“Are you sure you want to do that?” Bryce moaned.
“More than anything.” She continued down to the shirt collar, which she pulled away.
Bryce closed her eyes and felt her insides melting. Even breathing was difficult.
Fiona unbuttoned the first two buttons and kissed across Bryce’s chest.
“I’m having a little trouble not fainting…”
“I’ll catch you. Let. Go.” She slipped her hand under the shirt. “Bryce, I don’t want to lose you. Ever,” she whispered.
Bryce could barely make her mouth work. “Why would you…oohhh…lose me.”
“What if Leo wants to send you back?” She caressed one breast gently.
The fog began to clear, and Bryce stopped Fiona’s hand. “Wait. Did he say something to you?”
“No. It’s just that I overheard the guys talking about what an incredible asset you are to the company.”
Bryce shook her head clear. “I’m not sure that means anything. I’ll know more when I meet with them.” She sat up and took Fiona’s shoulders. “There are two things that are for certain. I love you more than anyone I’ve ever known, and I do not ever want to be away from you. And two, I’m proud to work for Leo and I’m grateful for all the opportunities he’s given me, but I will quit tomorrow if it means leaving here.” She pulled her close and kissed her deeply and passionately.
Fiona opened her eyes and took a breath. “Oh. Okay.” And she returned the kiss.
The indoor lights clicked on as the last rays of color faded through the apple orchard boughs from the western sky, and two doves called softly to each other.
The History behind Highland Dew
The history of Cardhu—which was written Cardow in the beginning—is closely connected to the history of two women: Helen and Elisabeth Cummings. Helen and her husband John Cumming ran a farm at Cardow in the late eighteenth/early nineteenth century. It is known that in 1816 John was convicted for distilling without official license three times. Distilling to small extents was usual for the farmers at that time, and nearly no one cared for licenses. They just couldn’t afford it.
At Cardow, it wasn’t John but his wife Helen who distilled, and she was known to have an eye on approaching excise officers and warn farmers in the neighborhood by setting up a red flag. Helen didn’t just only distill for their own needs; she also sold her whisky from her kitchen’s window, it is said.
In 1824, the Cummings could afford to buy a distilling license after the Exise Act of 1823 had reduced duties. They bought new stills, and in the beginning were helped selling and distributing their whisky by their friend George Smith, later the founder of The Glenlivet.
After John died in 1846, his wife Helen and his son Lewis carried on running Cardow Distillery.
The distillery and farm officially were handed down to Lewis, and in the following years he employed a brewer and a malt man. When Lewis passed away in 1872, his wife Elisabeth—supported by her mother-in-law Helen and her two young sons—carried on operating the distillery. Seeing the demands for whisky grow, Elisabeth bought new ground not far away from the previous farm and built a new Cardow distillery using the same water sources. It could produce three times more whisky than the old one.
In the year 1893 Elisabeth made a very important decision: she sold Cardow to John Walker & Sons for 20.500 pounds, and ensured her family to hold shares in Walker’s company. She died one year later, and didn’t have the chance to see the success of her wise decision: under the shield of the big company, Cardow could stand the hard times caused by the whisky market crash in 1898.
In 1899, the stills of Cardow were doubled and the distillery was connected to the railway by building a new road.
Distillers Company Ltd.—today Diageo—acquired the distillery in 1930. In 1960, a reconstruction and expansion followed the increasing demand for whisky in the post-war era.
In 1965, the word “Cardhu” became a trademark, and the brand was used to sell the whisky as single malt. In 1981 the name of the distillery was also changed from Cardow to Cardhu—a lightly different spelling for the original Gaelic word that means “black rock.”
About the Author
Barrett Magill a retired RN, a writer, and Golden Crown Literary Society Award Finalist who published six novels in four years with Bedazzled Ink including: Damaged in Service, Defying Gravity, Dispatched with Cause, Deliver Us From Evil, Balefire, and Flights of Fancy before joining Sapphire Books. Her new YA entitled The Dreamcatcher was released in January 2017. Balefire was re-released in June 2017.
She is a member of the Western Women Writers of New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment Romance Authors, Romance Writers of America, Golden Crown Literary Society, and the Petroglyph Guild.
Barrett enjoys mountain views from two acres of prairie in New Mexico’s high desert with her three dogs.
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Check out Barrett’s other books
The Dreamcatcher - ISBN - 978-1-943353-67-5
High school is rarely easy, especially for a tall, somewhat gangly Native American girl. Add a sprinkle of shyness, a dash of athletic prowess, an above-average IQ, and some bizarre history that places her in the guardianship of her aunt. Then normal high school life is only an illusion.
Kai Tiva faces an uphill struggle until she runs into Riley Beth James, the extroverted class cutie, at the principal’s office. Riley shows up for a newspaper interview, while Kai is summoned for punching out a classmate.
Riley is the attractive girl-next-door-type whom everyone likes. Though a fairly good student, an emerging choral star, and wildly popular, she knows she’ll never live up to her older sister. She makes up for it with bravery, kindness, and a brash can-do attitude.
Their odd matchup is strengthened by curiosity, compassion, humor, and all the drama of typical teenage life. But their experiences go beyond the normal teen angst; theirs is compounded by a curious attraction to each other, and an emerging, insidious danger related to mysterious death of Kai’s father.
Their emerging friendship is tested as they navigate this risky challenge. But the powerful bond forged between them has existed through past lives. The outcome this time will affect the next generation of Kai’s people.
Balefire – ISBN – 978-1-943353-91-0
Silke Dyson is a free-spirited artist and teacher struggling with a vision impairment as a result of a physical altercation. Kirin Foster is a pragmatic Type A writer for a travel magazine with great opportunities for travel, and a growing restlessness.
Their lives intersect at thirty-thousand feet during a tropical storm. With plans lost in the ensuing confusion, they form an unlikely friendship. The relationship strengthens in the warm tropical sunshine of the Belizean Cayes.
To their surprise, they discover a real connection with backgrounds in Milwaukee. Back home they continue an easy rapport with common interests and mutual friends.
Sometimes a random spark of kindness or caring can kindle a small flame. With patience and serendipity, a small flame can grow into a balefire—a beacon of hope to guide a pair of lost soul’s home.
Other book’s by Sapphire Authors
Razor’s Edge (American Yakuza III) – ISBN – 978-1-943353-81-1
Luce Potter lives by a code of honor. Push her and she shoves back, harder. There’s only one problem: Luce has just found out that revenge is a knife that cuts both ways. Now that her lover Brooke has survived the attack on her life, Luce has only one thing on her mind, and his name is Frank. Unfortunately, someone walks into her life that she didn’t see coming.
Brooke Erickson has survived an attack so brutal it’s left a permanent scar on her soul. All she wants to do now is go home and finish recuperating with her lover, Luce Potter, by her side. An unexpected event puts Brooke
at the head of the Yakuza family. Can she command the respect necessary to lead it through the crisis?
Luce and Brooke’s worlds are upending. Can each do what’s necessary to survive and return to a new normal?
Lavender Dreams - ISBN - 978-1-943353-59-0
When Sarah Chase got on the ferry to Bainbridge Island, she left her lover, her job, and her past behind. She didn’t know that in the course of one day she would meet a woman who might be the girl of her dreams, change her career path, create a new family, and find herself in a fairytale mansion with two of the quirkiest little old ladies imaginable.
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