Chapter Sixteen
The Scot’s Angel
A little Christmas visit to let you know that Alex is not really gone, he’s with Maddie…
Chapter Eleven
Alex is back, different, but very happy…Claray is lost in the snowstorm.
Then she decided she would do no more crying. She huddled under a tree to gain her bearings for a bit, and as soon as the wind died again, she stepped out into the snow. There was something dark ahead, and she prayed it was a cave. If she could just get inside a cave…
What good would it do? She didn’t know how to start a fire with wet wood, and that was if she could find any wood at all. Her horse had taken off with her saddlebag. She had no extra plaid to sleep on, no soft fur to lay underneath her.
She was going to die.
Her mind roiled from the thought, but then a subtle sense of peace came over her. The shivering stopped, her fear ended, and her breathing slowed.
She took four more steps but had to stop because she’d lost the energy to pick up her feet. It was too difficult, too hard to move, too cold, too…
Out of nowhere, a horse appeared next to her. The snow swirled around it so fast she couldn’t even see if there was a rider on it. Was it hers?
No, it was much too large. This was a massive black warhorse who snorted at her as the rider came to a stop next to her, reaching down for her hand. She gave it to him, and the rider tossed her up in front of him as the horse moved on.
The man’s heat enveloped her, and she sighed with relief.
It had to be Thorn. “Thorn? ’Tis it not you?
” She turned around to look, but the snow was so heavy that she couldn’t make out the man’s features.
“Derric?” Nay, his hair was dark and it blew freely in the wind.
He was much too tall for her to make out any features.
Then she knew who it had to be.
“Papa? I’m so glad you came for me.”
She rested against his heat, cocooning herself in this man’s arms, his chest protecting her back.
Her father had always been her protector.
She’d never thought of him as a stepfather, even though she still felt all the pain of knowing her sire had been an awful man.
No stepfather could love her like Connor Grant did.
He led them straight to a cave, the one she’d seen up ahead, and to her surprise, there was already a fire lit in the entrance, positioned carefully so the wind wouldn’t blow it out.
The man dismounted and reached for her, lifting her down from the horse.
He tugged her hood down over her eyes and pointed toward the fire, ushering her inside with a hand at her back.
She rushed over to the fire and basked in its heat.
Unbuttoning her mantle, she stepped inside the protection of the cave and shook the snow from her clothing, watching it magically melt as it landed on the stone floor of the cave.
“I’m so grateful you came for me. I thought I was about to die.” She smiled with pleasure and looked around to thank her hero.
It was then she saw them, a woman near the back of the cave standing with a man who had his arm wrapped around her, both wearing soft smiles.
For a moment, she couldn’t believe her own eyes.
“Grandsire? Grandmama?”
Chapter Twelve
The spirit of her dear grandmama rushed over to her side. “This storm was much worse than we thought. Stay warm by the fire. We can only keep it going for a short time.” Her grandmama fussed over her, brushing snow from her hair and back, while her grandfather stoked the fire.
Claray couldn’t believe her beloved grandparents stood in front of her, both looking younger, their gray hair restored to its original color. Grandsire’s hair was so dark, he looked like her father. And Grandmama’s golden plait would shine in the sunlight.
“Did I die?” she blurted out. Although she feared hearing the answer to her question, it needed to be asked.
Grandmama smiled at her, that smile that had comforted Claray after skinned knees and broken toys and disappointments large and small.
“Heavens, nay, Claray. Alex likes to sit and watch you all find your own way, but once in a while, we must step in, though we aren’t allowed to do as much as we’d like.
We’ll be forced to leave in a few more minutes. Now give me that soaked mantle.”
She saw to Claray’s mantle while Grandsire wrapped her up in two long furs and settled her on a rocky ledge near the fire. Grandmama continued to fuss, just like she always had, and Grandsire followed her with his eyes as if he feared what would happen if he lost sight of her.
“Grandsire? I miss you so.”
“Ah, Claray, I know how it pains people to be left behind, but you needn’t worry about us. Maddie and I have much work to do, and ’tis most rewarding.” He smiled at her, that old look that she’d tried but failed to capture in her drawings.
“Smile again, please?”
He did, coming closer to kneel in front of her. “Look, I can kneel again. My bones are working as they should.” He chuckled, his face lit up like a wee bairn’s. “And I spend all my time with our other loved ones who have passed.”
“Grandsire, wait. Stay and keep that smile. Please.” Her hand came up to his cheek, and to her surprise, he felt solid.
“I must remember exactly how you looked. I’ve tried to draw your picture, but something has eluded me.
” She ran her finger to the slight crinkles near his eyes.
He looked like a young man once more, but his smile had always transformed his whole face.
“Your smile. I must capture it. What do you do all day now?”
Once she dropped her hand from his face, he stood up, moving over to Grandmama’s side again. “Maddie still has much to teach me. We’ve been watching this trip, making sure all is well with everyone. Once we get you settled, we’ll have other work to do. Will we not, Maddie?”
“Aye.” She looked over at Claray. “You see, we try to guide all of you to do the right things.”
“You do? Then why did you allow my mother to get hurt? Her leg is broken, and she is in so much pain. Why didn’t you stop it?”
“We did what we could,” Grandsire said, wrapping his arm around his wife. “Didn’t we, Maddie? Explain it to her. I don’t know exactly how to make her understand yet. I have much to learn.”
“We cannot change destiny, but we can encourage you to do certain things. Put suggestions in your head, give you a wee push or feeling.”
That gave her an idea. If her grandparents knew so much, perhaps they knew what had become of Thorn.
“Why did Thorn leave me? Is he hurt?”
Grandmama came forward and patted her arm.
“We gave him a wee nudge. We cannot explain it to you, but you’ll understand when this is all over.
He has something he needs to settle within himself, so we hope he’ll be successful in his quest.” She gave Claray a serious look.
“Promise me that if you ever get an inkling that you should do something, you’ll listen. ”
“If you say so.”
“Grandsire and I will be the ones doing the nudging, helping you along. Some of our descendants will listen, others will not. That is out of our hands. We couldn’t stop your mother from falling, but Grandsire did what he could to help because he was right there.”
Eyes rounding, Claray said, “You were there? What happened?”
“I gave her a nudge in the air so she would land on the sack full of fabric. If she’d landed on the stone, it could have killed her. I’m sorry she broke her leg, but it will mend.”
Midnight poked his head inside the cave and snorted.
As if on cue, Maddie handed him an apple. “You did a fine job of finding her and getting Alex back here, Midnight. You’ll get two. Here’s your first one.”
“But how could you do all those things… How did you find me?”
“Never mind, Claray,” her grandmama said. “I didn’t save you many years ago to have you die in a storm. You have bairns yet to be born. You must find Thorn. He is your soulmate. We would find him for you if we could, but we’ll not be allowed to stay for long.”
Her dearest beloved grandparents, who had saved her from the evil men of the Channel of Dubh, had saved her yet again.
“You are such a lovely young lady with a big heart,” Grandmama said, leaning into Grandsire’s arm. “’Tis what we love most about you. I’m afraid we must move on, sweeting.”
“Nay, please don’t leave me.” She lurched to her feet and attempted to grasp her grandmama’s hand, but it slipped out of her grip. “I’m all alone, and I know not how to get to Cameron land.”
“You’ll be fine here. Your grandfather found your sack and put it right over there.” She pointed in the corner. “Everything in it is dry. There are apples and oatcakes in that sack next to it, enough to feed you until they find you. And they will. Just promise me something.”
“Anything, Grandmama.”
“Promise me you’ll stay put. Do not move from this cave until the storm is over, other than to take care of your needs. They will find you. Your sister is devastated they lost you, so she will come before too long. You brought your drawing tools, did you not?”
“Aye, they’re in my sack if they’re not ruined.”
Grandmama patted her cheek. “They’re not ruined. Just sit and draw pictures until they come. You remember how I taught you? You became quite skilled after all your practice, and you have those new tools Aunt Jennie brought you.”
Claray spun around to face her grandsire. “Wait, please. Grandsire, just tell me that you’re happy. Please? I need to know. I miss you both so much. Can you not return for a while?”
Alex Grant cupped her cheeks, his large hands warming her through and through. “Nay, lass. I’m where I belong. You’ll see us again when your time comes, but you have many years left to live. I want you to stop worrying and go after the man you love so you can find your happiness.”
“Thorn?”
“Aye, he’s a fine man. Find your happiness the way I found mine.”