… that’s a good question. Mostly, I work at my parents’ foundation. You know they do a lot of charitable work involving children and since they’re away all the time, Dylan and I handle matters here at home. I also work with the local homeless shelters and battered women shelters. I have lots of friends in the restaurant business, and I see to it that at the end of the day, they collect any food that’s left over and donate it to both groups.”

  “Does that make ye happy, Jenna?” Cormac asked.

  Jenna frowned, considering the question. “I haven’t had much to be happy about this past year. Don’t get me wrong, the work I’m doing is very rewarding. It makes me feel good to know we’re helping so many people. My own happiness is the last thing I think about.”

  Cormac brushed his hand across hers. “Ye deserve to be happy, lass.”

  Jenna rolled her eyes. “Happiness is overrated,” she lied.

  Cormac raised an eyebrow at her. “What do ye mean by that?”

  “I don’t know if I can explain it. It’s hard to be happy. I guess I have moments of happiness, but it can’t last forever.” She reached her hand out to Cormac and he took it. “You know, you’ve made me very happy this past week.”

  “Aye, you’ve done the same for me.”

  “What makes you happy, Cormac?”

  Cormac grinned. “Lots of things make me happy. A smile on your face makes me happy.”

  “Not here in San Francisco with me. What makes you happy when you’re at home?”

  The grin grew even wider, and his eyes sparkled with joy. “Ah… so many things. My family, my home, the people of my clan. Riding my horse through the MacKenzie lands and feeling the cool breeze on my face. The green grass, the forests, the ocean - the feeling that I belong there. There is much more, but I dinnae wish to bore ye.”

  “You’re not boring me, Cormac. I love listening to you talk. Your home sounds like a wonderful place, I wish I could go with you. And before you say I could,” she paused, thinking of how she could possibly explain it to him. “I know I can, but I also know I can’t. This is all so new to me - you’re so new to me. I’m afraid of making another terrible mistake. Afraid my heart will be broken. I wish I was the kind of person who didn’t care about this kind of stuff. I wish I was the type of person who c
ould just leave everything behind and go, but I’m not. I tried it once, with Jonathan, and I’ve regretted it every day since. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Aye.” Cormac remained silent for a moment, his eyes travelling across her hair, over her face. “I don’t want to forget ye, love. I want to always be able to think of ye and remember exactly how beautiful ye are. I want to remember the touch of yer hands, the smile on yer face, the sound of yer voice in me ears, the taste of ye on my lips.”

  Jenna found herself speechless. It was truly the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to her and it brought tears to her eyes. Cormac noticed and brushed them away with his thumb. He ever so gently brought his mouth down on hers. Jenna met his kiss with all the sadness, hunger and longing she was feeling. Her senses drank him in. She couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. He felt so right, but somehow she knew it had to be wrong. Jenna would let herself forget all about that for now. She wanted to be with him, to go with him. How could she not? She cleared her mind of all doubt and gave herself up to this man, to this moment.

  In the darkness of the room, Cormac lay awake, Jenna secure in his arms. Edna, are ye there? I must speak with ye.

  Aye, Cormac, I’m here. Are ye ready to leave tomorrow? The sound of Edna’s voice in his head was reassuring. Cormac was still anxious that he might not be able to return home tomorrow, despite a part of him not wanting to go.

  I am. Jenna willnae be returning with me. Of that, I am certain.

  I’m so sorry, Cormac. You couldn’t convince her? What reasons does she give?

  She doesnae trust me enough. She has been hurt too recently by her idjit husband and cannae believe I won’t do the same.

  Do you love her? Because if you do, there is always hope. It is always possible she will change her mind. You do not know what tomorrow will bring. Be at the appointed spot at first light and wait for the fog. You will be home before you know it.

  Thank ye, Edna. I do love her and I believe she feels the same for me, but it may be asking too much of her, to expect her to leave her life here.