Love Beyond Boundaries (A Scottish Time Travel Romance): Book 12 (Morna's Legacy Series) Read online

  Love Beyond Boundaries

  Book 12 of Morna’s Legacy Series

  Bethany Claire

  Contents

  Book Description

  Free Book - Subscribe to My Newsletter

  A Note From The Author

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Missed a Book in the Series?

  Sweet/Clean Versions of Morna’s Legacy Series

  Interested in Large Print Paperbacks?

  New Release Texts

  Free Book - Subscribe to My Newsletter

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright 2020 by Bethany Claire

  All rights reserved.

  * * *

  License Notes

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  * * *

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Designed by Damonza

  * * *

  Available In eBook, Paperback, Hardback, & Large Print Paperback

  * * *

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-970110-05-0

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-970110-06-7

  Hardback ISBN: 978-1-970110-07-4

  Large Print Paperback ISBN: 978-1-970110-08-1

  Visit Bethany’s Website

  Bethany on Facebook

  Bethany on Twitter

  Bethany on Pinterest

  Bethany on Goodreads

  Sign up for Bethany’s Mailing List

  Sometimes the love we need the most is that which we give to ourselves.

  * * *

  With a thriving physical therapy practice, it’s easy for Allanah to lose herself in her work. But when the sudden death of her best friend sends her reeling, she is forced to rethink her priorities. Guilted into a blind date by her best friend’s widower, she never suspects for a moment how much one meal will change her life. Quickly romanced by the handsome Scot, Allanah easily lets him into her life. But as her feelings grow, so does her fear. For her new love holds a secret. One she knows she must learn before she can ever really know him.

  Plagued by his past, Ross knows that he will never love another again. But when a date he never wanted takes him by surprise, his plans for his life take a turn. It doesn’t take long for the lass to soften his scarred heart, but as new love blossoms, so do the memories of his past. Desperate to hold on to her, Ross vows to keep his secret from her, unaware of how much she already sees.

  Will Allanah’s love be enough to make Ross trust her? Will Ross’ past remain in the past? Or will history repeat itself, causing them both to lose yet another person they love?

  Free Book - Subscribe to My Newsletter

  Today when you sign up for my mailing list, I will send you a link where you can download A Conall Christmas - A Novella (Book 2.5 of Morna’s Legacy Series) for FREE!

  A Conall Christmas is not a Christmas tale as much as it is simply a love story. Adelle, Bri’s mother, gets a second chance at love in this fun, uplifting book.

  If you have already read it, I hope you will still choose to sign up for my mailing list just for the other benefits. I promise to never spam you. I will send out mailings only when I have news or special opportunities for you. And if you haven’t read A Conall Christmas yet, you get it FREE today when you sign up.

  When you sign up for my mailing list, you will be the first to know about new releases, upcoming events, and contests. You will also get sneak peeks into books and have opportunities to participate in special reader groups and occasionally get codes for free books.

  Just click one of the links in the paragraphs above or go to http://eepurl.com/bqjLCT to sign up today. I can’t wait to connect with you there.

  For Jason

  A Note From The Author

  A Quick Recap

  * * *

  First, let me begin by saying how pleased I am that you’ve picked up this book. These characters and this world that Morna has helped me build are such a big part of my life, and I’m thrilled to share them with you.

  If you’re this far into the series, I’m sure you’ve noticed that things get a little more complicated as we go on. There are so many characters to keep track of, and as time passes between books, it gets harder to keep track of what’s going on. So I thought it might be helpful to give you a quick rundown of where we’re at, and who is involved with this story, so you can dive right in and enjoy it. :) So…in case you haven’t picked up on where I’m going yet – there are SPOILERS ahead. Stop reading now if you haven’t read the previous books in the series.

  The last book, Love Beyond Destiny, ended with Machara’s defeat – the evil fae who’d cursed The Eight so long ago. You may also recall that the thought-to-be widowed Silva, wasn’t so widowed after all. Her husband, Ross, was actually alive and well, and we saw a little bit of him in Destiny. The last we saw of him, he had taken Laurel up on her offer to reside in her Boston apartment while he tried to get his feet under him and figure out what his life would look like without magic and Silva.

  And that’s where we pick up with this book – just shortly after the end of Destiny, with Ross living in present-day Boston, picking up the pieces of his life. If you’ve been with these stories for a long time, you’ll remember that Laurel’s husband, Raudrich, is best friends with Sydney, the chef at Cagair Castle and one of the only one of Morna’s ladies that doesn’t live in the past. She’s in this story as well, enlisted by Raudrich to check in on his old friend.

  Okay…now that you’re aware of where we are, and we’ve quickly recapped some old characters, I think you’re ready to dig in.

  I loved writing this story. It was one of only a handful that I really felt myself get lost in while I was writing it. That’s when this work is the absolute best—when the story sweeps me away as I make it. It’s my hope that it does the same for you—that for at least a little while you’re able to disappear into Morna’s world. I hope you enjoy every minute.

  * * *

  With love,

  B
ethany

  Prologue

  Cagair Castle

  4 Months After Machara’s Defeat

  Present Day

  * * *

  With the rest of Cagair Castle’s residents tucked away for the night, Sydney kissed her sleeping baby and husband, quietly withdrawing from the comfort of her bed. By the time she made it down to her beloved kitchen, it would be seven in the evening in Boston—time for her weekly check-in with Ross.

  Her weekly phone calls were part of the agreement Laurel made with Ross prior to his departure from the Isle of Eight Lairds after their successful defeat of Machara. In exchange for a place to live for the duration of Laurel’s lease and access to her rather hefty savings account, Ross was expected to visit with Sydney each week to ensure he was making good on the opportunity to make a new life for himself. As far as she could tell, he wasn’t.

  While she’d happily agreed to be the go-between, she now dreaded these chats. Every week, they left her sad and exhausted. Ross was always kind to her. He would converse because he knew it was expected of him, but nothing he ever said rang true. Any bit of cheer in his voice sounded forced, and she often wondered if he made up stories to make his days sound more varied than they were just to placate her. She knew he continued to struggle to find his way, and honestly, from what Sydney could see, it wasn’t any wonder.

  She knew where Laurel was coming from. She understood the impulse to solve other people’s problems, but providing Ross a place to live and giving him enough money that he needn’t seek out a way to make a living on his own was the last thing someone like him needed. It took away all necessity for him to solve his own problems.

  With any luck, all of that would change soon. She’d visited with Laurel last week, and it had been clear that they had come to the same conclusion—life was a bit too easy for Ross now. Since Laurel still occasionally kept in touch with a few of her friends in Boston via Morna’s magic, Laurel had told her she had something in mind that might change things. Sydney couldn’t wait to see what it was.

  She glanced at the clock as she flipped on the kitchen light and shuffled over to the small round table at the end of her favorite room in the castle. It was time.

  Ross’ number was at the top of her call history. He was one of the few people she still visited with on the phone. She was so used to waiting for him to pick up until the last ring that it surprised her when she heard his voice after only the second ring.

  “Sydney, good evening to ye.”

  His voice sounded distorted—his tone muffled by the soft crunch of something in his mouth.

  “Same to you. Are you eating?”

  “Aye, apologies. Give me just a moment.”

  Sydney smiled as she listened to him swallow. Whatever was in his mouth, he seemed to be enjoying it very much.

  As if reading her mind, he confirmed her last thought. “’Twas the best meal I’ve had in at least five years.”

  “Did you order out, then?”

  He chuckled in response to her question, and the sound of it startled her. It was the first time she’d heard him laugh. It was a glorious sound that loosened the knot of dread that had settled in her stomach.

  “No, lass. Believe it or not, I dinna order out. ’Twas a delivery from a neighbor. Said her name was Beth, and that she’d been meaning to come for a while, only she just had a babe a few months ago and couldna find the time until now. She’s the wife of the building manager, or I suppose I should say she is the wife of the former manager. He just bought the building and is looking for someone to replace him as manager now.”

  Sydney thought of the first few months with her baby and nodded. “Ah, well, a new baby does have a way of taking up every minute of your day. That was kind of her to stop by and introduce herself to you. You visited with her, then?”

  “Aye.”

  There was a slight pause, and Sydney suspected he was shoveling another bite of food into his mouth.

  “She dinna give me any choice, really. She stepped right into the apartment the moment I opened the door.”

  I like her, Sydney thought, but kept the opinion to herself. If Ross liked her, she didn’t want to say anything that might make him push her away. Ross needed friends as badly as anyone she’d ever known.

  “What did you two talk about?”

  “We dinna talk at all. I mayhap said fifteen words the whole half hour she was here. She, however, spoke extensively about a manner of things.”

  Sydney laughed. “She’s been trapped in her house with a new baby and is probably starved for some conversation. I’m sure she’s not always so chatty.”

  Ross didn’t sound convinced. “I doona know about that. It seemed to be her personality. She somehow got me to agree to join her and her husband for dinner one week from today.”

  Sydney smiled once again, and her worry dissipated a little bit more.

  Clearly, whatever Laurel’s new plan was, it had just taken effect.

  Spring

  * * *

  After three unanswered phone calls, Sydney was convinced that Ross had just successfully skipped out on their scheduled conversation for the first time. Just as she was about to give up and go back to bed, her phone lit up with his number.

  She didn’t even have a chance to speak before he leapt into an explanation.

  “My apologies. Caleb, Beth’s husband, asked if I would work on Ms. Jenkins’ drain. It took me far longer than I imagined.”

  That was the sort of excuse Sydney would always be pleased with. Hard work was exactly what Ross needed. She would never give him a hard time for that.

  “He’s been asking you to do quite a bit for him lately.”

  “Aye. He’s said nothing, but I canna help but feel as if I am unknowingly being interviewed for a job.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I told ye some time back that Caleb purchased the building. Beth’s dental practice has really grown in the past year, and they want Caleb to be able to be at home with their girls more. I believe Beth wants me to take over as building manager.”

  It shocked Sydney to realize that the idea hadn’t occurred to her. The job would be perfect for Ross. Working on a farm for several years when he first traveled to the twenty-first century had made him handy, and from what she knew about Ross, he would never work well under any one else. Managing such a large building would keep him busy, but in many ways, he would be on his own.

  “If Caleb ends up offering you the job, will you take it?”

  “Aye. I know that I need to work. ’Tis not as if I’ve ever had any desire not to. I just havena been able to figure out how to go about it. I have no past work history, no education to show prospective employers, no references that anyone can call. On paper, I am not the most appealing candidate for any sort of job. And with my magic now gone, I canna even falsify such documents. If such an opportunity presents itself, I will jump at the chance.”

  Sydney smiled as Callum entered the kitchen dressed in sweatpants and a white t-shirt. She always thought he looked sexiest just before bed. Quietly, he walked over to her and bent to press a light kiss on her forehead as she did her best to reassure Ross.

  “I suspect that they will. Perhaps you should hint to him that you’re looking for work? It might spur him on.”

  “Aye, I will.”

  There was a slight pause as Ross’ breath caught, and a knot grew in Sydney’s stomach. She suspected she knew which direction their conversation was about to go.

  “Sydney?”

  “Yes, Ross. It’s done.”

  “They’re married then, aye?”

  “Yes. Silva and Marcus left on their honeymoon a week ago.”

  Silence hung between them for a long moment, and Sydney didn’t rush to fill the silence. Instead she gave him the room he needed. She didn’t know what to say to him anyway. After thirty-odd seconds, he spoke.

  “I hope he makes her far happier than I did. Will ye do me a favor, Sydney?”

&nb
sp; “If I can.”

  “If I write Silva a letter and send it to ye, will ye make sure she gets it somehow?”

  “Ross, I don’t know…” Sydney started to protest, but Ross quickly interrupted her.

  “There’s no need for ye to worry, lass. I’ll not say anything to upset her, but she was the most important part of my life for a verra long time. It doesna seem right that such a monumental event should occur without me acknowledging it. She’ll expect something from me. I’m sure of it.”

  His use of the word ‘was’ made her hopeful. It meant that some part of him had begun to heal. He could see that what had once been true no longer was, and from that place, there was room to move on.

  “Okay. Yes. I’ll get it to her.”