Page 5 of Hearts Bound By Time

Angus obliged his wife and she rewarded him with a kiss which, she noted, he took full advantage of.

Chapter 3

Ashley, Cailin, Jenna & Cormac

The lovely little cottage behind the inn was exactly what Ashley had expected. As they walked through the arched wooden doorway, they entered a sitting room with a comfy sofa and loveseat, all set around the hearth of an old stone fireplace. A small kitchen off to the right would be perfect for their needs, with a small stove and refrigerator.

Jenna and Cormac were exploring the two bedrooms. “This one must be for you two. There’s a cradle in there for Emma,” Jenna noted.

“Perfect,” Ashley remarked. She handed Emma to Cailin and headed for the bedroom. “This is so pretty. What do you think, Cailin?”

“I think ’tis a lovely place to spend time with ye and our wee lass.” Cailin placed a sleeping Emma into the cradle and returned to Ashley’s side where they both admired their beautiful daughter. “I can hardly believe we’re back here in Glendaloch, married and with a wee bairn of our own.”

“All thanks to Edna.” Ashley wrapped her arms around Cailin’s waist and he pulled her close. Resting her head on his chest, she could hear the familiar sound of his heart beating a calm tattoo, and in the warmth of his embrace she relaxed as she always did. He was her rock. The man she loved more than she could ever express. She hoped he knew just how important he was to her. She simply couldn’t imagine a life without him in it.

“What are ye thinking, lass?” Cailin asked.

Ashley tipped her head back, looked up into his soft grey eyes and smiled. “Nothing. Just enjoying my hug.”

“Yer hugging me so tight, I’m afraid ye may break me,” he teased.

“I don’t think I could do that even if I tried,” she giggled. “Let’s go enjoy that comfy sofa and the fireplace. We’ll let Emma sleep for a while.”

They both took another look at a sleeping Emma before retreating from the room to find that Cormac and Jenna had closeted themselves in their bedroom. Cailin glanced from the closed door to Ashley and winked. “Shall we?” he pointed to the sofa.

He sprawled across the sofa and Ashley joined him, snuggling into his arms. Her life really had turned out to be happier than she’d ever thought it could be back in San Francisco. The only thing she worried about was Emma.

“Cailin, while we’re here, I’d like Emma to see Dr. Ferguson. You know, to make sure she’s okay and we have nothing to worry about.”

“Whatever ye like, love. I dinnae believe he’ll find any problems.”

“I know. It’s just that she’s so precious, I don’t want anything to happen to her.” This was a conversation she’d had with him many times. She worried about Emma getting sick and not having access to modern medicine. Many children didn’t make it to adulthood in the sixteenth century and she wanted to be sure that Emma wasn’t going to be one of them.

“Ashley, if it makes ye feel better ye should do it. I have nae objections.”

***

Ever since Emma’s birth, Cailin had noticed a change in Ashley. She worried constantly about Emma being ill. So far they hadn’t experienced anything more than a slight cold. As a matter of fact, Cailin had marveled at just how healthy his little daughter was. Ashley had panicked at the onset of the cold and would listen to no one, not even Irene who was raising four children of her own. During the brief course of the illness, Ashley had been inconsolable, hovering over Emma constantly, to the point where she hardly ate or slept for fear that something would happen if she took a few moments away from the baby to care for herself. He would definitely have to speak with Edna to see what they could do to put Ashley’s fears to rest. Seeing Dr. Ferguson would help in the short term, but he wanted to have a plan in place if need be.

“I love you, Cailin,” Ashley gazed up at him, trust in her amber eyes. “So, so much.”

“And I love ye. While we’re here ye’ve nothing to fear, so I want ye to enjoy yerself. Dinnae think about the things that worry ye.”

“I’ll try,” she said. “I’m tired. I think I’ll take a little nap.” Ashley made herself comfortable in his arms and closed her eyes.

Looking down at Ashley’s sleeping face, Cailin couldn’t help but remember their first meeting, when he had unknowingly crossed the bridge through time to rescue Ashley from poor Teddy. When he’d thrown Teddy over the bridge and into the water, Cailin had no idea that Teddy was inadvertently part of Edna’s plan to get the two of them together. Teddy had forgiven him though and he’d ended up the luckiest of men to have found Ashley and made her his. He’d do anything for her. He only wanted her to be happy and to feel safe and secure.

***

“How amazing is this?” Jenna twirled around the room enjoying the comfy warmth of the bedroom she’d share with her handsome husband.

“Are ye happy to be back in yer own time, Jenna?” Cormac seemed worried.

“Of course I’m happy, but don’t worry I’m going home with you when our visit is over.” She stopped in front of Cormac and poked him in the ribs. “What about you? Are you happy to be here?”

“Aye. ’Tis good to be away from the castle for a while. I’m grateful to Edna for inviting us.”

“It’s just what we needed… a nice little vacation.” Jenna had been stressed out about the fact that she couldn’t get pregnant, no matter how much they tried. Everywhere she looked she saw pregnant women. She couldn’t seem to get away from them. Her dear friend Ashley had just confided to her that she thought she might be pregnant again and while Jenna was happy for her, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed at her own predicament. Even Aunt Angelina had a baby. Jenna was shocked and though she hated to admit it, a bit jealous too. She had almost lost it back at the bridge. The urge to cry over her inability to conceive was so strong that she couldn’t even look at Ashley and Angelina. The number of women she knew who had and were having babies was growing along with her fear that she would never have the pleasure of holding her own child.