“What the devil does that mean?”
Deafening thunder split the air and shook the ground. “Ye will see,” Mairwen promised with a calm just as unsettling as the thunder. “Ye will see.”
ChapterTwo
Lexi sat back and admired the plump, nonchalant sheep blocking the roadway. The splotches of color on their wool marked them for whoever owned them. Most of these had a pale blue spot on their fluffy back ends, but a few had an additional splash of yellow along with the blue. One of the locals at the coffee shop had explained that the colors not only denoted which sheep belonged to which herd, but which ewe had bred with which ram. Since the color remained until the sheep were shorn, it was an efficient and cheap tracking system.
A black and white streak raced down the hillside beside the road, and the sheep immediately reacted, milling about to escape it. The border collie soon had them safely tucked into the adjoining field and kept them away from the hole in the fence as she drove past.
“Good lad,” she called out as she eased the car by, knowing the farmer had to be near but had sent his talented herder on ahead to get his woolly truants off the roadway. By her reckoning, which directionally speaking was usually spot on, Seven Cairns should be just up ahead. She really was in no hurry, having discovered a sense of peace as soon as she stepped off the plane in Glasgow. Scotland felt like home, for lack of a better description. Even though she had never been here before, she felt like she had returned to where she belonged. Of course, her scarred face still drew the odd look here and there, always a mixture of curiosity, shock, and pity. But people were people, no matter where you went. They couldn’t help it, and she knew her scars, though now a great deal more silvery and faded than the angry red of her childhood, still caught folks off guard. She didn’t hold them any ill will—unless they got rude. Then she put them in their place.
As she drove into Seven Cairns, she fell in love with the village’s quaint cobblestone thoroughfare. The place was little more than a wide spot in the road, but being from Kentucky’s open horse country, she adored it on sight. This cluster of shops and cottages was probably a close-knit community that took care of one another. She would bet her favorite pair of boots on it, and she knew her boots. Spent entirely too much money on them, in fact, but that was neither here nor there. And they hadn’t exactly been airport-friendly when it came to slipping them off and on to walk through the scanner. But her red Justins were her lucky boots, and she never traveled without them. Yes, she would even bet them that Seven Cairns possessed a good old southernhometownfeel.
She pulled up and parked in front of an ancient stone building that, if it wasn’t a museum, should be. The email from someone named Keeva with no last name had instructed her to check in here whenever she arrived. She climbed out of the small compact car and stretched, working out the kinks after the long drive up from Inverness. An unusual flash out of the corner of her eye made her turn and stare up at the sky. A myriad of colors, a tapestry of rich reds, oranges, pinks, and purples, fluttered in a breathtaking band across the horizon, reminding her of a colorful quilt flapping on a clothesline. Too awestruck to move, all Lexi could do was stare. She had no idea what caused the phenomenon in the sky, and she really didn’t care. She just took the blessing of the view for what it was and bathed in it, reveling in the show of light and color.
A perky “Can I be helpin’ ye, miss?” pulled her attention from the breathtaking show.
She turned to find a purple-haired young woman standing on the sidewalk beside her car. “Hi there. I’m looking for Keeva. Would you know where I could find her?”
The girl, dressed entirely in a magenta shade that was even brighter than her hair, grinned. “I be Keeva. Are ye Lexington Vine?”
“I am. But please, call me Lexi.” She tossed another look back at the sky, which had sadly returned to a stunning azure blue. “I was just admiring the colors. I hadn’t expected to see northern lights in the daytime, but those colors were too brilliant to miss. It reminded me of my grandmother’s quilt of many colors.”
Keeva studied her, narrowing her eyes the slightest bit. “Colors? Ye saw colors in the sky? Like a quilt, ye say? Almost like a tapestry? Would ye hazard that description as well?”
“Definitely. It was brilliant.” Lexi pointed at the spot where the banner of hues had been the brightest. “Right over there. Reds. Purples. Orange. Hot pinks and blues. Absolutely gorgeous.”
“I see.” Keeva somehow seemed to pale.
“Are you all right?” Lexi hurried closer, ready to catch the girl if she teetered off balance.
The young woman shook herself and smiled. “Right as rain, I am. Just surprised ’tis all. Few tourists bother to notice the colors during the day.”
“They were too beautiful to ignore.” Lexi retrieved her purse and locked the car. “Is there somewhere I need to sign in before we go to the cottage? Is it all right if I leave my car here for now?”
“Of course. Here is fine. Good as any other.” Keeva still seemed…off.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Lexi might be a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, but she knew a sick human when she saw one, too. Or maybe one suffering from shock—and it wasn’t because of her scars. “You don’t look well at all.”
“It’s the new hair color.” Keeva laughed, but it sounded forced. “Makes me look pale because I’m naturally a redhead, and I’ve no makeup on today.” She fluffed her violet hair and shook it out. “Come. Let’s go in here and get ye signed in. Then I’ll take ye to yer cottage. Just got through getting the messages for ye. Got ye enough to last the week.”
“Getting the messages?” Lexi repeated. Not for the first time since arriving in Scotland, she felt a bit confused. They might both be speaking English, but there was still a language barrier.
“Groceries, lass. Eggs, milk, bread, and sausages. Sugar, tea and coffee. Jars of jam and honey from the area, and of course, the best shortbreads and candies from Innis’s treat shop.”
Lexi fell in step beside Keeva. “Sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to sit in the garden with a tall glass of sweet tea.”
Keeva eyed her as if she had sprouted a second head. “A tall glass, ye say. Not a cup?”
“Iced sweet tea. Is that not common here?”
“Iced anything is not common here, lass. Why in heaven’s name would ye wish to water down yer drink when the ice melts in it? Please dinna say ye add ice to yer whisky.”
Lexi had run into this before. The Scots behaved as though ice was a rare and unnecessary condiment, only passing it out sparingly when pointedly asked. “I promise not to add ice to my whisky.” She had already discoveredthatwas a cardinal sin. A splash of spring water was acceptable, but ice? Now, that was frowned upon.
“Well, if I have yer word on it, then I can let ye have the cottage as agreed upon.”
Lexi stared at the girl. Was she serious?
