Silent Vows
“I want you,” he whispered in her hair,
not willing to break their contact.
She stiffened when his words registered. “I don’t—”
“You want the same thing, Myra. Don’t try and deny it.”
“I don’t know what I want. I’ve not ever...” She didn’t finish her sentence.
“Not ever what?”
“No one has ever kissed me the way you do. Let alone anything more.”
A virgin? Was that even possible
? “You mean you’ve never...?”
“Never.” She lowered her head and removed her hands from his shoulders.
“Hey.” He caught her gaze. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” He kissed her again, briefly, then placed a protective arm over her shoulders and walked her home. “So are the men in Scotland blind?”
She laughed. “Nay.”
“What then?”
“My father is very protective.”
“Does your father know you’re here?”
“Much to his dismay, but we had no choice.”
Interesting, a protective father who sent his daughter away to a different country without any money. Something wasn’t lining up.
They were within a block of his home when Myra stiffened, and all color washed from her face.
She stopped and spun in a slow circle.
“What is it?”
“Someone is watching us.”
“Some of the neighbors are busybodies.”
“No, Todd. The one who watches wants more than to gossip.”
Now the hair on his neck stood on end.
Praise for Catherine Bybee
“Riveted me, seduced me, and kept me glued to its pages.”
~LASR reviews
“Catherine Bybee has woven the elements of the storyline together seamlessly.”
~Night Owl Romance
KILT WORTHY
“...fast-paced page turner that hooks you from the very first page.”
~
Heather, Night Owl Reviews
“...Charming. ...wonderful.”
~Megan, Bitten By Books
BINDING VOWS
“...full of all things that I love, action, romance, history, and the knight in shining armor saving the damsel in distress bit.”
~Zollyanna, Night Owl Reviews
“...a landscape of love, danger and suspense, finally proving love can conquer all, even time.
...sweet, spicy, and will leave you sighing with satisfaction and wanting more.”
~Lynne Roberts, author
“...a story filled with drama, pathos, and humor with people doing their level best out of their element and strong personalities...”
~Sandra Stixrude, author
BEFORE THE MOON RISES
“...fast paced and action packed.”
~Seriously Reviewed
Silent Vows
by
Catherine Bybee
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Silent Vows
COPYRIGHT 2010 by Catherine Bybee All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected] Cover Art by
Rae Monet
The Wild Rose Press
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com Publishing History
First Faery Rose Edition, 2010
Print ISBN 1-60154-811-7
Published in the United States of America
Dedication
For Sandra, the grammar queen and constant cheerleader for every word I write.
For Fran, my editor and friend.
Thank you so much for your hours of work and love for this project.
My life is over.
Myra MacCoinnich sat astride her horse, marching toward death, death of her life as she knew it.
Why?
Why were the Ancients, the benevolent Druid spirits, dictating her destiny by sending her into the future now?
Beside her, her sister-in-law, Tara graced her with a wry smile, a grin holding enough doubt to leave Myra with a giant hole in her heart.
“’Tis far enough,” her brother, Duncan, announced as he brought their horses to a stop.
Sliding from the back of the mount, Myra gave her mare a final pat.
“This isn’t goodbye, Myra. You’ll see her again,”
Tara lifted an arm to Myra’s shoulders in support.
“Are we doing the right thing?”
“Have your mother’s visions ever been wrong?”
“Nay.” Her mother’s clear vision had warned of Myra’s death if she stayed in 1576.
“Say ‘no’, Myra. The twenty-first century will be hard enough without tripping on words from the sixteenth-century. If Lara’s visions have never failed, then we must believe you aren’t safe here.
You’re going to love my time.” Tara sent her a much more convincing smile.
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“’Tis time, lass,” Duncan called.
“Remember, ‘Lizzy’ is short for Elizabeth.
Elizabeth McAllister.”
Myra nodded, understanding Tara searched for any missing detail about her sister that would help Myra in the future, or so they hoped.
“If for any reason she won’t listen, find Cassy.
Cassandra Ross.”
“You’ve told me all of this. I won’t forget.” Myra removed the heavy cloak covering the twenty-first century style pants and shirt. “Here, I won’t be needing this.” She couldn’t believe she’d soon be walking in public with the clothes she wore.
Tara’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Duncan’s fierce hug filled Myra with warmth.
She remembered the last words her younger sister Amber had uttered to her the night before. Tara was with child, yet neither of them knew it. Amber always knew such things. Much like their mother’s visions, Amber was never wrong.
“Congratulations, brother.”
“For what?” he asked, drawing away from her embrace to glance down at her.
“You’ll see.”
Duncan moved from her arms to spread the sacred stones in a perfect circle. He touched each one, lending them part of his Druid power to help them move Myra through time. Pulsating energy beat within the stones, waiting.
Myra placed one unsteady foot in front of the other, and found herself in the center of the stones.
She repeated the chant in her head. Energy built.
“Godspeed,” Duncan lifted a hand.
The wind started to turn, and heat, along with light, shimmered and burned from each stone reaching far above her head in a kaleidoscope of colors.
“Hey, Myra?” Tara yelled out in an obvious 2
Silent Vows
attempt at distracting her.
“What?”
“Have Lizzy take you to Magicland. The rides don’t compare to this, but you’ll love it.”
Myra clenched her sack to her chest. Air within the circle thinned making breathing difficult.
“Magicland, I’ll remember.”
She wanted to run, flee away from the stones, away from the power that started to surround her body; instead, Myra raised her voice and chanted.
“Ancient stones, and Ancient power, take me safely to Lizzy this hour. Keep me safe and from harm’s way, from prying eyes and the light of day. If the Ancients will it so, take me now and let me go.”
The earth trembled beneath her feet. She stepped forward, fear slammed into her from all sides. Air filled her lungs before expelling in a near scream.
From the corner of her eye, she witnessed Duncan draw Tara tight to his chest.
The power within the circle, held steady by the stones entrusted only to her family, roared. She couldn’t escape. This was her destiny. Dread slid up her spine and burst in her head, followed by an eerie sense of calm.
Myra squeezed her eyes shut.
Magicland,
Elizabeth McAllister, oh, God.
The earth fell from her feet and time swept her away.
****
Some woman woke up on the Island of Atlantis, smack dab in the middle of Magicland before the first employee arrived, and Todd needed to take the report. It sounded like a case for an ambulance chaser.
Scammers came in all shapes and sizes. This one had scammer written all over her. Someone was 3
Catherine Bybee
always searching for a way to make a quick buck.
Officer Todd Blakely asked the elderly woman at the reception desk of Anaheim General Hospital where the ER had taken Jane Doe, then made his way to the elevators.
He walked past the nurse’s desk and smiled at the blonde behind the counter who eyed him up one side and down the other.
Obviously, she liked what she saw.
He didn’t know if it was him or the badge and uniform. The department called them Badge Bunnies. Women who went out of their way to gain the attention of anyone in a uniform, police or fire, they didn’t care which. The men often took advantage of the women’s attention, which explained the high divorce rate among the ranks.
Todd walked toward room number 840 to visit Jane Doe.
Behind the slightly open door, he heard a small laugh. The sound was a little happy for someone who woke without a memory.
He glanced through the doorway, and saw Miss Amnesia sitting up in bed. The flat screen television, held on to a platform by a C-arm, swiveled in front of her. Her hair, the darkest shade of brown fringing on black, traveled down past her shoulders all the way to her elbows. Her deep umber eyes sat atop beautifully shaped cheeks and plump lips that smiled about whatever she watched.
Todd felt the air leave his body. Jane Doe was drop-dead beautiful.
Impulsively, Todd straightened his shoulders and forced his jaw into a hard edge. He would have to watch his step. Women as stunning as the one in front of him had a way of disarming the strongest of cops. The woman in the bed hid a smile behind her hand.
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Silent Vows
Todd’s mouth ran dry.
Sweet Jesus!
****
Myra sat back and once again replayed the conversation she and Tara had shortly before leaving the sixteenth century.
“They will probably take you to a hospital and
run a bunch of tests. Let them, and for God’s sake
don’t act like they’re trying to hurt you. They aren’t.
Amnesic patients remember day to day things, just
not who they are or the people around them.”
“But I won’t know those day to day things,” Myra
said. “I know. When in doubt of what to say, say
nothing. Act innocent. You don’t remember anything.
Name, home, family...nothing! Someone will
eventually call the police, tell them my sister’s name,
and they will take it from there.”
“I’m frightened, Tara.”
“I know, I was too when I first came here. Lizzy
will help. Give her my letter. You can count on her.”
The sound of a dog barking on the TV shook the memories from Myra’s head. How the peoples’
images made their way into the small box, she had no idea, but it would be a great help in studying the people of this time.
She laughed at the pictures of dogs chasing their tails and falling over each other with long wet tongues.
Someone watched.
Myra felt his presence before glancing up to see 5
Catherine Bybee
blue eyes staring at her. The frown on his face worried her almost as much as the imposing clothes he wore, stripes and angles, with a belt that looked like it weighed ten pounds. A metallic badge glistened proudly on his pocket.
The stranger wore his hair long on the top and short at the nape of his neck. His age was close enough to hers to send a slight wave of awareness over her. Yet, his firm jaw was set in a way that told Myra she needed to be careful about what she said.
A strange fluttering sensation formed deep in her stomach.
“Hello.” Myra pushed the button that turned off the box, and then smiled at the ease of the task. “I didn’t see you come in.”
“No problem.” He nodded toward the TV. “I’m interrupting.”
“Nay. Excuse me, I mean no. Of course you’re not. Please take a seat.” Myra indicated a chair with her hand. Being alone with a man, a stranger, in her room wasn’t something Myra was accustomed to.
The way this man gazed at her, she wondered if she had reason to worry. Her eyes slid to his again, his attractive face and smooth speech caused her heartbeat to rise.
“I’m Officer Blakely.” He extended his hand to shake hers.
Myra offered her hand. With his touch, the fluttering in her stomach grew. Her hand trembled in his as energy flowed through her fingers. She snatched her hand away hoping the man hadn’t noticed the heat in her palm. Myra suddenly realized she felt more vulnerable under his eyes than she had all day with the doctors and nurses poking her with their strange objects.