Once Jerry left for the hospital, my nerves were so shot that I retired to bed straight away. While I heard the party continue on for hours into the night, I couldn’t believe how little evidence there was of it the next morning. Not only was every guest gone, but every other piece of evidence of the gathering was gone, as well. The food was put away, dishes cleaned, decorations gone, mess tidied. It astonished me.
When I went to ask Anne how they managed it all, she insisted she’d been unable to sleep a wink so she busied herself all night. I immediately felt guilty for not lending a hand, but she assured me that she didn’t mind in the slightest.
As I approached the kitchen the morning of Jerry’s return, I heard Morna’s voice inside and stepped in eager to hear news of Jerry’s health. Rather than speaking of her husband, she was lamenting with Anne over Jerry’s new diet and her lack of knowledge of healthy foods.
“I doona know what I shall do. The doctor gave me such little guidance but so much pressure to make changes for him that I fear I may cave under it. He made me feel responsible for it. Perhaps I am.”
Anne stood with one arm draped around Morna as she sniffled and looked down at the floor. I walked over to them both and pulled Morna into a hug.
“What’s this? I thought Jerry was doing better. Surely they wouldn’t let him leave if he wasn’t.”
She looked up at me and moved to wipe her hand across her nose as she took a shaky breath.
“Aye. He couldna be more fortunate. ’Tis not often that modern medicine can overcome the powers of a witch’s curse. I doona know why I’m so weepy.”
I wanted to speak up in defense of Grier, but I didn’t think it best with how upset Morna already was.
Anne reached over and squeezed my arm to get my attention, although when she spoke she directed it to Morna.
“I bet Sydney can help. She knows everything about cooking.”
Anne was absolutely right. I should’ve jumped right in and offered help myself.
“Yes, of course I will. What can I do?”
Morna stepped away to grab a piece of paper off the island and extended it toward me.
“Here are the doctor’s guidelines for Jerry’s new diet. No salt, no sugar, no dairy, no red meat, no sausage, no bread…the list goes on and on. How does the man expect me to cook anything at all, let alone something that Jerry will eat? Why the old man has lived off of salty cheese and sausage most of his life. He ran a farm, but he’s not a goat. He canna live by munching on grass alone.”
I could see how such restrictions would overwhelm Morna, especially when she was already so shaken by all that had happened over the past few days, but all of it was entirely possible. It was an opportunity to take charge of something. I was an expert at that.
“You don’t need to worry about any of this, Morna. I’ll cook everything for him myself until he’s much better. In fact, I’ll just make sure we are all eating that way. It will make it easier for Jerry and will be better for all of us. And, I’ll make sure to draw you up a manageable eating plan complete with recipes and shopping lists that you can use on your own once you and Jerry return home. You’re a good cook, so you won’t need help once you have the recipes. You just need some guidance.”
The woman’s lip trembled in what I could only assume was gratitude. Thankfully, she held it together as she spoke to me. Otherwise, I knew I would be blubbering right along with her.
“Aye, exactly. All I need is some guidance. I canna thank ye enough.”
“You don’t need to thank me at all. It’s my job.”
I pulled away from the group hug and went to open the refrigerator to look inside. There were so many leftovers after the party that everyone munched on that I’d not cooked in days, and there was very little in the pantry or fridge.
“May I borrow a car so that I can go get groceries? I don’t think there’s a thing here that Jerry should eat. It will take me a while to gather up a proper list though. What time is it, Morna?”
My own stomach was already growling, and I ate a hearty breakfast. If I was to guess, I doubted Jerry had eaten anything all day.
“’Tis near noon. Honestly, lass, I can bake him a piece of chicken if naught else for lunch. There’s no need to make Callum wait any longer.”
“Actually…” Anne’s face twisted up guiltily as she bobbed her head in the direction of the fridge. “I’m pretty sure we’re out. The party went through most of the food, then Orick and Aiden ate the rest of the meat this morning.”
Pizza was the very last thing Jerry needed, and it would take me the rest of the day by the time I came up with a proper meal plan and drove to get the groceries.
“Well, he’s not eating pizza, and he’ll need something before I’m able to get back from shopping. There’s a head of lettuce and a few tomatoes in here. I can prepare a salad, but that’s not enough to sustain him.” Thin as he was, from what I’d seen, Jerry was a healthy eater.
It only took me a moment to recall the small chicken coop I’d noticed next to the stables. It wouldn’t be pleasant, but as far out as Cagair was, I didn’t see any other option.
“Question—the chickens out back—is anyone overly fond of them?”
Anne’s face blanched as she widened her eyes and shook her head at me.
“No, I don’t think so. You’re not going to…to kill one are you?”
“I certainly am. How do you think the chicken you buy at the store gets there? Somebody has to kill it. I’ve never done it before, but I remember watching my grandmother do it. I’ll manage.”
I walked out of the kitchen rather determinedly, hoping that I would be able to finish the unpleasant task before I talked myself out of it.
CHAPTER 23
No one could say that I wasn’t the sort of person to do what I said I was going to. It may have caused me to retch twice, but I had a perfectly cooked, appropriately seasoned chicken breast delivered to Jerry’s room within the hour. The real casualty out of the whole ordeal seemed to be Anne. I didn’t know if I turned her into a vegetarian, or if she was just frightened I might ask her for help cooking one day, but she disappeared for hours.
Today, however, I really didn’t care either way. I pushed through it, but the act was just as traumatizing for me as it was for Anne. When I finished cooking, I escaped to my room to shower the icky feeling away.
It was midafternoon by the time I emerged from my room with the intent to check on Jerry and find Callum. It was silly, I knew, but three days away from him seemed very long. I hoped he was as anxious to see me as I was to see him.
I was still without groceries for the rest of the week, but thankfully, Aiden agreed he would go shopping first thing in the morning to spare me the trip today if I would give him a list at dinner.
I learned from Cooper that Callum spent the majority of the day at Jerry’s side, so as I crossed the hall over to Jerry’s room, I hoped to find them both inside. With that in mind, I stood outside his bedroom and knocked loudly, lifting my free palm up to my mouth to gently test out my breath. I’d brushed and swished mouthwash twice, but I wanted to be certain that all traces of vomit were now gone.
When no response came, I called out while knocking even more loudly a second time.
“Jerry, are you awake?”
I realized how thoughtless my question was the moment I asked it. If he wasn’t awake before, he certainly was now.
“Aye, I’m awake. Come and join us.”
I pushed open the door slightly and hesitantly stepped inside. Callum sat next to Jerry’s bed. He twisted and grinned at me as I entered.
Jerry continued to beckon me forward. “Come here, lass. I’ve missed ye.”
It seemed funny to me that he’d miss me after our few interactions together, but I felt much the same, and it lifted my mood greatly to see him so chipper.
“You look good, Jerry.”
I placed my hand on Callum’s shoulder in greeting before leaning in to kiss Jerry on the cheek.
Just the touch of my hand on Callum’s shoulder made my stomach clench with need. I ignored the flutter and focused on Jerry.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better than I was. It seems I need to thank ye twice over, first for not letting me die and second for cooking me such a delicious piece of chicken. I’ve never had poultry that tasted so fresh.”
At mention of his lunch, my stomach surged for an entirely different reason than it had just seconds before. “Well, yes, it definitely was fresh.”
“What does that mean, lass?”
Jerry chuckled slightly as he asked the question, and I knew by the ornery glint in his eye that he already knew the answer.
“Morna told you, didn’t she?”
“Aye. They’ve one less chicken in the coop from what I hear.”
I stood beside Callum, my hand still on him as he twisted to look up at me in shock.
“No, ye dinna? I doona believe it.”
“I did, but I really don’t want to talk about it. I do, however, wish to speak with you. Will you come with me?”
“Aye.”
Callum started to stand but stopped when Jerry reached out a hand to prevent us from leaving.
“No, please doona leave. I’m bored to tears in this bed. I’m verra good at acting like it’s always Morna intruding into other people’s business, but I’m rather nosy myself. Just go ahead and have yer conversation and allow me to lay back and listen.”
He smiled slyly, but even that wasn’t going to convince me to do what I wished to in front of Jerry.
“I know you have to be losing your mind, but this is rather personal. It’s not even a conversation really. There’s something…”
Callum interrupted me before I could continue.
“Oh come, Sydney. Jerry’s good at keeping secrets. What do ye need to say? I’ve no problem hearing it in front of Jerry if it will keep him happy. He’s a trying bastard when he’s not.”
I stood there, suddenly seeing this current situation much like the one with the chicken. If I didn’t just do it, I would talk myself out of it. I didn’t want to talk myself out of it—I’d wanted to kiss him again for days now.
“Fine.”
I bent to grab Callum’s face with both hands, lifting his head upward so that I could kiss him. It was a damn good kiss. When I pulled away, both men stared at me with an expression that I guessed resembled Anne’s as she watched me murder the chicken. It seemed I was on a roll with the unexpected today.
“Now, can we speak alone?”
Callum didn’t wait for Jerry’s permission this time as he stood and latched onto my hand, pulling me out of the room behind him.
“I’m sorry, Jerry. I’ll not be saying no to her, not if there’s a chance she may do that again.”
“O’course, lad. Get out of here, the both of ye. The lass made my month with that.”
CHAPTER 24
Three days was no time at all in the grand scheme of things, but three days spent doing very little other than thinking was a very long time indeed. While I used my kiss as a way to draw Callum’s attention away from Jerry’s bedside, it was certainly not the only reason I wanted him alone. While Callum and Jerry were away, I developed a long list of things I wanted to talk over with him.
Jerry’s heart attack frightened everyone, and the event made it plain to me that it didn’t matter that I’d yet to mark a week here at Cagair. I cared about these people. I felt comfortable around them. And despite the hiccup of my first night here, I trusted them completely.
As far as I could see, time wasn’t necessarily the best marker for change. Life could change in an instant—the past week was evidence of that. Or, as my entire time in Italy demonstrated, years could go by with nothing of interest ever happening. I trusted my feelings enough not to worry about the timeline in which they progressed.
I could deal with that, but what if Callum couldn’t? What if days away from me cooled his feelings? Even if they hadn’t, what exactly were his feelings anyway? His promise to pursue me certainly got my blood pumping, but I needed clarity on what we were doing.
Even if he technically lived in another century, the portal made it too easy for him to travel back and forth. We would bump into each other all the time even once the repairs on his castle were finished. I already enjoyed my new job immensely, and I suspected that my love for it would continue to grow over time. I had every intention, Callum aside, to be at Cagair long-term. So would he. I didn’t believe our feelings for one another could be pursued casually with no thought on the possible ramifications later.
What if things got messy and didn’t work out? I didn’t want that to impact my job here, or worse, to affect my relationships with the rest of the household. All of it needed to be talked through.
“Hang on.” My plea came out breathlessly as he nipped gently at my neck, holding me close with one hand as he swung the door to my bedroom shut with the other. He made no move to halt anything, and I hurried to get his attention. If I didn’t get the conversation going soon, my desire to talk would melt away from the warmth of his touch. “Callum, I mean it, hang on just a second. I want to talk to you.”
He paused with his lips still touching my neck. He held his stance for just a moment before stepping away to look at me with lust-filled eyes.
“Oh. Ye truly wish to speak? With the way ye acted in front of Jerry, I thought perhaps this is what ye meant by talking.”
He couldn’t look more disappointed.
“I meant both sorts of talking, but if we proceed with this kind first, the other will never happen.”
He grinned and nodded as he led me over to the edge of the bed.
“Aye, ’tis true. What do ye wish to speak of?”
“You don’t really know me—not well, not yet—but you’ll find soon enough that I tend to be very blunt. I’ve never seen much sense in beating around the bush about anything.”
He nodded, urging me onward. “I agree, lass. Say what ye need to.”
“Okay, right. Well, firstly, I think maybe I need some clarification on what exactly we are doing with all of this because if you answer one way, the rest of what’s on my mind will be moot.”
“Aye, I’ve some pressure then.”
He appeared calm, but for someone who’d just claimed that I didn’t like to beat around the bush, I certainly seemed to be stalling. It had to be making him nervous.
“No. No pressure. Just answer honestly. You’ve only known me a few days, so whatever you say will be fine. When you said that you were going to ‘ardently pursue’ me, did you mean in a strictly carnal way, or did you mean like me as a person—as a relationship of sorts?”
He crossed his arms and regarded me cautiously. He chuckled slightly when he spoke.
“Doona tell me that either answer is fine, for I doona know of any lass who would care for the first answer, but I will answer ye truthfully all the same.”
He uncrossed his arms and reached for my hand, bringing it up to his mouth so that he could kiss the inside of my palm.
“I am not the sort of man who easily separates the urgings of my body from the urgings of my heart. The two are closely tied and always have been. Ye can be assured that I intend to get to know yer mind and heart just as well as I will know yer body.”
“Good. I feel the same way. Now, you should know before we continue that I’m not like a lot of people when it comes to dating. I’m too work-driven, too independent. There must be some boundaries, okay?”
He laughed and leaned in to kiss my cheek.
“What do ye mean by boundaries?”
“I mean that I make my own decisions. Don’t ever, even for a second, think that you can tell me what to do and I will listen. In fact, the fastest way to get me to do something is to tell me not to. As childish as that may be, it’s just the truth.”
I didn’t wait for him to respond before jumping into the most pressing matter on my mind.
“One last thing—what
if this doesn’t work? Will you be able to peacefully coexist so that it doesn’t impact my job here? I’m already so fond of everyone. I would hate it if weirdness between us made it uncomfortable with everyone else. I know I can manage to separate everything. Can you?”
He shook his head, and something within me deflated.
“Truthfully, I doona know. I feel I’m already too fond of ye to see such an occasion arising.”
“Yeah, but it might.”
He stood, smiled, and extended a hand to pull me to my feet.
“I truly doona think it will. Even if it does, mayhap it’s not the best idea to go into anything expecting it to fail, aye?”
Callum pulled me closer and bent to kiss me. Perhaps I was approaching everything far too pessimistically.
He whispered in my ear before kissing the side of my neck.
“Now, let’s get about the business of speaking another way, if ye doona mind. I’ve been waiting to kiss ye again for far too long.”
I surrendered to his kiss and happily lost myself in the sensation of his hands gliding down the sides of my body. He moved upward toward my lips and kissed me so deeply that all worry drifted from my mind.
I would gladly stay lost in his touch for now. As long as I stayed cautious and kept a gauge on the pace of things, there was no harm in enjoying myself.
CHAPTER 25
1650
“What? Can ye wait a while longer? Why doona the two of ye come up here if ye wish to talk to me?”
Callum stood on the makeshift ladder, spreading the mortar for the stones alongside Taran, the best mason in all of Scotland. The work required a great deal of attention, and Callum didn’t want to stop for a short respite midday with the rest of his men, but by the sound of Adwen’s voice, his brother wasn’t going to give him much choice.
Love Beyond Belief (Book 7 of Morna’s Legacy Series) Page 12
