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  Once Rosalind was safely inside the car with her seatbelt fastened, Malcolm answered his granddaughter’s insistent questions.

  “The baby won’t be walking, though I expect he will be crawling all over the place. And of course Emilia will let you hold him. You’ll be a big help to her. How was the last day of school?”

  Rolling her eyes, the young girl huffed and shook her head.

  “It was a total waste of time. This whole week was. It was all parties and Christmas crafts. What am I doing in school if not to do some real learning? I would’ve been better off just leaving for Scotland a week early.”

  Malcolm smiled to himself as he drove the short distance to the home they all shared.

  “You know, most kids like the days when there’s less school work.”

  She glanced over at him, giving him a smile identical to her mother’s, and Malcolm’s heart squeezed. His girls were his world. They would never know how much either of them meant to him.

  “Pops, have I ever been like most kids?”

  “No, and that’s one of your best qualities. Most kids drive me crazy.”

  Rosalind laughed as he pulled into the driveway.

  “I know you try to seem grumpier than you are, but nobody buys it. You like everybody.”

  It was true. While his stature might be intimidating, Malcolm knew his heart was softer than most men he knew. He was an incurable sap.

  “Some people buy it. I can be grumpy when I need to be.”

  Rosalind ignored him as she opened the car door and stepped outside. He knew immediately from the way her eyes darted over to the tightly shut garage door she’d just noticed what he’d already seen—her mother still wasn’t home.

  “She’s not here, Pops. I knew this was going to happen. I just knew it.”

  Malcolm hurried to place a reassuring hand on his granddaughter’s shoulder as he guided her up the front steps to their home.

  “Don’t worry yet, Rosie. She could just be stuck in traffic. We don’t know that she had to work late.”

  Shoulders slumped, head down, the young girl leaned into him as he worked to open the front door.

  “She always has to work late. We’re going to miss our flight.”

  “Don’t you worry about that—we still have an hour or so before we have to be at the airport. We are not going to miss our flight. I’ll call the hospital right now. Why don’t you go and pack the last of your things and bring your bag downstairs? We can get the car loaded while we wait on her.”

  Waiting until Rosalind disappeared at the top of the stairs, Malcolm closed the door and made his way into the kitchen. Pulling out his phone, he saw the notification he dreaded might be there—a voicemail from his daughter.

  Turning the volume down low so Rosie wouldn’t hear it—he could hear her lingering on the stairs—he pressed play and held the phone up to his ear.

  “Hey Dad. Look, I know you guys aren’t going to be happy with me, and I really hate to do this, but I simply can’t leave the hospital right now. Half the nursing staff is trying to take off, and I have too many patients who need me. You guys go ahead and leave for Scotland. I’ll catch a flight out sometime next week. I’ll definitely be there by Christmas. Tell Rosie that I love her. I love you too, Dad. Oh, and Dad. Don’t call the hospital. I don’t have time to discuss this with either of you. Just leave and have a great first day in Edinburgh. I’ll meet you guys there soon. Bye.”

  Rosalind entered the kitchen before he had time to call for her.

  “I guess I shouldn’t bring Mom’s bags down? I can tell by your face that she isn’t coming.”

  “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. She’s just too swamped…”

  “No!” Rosalind’s angry voice interrupted him as tears began to swell in her eyes. Her knees wobbled as she gripped the doorway. “Don’t make excuses for her. Not anymore. She always acts like she has a good reason, but there’s no good reason for this.”

  Malcolm couldn’t argue with her. He knew the pain his daughter was in all too well, but it didn’t give her permission to abandon her daughter. For the better part of two years, she’d closed herself off from all life outside the hospital, and it was Rosalind who suffered for it.

  Moving across the room, Malcolm dropped to his knees and reached to wrap his arms around Rosie. She buried her head in his neck and cried.

  “You’re right. I won’t. I know there have been lots of times that she hasn’t been there for you since your father passed away, but this time she’s gone too far. This isn’t right or fair. I’m as angry with her as I’ve ever been. But this is Christmas, and I refuse to let her ruin it for you.”

  Ripping herself away from him, Rosalind picked up her bag and stormed through the front door of the house.

  “She already has. Now, let’s get this stupid show on the road.”

  Anger always caused Rosie to lash out at those around her. Only in the car for a few seconds, she began to honk the horn at him, fire in her eyes as he dragged his own bag outside and locked the front door.

  The young girl was heartbroken and angry, and he would pay the price for it.

  Malcolm could sense with every fiber of his being that his beloved granddaughter would give him hell during every second of their trip to Scotland.

  Chapter 3

  McMillan Castle – 1651

  *

  “You’ve no reason to be nervous, Kenna. From the first moment I met you, I knew you were a woman far ahead of your time. Much like Mitsy and Grace were born in another time but belong in this one, I’ve always wondered if perhaps you belonged in theirs.”

  I turned toward Bebop in surprise as we continued our morning walk. It was a ritual we started almost immediately after his arrival in the seventeenth century. Each morning, shortly after breakfast, we would meet in the castle’s garden where, no matter the weather, we would walk for over an hour. It was good exercise for us both, and over the years we’d become the best of friends.

  “Why would ye say that? I’ve never felt that way myself.”

  “Well, for starters, you don’t think like most people born and raised in this time. Kenna, you are as open-minded as they come. And perhaps you’ve never felt that way yourself because you’ve never spent time in another century. I won’t be surprised if you have no desire to come back after a few weeks away.”

  “I’ll want to come back. There are far too many people here who I love to stay away.”

  Bebop reached over to squeeze my shoulder. “And that, my dear, is the only reason I believe you will come back”

  “Do ye truly believe I’ll love it so much?”

  “I do. This isn’t exactly related to the subject at hand, but would you like a good laugh?”

  I would never say no to that.

  “O’course, I do.”

  “We both know Cooper regularly asks interesting questions. There is nothing the young boy won’t say or ask, but this question surprised even me, and I’m rarely surprised by anything.”

  My curiosity piqued, I took one step closer to him as we walked.

  “What did he ask ye?”

  “He asked when the two of us were going to get married.”

  “Wha…what…whatever gave him that idea?” I felt like the air had suddenly been kicked from my chest. It was the most ridiculous suggestion I’d ever heard.

  Bebop shook his head as he chuckled softly.

  “I haven’t the slightest idea. I guess he just assumed that since we are both his grandparents now and both of our spouses are gone that we should naturally be together.”

  “Oh. Well, I suppose if I were seven years old, I might think as he does. What did ye say to him?”

  “Firstly, I explained to him that despite my youthful appearance.” He paused to chuckle at himself. “I was significantly older than you. Then, I went on to tell him that anyone who knows my real name and still calls me ‘Bebop,’ probably doesn’t have any romantic inclinations for me.”

  “And do ye
have them for me? I know that ye doona.”

  “I would be lucky to have you, Kenna, but no, you are the dearest friend I have here, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to ruin that.”

  “Good.” I pointed up ahead where our anticipated guests were approaching the castle. “They’re here.”

  Mitsy’s closest friend, Bri, her husband, and their children, along with Bri’s mother, Adelle and her husband, Hew, were coming to stay with us for Christmas. Adelle, as I’d learned shortly after Cooper’s warning that they had a plan for everything, had already been assigned to help me prepare for my time in the future.

  Bebop picked up his pace and reached his hand behind to wave me forward.

  “We best hurry then. I’ve not been around Adelle too much, but I know she has a penchant for talking. You and Cooper leave this evening and I expect she will have a week’s worth of information to tell you. Best you get started soon.”

  Nerves and excitement gathered in equal measure in my chest as I marched toward my first lesson on how to survive in the twenty-first century.

  *

  I had just fastened myself into my first-ever bra when both my daughters-in-law, Grace and Mitsy, burst into the room where Adelle and I were picking modern outfits for me to pack from her wide selection.

  Mitsy gazed unabashedly at my chest for a matter of seconds and then turned to address Adelle.

  “Nice. You’re a little bit taller, Adelle, but other than that, you two are just about the same size.”

  “We are. Lucky thing too since much to my dismay the rest of you girls have let your collection of modern clothes dwindle over the years.”

  Grace laughed and passed a white button-down blouse in my direction.

  “We don’t really need them anymore. Why go to the hassle of keeping things that we don’t wear handy?”

  “You girls must be more evolved than I am. Don’t get me wrong. I love my life here, but the fashion of this time doesn’t suit my tastes at all. I don’t really wear them anymore, but sometimes just looking at my old clothes makes me happy. I’m thrilled they will finally be getting some use.”

  The buttons on the blouse felt strange beneath my fingers. While the clothes were undoubtedly more comfortable, I felt uncomfortable in them—exposed and wholly unlike myself.

  Grace came to stand behind me in the mirror and leaned in close while Adelle and Mitsy began discussing what they missed most about life in the twenty-first century. They were split between hot baths and microwavable popcorn.

  “It will take some getting used to, but once you do, you’ll love this way of dressing. And if it makes you feel any better now, you look absolutely gorgeous. How does the makeup feel? Do you think you can manage it yourself?”

  “Thank ye, Grace.” I reached up to gently brush at my newly blackened lashes. “It feels less odd than I expected. Aye, I think I can manage. Adelle took her time showing me how to apply it, though I refused much of what she offered me.” Adelle had shoved an entire satchel full of makeup toward me but I only ended up setting aside four items to pack—all of which were entirely new to me: a light powder, eyeliner, mascara, and a burgundy-colored lipstick.

  “What you have on is perfect. You don’t need much. You’re stunning without anything on. I can hear my youngest screaming in the other room so I can’t stay away long, but I wanted to come in here and tell you something while it was on my mind. I know that you’re going with Cooper but I don’t want you to feel like you are going to care for Cooper. He’s stayed alone with Morna and Jerry many times. I trust them with my son completely. What I’m saying is, don’t use Cooper as an excuse not to get out and explore while you’re there. I want you to soak up everything there is to see, to seize every opportunity that comes your way. You deserve this. You deserve some time away. You deserve some fun. Okay? Promise me you won’t feel the need to stay with Cooper every second.”

  Turning away from the mirror to face her, I reached my arms around Grace to hug her close.

  “Thank ye. Having ye tell me that yerself will certainly make me more likely to do so. Are ye coming to see the two of us off?”

  McMillan Castle’s youngest babe let out an ear-piercing scream and Grace stiffened in my arms.

  “Yes, of course. I want to squeeze both of you before you go. Now, however, I must go see to that. Eoghanan is good for many, many things but comforting crying babies isn’t one of them.”

  Grace left, followed shortly by Mitsy, leaving Adelle and me to pack up the rest of my borrowed belongings alone.

  “Grace is right, you know. You need to take full advantage of your time there. With Morna involved, it’s bound to be a wonderful time for you. Do you mind if I give you my own piece of advice—one grandmother to another?”

  Cooper and I would leave within the hour. Everything was real now, and I could no longer hide my apprehension.

  “I consider myself to be a rather strong woman, but the closer I get to leaving, the more nauseous I feel. I’ll take any advice ye can give me, Adelle.”

  “Great. And just so you know, I’m only saying something because Grace told me how you sent her to Eoghanan’s room before they were married, so I know you’re secretly a modern-minded lady like myself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t risk offending you.”

  I laughed and reached to squeeze Adelle’s hand. “I canna remember the last time I was offended by anything.”

  “That’s really good. Okay, I can tell by your complexion that it’s been a really long time since you’ve had a good lay. If I know Morna at all, she will see to it that the opportunity arises while you are with her to fix that. Do it. Forget about all of the rules of propriety that apply to things here. Things are very different in the twenty-first century. Have the sex. Eat the cake. Drink the extra glass of wine. Let your hair down a bit.”

  Whatever I’d expected her to say, it hadn’t been that.

  “Ye can tell by my complexion?” The thought horrified me.

  She shrugged. “What can I say? It’s always been my superpower. Now, let’s get you to Cooper so the two of you can head out.”

  Laughing, I lifted the handle of my modern roller bag and then leaned playfully into Adelle.

  “Do ye know what, Adelle? I know that I doona know ye verra well, but I already know that I like ye verra much.”

  Smiling, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder as we left the room.

  “I like you too, Kenna. I’m totally serious, though. When you guys return in two weeks, I expect your face to be glowing. Glowing from all the sex.”

  “Aye, I understood what ye meant by glowing from yer first reference to my ruddy complexion.”

  She nodded. “Just driving the point home.”

  “I believe ye did. I shall endeavor to return home all aglow.”

  Laughing like lassies half our age, we made our way to the castle’s west tower together.

  Chapter 4

  On The Road to Conall Castle, Scotland – Present Day

  *

  If Rosalind sighed any louder, the tourists in the very back of the bus would be able to hear her. It was now three days into their trip and with no word from Rosie’s mother, the young girl’s mood continued to decline.

  Listening to the young girl cry herself to sleep had been the deciding factor for Malcolm. Staying in his brother’s home where they all had so many shared memories of Christmases together only seemed to make matters worse for his granddaughter. It only reminded her that during a time of year when both of her parents should be there, neither of them were.

  There was no need for them to stay in Edinburgh for the entire trip. Perhaps it would do Rosalind some good to get out of the house and explore the country a bit. They could travel for a few days and then return to Edinburgh for the real Christmas celebrations.

  Unable to sleep from the soft sounds of Rosie crying inside her room, Malcolm had arranged a weekend getaway in which they would explore a bit of the Highlands. And now, only twelve hours after the decision was ma
de, they were aboard a bus, enjoying the three-hour scenic drive from Edinburgh to the first stop on their trip—Conall Castle.

  At least he was enjoying the drive. So far, the diversion wasn’t working for Rosie.

  “This is the castle you wanted to see, isn’t it? I was almost certain this was the one you mentioned to me before.”

  Rosalind didn’t face him as she answered. Instead, she kept her gaze focused out the bus window to her left.

  “Mom and I planned to see it together. We can just add this to the long list of things she’s missed.”

  “We can always come and visit it again when she gets here.”

  Rosalind turned slowly toward him, her eyes red and teary. Her eyes and nose were beginning to look raw from all the crying. Malcolm needed to find some way to make the child smile.

  “Don’t you know it by now, Pops? She isn’t coming. Last Christmas was just too hard on her. I know she hasn’t said it yet, but I know her. She won’t be here for Christmas.”

  Malcolm worried that his granddaughter was right. Tim had loved Christmas so much. His daughter seemed incapable of celebrating the holiday now that he was gone.

  “It won’t always be this way, Rosie. Sometimes, grief takes a very long time to work through. She will find her way back to you.”

  Taking a deep breath in through her nose, Rosalind turned away from him and stared out the window once more. He could see Conall Castle in the distance through the front window of the bus. They were almost there.

  “Let’s not talk about your mother anymore today. Let’s just try and enjoy this time together.”

  As the bus pulled to a stop and the castle’s guide stepped aboard the bus to welcome them, Malcolm turned his attention to the tour. One by one they got off the bus and followed the perky and knowledgeable guide along the short trail leading up to the castle’s main doors.

  While he was certain Rosalind had followed him off the bus, he turned to whisper to her halfway through the tour and found her no longer behind him. Frantically, his gaze tore through their group. She was gone. Rosalind was nowhere to be found.