In Search of the Past (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #2) (20 page)

Gently he ran his fingers through her hair. Stacey kissed his chest and laid her head back down.  She ran her fingers up his arm behind his head, then down to his armpit. She ran the back of her fingers over the hair, then raised up and kissed him, then laid her head back on his chest and closed her eyes.

“What’s a-miss lass, you’re awfully quiet?”

“I don’t wanna’ leave,” Stacey softly said.

“I don’t want you to go either.”

Stacey was so quiet and still, Shane thought she had fallen asleep.  A few minutes later, Stacey lifted her head, kissed Shane and said, “I better shower and go check on supper.”

Shortly Stacey was dressed and her mood was back to normal. “I love watching you dress and undress,” Shane said.

Stacey crawled onto the bed, kissed him and said, “If you start talking like that, I might crawl back in bed with you.” 

“It’ll do you no good lass, me Willie is all tuckered out,” Shane said, chortling.

“We just may have to get that fellow some Viagra,” Stacey said, jokingly. Stacey laughed as she gently slapped his arm. “Get that look of horror off your face. I’m only joking.”

She kissed him again, and said, “I’m off to salvage supper.” When Stacey reached the door, she looked back at Shane and left laughing. Shane didn’t see the humor in it, he often thought of their age difference. He would be old someday and she would still be young. Shane showered and put on sweats, he told himself, buck up old boy, she was only joking. Bloody hell, he said to himself; that’s the wrong expression. When Shane came downstairs, the kitchen was smelling good again. “Is it eatable?” he asked.

“It better be,” Stacey said. “it’s what we’re having.  It’s a little dried out, but I made a cream of chicken soup gravy to go over it. I think it’ll be okay.”

Stacey went over to Shane and said, “I’m sorry if my joking upset you.” 

Shane took her in his arms and said, “Don’t apologize sweetheart, I’m sometimes a bloody fool. It hit me up there, that someday I’ll be old and you’ll still be young.”

“I don’t see it that way,” Stacey said. “I think the older we get the closer we’ll be in age.” 

“How do figure that?” Shane asked. “I’ll always be twelve years older than you.” 

“Thank god,” Stacey said. “I’ve told you many times before, I wanted a man in my life, not a boy. It just so happens Doctor McLeod, you’re the man I want. I went to a lot of trouble to seduce you and capture you in my web, so don’t start trying to wiggle out now, me Scottish lad.”  With her bad Scottish burr, Stacey had him chortling.

They had supper and did the dishes together. “I’ll wash and you dry,” Stacey said. Then she asked, “Do you remember at Maxwell house, that first night after dinner when you volunteered for us to do dishes, but Mrs. Nickels threw us out, so to speak? Shane, you have to rinse before you dry,” Stacey chide him. 

“Why?” he asked.

“Do you wanna’ eat off soapy dishes?”

“They won’t be soapy after I wipe them,” Shane said.

“Have you ever done dishes before?”

“Indeed I have,” Shane said. “I’ve put them in the dishwasher a time or two and I’ve wash them in the river or lake when we’ve been fishing.”

“But you’ve never done dishes like this?”

“Not that I recall, I’ve never been too keen on domestics.”

“It amazes me, at your age, you know so little how to do for yourself.” 

“Aha, but what I do know, I do well,” Shane said with a grin. 

Stacey came to him, put her arms around his waist and said, “You’re so very right my love, I can’t argue with that. You just keep doing what you do so well, and I’ll take care of the domestics.”

Shane kissed her and said, “I thought you might see it my way.”

It was still pouring rain at six o’clock. Shane was reading a journal while Stacey packed her bag.  When she came downstairs, he asked, “All packed?”

Stacey nodded her head, yes. They had to be at the airport by seven a.m.  The only thing that kept her from staying, was knowing they would be together again in four weeks time.  Stacey was looking forward to Shane meeting her family and they him. She also wanted him to see where she was born and raised. Stacey loved her home and the Texas hill country.  She knew Shane had never been around western life.  She was looking forward to him seeing where she grew-up on the ranch and meeting her parents and grandparents and Mr. Chen.  Stacey knew their lifestyles couldn’t have been more different, but isn’t it ‘differences that adds spice to life.’ She was sure she had heard that somewhere.

Remembering

W
hen Shane took her hand and asked, “Would you fancy a cup of tea with me?”

Stacey knew from the sound of his voice there was more than tea he wanted. Sitting at the kitchen table, he asked, “Stacey, sweetheart, who did Sir Richard Heath remind you of, in your dream?” 

Stacey stirred her tea slowly. “Did I ever mention someone named, Rodric Hampton?” 

“No, not that I recall.”

“Rodric was the earl’s younger brother.  He was a month away from his eighteenth birthday when I...the countess came into their lives.” 

“But Sir Richard Heath is an older man,” Shane said.

“Yes, I know, but Rodric didn’t die until he was sixty-nine years old.”

“Tell me about him, Stacey,” Shane prompted.

He was my...the countess’s first friend at Dun-Raven.  He knew there was something unusual about me...her...more to her than she was telling.  He had an open mind and believed what she told him from the beginning.  He took me...her, I guess on faith alone. I’m sorry Shane.  It’s very difficult trying to separate me in the dream from the Countess.”

Shane took Stacey’s hand. “Have you met other people that resemble people of the past or from your dream?”

“No, just Richard Heath and you.”

“Oh yes, I had forgotten you think I resemble this earl, Eric Fitz-Morgan.” 

Stacey seeing the look on Shane’s face gave her concern. “What is it, Shane?”

“Tell me about Fitz-Morgan,” Shane said.  Shane hated the fact that he was jealous of this man who had been dead for over seven hundred years.

Stacey shook her head and said, “Where do I start? In my dream, he and I didn’t get along when I first arrived there, he thought I was a spy.”

“Do you still think I resemble him?”

“Yes and no,” Stacey said. “Eric had a beard and his hair was longer. He had scars on his face and body from fighting in France with the black prince. You know and I know, that you have no scars on your body.  Shane, I don’t know why I have these memories. I know they belong to someone else, not me. But my fall and my searching for the past is what brought us together. I don’t sit and think about the past, my mind is full of you now.” Shane reached over and took Stacey’s hands in his again. “Shane, I know you can’t talk about your patients, but what’s wrong with Sir Richard Heath?”

“I don’t know yet, he thinks he’s having trouble with his memory. His father died of a brain tumor. He’s worried he might have one too. I’m having tests run on him, we’ll know in a few weeks.”

“I’m sorry,” Stacey said. 

Shane held Stacey in his arms, then took her hand. “Come to the living room with me, so I can hold you in my arms, time is getting short.”

The night was short and sleep was elusive. Talk and plans were made for Christmas. Stacey tried to prepare him for Texas.  Shane had never been near a ranch, so in his minds eye he was visualizing a dude ranch or like on western movies.  Stacey had told him, there was horses and cattle on the ranch and that her father had a small clinic in a little country town you could hardly find on the map.  Shane wondered what Stacey’s family would be like and how would they feel about him?  He is aware she has quite a large family. What if they think of him as a ( what is it they call people from the city?  Oh yes, tenderfeet. What if they think of him as, a tenderfoot, or a city slicker? )  When he told Stacey his concerns, she had a laughing fit.

Shane frowned and said, “If laughing at me is suppose to reassure me, it’s not working.” 

“God’s teeth Shane, they’re gonna’ love you.” 

“Where did you get that expression?” Shane asked.

“From my first husband,” Stacey said, playfully.

“You only have one husband my girl,” Shane said, and kissed her as he playfully pinned her on her back.

“Prove it,” Stacey said, laughing at him. So he did and they slept in each others arms until the alarm went off at five o’clock a.m.

Stacey and Shane arrived at the airport at seven-twenty a.m. They checked in Stacey’s bags and went to the cafeteria.  They had been there about fifteen minutes when in walked Hugh and Annie.  “We couldn’t let Shane drive back to an empty flat, so we’ll take him to Jak’s.”

“I’ve heard of this place, but have yet to be taken there.”

“Our bedroom is a much better place,”  Shane said.

“So is our bedroom,” Hugh said, “but we can’t be taking you there.” 

“I should say not!” Shane said, with disgust.

Stacey looked at their friends and said jokingly,  “I don’t want you two corrupting my

husband while I’m gone.”

They all had to laugh, the idea was so ridiculous. Before they knew it, Stacey’s flight was called.  She hugged Annie and Hugh and thanked them for coming, then she kissed Shane bye.  It was so difficult to let him go.  As he took his arms away, he kissed her hair.  He wanted to hold on to the clean, sweet smell of her.  Stacey smiled at him, then turned and walked away. This time she didn’t look back.

Emergency trip to Scotland

T
he next four weeks passed rapidly for Stacey and Shane. Stacey was involved with school, Christmas shopping and this year sending Christmas cards.  With Shane, it was work and Christmas shopping.  It was doubly difficult buying for people he’d never met. He didn’t want to ask Stacey, because she would tell him, ‘not to bother,’ but he wanted to bother. Shane remembered the things Stacey had said about her parents and grandparents. He just hoped he had them in the right order.

On Saturday, December twenty first, Shane was to fly out of Heathrow into DFW, however, early that morning Stacey received a phone call from Shane. As soon as she heard his voice she knew something awful had happened. “What is it, Shane? Are you okay?”

“Yes, sweetheart, I’m okay, but Grandmother’s had a stroke and I must be here. I’m so sorry sweetheart, but I won’t be able to join you for Christmas.”

“Oh, Shane, don’t give that a second thought. How is your grandmother?”

“We don’t know sweetheart, she is still unconscious in ICU. We won’t know her prognosis until she regains consciousness.”

Stacey could hear the despair in Shane’s voice. She desperately wanted to help in some way. She loved Grandmother McLeod and wanted to be with her and Shane. “I’m coming to be with you Shane. I’ll be on the next flight out.”

“That’s wonderful sweetheart, I really need you, but I didn’t want to take you away from your family at Christmas. I’m terribly sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Shane. You are my family, first and foremost. I’ll call you as soon as I have my flight. Hang on my love and kiss your grandmother for me. Shane, tell her I’m on my way.”

Stacey told her mom and dad, about Shane’s grandmother having a stroke and asked her dad all the particulars about strokes. Her dad gave her a medical book, from his library for her to read on her flight to Scotland. Both of Stacey’s parents drove her to DFW, kissed her bye and sent their prayers to Shane’s grandmother, for a speedy recovery.

While Stacey was on her flight to Edinburgh: tempers were flaring in London. Miranda stepped out of the private lift into Miles’ empty living room. She walked across to his study, opened the door and threw her handbag to the big leather couch. Miles was sitting behind his desk. He leaned back, propped his feet on his desk and asked, “Have you forgotten how to knock, Miranda?”

“Shut up, Miles. Do you know where Shane is, as we speak?”

“Not back in your bed, I’ll wager.” Miles said, with mirth.

“I hate you sometimes, you’re such a smart ass,” Miranda said, as she lit a cigarette. “I just heard he is on some yippy ya yo ranch, in some god forsaken part of Texas. Oh, wait for this, he has gone there to meet his perspective in-laws.  What do you think of that?”

“I think you should put that bloody cigarette out, you know how much I dislike the smell. I thought you only smoked after sex.” Miles handed her an ashtray and asked, “How do you know Shane’s in Texas?”

Miranda put her cigarette out in the crystal ashtray, and said, “I was shopping when I bumped into that female viper, Rachael, that’s married to one of Shane’s doctor friends. I can tell you, she is no friend to Shane’s little cowgirl.  If you asked me, I think she’s bloody jealous of her.  She bloody well couldn’t wait to tell me how young and beautiful and inexperienced she is. Honestly Miles, what is Shane thinking? This girl, I think her name is Stacey, is only twenty-one and still in college. This is not like the Shane McLeod I know. What could they possibly have in common.”

“I told you, she’s quite lovely. Shane showed me her photograph. He even talked about having children someday. You know Miranda, when a man falls in love, his expectations differ from those of a casual romance.”

“You sound like a man of experience. I’ve known you all of my life Miles, when have you ever quit chasing beautiful women long enough to fall in love. Molly has been after you for ages to settle down, get married and give her more grandchildren. Oh, my god, you’ve met someone, and you’re in love. Who is it? One of the nurses at the hospital? Tell me, we have never kept secrets from each other.  We have always been best friends.”

Miles shook his head and said, “There’s no one Miranda, I wish there was.  I’ve been a little melancholy lately.”

Miranda came around the desk, and put her arms around Miles. He patted her arm and said, “Go get dressed beautiful, we’re going out on the town tonight. You’re not leaving for Scotland tonight, are you?”

“No,” Miranda said, “I’m all yours tonight. We’ll go to a grand party and forget about lost loves and missed opportunities. Tomorrow you’ll go to Oxford house and I’ll journey to Scotland.  We’ll make this a damn fine Christmas and an even better New Year.”