A Thistle & Hive Christmas: Book 4.5 of The Thistle & Hive Series

by Jennae Vale

  She was dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a sweater, provided by Edna. Everyone was dressed in twenty first century garb, with the exception of Lady Catherine. She had no interest in trying on or wearing anything other than her own clothing. Richard got his mother’s cloak and Angelina’s jacket from the coat rack and helped them each into them. He then put on the black leather jacket Edna gave him. Angelina whistled her appreciation. When she’d met him in San Francisco, she’d loved the way he looked in a very similar jacket. “Sexy,” she whispered into his ear as she planted a kiss on his cheek, causing Richard to pause in his progress towards the front door. His dark gaze sent chills of delight across her body. She couldn’t wait to be alone with him later in the day.

  The walk to Dr. Ferguson’s office wasn’t so very far. Glendaloch proper consisted of one main street, with most residents living above their own shops or a little further afield like Mrs. MacDougall. Richard had to laugh as he recognized himself in his mother’s behavior.

  “I want to remember every detail of this wonderful place.” She examined everything from the storefront windows to the goods behind them. The cars fascinated her, much as they had Richard. “What are those called again, Angelina?”

  “Those are cars, or automobiles, Catherine.” Angelina and Lady Catherine had made fast friends when she’d arrived at his home and they spent much of their time together working on the vineyard that Angelina had decided to start. Richard had never considered doing any such thing. He’d always been happy to buy his wine while he was in London, but Angelina convinced him, and she was right, that if they made their own wine they would never have to drink spoiled wine again. Their vineyards were doing exceptionally well thanks to both of the women in his life. And they weren’t they only thing thriving. Lady Catherine had a new purpose in life. He could see the glow in her face and hear it in her excited words when she spoke of what they’d accomplished. She was also being transformed into a woman of business. Angelina had taught her well and she could negotiate a tough price with the best of them.

  “Richard, on the way back, let’s stop in the bookstore we just passed.”

  “I think that would be a great place to explore, especially for you, Mother.”

  “I agree.” Richard noted that she seemed tense. “Will this Dr. Ferguson think it strange that I’m dressed this way?”

  “Dr. Ferguson is aware of the bridge and the time travelers. He will not question it at all.”

  “Good.” Her shoulders relaxed as did her gait.

  Stopping in front of a building similar in construction to the inn, Richard opened the door for the women and followed them in. A wood paneled sitting room with a large red and blue oriental carpet on the floor was lined with empty wooden chairs. A clock atop the fireplace tick-tocked loudly in the silence.

  “Dr. Ferguson?” Richard called into the room beyond them. “Dr. Ferguson?”

  “Just a moment. I’ll be right there.” They could hear the clinking of glass in the background and before long, Dr. Ferguson emerged from the curtained doorway to greet them. “As I live and breathe. Is it really ye, Richard?” Not waiting for an answer, the man strode to Richard, throwing his arms around him in greeting.

  “It is I,” Richard responded, grinning like a fool.

  “Good, because I don’t make it a habit of hugging strangers here in my waiting room.” He slapped Richard on the back before turning to Angelina and Lady Catherine who were smiling broadly at the scene. “And who have we here?”

  “This is my wife, Angelina, and my son, Henry.”

  “I’m so pleased to make yer acquaintance and I’m pleased that our Richard has found love with such a beauty. And Henry. A classic name that suits him well.” Dr. Ferguson turned to Lady Catherine with a look of appreciation. “And who is this lovely creature?”

  “This is my mother, Lady Catherine.”

  She curtsied as if she were meeting the king and the good doctor was more than charmed. Richard exchanged a grin with his wife, noting that he wasn’t the only one who noticed their instant connection.

  “It’s good to see you again, Dr. Ferguson,” Richard said.

  “Please call me Arthur, Richard. We’re old friends, arenae we?”

  “Yes. You’re right. It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen you. You look good.”

  “I have to. Being the doctor here in Glendaloch, if I didn’t always look the picture of health, my patients might get worried.” He chuckled and turned to Catherine. “Please come sit.” He took her hand and led her to one of the chairs. “These arenae verra comfortable, I know, but I wasnae prepared for company. My apartments are upstairs over my office and I’m afraid I’m not the tidiest man. Richard can attest to that.”

  “I don’t recall. I was only ever happy to have a friend here in this time.”

  “Yer a good man, Richard and ye were a good guest.”

  “Thank you for believing in me. It means more than you can know.”

  “So yer a father and husband now. Good for ye.”

  “Arthur, can I impose upon you to have a look at my son? He’s been healthy so far, but I know in this time your medicine is far ahead of that which we live with in my time.”

  “I’d be happy to. I’ll do a general exam on all of ye, if ye don’t mind.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Ferguson,” Angelina said.

  Lady Catherine was mesmerized, it seemed, by the good doctor. She hadn’t so much as looked at another man since his father had passed all those years ago. “Yes. Thank you,” she managed to mutter.

  Chapter 8

  Ashley, Cailin, Jenna & Cormac

  “The four musketeers,” Jenna laughed as she, Ashley and their husbands headed down the street arm in arm. Emma was in a pouch, snuggled up to Cailin’s chest. Edna had surprised them with it after their arrival and Ashley was so happy she had. Cailin loved it. He could have both hands free and yet still enjoy his baby cuddled close.

  “I realize we can’t bring this back with us, but mayhap we could make something similar?” Cailin glanced down at Ashley and she smiled sweetly back at him.

  “Of course we can. Give me some fabric and a needle and thread and I can make something that will work just as well.” Her mood was much lighter this morning. Her apprehension about Emma having a fever had waned when everyone had reassured her that she was just fine and now she was heading off to see Dr. Ferguson who would surely agree with her that it was better to raise Emma in the twenty-first century. As much as she loved Breaghacraig and all its residents, she couldn’t risk losing her baby to some childhood illness that was no longer in existence in this time.

  As they approached Dr. Ferguson’s office, they noticed Richard, Angelina and Lady Catherine exiting with Henry.

  “Good morning, again.” Richard smiled warmly at them. “Dr. Ferguson is expecting your visit.”

  “How’d everything go?” Jenna asked.

  “Fine. We’re all in the best of health, including little Henry.”

  “Don’t you worry about him getting sick back at home?” Ashley directed her question to Angelina. She assumed she must be feeling the same level of anxiety that she was.

  “No. Not really. Henry’s been surprisingly healthy so far. Besides, I’d be willing to bet that if we needed to, Edna would help us get back here to see Dr. Ferguson, so I’m not worried at all.”

  Ashley didn’t respond. She wished she could let this go. It would make things so much easier for her and for Cailin. She didn’t want to force him to stay in Glendaloch. She only hoped Dr. Ferguson would be her ally in this.

  “We’ll see you later then. Edna has some shopping planned for all of us this afternoon.”

  They waved goodbye and entered Dr. Ferguson’s office door. He was standing there waiting for them.

  “Hello, all.” Dr. Ferguson greeted them with a warm smile. “Welcome, welcome.”

  “Hi Dr. Ferguson. Thanks so much for making time for us while we’re here.”

 
; “It’s my pleasure. I just did the exact same thing for Richard and his family. Shall we take a look at the baby first?”

  “Please,” Ashley rushed to his side and he escorted her to the exam room followed closely by Cailin.

  “So, do ye have anything in particular that yer concerned about?”

  Cailin glanced at Ashley and nodded for her to take the lead. “Well, pretty much everything. I’m worried that living in the sixteenth century isn’t going to be a good thing. I think we should move back here where Emma will have access to a doctor and modern medicine.”

  Dr. Ferguson took Emma from Cailin and laid her down on the exam table. “She looks the picture of health.” He picked her up and placed her on the baby scale. “She falls right where we would expect her to be. Sixteen pounds and her height looks to be about twenty-six inches. Perfect.” He looked in her eyes, her ears, and her mouth. Everything looks good as far as I can see.”

  Ashley was relieved. “But you think we should move back here, don’t you?”

  “Nay. There’s no need. I’m sure Edna would whisk ye back to see me if there were any emergencies. Yer fine to stay where ye are. Now, let me have a look at ye.”

  Dr. Ferguson, took his time examining both Ashley and Cailin and asking them lots of questions. When he was finished, he turned to Ashley. “My dear, I know ye have some anxiety about all of this, but ye need to relax and stop worrying about every little thing. New parents are prone to over worrying and, my dear, ye have tipped that scale. I’d like ye to take some time for yerself. Every day. Go for a walk, get outside. Let someone else take care of Emma for a little while. Yer big, strong husband here would be happy to help ye, I’m sure.”

  “I would, Dr. Ferguson, if she’d let me.”

  “Ashley, ’tis for yer own good and the bairn’s.”

  “I know it is, Dr. Ferguson. I just have this terrible feeling that something bad is going to happen and I can’t get it out of my head.”

  “Cailin, yer going to have to insist on her getting some relaxation.”

  “I will, sir. Thank ye.”

  “Alright, let me see Jenna and Cormac then.” He guided them out the door of the exam room. “I’ve been invited to Christmas Eve dinner, so I’ll see ye both there.”

  “I haven’t been able to get pregnant,” Jenna blurted out as soon as Dr. Ferguson asked her how she was feeling.

  “I see.”

  “We’ve been trying for months and nothing. I think there must be something wrong with me.”

  “Of course there’s always the possibility that there is some reason that ye cannae get pregnant, but I’d say that ye need to take yer time and see what happens. Yer both healthy adults. I’ll need to examine ye both but without doing more elaborate testing, which cannae be done here in my office, there’s no way I can be sure why yer having this problem. What I can tell ye is that yer nae the first young couple I’ve seen who are concerned about not conceiving. In many cases, it just takes more time than ye’ve given it. My suggestion would be to stop worrying about it and simply enjoy being a couple who love each other. The baby will come soon enough, ye’ll see.”

  “Thank ye, sir.” Cormac placed an arm around his wife. “’Tis what I’ve been telling ye all along, love.”

  “I know. I only want to have what everyone else has. I know you want it too and it’s been breaking my heart that I can’t give it to you.”

  “’Tis nae yer fault. I love ye, Jenna - with or without a bairn.”

  “Love is a wonderful thing, isnae it? I have a sneaking suspicion that the next time we meet, ye’ll have yer wish. If not, come back here next year and we’ll arrange those tests I mentioned.” He patted Cormac on the back. “Now. Let’s get those exams out of the way, shall we?”

  “Do you feel better about things?” Ashley asked as they waved goodbye to the good doctor.

  “Surprisingly I do. He put me at ease and I’m not going to worry about the future. I’m going to focus on living each day as it comes and loving my husband as much as I can, because without him I’d be lost.”

  “I know what you mean. I’ve got to seriously get a grip on being the over protective mother. I’ll be happy to remind you to live in the moment, if you’ll remind me not to be so obsessive about Emma’s health.”

  “Agreed. I’m happy we have each other.” The two women locked arms and walked ahead of their husbands and Emma. The men were having an animated conversation about whether or not Cailin’s Glendaloch was better than Cormac’s San Francisco.

  Jenna and Ashley couldn’t help but giggle at what they were overhearing.

  “Cailin, I tell ye, San Francisco is a much more wondrous place. Glendaloch has only the one bridge, but San Francisco has two and they’re much bigger. And Glendaloch has only the one street. San Francisco is vast. There are cars, buses and trains. There are many, many more people, everywhere ye go.”

  “I like Glendaloch. ’Tis better,” Cailin protested.

  “Ye wouldnae ken better if it bit ye in the arse,” Cormac teased.

  The men had picked up some of their wives favorite sayings and liked to use them whenever there was an opportunity.

  “Brother, I’d nae be so quick to choose a battle of wits. Ye ken I’d win.” Ashley could tell Cailin was controlling his temper.

  “If ye had any wits I might be worried,” Cormac responded.

  “Stop it, you two.” Jenna turned back to reprimand them. “Does the sibling rivalry ever stop?”

  “’Tis all in good fun. We’ve been at each other since we were wee ones and we still love each other.” Cormac threw an arm over Cailin’s shoulder, kissing his brother’s cheek.

  “’Tis yer good luck that I’ve Emma in me arms or I’d…”

  “Or ye’d what? Kiss me back?” Cormac chuckled. “Or maybe kiss me arse?”

  Ashley rolled her eyes. She knew this kind of teasing could go on for hours. Cormac was an expert at getting under Cailin’s skin, but he was right about the fact that they loved each other and she loved that about them. Cailin was the serious older brother and Cormac was the light-hearted younger brother. No matter the circumstance, they always were there to support each other. Even better than that was the fact that her best friend, Jenna, was now her sister-in-law. Cormac was as perfect for her as Cailin was for Ashley.

  Cormac wished to hold wee Emma more than anything, but he feared it would only cause Jenna to gaze on him with those sad eyes she showed him whenever he played with his nieces and nephews. He loved them all so very much and he was sure it must be obvious to his wife that it was the one thing missing in what he felt was an already perfect life. Yes, of course, he wanted a bairn of his own. He hoped that their visit to Dr. Ferguson had put her mind at ease and that she would stop being obsessed by their inability to have a baby. Cormac was sure it would happen in due time, but until then he would keep his longing for a son or daughter to himself, not wishing to cause Jenna more grief. Truth be told, his beautiful wife was all he really needed, and come what may, bairn or no bairn he was a very happy man.

  Chapter 9

  Edna & Angus

  Edna slept better last night than she had in years. Something about having all of her time traveling family here at the inn put her mind to rest. She’d never admit to anyone, including Angus, how much she worried about these people she’d come to know and love so much. Yes, she’d sleep well while they were at The Thistle & Hive.

  She rose from bed and headed straight for the dining room where Dylan had laid out a sumptuous breakfast for their guests. Having Dylan and Maggie living here at the inn had given her some breathing room. She no longer had to do it all. Not in the witchcraft department and not in the running of the inn. Angus had always done his best to help her, but there were some things he just wasn’t good with. He was not a witch, so he couldn’t help her with the bridge. He did help with the inn, although one look at him sometimes scared the guests away before they even registered. They had no idea he was actually a tedd
y bear in disguise.

  She smiled, thinking of her handsome Highlander. Angus loved her and her quirkiness, showing her every day why she was the luckiest woman on earth.

  “Edna, I’ve put together a plate of all yer favorites,” Angus said, patting the seat next to him. “Come sit down.”

  “Thank ye, my love.” Edna kissed his cheek as she took her seat. “What have ye planned for the day?”

  “Breakfast.” Angus continued eating. “Dylan is a fine chef. He’ll be a good replacement for John.”

  “Do ye think ye should perhaps show the lads around while I take the lasses shopping?” Occasionally Edna had to push Angus to be more social.

  “If they wish. They havenae asked me.”

  “Ye cannae wait for them to ask, ye big fool.”

  Angus eyed her with feigned hurt. “How can ye call me a big fool? Am I nae the man ye love?” He pouted and Edna couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Aye. Ye are the one and only man I love and have ever loved. I ken ye’d like to sit here and read or spar with yer hay bale warrior out back, but our guests are only here for a few days. They’re not staying like ye did, so it would be nice if ye could show them around.”

  “As ye wish, my love. I’ve nae seen ye so excited and ye slept well last night, didnae ye.”

  “I did, Angus. I feel relieved to have them here with me. It’s hard to explain, but knowing where they are and that they arenae in any danger means the world to me. ’Tis like they’re all my children.”

  “I ken yer meaning and I’m happy that even if ’tis only for a short while, yer mind can rest easy.” His large hand rubbed her back. Warmth, comfort, and love were all transmitted in that small gesture. Edna smiled as she relaxed even more and took the first bite of her meal.

  Angus would never tell Edna this, but he worried about her just about as much as she worried about their guests, if not more. He wanted her to be this happy and relaxed all the time. He hoped to convince her to take a much needed vacation after the holidays, perhaps to Spain or Italy. It would take some work, but now that Maggie and Dylan were with them, he hoped she could relinquish her duties for a week or two.