If only—it was Cooper’s greatest wish each morning that he would wake up taller than he was the day before. Unfortunately, that hadn’t happened in a long while. He’d been checking. “Nope.”
“Well,” Morna winked at him as she led them to the kitchen. “Ye will. Come along, I’m anxious to talk to ye.”
They moved inside the room and Morna turned to face his dad. “Do ye mind going upstairs to check on Jerry? He’ll be happy to have some male company, I imagine. Cooper and I will get some lunch started for us all.”
Morna was a genius. She must have known how much Dad hated to cook and how much Cooper wanted to speak to Morna alone.
Dad was gone exactly five seconds before Cooper opened his mouth to speak, but Morna interrupted him.
“Before ye say a thing, lad, I need ye to remember that no matter how much we may want something for yer dad, he’s a grown man who must make his own choices. I willna force his hand in the matters of love.”
Cooper didn’t even know what to say to that. What did that even mean? Was Morna giving up on finding love for his dad? “Umm…I don’t know what you mean.”
“I only mean that yer father can be a stubborn, frightened fool, and I canna do a thing to change that.”
Cooper grinned as Morna worked at peeling a potato. Cooper might not know what happened between Dad and Kathleen, but Morna sure did. And he’d been right, Dad had messed it up for sure.
“Yeah, he’s pretty stubborn. You’ve been watching stuff, huh? You know who Kathleen is?”
“Of course I do, but yer father doesna appreciate people meddling with his life, and I canna blame him for that. Ye and yer auntie need to stay out of the way and let things happen as they’re meant to.”
Cooper frowned. This was not the reaction he’d expected from Morna; she meddled in everything. “We were just trying to help.”
“They doona need yer help, Cooper.”
Cooper didn’t like standing next to her while she worked at the counter. He couldn’t see her eyes, couldn’t tell if she teased him. He jumped to pull himself onto the counter, sitting so that he could look her in the eye.
“Are you telling me that you haven’t been helping? How did they even meet otherwise? What about your letter?”
Morna sat the potato down and pulled Cooper from the countertop, taking his hand as she led him to the table where they sat down together.
“I told ye in the letter to trust yer feelings. If ye feel that Kathleen is meant for yer father, trust it, but that doesna mean to meddle in it. I too, think that they would be a good match, but I have played no hand in their story thus far.”
Cooper’s head was beginning to hurt. He just knew for sure Morna would help him. “But you always…play a hand.”
“Some people need me to help them along, some people appreciate it. Yer father is no one of those—surely, ye can see that from his reaction to the situation ye and yer aunt forced him into.”
“So, you’re not going to help at all? She’s right for him I know it, but we’ll be in the past and she’ll be here and…” Cooper stopped talking. It all just made his heart hurt.
“Cooper,” Morna placed her hand gently on the side of his face. “If it’s time ye are worried about, doona be. Ye know I can help them with that, but that is all I will be helping with. The rest is up to Kathleen and yer father. That’s where the problems will come in to be sure.”
Frustrated, Cooper stood and stepped away from the table. “It was good to see you, Morna, but I’m ready to go home now. I think I’ll go say hi to Jerry and then get my dad.”
Head down, he left the kitchen. If what Morna said was true and everything was up to the foolish grown-ups, all hope was lost. His dad would be alone forever.
CHAPTER 11
Cagair Castle
One Month Later
“Are you sure about this, Jane? Kathleen lugged her suitcase into the back of the small compact, knowing that her objections were pointless. Of course, Jane was ready to see her sister. They’d been in Scotland a month, and Jane had heard nothing from her. If Kathleen had been in Jane’s position, she would be doing the exact same thing. It wasn’t that Kathleen didn’t understand—she only wished that she weren’t being dragged into it.
“Then stay. I’m not making you go anywhere, but I’m not going to put up with this a minute longer. I don’t care if she’s pregnant. I am officially angry with my sister.”
“As you should be.” Kathleen knew how upset Jane was, even though she did her best to hide her pain by acting angry. More than anything, her feelings were hurt. All Jane had talked about for months was how this move would place her so much closer to her sister and nephew. Then, she’d be able to see them so much more. Jane had assumed that was true, that Grace would want to see her just as much as she wanted to see Grace. The realization that perhaps that wasn’t the case had Jane feeling as blue as Kathleen had ever seen her.
Kathleen moved to rub a comforting hand along Jane’s shoulders. It was selfish and stupid for Kathleen to try and talk Jane out of this trip, or for her to worry about why she dreaded it so much herself. She would see Jeffrey, of course, but what would it matter? He’d probably forgotten their kiss by now. She had no reason to feel self-conscious around him, no reason to avoid him whatsoever. If anything, it was he that should be ashamed of his behavior. He’d fled from her like a frightened child.
Jane’s back relaxed against Kathleen’s hand. Taking one last exhale together, they loaded up into the car. Seconds into the drive, Jane resumed her fuming.
“You know what really makes me angry? That I don’t even have Grace’s new phone number. Every time she has called, the number’s been blocked, and I made sure to give Jeffrey my new cell number before he left so that he could give it to Grace. That way she would be able to contact me. How could she have let this much time pass without calling? Especially when she knows I’m here.”
Kathleen leaned her head against the window, enjoying the landscape that she knew would remain breathtaking to her even if she lived here fifty years. Unthinkingly, she uttered the first explanation that came to mind. “Maybe Jeffrey never told her. I mean, you hadn’t told Grace you were moving here, right?”
Kathleen watched as Jane’s grip tightened on the wheel. Obviously, the thought hadn’t occurred to her.
“You’re right! It has to be that, but for the life of me I don’t understand why he would do that. It’s not like him. I know you’re not his biggest fan, and I don’t blame you one bit. He acted really poorly with you, but Jeffrey’s just not like that.”
“Maybe,” Kathleen hated to defend him, but even though it seemed the most plausible explanation for Grace’s lack of phone calls or visits, it still made little sense. “Maybe he lost the phone number. There wouldn’t be an easy way for him to find it if he had.”
Jane shook her head, slowing the car to a stop as they neared a sheep casually crossing the road. “Perhaps, but why wouldn’t Grace just come to the castle?”
“Well, she is pregnant. Maybe she’s been ill.” Kathleen knew there was really no good explanation for any of it. Even with Grace’s pregnancy, and even if they had lost Jane’s cell phone number, there were always letters or emails.
“Maybe, I don’t know. I guess there’s no point in worrying until we get there. It’s just that something feels very off about the entire situation.”
Kathleen agreed. Last evening, as she’d packed her bag for their trip, a strange sense of unease had settled inside her stomach, a sense that seemed to only grow with every mile they drove. Although, she couldn’t help but wonder if her apprehension was partially due to the fact that Jane didn’t really seem to know where she was going.
“Jane, just where exactly is it that we are headed? What’s the address of Grace’s place here?” Jane didn’t need to say anything. Kathleen knew from the look on Jane’s face as she asked the question. “Oh my God, Jane, you have no idea, do you? Just where are we going to go then?”
Jane groaned and tossed an envelope in Kathleen’s direction.
“Look at the return address.”
Kathleen did as instructed, though it did little to end her confusion. “So what? This isn’t where Grace lives. This is the address for somebody named ‘Morna.’ She didn’t even bother to put a last name.”
Jane pointed to the envelope that now lay in Kathleen’s lap. “That arrived at my parents’ house when Cooper and Jeffrey were there, and Cooper had me read the letter to him. Since Grace had never given me the address of her place here, despite my many efforts to ask her for it, I slipped the envelope away when Cooper wasn’t looking. He said this lady was his pen pal, so obviously she usually writes to him at their home.”
Kathleen nodded, understanding. “So she should have their actual address.”
“Yes, exactly.” Jane turned a quick smile on her before directing her attention back to the road. “So that is where we are headed.”
“One problem though, Jane. This address is at least five hours from us. What if we get there and she sends us right back in the direction we came from? Just because they were pen pals, doesn’t mean there’s any guarantee they live close to one another.”
“Well then, we will just turn right back around and head back in this direction. I really don’t see what other choice we have.”
Kathleen said nothing as she settled in for what would undoubtedly be a very long day.
* * *
The address in question sat in the middle of nowhere and, while it should have taken them only five hours, their navigational skills were not quite what either of them had hoped. They arrived in front of the charming two-story home on the side of the small road well after sunset, and Kathleen found herself very unsure about intruding so far into the evening.
“Don’t you think it’s too late to knock on their door?”
“No way.” Jane jerked her head toward a sign Kathleen had yet to notice. “It’s an inn, anyway. We’ll just stay here tonight.”
“Oh.” Surely someone whose business depended upon travelers stopping in wouldn’t mind being bothered no matter the hour. “How convenient.”
Taking a moment to stretch outside the car, Kathleen watched as Jane made her way to the front door to knock.
The door flew open in an instant and Kathleen moved to join Jane as the woman standing in the doorway greeted them.
“Good evening, lassies. What brings ye here?”
Kathleen said nothing, allowing Jane to take the lead.
“Well, actually, I’m looking for my sister, but I suppose we’ll also be needing a room for the night if you have one available.”
The woman’s face dropped into one of sympathy as she shook her head. “I’m afraid we are all booked for the evening. Just who is yer sister? Perhaps, I can at least assist ye with that.”
Kathleen frowned as she looked away from the doorway, taking in the surroundings of the inn. Theirs was the only car for miles. She leaned her head in closer to the doorway for a listen—not a single sound drifted outward from inside the house. The woman had to be lying.
“Her name is Grace…Grace,” Jane threw an embarrassed look in Kathleen’s direction before speaking to the woman once again. “Well, I’m not sure what she goes by now. She’s married since I saw her last. Her last name used to be Mitchell.”
The woman’s eyes grew wide in recognition. Kathleen knew Jane nearly threw her arms around the woman’s neck in relief.
“Ah, Grace, aye, I know her. She doesna live all that close to here though. Ye are still a few hours drive away.”
Kathleen closed her eyes in a silent groan. Of course they were.
“Do you have their address?
“Aye. Give me just a moment.”
With that, the woman slammed the door in their face, and Kathleen turned to whisper to Jane. “She’s full of shit. There are plenty of free rooms inside. Why do you think she doesn’t want to rent us one?”
Jane shrugged, obviously renewed and excited at knowing she was one step closer to finding her sister. “I don’t know and honestly, I don’t care, Kathleen. It is the woman’s house, after all. Even if it is an inn, I suppose she’s free to turn away whomever she wishes. As long as I get an address, I’ll sleep in the car for all I care.”
Kathleen turned for one more look around at the vast emptiness. It looked like that’s exactly what they would be doing.
CHAPTER 12
McMillan Castle
1647
Enough was enough. One whole month they’d been home, and Dad grew grumpier with each passing day. He didn’t care any more that Morna had told him to stay out of it. She wasn’t here to see how unhappy his dad was. He knew he tried to hide it, but he sure wasn’t doing a very good job, and Cooper hated it.
Sure his dad was lonely, and Cooper knew he was sad about whatever had happened with Kathleen, but that wasn’t what made him so un-fun to be around. Cooper knew from watching Grandfather that if you did things that weren’t good, it would eat away at you, and you couldn’t be happy after doing something you knew was wrong.
Dad had done a very bad thing. Although he kept trying to tell Cooper that it was right, Cooper knew that Dad didn’t even believe it himself. And it was something so rotten, Cooper just couldn’t keep it inside any longer. It wasn’t even fair of Dad to ask it of him.
His dad would be furious that he told, but this was not a good secret to keep. He just couldn’t even imagine how mad Mom was going to be when she learned what Dad had done.
Cooper walked through the castle hallways with his head hanging low—he wasn’t happy about what he had to do, but he knew it was time. He found Mom sitting in her bedchamber soaking her feet in a big wooden bucket. She’d done that a lot ever since that baby had started growing inside of her. It didn’t make a lot of sense to him since the baby was in her stomach, but apparently it made her feet get bigger, too.
He wasn’t surprised that she knew something was wrong the moment she saw him. Mom knew him better than anybody.
“Hey, what’s that gloomy face for, kiddo? Come here and sit with me a minute. You want to soak, too?”
Cooper moved across the room as Mom reached over to pull another chair seated close to her over by the bucket. Smiling, Cooper stepped out of his shoes and hopped up on the seat to dangle his feet in. All that touched the water was the tip of his toes, but he didn’t care. That’s not why he’d come to talk to Mom anyway.
“I’m not gloomy. I’m worried.”
Mom’s face softened and she leaned over to pull him in for a hug, kissing him hard on the top of his head. “Cooper, you worry too much, sweetie. You’re going to be gray by the time you’re ten if you keep it up.”
Cooper refrained from rolling his eyes but pulled away from her hug. Of course he didn’t want to worry; he just couldn’t help it. “It’s Dad’s fault.”
Mom smiled, leaning back to cross her arms as she looked at him. “Oh yeah? Well, as long as it’s not mine.”
“No, it’s not yours, but this sure is going to make you mad.” Cooper hesitated, glancing around the room uncomfortably. “Like maybe madder than you’ve ever been.”
“Oh surely not. Your dad doesn’t make me angry very often. He’s usually pretty well-behaved.”
Cooper nodded. Usually, his dad was. “Yeah, I know. But he messed up, Mom. He didn’t tell you something that he should have.”
Mom fidgeted and pulled her feet out of the water to dry them, and Cooper knew he was starting to make her nervous. “Okay son, I think you better just spit it out. What did he do?”
Cooper shook his toes over the water and slipped himself off the chair as he paced the room. It wasn’t easy to break a promise, even though it was the right thing to do. “Okay. You know how Dad and I saw Aunt Jane when we went to Grandfather’s?”
“Yes.”
Mom now stood in front of him, regarding him cautiously as he paced back and forth, his hand on his forehead. For som
e reason, it made him less nervous.
“Well, she actually lives in Scotland now. She’s fixing up some castle with a friend, and she was so excited because she would be closer to us.”
Cooper stopped pacing a moment to glance up at his Mom. She’d grown very white, and Cooper moved to pull her into a seat.
“Do you want me to tell you the rest?”
“Please.” Mom’s hand moved to her forehead, just like he’d done before. He realized that must have been where he picked it up from.
“Well, Dad didn’t think we should tell you because he knew you’d just want to get Morna to send her back or keep us in contact with her somehow, and he thought it wouldn’t be good to pull anybody else into all this magic stuff, but I’ve just been thinking about it, Mom, and I think he’s wrong.”
Cooper knew he talked too quickly, but now that he was finally telling somebody, he couldn’t seem to stop. He continued to ramble as he moved around the room.
“I mean, what’s wrong with this magic stuff? I think it’s awesome, and why not share awesome things with the people that you love? And I’ve been thinking about Aunt Jane a lot. I miss her, Mom, and she was just so excited to get to see us more. Don’t you think she’s wondering why we haven’t visited? She’s probably very worried. And ya know, if it was me, I think my feelings would be hurt.”
Just thinking about Aunt Jane being sad made him want to cry. He had to swallow hard to keep from doing just that.
“Plus, Mom, you’re having a baby, and don’t you think Aunt Jane would want to see it and know it, just like she does me? I don’t know, Mom. I just…I usually think Dad’s right about everything, but I don’t know. I think this is the first time in my whole life…” Tears were coming now, and he found himself suddenly picked up by his mom as he lay his head on her shoulder to cry.
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