Awakened By Time: Book Eight of The Thistle & Hive Series

By Jennae Vale

Elle Carrera is a fading pop star who, in pursuit of her career, has shut herself off from all that really matters in life. On the way to meet her manager to discuss an upcoming tour, she is shocked to find herself in sixteenth-century Scotland. How she got there is a mystery, but once at Breaghacraig she learns about the matchmaking witch, Edna Campbell and what her possible plans for Elle may include. Despite Edna’s meddling, there’s no time in Elle’s life for love, but during this time away from the many distractions of the twenty-first century, she begins to see what’s been missing in her life. Nevertheless, the future and the strong pull of her career beckons to her with the possibility everything that looked so attractive in the sixteenth century, will become a distant memory as she strives to regain her place at the top of the charts.

All he wanted to do was time travel, but instead, Hamish MacBeown finds himself responsible for the well-being of a time traveler. It appears the witch misunderstood his request because the last thing he wants or needs is the responsibility of protecting an unusual lass from the future. Despite his protests, Hamish finds himself fighting a losing battle as his attraction for Elle grows. He can’t be sure of her feelings for him as it seems the only thing Elle wants is to return to the future and her life before they met. This could be the opportunity he’s been waiting for, but as he seeks adventure he risks a broken heart, that is unless Elle has been awakened by time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennae Vale
• Release date: Jun 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463967164

Jennae Vale

Jennae Vale is a best selling author of romance with a touch of magic. As a history buff from an early age, Jennae often found herself day-dreaming in history class - wondering what it would be like to live in the places and time periods she was learning about. Writing time travel romance has given her an opportunity to take those daydreams and turn them into stories to share with readers everywhere.Originally from the Boston area, Jennae now lives in the San Francisco Bay area, where some of her characters also reside. When Jennae isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and her pets, and daydreaming, of course.

Book preview

Chapter 1

S he’s all yers, Wallace said as he steered his cart away from the bridge .

Wait! Hamish called. What do ye mean?

Edna told me ye’d handle this one, he yelled as he drove out of sight.

When did she tell ye that? Ye’ve been here the whole time. The last thing he wanted to do was babysit one of Edna’s time travelers. Hamish watched as Wallace disappeared. But Edna, I wanted to be the one who time travelled, he called into the air. No response. He turned back to the bridge where the fog was rolling in a circular fashion. "She’s all yers. Hmm…" he said to himself. He could mount his horse and ride away, but would that be right? The thought of leaving this displaced person, whoever they were, didn’t set well with his chivalrous side. What if they had some special purpose for being here?

He’d wait. Arms crossed and legs spread wide, he furrowed his brow, staring into the dense fog, unable to see a thing. A moment later, the fog began to dissipate into the air and much to his surprise there was a girl, or was it a lad, standing there staring at something they held in their hand. She or he didn’t seem to notice that they’d arrived. He said nothing, instead examining this waif-like creature. What could they be doing? Fingers flew over the small flat item they held in front of their face.

Damn, a decidedly female voice said. No service. She glanced up and around her, eyes fixing on Hamish, who thought her quite beautiful despite her very short hair. She looked around and seemed confused. Wow! I have no idea where I am. Her eyes flew back to Hamish. Do you know where I am? I was walking along the marina and I guess I was so focused on my phone that I walked a lot further than I’d planned. This doesn’t look familiar at all.

Yer in Scotland, lass, he said.

Don’t tease, she said, looking down at the object she’d called her phone. Still no service. Unbelievable. I get myself the best phone and the best plan and yet here I am in the middle of San Francisco and I’ve got no service.

I can help ye, Hamish said.

Can you get me back to the marina? She walked a little closer to him, seeming unsure of herself.

He wanted to smile at her obvious inability to see what had happened, but he didn’t. He continued scowling, not at her, but at the situation he now found himself in. Mayhap. It could take some time, he said. Edna will have to help and she’s nae here.

How hard can it be? she asked. Oh, I get it. The Scottish accent and all. You’re not from around here either.

How could he explain this to her? It seemed that she was unaware of the time traveling. If so, it would surely be a shock to hear that she was no longer in San Francisco. He should take her to Breaghacraig. The lasses there would know what to do.

No, I’m nae from San Francisco, he barked. Come. I’ll help ye find yer way, he turned and started towards Aylwyn. When he checked over his shoulder to see if she was keeping up, he realized she was frozen where he left her. He could understand why. A lass certainly should not go off alone with a man she hardly knew. He softened his voice and replaced his scowl with a reassuring smile. Ye needn’t worry. I’ll nae harm ye. He whistled for his horse. Aylwen had been grazing nearby enjoying the fact that Hamish was busy doing something else.

The lass looked startled when his horse trotted up. You have a horse.

Aye. Do ye ride? he asked.

No, she appeared shocked to see Aylwen and began looking around again.

He imagined she must be searching for something more familiar to her than he and his horse. Ye can ride with me. I willnae let ye fall.

Oh, I get it, this must be some sort of new ride sharing thing. I’ll have to be sure to get the app on my phone. She spun around yet again. Did I somehow walk all the way to Golden Gate Park? I really wasn’t paying attention, was I?

Her words made no sense to him, but if it helped her to trust him, it would certainly make his job much easier.

She moved a little bit closer and seemed to make up her mind to trust him. Alright. Let’s go. The sooner I get back to the Marina, the better. I’m supposed to meet my manager. He hates it when I’m late.

We should be off then.

Okay… The look of concern on her face softened his heart.

I be Hamish MacBeown. If he was to be her caretaker, it would be best to put her at ease, to gain her trust.

I’m Elle Carrera. She still sounded hesitant.

I’m pleased to ken ye. Hamish held out his hand to her.

She eyed him warily at first, but gave in and put her hand in his. He led her to the horse and, placing his hands on her waist, easily hoisted her up in the saddle.

Oh! she squealed.

Hamish vaulted up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and took hold of the reins. He clucked to Aylwen who understood and slowly walked on.

Elle was finding it hard to believe that she was sitting on a horse with this man. She really had to learn to pay attention. She’d been trying to limit her phone usage, but she wasn’t sure who she was kidding. It wasn’t working. She’d been in mid-conversation with her sister when her phone suddenly lost signal and she found herself lost. Unbelievable. She could kick herself. And to top it all off, she was doing the other thing she’d been warned over and over again not to do. She was trusting some man she didn’t know from Adam. Not only that, she was sitting on his horse, her back up against what seemed to be a very hard, muscular chest. She couldn’t help but notice his arms. They were wrapped around her after all. They were the kind of arms she’d always dreamed a guy should have, but so far not a single guy she’d dated had them… or the chest or the abs. She imagined Hamish had great abs based on the other things she was seeing and feeling .

She glanced at her phone again. No service. She could still use this time wisely, she started making notes on her to do list and drafted a couple of emails that would be sent as soon as she had service again. Wasting time was out of the question with her busy schedule. Elle looked up again. This was really unfamiliar territory to her. Excuse me, she said. I wonder how it is that you have maps service here when I can’t even get a signal on my phone.

I’m sorry, lass, but I dinnae ken what yer speaking of, he replied.

Edna… that’s your GPS device, right?

GPS? he sounded confused by her question.

Never mind, she said, resigning herself to the fact that there was a definite language barrier between them.

As they rode it became clear to Elle that she was totally and completely lost. But how? San Francisco was only seven miles across, but she couldn’t have walked so far that she left the city completely. The scenery they passed seemed so foreign to her. It could have been the East Bay hills, but it was much greener. Golden Gate Park took up a few blocks on the west side of the city, but they hadn’t seen a single car. Something was wrong, but she wasn’t sure what. She craned her neck to see behind Hamish, hoping to recognize some landmark.

Is something wrong, lass? Hamish asked, his deep voice rumbling in her ear and his warm breath caressing her cheek.

It sent a shiver up her spine. No. Why? Should there be?

Nae. He fell silent again.

Hamish? she hoped she was getting his name right. He had quite the thick Scottish brogue.

Aye.

Where exactly are we going? she asked.

I’m taking ye home.

But you don’t know where I live.

Aye. But there are those who do. They’ll help ye.

Oh. Now she was definitely sure something wasn’t right. He’d said they were in Scotland. She knew that wasn’t possible. She’d have to get on a plane to end up there. What were the other options? Had she suddenly lost consciousness and this was all simply happening in her head? She pinched herself, if for no other reason than she’d seen that done in movies when someone wasn’t sure if they were dreaming or not. Ouch! She wasn’t dreaming.

Hamish chuckled.

What’s so funny? she asked, feeling a little irritated to be so out of her comfort zone.

Why do ye pinch yerself? Do ye nae ken it will hurt? He continued chuckling. A low, soft rumble from deep in his chest that reverberated through her back.

I don’t know. I thought for a minute I might be dreaming, but I guess not. Unless she was in a deep coma and everything she was seeing seemed to be real… was real. That thought made her panic.

Hamish seemed to notice her anxiety and he pulled her closer into the warmth of his chest. All will be well, he assured her.

You seem pretty certain about that, she said.

Because I ken it will.

Elle needed to get him talking. His short, to the point answers were doing nothing to ease her anxiety.

My men are up ahead there. Do ye see them? he asked.

Men? You have men? She peered ahead and saw a group of men on horseback all dressed much the same as her rescuer. Or kidnapper! Don’t panic! She tried to calm herself with deep breaths, but instead found herself gulping air and feeling sick to her stomach.

They’ve stopped to make camp for the night.

What? She was in danger. As usual, she’d stupidly trusted this stranger. Now she had to figure out how to get away from him.

They rode up to the others and Hamish dismounted, reaching up to help her down. Once he did, she slapped his hands away.

Who’s this? one of the men asked.

Her name is Elle. She’s lost and needs help finding her way back home.

The men examined her from head to toe, which made her want to hide behind the giant who she’d spent the afternoon riding with. She took a good look at these men. They were all armed. Some had swords, some had bows and they all had knives tucked into various places on their persons. Somehow, they didn’t seem terribly threatening to her, only curious.

Where did she come from? one of them asked.

A place far from here, Donal. Hamish responded.

Did the witch send her? He looked warily in her direction.

Aye, was his answer.

Wait. What witch? What are you talking about? This was going from one kind of crazy to a whole new level.

She doesnae ken? Donal asked.

Nae. I havenae told her. Hamish cast a pitying glance at her.

Told me what? You better tell me now or I’ll…

Or ye’ll what, lass? he chuckled.

He was right. What could she do? One woman against all these men were terrible odds. Or I’ll walk back the way we came.

Hamish and Donal snickered at that and walked away, leaving her alone as the camp came to life around her.

With the exception of Donal and Hamish, the men had dispersed and were busy setting up camp. They laughed and talked as they worked. Elle could see there wasn’t any way she was going to be able to walk back. They’d been riding for quite some time and the sky was beginning to darken. She couldn’t find her way out of a paper bag, what made her think she wouldn’t get doubly lost trying to find her way back to the place she was originally lost at.

H amish, ye must tell her where she is, Donal said, socking him in the arm .

Hamish glared at him. I ken what I must do. I dinnae wish to frighten her.

She’s already frightened. Look at her.

Hamish gazed at Elle, who had herself backed up against his horse. Donal was right. She was frightened. He could see it in the way her eyes darted back and forth around the camp, the way her lips quivered the slightest little bit, and the way her arms hugged her body tightly as she sought shelter beside Aylwen. I’ll tell her, but I’m nae sure what will happen when I do.

She’s nae about to walk back to the bridge. ’Tis too dark. Donal pushed him towards Elle.

Elle was staring at him as he left Donal and came back to her. I must tell ye the truth.

Oh, my God. Are you kidnapping me? She moved further away from him. I’m kidnapped. Just so you know, my manager will pay you whatever you want.

Yer nae kidnapped, lass. He sighed heavily, Ye’ve time traveled.

Her eyes opened wide as disbelief showed on her pretty face. That’s not possible. There’s no such thing as time travel.

Aye. There is and ye’ve done it.

I don’t believe you.

Then how else do ye explain that yer here in the year 1517?

I’m not. This is 2017 and I’m in San Francisco.

Yer in Scotland, lass. He did his best to sound calm and reassuring. He could see she was ready to run, which would be futile, because he would catch her and bring her back. It was for her own good.

No. That’s not possible. Why are you lying to me? Tears appeared in her eyes.

He didn’t like the way her voice was sounding more and more frantic. Calm yerself. We’ll stay here tonight and tomorrow I’ll bring ye to Breaghacraig. The lasses there will help ye.

Donal approached them with a flask. Here. Drink this.

What is it?

Whisky.

She looked to Hamish, who nodded his head. ’Twill help ye sleep. Edna had gotten this all wrong. He wanted to time travel. He didn’t want a time traveler. She must have misunderstood him. Nonetheless, he was going to have to see that she got to the castle where the Ladies Ashley and Jenna could help explain things to her. In the meantime, he only hoped that she wouldn’t begin to cry or scream. Much to his surprise she took the flask from Donal and took a huge swig and then another.

Donal was grinning like an idjit. There ye go, lass. Come sit by the fire. We’ll feed ye and give ye more whisky and before ye ken it ye’ll sleep. ’Twill be good. Come. He held out his arm for her to take, but Hamish shoved him out of the way.

I’ll take care of her, he growled.

Elle took his arm and he escorted her to the fire where she plopped herself down on the ground. One of the men handed her a bannock, which she accepted and began to eat without saying a word.

Hamish sat down beside her, his large frame touching hers. An unintended thrill ran through his body, a feeling that he liked more than he wished to admit to himself. Elle didn’t move away. He snuck a glance in her direction where he noted that she seemed stunned. He couldn’t blame her.

So, ye had no idea ye were coming here. He thought if he could engage her in conversation it might help.

I still don’t know where here is. She stopped eating. I’m not really very hungry.

I’ll take it, Donal said as he sat down on the other side of her.

Before Hamish could stop him he took it from her and stuffed it in his mouth. Donal!

Aye?

Please leave us. I’d like to speak with the lass… alone.

Donal winked at him as he rose and moved to the other side of the fire.

Tell me what happened to ye, he kept his voice low and calm.

I don’t really know. She raised her eyes to gaze at him. I had a meeting with my manager today. I was supposed to meet him and we were going to talk about upcoming events. As I was walking to meet him, I got a text from my sister, Tina. We were texting back and forth when I noticed I had no service. That’s when I looked up and saw you.

I’m sorry, lass. He really was, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how confused and vulnerable she must feel.

It’s like a bad dream. Maybe it is a dream. When will I wake up? she pleaded.

’Tis nae a dream. ’Tis verra real.

Elle looked as if she may cry. Hamish had to admit, calming a weeping woman wasn’t something he knew anything about. He didn’t know what he should do. Try nae to think of it tonight. Tomorrow ye’ll understand.

She put her head in her hands, sniffling and shaking.

Och, nae. Dinnae cry, lass. Telling her not to cry wasn’t going to work. What was he thinking? He placed an arm around her shoulders and drew her into his embrace, where he cradled her head against his chest and did the only thing he could do. He let her cry. And cry she did. Hamish held her throughout, feeling a warmth he didn’t know he was capable of. When she finally ran out of tears, Hamish’s shirt was wet with her tears.

She pulled away from him, wiping her eyes with her hands, I must look terrible.

Hamish examined her face. Black streaks and smudges were on her cheeks and around her eyes. He wondered what had caused it. Reaching out a finger, he ran it gently across her cheek and then looked at the black which was now on his finger. What is this? He showed Elle his finger.

She quickly reached for the bag she’d worn on her back. Opening it, she pulled out something which she opened and looked into. I’m a mess. My mascara ran all over my face. I’m so embarrassed. She reached into her bag again and pulled out something else he’d never seen before. The item contained a cloth that she used to wipe her face. That’s better. She put everything back in the bag and glanced around her. I should probably turn my phone off. I don’t want to waste my battery. She reached for what Hamish had come to understand was her phone. It was never out of her hand and seemed to hold a strange power over her. There, she said. "It’s not like anyone’s going to be able to call or text me anyway.

He recognized the fear creeping back into her voice. May I? he asked, holding his hand out for her phone.

Elle handed it to him, watching him the whole time as if