Page 127 of Only a Breath Away

“Are you tired? You’ve had such a long day.”

His voice was low and rumbly. “I am, I rescued the dog just this morn. Who, I notice, is sleepin’ in the bunkhouse with the wee’uns and nae in here with his proper master, I think he is choosin’ Archie over me.”

I kissed his chest. “Can you blame him? The kids were feeding him all night.”

He said, “Did ye notice how he remembered them?”

“I did, he’s been in the time loop. I’m really glad he came out the other side with us. I want to say, just for the record, you were right and I was wrong. I’m glad you brought Haggis home.”

He kissed my forehead, “I would make a big deal of winnin’, but I think I am fallin’ asleep.”

“G’night m’love.”

CHAPTER 80 - KAITLYN

The next morning, when I woke up, Magnus was sitting on the side of the bed, putting on his shoes. It was just after dawn but I could already hear Zach moving about in the kitchen.

“I love the sounds of our morning, and it’s pretty great when it’s close by like this. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like a big house, a fortified castle, but it’s nice that we’re all a few feet away from each other. That’s fun too.”

He leaned on his good shoulder and kissed me. “I am going tae rouse Haggis and the bairns and go out tae the dock tae see the morn, ye want tae come?”

“I’ll be there in a minute. Let me grab a cup of coffee.”

A few minutes later I stood on the porch looking out at the lake, my husband standing on the dock with the kids, all four of them gathered around, chattering as they did first thing. Haggis frolicked and frisked around them all. I took a sip of my coffee and enjoyed the warmth, the light of the sunrise on the lapping ripples of the lake, the birds chirping with the changing light, the chill from the darkened woods as the light lifted it away, replacing it with the best that Maine had to offer in summer.

My husband looked up at me, and a smile spread across his face.

This was going to be a great vacation.

After breakfast, Quentin called, “Kaitlyn! Boss!”

Magnus and I went out the back door. “Where are you?”

“In the back shed!”

Magnus and I followed his voice around the house. The back shed was dark and full of furniture and boxes, and I couldn’t see what he was doing. “Whatcha doing, Quentin?”

His head popped up from behind an old sideboard. He was wearing the bucket hat, a particularly funny bucket hat made of denim, frayed on the edges and raggedy, completely out of character for him. He had a scruffy beard now, too. “Check this out.” He lifted a cardboard box up and placed it on the sideboard. The box had the letters, M.C. written on the side in marker.

Magnus’s eyes went wide.

I said, “Ooohhhhh! Magnus! Is this your stuff?”

“Aye, exactly where I left it, but also… I dinna remember it until right now.”

Quentin brought the box out to the picnic table. Kids arrived from nowhere to see. Quentin pulled the flaps away and we peered inside.

There was a very old book, Magnus lifted it and blew off dust. The front had the title stamped: The Prodromus Astronomiae. I said, “That looks familiar.”

“I hae written in the back of it, how tae use the vessels.” Magnus showed us the place.

I said, “I know I’ve never seen it before but it looks very familiar, that’s weird.”

There was a photograph of Magnus in a canoe, not far off the shore of the lake. He said, “I remember this moment. I came tae the dock and Barb had made me a sandwich. I had it there in a basket as I paddled away. She took a photo of me.”

“You look really happy there. It’s so cool that your happy place is also mine.”

“Tis nice tae share a history.”

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