Chapter 10 #2
Cormac watched everything Jenna did as she settled into the driver’s seat and prepared for the return trip home. He probably thinks I can’t drive, she thought. “Don’t worry, Cormac, I’m a really good driver. Probably better than Dylan. You’ll see.”
She started the truck and headed for home. Sideways glances at Cormac showed that he was uncomfortable with her behind the wheel, so she did her best to reassure him with a smile.
The drive home was quiet. Dylan and Chester snoozed in the back and Cormac had finally relaxed enough to enjoy the scenery and let go of the dashboard.
Jenna was delighted that Dylan was leaving her home alone with Cormac tonight.
She thought about what the evening would be like, anticipating a night spent in his arms, when traffic suddenly came to a dead stop in front of her and she had to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting any other cars.
“I’m sorry about that,” Jenna apologized.
Dylan didn’t move. Chester opened one eye and when he was satisfied that all was well, closed it again. Cormac seemed to be the only one at all rattled by it.
“What happened, lass? Did ye nae see them stopping?” Cormac asked, concern written all over his handsome face.
“I was day dreaming. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you alright?” she asked.
“Aye, I be fine, especially if ye dinna do that again,” he teased. “What were ye day dreaming about?”
She could tell he was fishing to see if she was thinking about him, so she fibbed, “I was wondering what to make for dinner. That’s all.”
Traffic started up again and they crawled past a wreck on the side of the road. Cormac’s eyes went wide with interest. “What has happened here?” he asked Jenna.
“Looks like an accident,” she stated as the lanes in front of them began to open up allowing her to get back up to the speed limit. “The highway patrol was there, but no ambulance, so no one was hurt.”
“Highway patrol,” he muttered.
“They had the car with the flashing lights on top. They patrol the freeways making sure people are obeying the rules of the road and helping motorists who’ve had accidents or breakdowns.”
Cormac nodded his head and appeared concerned. She was pretty sure he wasn’t getting any of what she just shared. He must really live in the boonies, she thought, either that or he’s a really good actor. “Who makes sure people follow the rules where you come from?” she asked innocently.
“’Tis Robert who does,” he answered.
“You work for Robert, right? So, do you help him with that? Are you like the highway patrol?”
“Aye. When there is trouble, we handle it.”
She wanted to know more, but thought she’d approach the subject slowly. She had to figure out if he was delusional, doing a fine acting job to prank her, or last and least likely, telling the truth.
“I’ll need to hit the grocery store. Would you like steak for dinner tonight?”
“I be happy to eat whatever you cook, lass. Do ye have a bow I could use?”
“What would you need that for?” Wait, was he talking about a bow, like for your hair, or a bow and arrow bow?
“So I can go hunt for our dinner. Ye will have to show me where yer game are located, but I have no doubt I can bring back meat for our meal.”
Jenna tried hard not to roll her eyes at that crazy pronouncement. Instead she just said, “No need to hunt when we have a grocery store nearby. You can come with me and see how we get our food here in my time,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
“Tis no trouble at all, lass.”
“We don’t hunt around here, Cormac. I mean some people do, but you’d have to drive pretty far and you’d need a hunting license, if it’s even hunting season.” Her lack of hunting acumen was showing.
“I see,” Cormac said, but she knew he really couldn’t. “Another license,” he muttered.
The rest of the drive was uneventful and they eventually made it back home without waking Dylan or Chester.
“Hey, Dylan, why don’t you hose Chester off before he comes inside. I’m going to take a quick shower before I head to the store, you probably should, too, Cormac.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Dylan teased by saluting her bossiness. “Right away!”
Dylan took the dog around to the side yard and Cormac helped Jenna unpack the truck.
Once they had finished putting everything away, they went their separate ways to shower and would meet back in the living room in thirty minutes to go shopping. Jenna just hoped she could resist the urge to meet Cormac in his room instead.
***
The trip to the grocery store turned out to be quite amusing as far as Jenna was concerned.
Cormac couldn’t have looked more shocked if he’d tried.
She could see that he wanted to act as if this was no big deal for him, but his facial expressions and the way he wanted to examine absolutely everything was a dead giveaway.
She was bombarded with question after question about the packaging, the products and most of all the meat. She realized she was woefully lacking in her knowledge of food production.
“Ye mean ye dinna even know where yer food comes from?” he asked in surprise.
“Well, I know where some of it comes from, but mostly it comes from big companies, I guess,” she tried to explain.
“What are big companies?”
“You know what, let’s not ask any more questions. Can we just get the things we need and get out of here?” She was missing Dylan about now. He never tired of answering Cormac’s many questions. Dylan might not even know what he was talking about, but he always gave him some sort of answer.
They got the grocery cart through the checkout stand without incident.
She could tell Cormac was biting back his queries and it made her giggle to herself.
All in all they managed to survive the grocery store and made it home where they unloaded the groceries and Jenna set about getting dinner started.
Cormac sat at the kitchen counter and watched her every move.
She felt a little on display, but had to admit to herself that she kind of liked his undivided attention.
“Can I help ye with that, lass?” he asked.
“Sure, can you cut up the salad stuff?”
“I believe I can,” he smiled that heart stopping smile of his and she sighed.
Jenna directed him on what she wanted cut and how to cut it and he did a very good job for her. He put everything into the salad bowl and watched as Jenna made the dressing.
“I’ve never had salad,” he offered. “As a matter of fact, I dinna even ken what any of these vegetables are.”
“Really? What kind of vegetables do you have where you’re from?” she asked curiously.
“Carrots, parsnips, peas,” he listed for her.
She already assumed he had never been to a grocery store, and now she was pretty sure he was unfamiliar with a lot of the produce she had purchased. “Hmmm …”
She was baking potatoes on the grill and they were almost ready when she started cooking the steak.
The air was filled with the aroma of barbecuing beef, which she left for a few minutes while she set the table outside.
Cormac sat in the spot she indicated. She observed that he seemed quite relaxed and happy, which made her feel the same.
It was just the two of them tonight. Dylan was busy on his date and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow morning.
Jonathan would hopefully not make an unwanted appearance and the only company they had was that of Chester, who was pretty much glued to Cormac’s side.
The dog loved him and Jenna was beginning to think she might just understand why.
Candles lit the table as they ate their food.
Cormac was very complimentary of her cooking.
In fact, he couldn’t seem to tell her enough how grateful he was for the wonderful meal she had prepared.
Jenna watched with a smile as he tasted and enjoyed all of the unfamiliar foods that were in his salad.
She was sure to keep his wine glass full of the delicious cabernet she had opened.
“This has been a beautiful night, lass,” Cormac stated.
“It has been, but it’s not over yet. Help me clear the table and clean up a bit and I’ll serve our dessert.”
Cormac was a good helper and had no problem doing his part in the kitchen, unlike Jonathan who thought Jenna should be serving him and cleaning up after him all the time, despite the fact that he had no job to speak of.
Jenna was finding more and more things to admire about this man who had appeared to her out of the fog.
If only she knew the truth about him. The story both Cormac and Dylan had told her couldn’t possibly be accurate.
Although nothing was impossible in her mind, it was surely improbable, but she couldn’t totally discount his story.
She’d reserve judgment for now and just enjoy his company.
Jenna grabbed a large bowl and filled it with ice cream from the freezer.
She added crushed up cookies and chocolate syrup and two spoons, carrying it to the cozy sofa out back.
She lit the gas fire pit and motioned for Cormac to take a seat.
He sat in the corner, arms extended over the back and Jenna nestled herself in next to him, tucking her feet up under her backside.
She held the bowl between them and took a spoonful of ice cream and fed it to Cormac.
She wished she had thought to take a picture, because the look on his face was priceless.
He closed his eyes in obvious delight, relishing the flavors.
“More, please,” he requested with a sheepish grin.
Jenna was happy to accommodate him and realized she really hadn’t needed two spoons, because they ended up sharing one. She couldn’t remember being this happy since long before Jonathan and she sighed feeling completely at ease.
“I like it when ye smile, Jenna,” Cormac said as he looked into her upturned face.
“I like it, too. I haven’t had much reason to smile lately. It feels good.”
“What happened to make ye so unhappy, lass? Was it yer husband?”
Jenna really didn’t want to bring Jonathan into what was turning out to be a perfect night, but he had asked and she wanted to be honest with him.
“Jonathan fooled me. At first he was everything any woman could want in a man. He was caring, kind, funny …” Jenna hesitated momentarily and Cormac put his arm around her shoulders and drew her into his side.
His warmth and strength poured into her and gave her the courage to continue, even though she was embarrassed by her tale.
“I didn’t know until after we got married that he has a gambling addiction.
He was placing bets on everything from ball games to horses and he wasn’t very good at it.
He had racked up quite a bill with a local bookie and couldn’t pay him back.
Eventually they came looking for their money and they came here, to my home, and threatened me.
I, of course, paid them and confronted Jonathan about it.
He swore he would never gamble again and seemed so grateful to me.
He said he was going for counselling to get help.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt, thinking that everyone deserves a second chance.
Next thing I knew, the bookie was at my front door again looking for money.
The guy seemed as embarrassed as I was and he told me that Jonathan was nothing but trouble and that I should throw his ass out.
I was shocked and so I started snooping around Jonathan’s things, looking for evidence of what he was up to.
I peaked at his text messages one day while he was napping and I found all the evidence I needed to know that he had been using me.
It started long before he even asked me to marry him.
He had another woman, whom he had known for years and they talked about how he was only marrying me to get at my money and that he would divorce me and get half of everything I have and then marry her. ”
“I’m so sorry, lass. Do ye still have feelings for the man?”
“Oh, God, no. I immediately lost any feelings I ever had for him. I marched right over to my lawyer’s office and told him what was going on and he assured me that I could get the marriage annulled, which I did.”
“And so he is angry with ye now and he wants to hurt ye,” he stated. “Dinna fash, lass, I willna allow him near ye ever again. He willna hurt ye.”
Jenna was taken aback by his pronouncement and where it would have riled her just a few short days ago, she now found comfort in his words and in his arms.
“Thank you, Cormac, but you aren’t going to be here to protect me for much longer. You have to leave in a few days.”
“Aye. Ye can come with me.”
“I can’t, Cormac. I have a life here and I’m not sure exactly where it is you want me to go with you.”
“To Breaghacraig. To Scotland. Ye’d love it there. I ken ye would.”
“Cormac, please, can we just enjoy what little time we have together and not talk about crazy things?”
***
Cormac knew it would be foolish to push Jenna.
He had made progress with her. She was obviously happy to be here with him now and he could only hope that with the few days he had left he would be able to convince her to leave with him.
It would not be easy, but he had more confidence today than he did when he arrived.
They sat by the fire and he held her in his arms aware of every breath she took and how her arm had snaked its way around his waist. He liked the feel of her there.
She was the one thing he was missing in his life.
He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted a woman.
She was perfect in his eyes. He even enjoyed her bossiness and sharp tongue.
She was a strong woman. A woman who had become stronger because of the unfortunate incident with her husband.
He was happy for her that she had been able to extricate herself from her marriage and from a man who was without honor.
Back home, a man like Jonathan would find himself in grave danger of losing his life for the insult he had brought to Jenna.
It would be Cormac’s duty to defend her honor and he would have no trouble at all doing just that.
Here, however, he was told by Edna that disagreements were settled by other means and he should not resort to violence if he could possibly help it.
That was turning out to be a difficult task where Jonathan was concerned, but he would do his best.
Looking down at the lovely woman curled into his side, he realized that she had fallen asleep there.
He had hoped to kiss those lovely lips again this night, but he could see she was exhausted.
He picked her up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom, where he laid her on her bed, kissing her forehead gently.
He took one last look and then left her room, closing the door behind him.