Page 86 of A Thistle Beyond Time
Jenna scrunched up her nose and stuck her tongue out at him.
“I can think of better things to do with that tongue, love,” Cormac teased.
“I bet you can,” Jenna responded.
“You’ll have to wait until later, as today is the day you ride Rose all on yer own.”
“Ugh, not today,” Jenna whined.
“Today.” Cormac started striding towards the stable. He looked back and noticed that Jenna had not moved, so he stopped and waited for her to join him.
“Okay. Okay. I’m coming.” Jenna grabbed his arm with a frustrated huff and followed along to get Rose.
* * *
Jenna was pleased with her riding lesson. She didn’t know why she’d ever doubted Cormac when he’d told her he’d have her riding Rose on her own. She was proud of herself and feeling very accomplished, when she ran into Sophia just outside the stable doors.
“What are you doing here?” Jenna asked. She searched around to see who was watching Sophia and saw Latharn leaning against the wall of the blacksmith’s shop. He nodded at Jenna, to let her know he was keeping an eye on the situation, when Cormac emerged from the stables.
“Are ye ready, love?” Cormac stopped short when he saw Sophia standing there.
“I was just about to tell Jenna, that I was going in to look at the horses,” Sophia confessed.
“Do ye ride, lass?” Cormac asked.
“I’ve ridden before. Not a lot, but I think I did pretty well when I did.”
“Mayhap ye can convince Latharn to take you out for a ride. I’m sure he’d be pleased to go with ye.” Cormac nodded in Latharn’s direction and Latharn headed towards them. “Latharn, ye should take the lovely Sophia out on one of the horses. She may enjoy it.”
Sophia looked up at Latharn with a huge smile. “I’d love it, actually.”
“I’ll get some horses saddled up then.” Latharn seemed completely smitten with Sophia, and it seemed the feeling might be mutual.
The two walked into the stable together, leaving Jenna and Cormac alone outside.
“That was weird,” Jenna observed.
“Weird?”
“You know… not normal,” Jenna explained.
“Latharn will keep an eye on her.”
“Okay. Is it bath time, yet?” Jenna picked up her skirts and started to run for the castle doors.
“I believe it is,” Cormac said. He took off in pursuit of her, catching her just as she got to the steps of the Keep. “Wait for me, love. It wouldn’t do for me to be chasing ye through the doors. What would me sister think?” Cormac chuckled at the thought of what his sister would say, if she knew what they were up to.
Jenna straightened her dress and fixed her hair, putting on a show of regality, and stifling a giggle, she tucked her hand in the crook of Cormac’s arm and let him guide her through the doors and upstairs, to what was fast becoming their afternoon ritual.
Chapter 28
Jenna could hardly believe her stay at Breaghacraig was almost over. Here it was, Day Four, and she had to admit that she wasn’t looking forward to leaving. She’d thought when she first arrived that she couldn’t wait to go home, but the last few days had taught her that she enjoyed life at Breaghacraig. She loved seeing Ashley every day and she definitely loved being with Cormac. Day Seven was going to be torturous. But that was still a few days off. She’d done a good job of not thinking about it and she planned to keep it that way.
Cormac had saddled up their horses after breakfast and they were going to go for a ride down to the beach. Jenna was really looking forward to it. Rose was turning out to be a quiet, calm horse and her gentleness was infectious. Jenna relaxed and enjoyed riding her. They made their way through the castle gates and rode side by side down the path that led them to the nearby shoreline. Cormac had explained to Jenna that in times past, this beach had been the landing site of smugglers. They’d bring goods from other European ports and sell them here at Breaghacraig.
“That would explain where a lot of the beautiful things in the castle came from, then,” Jenna observed.
“Aye. Some of it came from the smugglers, but some also came from travelling vendors and from journeys that the MacKenzie’s took to Edinburgh and London.”
