Page 63 of A Thistle Beyond Time
“I’ll accept that,” he responded with a sweet smile.
Raindrops began plopping down on them. It was just starting, but within minutes it would be a downpour. Cormac carried Jenna inside the shelter and bundled her up in the plaid. He had been warming more rocks on the fire and he poked them out of the flames with his sword. “We’ll need these to keep warm,” he said as he gathered them up in his kilt. They were still quite hot, but he managed to get them under the plaid where they would emanate warmth for some time to come. He had unsaddled his horse and placed the saddle in their shelter, along with anything else that needed to stay dry.
“What about your horse?” Jenna asked. Saidear was nibbling on some grass and didn’t seem to mind that he was getting wet.
“He’ll be fine. ’Tis not the first time he’s been caught out in the rain.” Cormac lay down beside Jenna, resting his head on his saddle. “May I hold ye, Jenna, lass? Ye told me not to touch ye, and I ken that I have done so since, but here in our shelter, I don’t want to presume too much.”
“It’s okay,” Jenna said. “We need to stay warm. Here,” she said as she held the plaid up for him to crawl under. “For survival purposes, you can hold me.” She turned her back to him and he pulled her in to the curve of his body. Before long she heard the sound of his steady breathing, letting her know he had drifted off to sleep. She only hoped she could manage to do the same.
* * *
Adrop of water landed in Cailin’s ear, waking him from what had been a very peaceful sleep. Jenna’s eyes remained closed and he hoped he could get up and start the fire again to warm her before they left for Breaghacraig. He gently slipped his arm out from under her head. She didn’t wake and he was relieved. He wrapped the plaid tightly around her and made his way out into the open. Taking a quick look at the fire, he realized it would be impossible to get it going again. Everything was pretty well drenched. There was a small amount of food left from the night before and it would have to do until they reached his home.
“Cormac,” Jenna called from inside their shelter.
“Aye. Jenna, I’m here.” He peeked inside and was rewarded with a smile.
“I was afraid you’d left me.”
“I would never leave you, Jenna. You have nothing to fear.”
“Are the wolves gone?” she asked.
“Aye. They no doubt sought shelter from the storm. We should go as soon as possible though.”
“How long will it take to get to your home?”
“A wee bit longer. We should arrive there this afternoon.”
“Okay.” Jenna unwrapped herself from the plaid and emerged in to the early morning light. It looked like rain was still a possibility. She hoped not, it would make the rest of their journey miserable. “I have to pee. Is there somewhere safe to do that?”
Cormac choked back a laugh. Jenna was not the least bit shy in her speech. “Of course, come with me.” He led her to a stand of nearby trees. “How does this look?”
“Fine. You’re not going to stand there, are you?”
“Nae. I’ll give ye yer privacy, lass. I’m just over here if ye need me.” He walked away and left her.
Cormac was verra happy to be back in his own time. He knew exactly how Jenna felt. This was neither her time nor place. The only difference between them was that he had willingly gone to San Francisco. He had gone to find her. When he went to the Marina Green with her yesterday morning, Cormac was certain he’d never see her again. Had Edna orchestrated this whole thing? He had tried to contact her since his return, but she was not responding. If Jenna didnae want to stay, then he was honor-bound to see that she returned safely to her own time. How he would do that was another question, all together.
“Okay. I’m ready to go.” Jenna was back and looking better than she had yesterday. She seemed to have accepted her current situation and Cormac was happy she would not be harping on him all day – or at least, he hoped that would be the case.
“Here. There’s some food left from last night. Eat. You will need your strength.”
“What about you, you need it more than I do,” Jenna protested.
“We’ll share,” Cormac said. “You first.”
Jenna took a bite out of the leftover rabbit and ate one of the bannocks. “That should be enough for me. Your turn.”
“Take another bite of the rabbit, Jenna.” Cormac told her with his eyes that he would not take no for an answer. She did as he requested and handed him the rest. He ate as he gathered their things, few though they were, together. He saddled Saidear and repacked the saddlebag. He had completely forgotten that he had a whole bag of candy draped across his body. Reaching in, he picked out a piece for Jenna and one for himself. “Here.” He offered Jenna a piece of chocolate.
“Oh… thanks. I forgot all about the candy we bought. I don’t usually eat candy for breakfast, but in this case, I’ll make an exception.”
Cormac hoisted Jenna up onto his horse and mounted behind her. They set off at a trot, which must have been a bit jarring for Jenna because she spoke after a few minutes. “Could we go faster, please? It’s not quite as bouncy.”
“As you wish, m’lady.” Cormac offered her a mock bow and urged Saidear forward into a canter.
“That’s better,” she smiled.
