Page 1 of All In Good Time
Chapter 1
The building stoodmid-way down the block, its sign shining bright like a beacon of hope to this weary traveler. Sara Barrett had imagined this place and this moment for months, slowly gathering her courage and finally buying her ticket to Scotland. As much as she had looked forward to arriving at the inn, she now stood with her feet firmly fixed in place, unable to move. The doubts that she’d managed to ignore for so long came pouring forth, overwhelming her with worry. Was she doing the right thing? Should she have lied to her brother about her plans? Was she really ready for this?
The door to the inn opened and in the dim light that poured out onto the sidewalk she saw a muscular young man with soft blonde curls exit the doorway and face her. He hesitated briefly before walking her way. She didn’t move towards him, instead waiting to see if he was coming for her or if he’d pass right by. Sara thought her heart might beat right out of her chest as he stopped directly in front of her.
“You must be Sara. We’ve been expecting you.” His warm smile was kind and stirred a sense of hope within her. Still, she was sure her face gave away her astonishment.
Finding her voice, she managed to stammer out, “How did you know I was coming? No one knew. I didn’t even make a reservation.” This was all a bit unnerving.
The man chuckled softly as he reached out his hand. “I’m Dylan. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Sara. Oh, you already knew that, huh?” She laughed nervously as she shook his hand, feeling embarrassed at her suddenly clumsy social skills.
“Let me help you with your bags and get you settled in your room.” She surrendered her bags to him and he began walking towards the inn door. “Follow me, Sara,” he called over his shoulder.
She hurried to catch up with Dylan, trailing him through the door and into the lobby of The Thistle & Hive Inn. Sara stopped to take it all in, awestruck by what she was seeing. It was exactly what she expected and so much more. Dark wood beams crisscrossed the ceiling and white plaster walls gave the room an old world feel. The coziness of the blazing fire added to the inn’s ambience as it crackled and popped in the hearth, giving off a welcoming warmth and the soft scent of pine. It’s soft golden glow spread across a beautiful Celtic knot rug that covered much of the wide-planked hardwood floors. At the far end of the room stood the registration desk. Sara headed straight for it.
“You can check in later.” Dylan stopped her before she reached it. “Edna and Maggie are busy now. I’ll show you to your room. Dinner will be served in about an hour, so you’ve got time to relax before coming back down.” Dylan led her up the stairs and stopped in front of the first door, which he unlocked before handing her the key and opening the door. “After you.” He held the door open and followed her inside to deposit her things before excusing himself and leaving her alone to wonder at the reality of her circumstance.
She’d been determined to meet Edna Campbell and ask for her assistance. Over and over again she’d returned to the spot she’d last seen him, the spot where she’d watched helplessly as he disappeared into the fog. She had no idea what she’d expected to happen, but her hope of seeing him again had been guiding her to this moment. Surely Edna would help her. She’d helped Helene and Dougall, why should Sara be any different? Still there was doubt. It had followed her all the way from San Francisco, California to Glendaloch, Scotland.
Sara glanced around the room, taking note of the furnishings and found that despite the fact that it was not the modern style she was used to, it had a warm, cozy feeling to it. She perched on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath and willing herself to relax.
A whooshing sound by the fireplace caught her attention. She was shocked to see a fire burning in the hearth now. She shook her head in wonder. How did that happen? It wasn’t like that a minute ago, or am I just so preoccupied that I didn’t notice it?
Shaking off the uneasiness caused by the magical fire, Sara stood and lifted her suitcase onto the bed where she unpacked the beautiful medieval gown she’d purchased at this year’s Ren Faire. After all, if she was going to time travel, she’d better look the part. She hoped Logan would like it…that he’d like her. There were no guarantees, but she imagined if things didn’t work out Edna would bring her back. She didn’t believe it would come to that though because there’d definitely been a spark between them. She felt it from the first moment she’d seen him striding towards her in his kilt in the middle of San Francisco, looking like the Highlanders she lusted after in the romance novels she loved so much. They were her guilty pleasure. She thought men like that were purely fictional until she met Logan. Her heart thundered in her chest again and a shiver of delight ran through her as she imagined what it would be like to be his woman. To be held in his big, strong arms, to look up into his dark and stormy eyes and know he cared. The constant tug of war going on in her brain was currently being won by the I’m-doing-the-right-thing side.
She put away the rest of her things and then sat herself down on the floor in front of the fire. Taking out her smartphone she placed a call to her brother Zeke.
“Hello.” Zeke’s voice came through loud and clear.
“Hey, it’s me. Thought I’d give you a call and let you know I arrived safely.” Sara’s hands suddenly felt clammy. She felt so guilty about lying to Zeke.
“How was your flight?” he asked.
“Long, but uneventful.”
“Uneventful is good. Are you excited about the cruise?” Sara had lied to Zeke. She told him she was taking a river cruise through Europe. Something she’d always wanted to do.
“I can hardly wait.” She tried to push down the guilt and infuse her voice with enthusiasm.
“I’m happy you’re doing this. You needed to get away.”
“You’re right. I really did.” Zeke knew how she felt about letting Logan get away. He’d suffered a similar heartache when Helene returned home with Dougall. “I don’t know if I’ll have cell phone coverage on the boat,” she lied. This was getting harder and harder to do. Zeke was all the family she had left. He’d be devastated if he thought something had happened to her.
“That’s okay. I guess if you need to get in touch with me, you can do it when you’re on land.”
“Right. I’ll do that.” Her voice cracked a bit. There would be no cell coverage where she was going.
“Hey, are you okay? You sound funny.” He could always read her. It’s why she’d never been able to get away with anything growing up. She had to pull herself together.
“I’m fine. Just tired from the flight and excited about my trip.” Both of those things were true. She couldn’t wait to travel back in time to find Logan. “How’s everything with you?”
“Good. Working hard to get my students ready for the next competition.” Zeke ran a medieval martial arts studio in San Francisco.
“Well, don’t work too hard. You need a social life too, you know.”
Zeke was quiet. “I’m not ready for that yet, Sara. You know that.”