Page 1 of A Thistle Beyond Time
Chapter 1
The silence surrounding Jenna was as all encompassing as the thick blanket of fog, which had just settled in around her. A shiver travelled up her spine when she noticed she was suddenly and completely alone, where moments before the Marina Green had been filled with people walking their dogs, running along the pathways, and otherwise enjoying the morning. Movement caught her eye and as she watched, the fog began to swirl and move towards her, as if it were a living, breathing entity.
“Chester, come,” she called. Her cousin Dylan’s massive Rottweiler trotted her way. “Time to go, boy.”
As she finished leashing the dog, the wind picked up and Chester began barking and leaping at the approaching fog. They were in the middle of some kind of whirlwind. Jenna brushed her wayward locks out of her eyes as Chester barked happily, his little stub of a tail wagging along with his entire hind end. Why was he greeting the fog, which continued swirling their way?
Curiosity held Jenna in place. The fog was alive with movement, and sparked and popped with mini lightning strikes of color. She knew she should get out of there, but her feet were frozen to the spot. Moments passed in slow motion as the fog began to dissipate, leaving in its place a very tall, kilted man with long, dark hair and mesmerizing blue eyes that were trained on Jenna. He smiled and walked her way.
“Ye must be Jenna. I’ve come for ye lass.”
Jenna forced herself to speak. “Do I know you?” Her voice quivered only the tiniest bit. She wracked her brain, trying to remember if she’d met this guy before. Jenna imagined if she had, she’d remember him. He wasn’t someone she’d easily forget.
“Nay. We’ve not met.”
That voice and that accent were affecting her ability to move. She really needed to get away from him, before she turned into a puddle of mush at his feet.
“Then how do you know me? Where did you come from,” she demanded, as she quickly surveyed the surrounding area.
“I dinna know ye, lass. Edna sent me.”
He said the last, as though she should know who Edna was.
“I don’t know anyone named Edna. You must have me confused with someone else.” She began backing away. He followed.
“Nay. Ye dinna know Edna, but she knows ye. She said ye’d be the first lass I’d set eyes on when I arrived.”
Jenna was trying her best not to freak out, but the intimidating stranger who was wearing a kilt and pacing towards her, wasn’t making it easy.
“So, this is San Francisco.” He looked around and his eyes lit on the Golden Gate Bridge. “’Tis an amazing sight.”
The fog was completely gone and people were visible once again. Jenna breathed a sigh of relief.
“And who is this?” he asked, as he bent to pet Chester – who was doing a pathetic job of protecting her.
“His name’s Chester. He’s not usually very friendly with strangers.” She couldn’t believe it. The dog was all over this guy. One thing was certain, to this point Chester had always been an excellent judge of character. If someone was not to be trusted, he reacted with growls and raised hackles. It was a shame that today was apparently the day he’d decided to lower his standards.
“Look, Mr.—” Jenna started.
“My apologies, lass, I forgot to introduce meself. Me name’s Cormac MacBayne.”
“Well, it’s been nice chatting with you, Mr. MacBayne, but I’ve got to get going.”
“I’ll come with ye then.”
“No. No, you won’t.” Jenna cursed the fact that she’d left her cell phone at home.
“Aye. I must. I’m here for ye, Jenna.”
“What exactly does that mean,” she snapped. Jenna’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.
“Edna sent me to bring ye back with me. Yer to be me wife.”
“Okay, I don’t know what drugs you’re on, or which one’s you should be on, but you need to leave me alone.” Jenna assessed the situation and decided she needed to get home as quickly as possible. There were plenty of people out and about now, so if he tried anything, she’d scream. This guy was obviously a nut job, but oddly, she didn’t feel threatened by him. Too bad he was delusional, because otherwise, he was a fine specimen of man.
She quickly turned around and started walking away. He hurried to catch up with her. Jenna surveyed the area for the quickest way to lose this guy. It didn’t look hopeful.
“Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?” she said.
