Love in the Mist (MacKay's) Read online

  He heard her before he saw her figure coming towards hm. It seemed to him the mist always followed her, surrounding her like a protective veil. Today she seemed sad, which surprised him after watching her with the children all day. As she sat on her tree stump she put her head in her hands and began to cry. The heart wrenching sobs tore at his soul… what he wouldn’t do to be able to hold and comfort her.

  He put his hand out to brush the back of his fingers across her cheek and felt… soft skin. A shudder went through his body, but she jumped at his touch.

  Looking around nervously he watched as she licked her lips. “Who’s there?” Her whisper sounded desperate. Well that answered his next question. She could feel him, but not see him.

  “Och lass… can ye hear me?” He couldn’t help the excitement that ran through his body. To be able to finally touch and speak to her. There was no response to his words. The disappointment he felt slashed through his gut. It seemed that whatever magical entity that had brought her to him, wanted to tease him with hope… only to then take it away.

  Desperate for contact of any kind he placed his hand against her cheek once more. At first she jumped pulling away slightly, but then she relaxed after a few minutes and even rubbed her cheek against his palm. The soft contented sigh that fell from her lips caused a shiver to race along his spine. Could she actually feel him?

  “I think whatever magical entity has been causing my dreams is now teasing me in day light. Either that… or I fell asleep and didn’t realize it. If that’s the case though… why can’t I see him?” Her words that nearly mirrored his own thoughts stunned him. Magical entities and dreams?

  Her face turned pink… she seemed to be embarrassed that she was speaking out loud to no one in particular. He found it endearing distracting him from his thoughts for a short moment. “Lass… if only we could speak to each other…” He waited hoping for a response to his words from somewhere.

  “I know it’s you… no other smells of sandalwood, leather and the forest. Too bad you aren’t real… I could really use an afternoon just wrapped in your arms. Feeling both your physical and inner strength.” Her words caused his breath to lodge in his chest. Could it be true? Was she dreaming of him as he had been dreaming of her?

  Tavish couldn’t help being touched deeply by her words. An idea began to take form in his mind. She may not be able to hear him, but he could hear her and she could feel him. Sliding in behind her on the stump he leaned against the back. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her waist encouraging her to gently lie against his chest.

  With a soft sigh she leaned into him closing her eyes for just a moment. He couldn’t resist the temptation and softly kissed each eyelid. The fleeting smile that twitched across her lips was not quite what he was hoping for, but it was a start. He spent the next hour just listening as she poured her troubles out to him. He was appalled at some of what she said. How could a town take advantage of the children they were supposed to protect?

  He had been so comfortable sitting there holding her he almost missed the tug that signaled it was time to go. He brushed the hair away from her face and lightly kissed her cheek… then her ear. “I have tae go now ma sweet lass… be brave.”

  He heard the sigh of contentment that escaped her lips. He had given that to her today, a sense of peacefulness she had been lacking. Who would’ve guessed just holding a woman could feel so special. “Tavish… I wish you were really here. I need you so much.”

  Tavish sat up in bed shocked to his core and very frustrated. She knew him dammit. She had said she knew him by his smell, but she had known his name. His gut told him that she dreamt of him as he did her. God the fates were really screwing with them if that was so. Why had he all of a sudden been able to touch her in his dream?

  He had no new answers… just many more questions. He had to leave this day to visit his liege lord and wouldn’t be back for a senight. He never dreamt of her while away from MacKay land, it was almost as if the land itself drew them together. He would miss her while he was gone. There was one advantage though… he knew where she would be in a senight when he returned and he planned on being there to watch over her.

  Chapter 3

  She was always late and today was no exception unfortunately. Tasha was supposed to be at a costume party slash fund raiser for the town of Opal. Yeah, it may only be September, but it was still close enough to Halloween to bring out the desire in others to dress up. They were trying to raise money for the local orphanage. Though Opal was a small town, it was still within an hours’ drive of San Antonio. Close enough to the main city still to get things done if need be.

  The house used for the orphanage was almost a century old, donated to the town by her great grandmother nearly two decades before, after a tragedy struck the surrounding areas leaving nearly two dozen children orphaned, Tasha herself included. At the time the house had been sitting empty for several years… since her great grandmother and her grandmother both had lived in the house her grandfather had built. A grand house in its time, it was now suffering from neglect. The person who had been put in charge of the maintenance and care of the old house had been skimming funds and cutting corners for years. After Tasha’s great grandmother died and her grandmother became sick there was no one to watch over things. The duty had fallen solely to the city council, and they had not done their duty by following through and verifying the repairs and upkeep were being maintained.

  She had been dealing for months with the possibility of the orphanage being forced to close permanently, displacing over a dozen children ranging from toddler to young teenager. If that was allowed to happen they would all be split up permanently and shipped to several different state run facilities throughout south and west Texas. As it was they were already dealing with a similar situation on a temporary basis. They had to shut down the orphanage in June due to unsafe living conditions and had found temporary housing for the orphans.

  That house was their home, most of those children had been there for years and they deserved a chance to stay. They shouldn’t be punished because a bunch of greedy adults, neglected to do their duty. The subject angered her so much. She had spent almost her entire life dedicating her spare time to the upkeep of that house. The women of her family had taken pride in the fact that some of their family’s heritage had gone to such a noble cause. To look at it and see what it had been reduced to had been appalling.

  She had spent nearly a year now and almost a third of her income trying to wrestle control away from the city and turn it over to a nonprofit group ran by her best friend Mika. Mika had spent most of her teenage years homeless with her mother and had made it her life’s goal to make sure there was more aid available to those in similar situations. Not a handout for people to lazy to take care of themselves, but beneficial help for those struggling. Those who worked hard, but still couldn’t afford to house themselves and their families.

  They had both struggled through college on scholarships and managed, just barely, to scrape by on a waitress’ salary. Though Tasha’s family had money the older woman believed in earning what you got out of life. They never gave her a dime that she hadn’t struggled to earn in some way. All of her money was wrapped up in a trust found with conditions attached. Tasha hadn’t minded though, she loved her grandmothers and believed their stubborn ways made her a better person over all. Certainly better than most woman who came from privilege.

  Before Mika graduated she had paved the way for her nonprofit group and managed to get investors to donate money, time and supplies to her cause. Now only a few years later she had managed to expand into other areas. This opened the door for her to become involved in the orphanage. Mika had known, it was a cause close to Tasha’s heart and therefore did everything in her power to become involved.

  Now after months of struggling and fighting her goals were close at hand. The improvements she had already managed to make were phenomenal. Tonight’s profits would go directly to the final repairs needed for
the orphanage and if they were able to raise enough… it could finally be reopened… hopefully before Christmas.

  After its closer in June she had despaired of ever winning this battle, but victory had finally come! The contractor had promised to have the repairs finished by the middle of the month, with the inspector set to come in on the Monday before Thanksgiving. If everything went smoothly she could begin the lengthy paperwork process involved in bringing the children back to the orphanage. She knew not all would come home, some had been placed in foster care, and a few of the smaller children were set for quick adoption, but over a dozen would be returning and with the backing of Mika’s group and some finagling by her… the orphanage would be allowed two dozen children on the premises at any given time and boast a lot of new amenities.

  They would have a live in cook and her assistant, two teachers, both a male and female counselor and a head mistress. With a half dozen bedrooms on each of the upper floors the boys would take the top floor, while the girls would be assigned rooms on the second floor. Each room would be shared by two children close to the same age. To each floor they had already added a full shower facility, with private stalls of course, and a half dozen sinks with mirrors in the hopes that the kids could share them more comfortably. Each room would sport a half bath with a full length mirror on the door. A short privacy wall between the beds had been finished earlier this week for the older kids’ rooms and they each had their own closet space. Each room had two windows, she had always wanted to add built in window seats, but until recently the idea had been rejected by the council. Now she had the authorization she desired, but only for the older teenagers rooms and safety features had to be added. She didn’t care though, because when all was said and done she had won so much for the children. She had a carpenter friend of hers designing built in dressers… one on each side of the rooms and a desk with an overhead light for studying. She thought she’d allow each of the children to paint their own dressers as a way to make it feel more like their own.

  Both the male and female counselor would have their own master suites on each floor, with their own bath and showers as well as a small living area for them to relax away from the kids. Besides their day time job as counselors, it would be their responsibility to guide the children in their evening activity. They would be in charge of bed checks, general cleanliness of the rooms and lights out.

  Most of the downstairs had been left in its original form, with a music room and library for the children’s use. The parlors had been transformed into classrooms years ago, but the dining room had remained with its huge solid wood table and old fashioned chairs. A wall had been constructed in the middle of the ballroom leaving half of it in its former glory but modernizing the other half into a recreations room for the kids. A dance instructor would be brought in once a week… teaching the kids everything from ballroom dancing to the modern dances from clubs. Mika and her both wanted the children to have a taste of both worlds. The rec room was being modernized with all the latest technology. In the corner of the room they had designated a small area for gaming, one wall had a big screen tv with a dvd collection to make the most avid movie buff jealous, in the opposite corner sat a pool table and an air hockey table. They also had plans of altering the conservatory, part of it would be sectioned off to make room for a half dozen computers that the kids would need use of for their studies.

  There was a suite with two rooms off the kitchen for the cook and her assistant with one master bathroom for them to share. The head mistress and the two female teachers would be sharing what used to be a three bedroom caretakers cottage. The entire upper floor had been transformed into a private suite for the head mistress, which included a den and small kitchen area. There was no stove, but we had added a microwave, a small refrigerator, electric skillet and crock pot. The two teachers each had master suites downstairs, which included a bathroom, dressing area and a small den. They had a large living room area that would allow for guests if they threw any small informal parties. Like the upstairs suite the kitchen area didn’t have its own oven, but did have its own full size fridge, microwave, coffee machine, toaster, and electric skillet. With a lot of counter space there was plenty of room for any other appliance they might think to add on their own. There was also a small breakfast nook sitting in front of the big bay windows, big enough to seat four.

  One of the local ranches had donated a small section of their property that bordered the orphanage to be leased for a century. Since it was part of the original property that had been sold years ago, it sported a barn, bunk house and practice yard that had been maintained over the years by the rancher who had bought it. The owner had agreed to maintain the buildings and provide feed for the half dozen horses that had been donated by local ranches. A couple of ranch hands and one manager would oversee the ranch part of the orphanage in their spare time. With two milk cows, a half dozen chickens and a rooster, a dozen rabbits and a huge vegetable garden the house had the potential to be fairly self sufficient. Mika had found someone who would come in once a week to help with the gardening and teach the kids and staff how to maintain a healthy garden. The cook and her assistant would be in charge of the rabbits and hens while the ranch hands would milk the cows every day with the help of the older children as they rotated the household duties.

  This whole venture was so exciting… she couldn’t help feeling a small sense of pride at finally accomplishing what she had set out to do. The town had agreed to pay for half of the electricity on the orphanage for as long as the doors remained open. She had even managed to convince them to put a clause in each contract noting that if the orphanage ever closed for any reason the contracts would remain active in the event that it might again one day reopen its doors. Some of the local restaurants pulled together signing a five year contract to pay the cooks salary and donations from other sources would pay the remaining salaries. With the state paying their normal support per child, the orphanage should be able to stay out of the red indefinitely, with proper management of course.

  The party tonight was to help finance the last of the structural repairs needed with any extra money going toward some of her pet projects. Some of those improvements included a science lab, the new swing set and club house she wanted to put in, and an enclosed in ground pool, one of the local companies had agreed to fund a small wading pool for the younger kids as well. The wading pool would be surrounded by a locked iron gate, with a back gate, also locked, that led into the enclosed adult pool. It would be an open design with screens starting waist high to the ceiling… three sets on each side, to allow the summer breezes inside, with a 5’ of enclosed wall between each set. Bushes would be planted outside each window 5’ deep to make it more difficult to sneak inside, with a tree planted periodically around the building in hopes the shade offered would keep it cooler inside. The floor would be cement, but the tiles for the pool were going to be done in a multitude of blues and greens. A shop in San Antonio had agreed to donate the wood furniture she wanted and she was having the water proof pads made special, at her own expense, to match the tiles in the pool.

  She had spent a lot of time worrying about the kids. Last week she had actually broke down after a visit with the kids and spent the rest of the afternoon talking to thin air. She really hoped these several months away had not been too hard on them all. The older kids she had known since they were babies, they called her Aunt Tasha. They may not be blood, but they were all the only family she had left now and it would be devastating to know they had been mistreated in some way. She had tried to visit them as often as she could, but lately she had only been able to manage every other week and that really wasn’t enough in her opinion. The younger kids didn’t know her well and were shy and reserved around her. They had been getting used to her visits, but she knew the longer they were away from the home the bigger the danger of them forgetting. Most were so young it would be a simple matter to forget the other children.

  She had made sure that if anythi
ng ever happened to her the majority of her fortune would go into a trust fund for the orphanage, with Mika as the trustee. There was also a smaller trust fund set aside for the eight children she had watched grow up. Her grandmother had already set up college funds for each of them when it had become apparent no one was going to adopt them. This was something different though, to help them get situated after college. She had even set up specific guide lines so none of them could use it as a crutch to get by. It was meant to help not hinder their growth into adulthood.

  “Enough of this dawdling…..” She grumbled to herself. It was time to get moving to the costume party. She was already way beyond fashionably late.

  Chapter 4

  Her costume was an outfit from one of the trunks in the attic. It had belonged to her great, great, great grandmother or something like that. It was this white chemise looking thing that flowed to her ankles, if her memory served it was called a… sark?.... maybe. She had added a couple layers of their version of a petticoat, which more resembled another skirt to her, it was definitely a good thing the weather had been uncharacteristically cold or otherwise she would be melting tonight.

  The idea had actually come from her dreams she’d been having for the past six months now. She spent hours nearly every night visiting a MacKay stronghold in the past. She knew how crazy it sounded… that’s why she hadn’t told a soul even her best friend Mika. She had missed Tavish this last week… there had been no dreams prompting a visit to his world and she felt the loss deeply. So tonight she would dress up like she lived in his time… sort of… to allow herself the illusion of being close to him.