The ninth book in the Thistle & Hive Series
is finally available!!
is finally available!!
Saved By Time
(The Thistle Hive Series, Bk #9)
by Jennae Vale
Blurb:
Blurb:
Tina Carrera is looking for the love of her life and so she does what anyone else in her position would do. She calls on Edna Campbell of The Thistle & Hive Inn. Edna is more than happy to help her by sending her back in time to Breaghacraig where she promises Tina will find her man.
Donal McCabe isn’t interested in settling down. He likes his life exactly as it is. Unfortunately for him, fate has intervened and sent him a wee daughter he was unaware of. Responsibility isn’t something Donal is known for and he has no experience with being a father. He sees his carefree life crumbling before his eyes, but If he can find a willing woman to be his wife in name only, he just might be able to continue his womanizing ways.
As luck would have it, a lass from the future arrives just in time to save him. The only problem is that he’s lied to her from the start and when she finds out the truth she wants nothing to do with him. Donal finds himself falling for her, but is it too late to keep her from returning to her own time.
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Excerpts
Donal wasn’t surprised at the light tap on his door.
Although he’d tried his best to quiet her, Elena’s continued crying was sure to
wake Tina. He should feel bad about that but he had to admit he was glad to see
her.
“Come in,” he said.
“Is she alright?” Tina asked, going immediately to the
cradle.
“I’ve been rocking her, but she still cries.” How was a
person to know what babies wanted when they just cry and cry? Every time she
stirred he’d sat up and gently rocked the cradle. That had worked through most
of the night, but now she was just crying for no reason and the rocking wasn’t
working.
“Oh, you poor baby.” She reached into the cradle and
rubbed Elena’s belly before lifting her into her arms. “Do you mind if I sit?”
Tina asked.
He patted the edge of the bed to let her know he didn’t
mind. He’d propped himself on one elbow and made sure he was covered from the
waist down. Tina rubbed Elena’s back and gently rocked back and forth. In no
time, Elena was snuggled into her neck and yawning, she was still fussing but
the crying had stopped. So rocking did work, he was the one doing it wrong.
Although truth be told, he was quite sure that if he was allowed to snuggle
into Tina’s neck, he would find peace there, too.
“You must be tired,” Tina said.
Donal stifled a yawn. “Nae. I be fine.”
She shook her head at him and rolled her eyes. “You don’t
have to be the big, strong man around me, you know.”
She thought him big and strong, which pleased him. Tina
placed Elena on the bed and continued to rub her belly. “I think she’s got a tummy ache.”
That made him sit up completely alert. “What can be
done?” He hadn’t even considered that the bairn could be in pain.
“I don’t know, but this seems to be helping.”
There was magic in those hands, he thought. Elena’s
fussing, turned to whimpers and then disappeared altogether as she closed her
eyes and drifted off to sleep. Tina continued gently rubbing and Donal lay back
in the bed feeling the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders
by a wee lass from the future. He closed his eyes and felt the bed shift as
Tina lay across the foot of the bed. His lips curved upward. Some how she had
taken all his worries from him, leaving him in a more peaceful place. What
would he do when she left him… left them?
It was something he didn’t wish to think about, so instead he pretended
she was staying and saw himself in a small cottage with her at his side and his
wee daughter playing at their feet. It was a pleasant thought and one he was
determined to make come true.
He’d made a bad showing on the practice field this day.
Marcas was angry with him and let him have it by putting every ounce of that
anger into his sword and dirk. Luckily they weren’t battling to the death,
because Donal was sure he’d be dead now. He apologized to him and to Tam and
Jock, all of whom said they would back off on their interest in Tina if he was
truly looking at her for more than just a roll in the hay. He assured them he
was. Not that it mattered, he was sure she wouldn’t want anything to do with him
now that she’d seen what an arse he could be. It had been a rough time since
that night and he wasn’t proud of himself for what happened. He dropped his
head to his chest as he made his way to the well where he poured a cool bucket
of water over his head. He shook the water out of his hair and rubbed it from
his face.
“Looks refreshing,” Tina said, from behind him.
The sound of her voice hit him in the gut. He turned
slowly to see her smiling warmly at him. Saints be praised. It didn’t appear
she was angry with him, but he’d better be sure of it. “Tina.”
“I’ve been looking for you,” she said.
“I didn’t think ye’d ever want to see me again.”
“I wasn’t sure I did.”
“Tina, I want to apologize for my behavior the other
night. I was jealous that ye were laughing with Tam. What I did was wrong. Can
ye forgive me?”
“I can, because you were man enough to admit you did
something you shouldn’t have.”
Relief swept over him. He felt lighter than he had in two
days. It welled up from inside of him.
“I do have one question for you, though.”
The hope disappeared. Maybe she’d forgiven him, but still
didn’t want him. “Jock and Marcas told me that the only reason you were
interested in me was so I could be a mother to Elena. Is that true?”
Damn it! He couldn’t believe they’d told her that. He
plunked himself down on the edge of the well. Logan had told him to use his
words. He was much better with a sword and dirk, but he was going to have to
tell her something. Deciding that honesty was his best path forward, he took a
deep breath and spoke to the ground at her feet. “It was true.” He scanned her face for
a reaction, but there was none, so he barreled on. “I thought ye’d be a good
mother to her and I admit that at first that was my only interest.” He hurried
to continue, willing her to believe him. “But as I’ve gotten to know ye, my
heart has opened to ye. Ye are more than I deserve and everything I want.”
She didn’t say anything and that made him nervous, but
after a moment she surprised him by moving closer. So close in fact that the
heat of her body sent waves of her intoxicating scent wafting over him. He sat
perfectly still, not wanting to do anything that might cause her to move away.
She placed her hand on his chest. “My heart is yours,” she said before leaning
in to kiss him.
Donal had never in all his years felt so unprepared. Her
kiss was soft and sweet. He placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer.
Neither of them cared that they were in the middle of the courtyard where
everyone could see them. It was as if they were alone in their own little world
where the only thing that mattered was the tenderness they felt for each other.
Tina pulled back just enough to gaze into his eyes before
leaning her forehead on his. “That was amazing,” she said.
“Aye,” was about all he could manage.
She glanced around and seemed to realize they weren’t
alone. “I should go.”
“No. Please. Not yet.” He looked down at his kilt and
Tina did the same.
“Oh!” she squealed. “I’ll stay right where I am, or maybe
I should move back.”
“Right where ye are is fine, lass.” Having her so close
was not going to help, but he needed to know she was real, that this was real.
He would never have imagined his day would be this good.
“Okay. How’s Elena?” she asked.
“She’s with Doreen. She has been sleeping well, as I am
sure ye know. I was going to get her now that I’m done.” He looked into her
eyes and saw his future. She would be his.
“Looks like you’ve got a bruise on your cheek.” Her
fingers gently touched his face.
He removed her hand. “That isnae helping,” he said.
“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” She giggled at him and his
heart took flight.
“Would ye like to come with me to get Elena?”
The day started off with such promise, as had the day
before and the day before that. Those had ended poorly for him, but Donal hoped
that today might end differently. The lass in the kitchen was back and she’d
agreed to meet him by the postern gate at sunset. If all went well, he’d be
exactly where he wished to be, in the arms of a beautiful, buxom red-haired
lass. The mere thought of it set his
pulse to racing and his kilt to rising.
He spun quickly leaning on the well to hide his more than obvious arousal
at the thought of Bess… Beth… Oh, what was her name? He nodded to the few
passersby who gave him curious stares as he ran names through his head
determined to get it right. “Bethia!” he
exclaimed out loud, slamming his palm into his forehead. How was it that he
couldn’t for the life of him remember it.
“Donal? Did ye call me,” Bethia asked, approaching the
well with an empty bucket.
“Och! Aye. Aye. I
did.”
She smiled sweetly at him as she lowered her bucket into
the well.
“Here. Allow me to
help ye with that,” he said. No one would ever accuse him of nae being
chivalrous. She moved out of the way as
he hoisted the now filled bucket up and set it on the ledge of the well.
“What did ye want?” she asked.
“I wished to tell ye how beautiful ye…” Bethia didnae
seem to be listening to him. He was trying to woo her a bit and instead she was
glancing towards the gate.
Turning his head to see what was so fascinating, he noted
an elderly couple speaking with the guard, who glanced around and upon seeing
Donal pointed in his direction.
“Who are they?” Bethia asked, standing so close to his
side that his arm brushed her breast.
He fought to control his erection as the couple
approached. “I dinnae recognize them,” he said. He turned towards her and his
arm again brushed her breast. Tonight was definitely going to be better than
the last.
“Are ye Donal?” the elderly man shouted as he got closer.
Donal was startled at the man’s angry tone. He turned to
give him his full attention, “Aye,” he answered. He looked from the man to the
woman and back not recognizing these people.
“We’ve something for ye,” he said, motioning to the woman
who was carrying something.
“For me?” What could it be? He hoped it was something
good.
“Aye. ’Tis yers,”
the man practically hissed at him.
The woman raised a plaid wrapped package with shaky arms
and placed it into his hands. As soon as she did, it began to wriggle and
shriek.
“What’s this?” he asked, a look of horror on his face.
Bethia peeked into the blankets.
“’Tis a bairn,” she said.
The look she gave him was one he would never forget. Shock and something else rested there. Accusation.
Thistle & Hive Series
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Now Available in Audio "A Turn In Time (book 5)"
About The Author
Jennae Vale is an author of romance with a touch of magic. Her Scottish Medieval time travel series The Thistle & Hive, Books One through Four, is available in print and ebook versions from Amazon. The first book in her new series, The Mackalls of Dunnet Head has been released, with more to come throughout 2016.
Jennae started life in Massachusetts as part of a large extended Irish and Italian family of imaginative story tellers, but now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, her dog, two cats and four chickens. Storytelling is her passion, but Jennae also loves to quilt, cook, read and indulge in her crafting obsession when she’s not writing.
Jennae started life in Massachusetts as part of a large extended Irish and Italian family of imaginative story tellers, but now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, her dog, two cats and four chickens. Storytelling is her passion, but Jennae also loves to quilt, cook, read and indulge in her crafting obsession when she’s not writing.
You can find Jennae at
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