“Two...”
A sparkling tear fell from her violet eye. Hell, even her crying was pretty, the moisture looking more like a diamond than anything else.
“I love you, Jake.”
“And I love ye, Meredith.”
“One!”
Whilst they kissed, it felt as if an explosion erupted just outside the door. It was, however, all five muses snapping at once.
Jake hated to pull away from Meredith’s lips, but he felt compelled to look at the door, almost forced to pay attention.
Before his very eyes his youngest brother, Thomas, suddenly appeared. Materializing behind him was Michael, then Duncan, and a lovely brunette woman holding his hand. It was Thomas, of course, with his nearly black hair, although it was quickly getting covered with snow, who walked through the threshold whilst the muse with the loveliest voice Jake had ever heard continued the tune.
“We twa hae run about the braes, and pou’d the gowans fine...”
“Brother,” Jake called out hoarsely.
Thomas smiled and rushed forward. “Brother.”
Before Jake knew what had happened, Thomas held him in a bear-like embrace. The snow from his brother wafted around their heads. Their hug was much harder than anything they’d ever done before, almost as if testing each other’s physical firmness to ensure it wasn’t a dream. Next, Jake felt the blow from the impact of Michael hugging both he and Thomas, then completely squeezing them all, Duncan joined too. Jake glanced at one face then the next in wonder. His brothers were not only alive, but in his time. He gave them all a mighty clasp, then released them with a huff, tears standing in all their eyes.
“I have someone ye have to meet,” he said breathlessly.
His brothers laughed.
Jake grabbed hold of Meredith’s wrist once more, pulling her into the fray of his brothers’ warmth. “This is Meredith Peabody. She’s my woman.”
Michael burst out with a loud laugh. “Lord, Jacob, ye sound part Neanderthal.”
“Ye heard of them?” Jake asked, amazed his brother knew of the finding of hominid skeletons in the 1850s.
Michael nodded, slightly furrowing his dark blond brows as he glanced at Meredith, probably not wanting to sound uneducated since the man had more pride than he could deal with. He pivoted his perfectly chiseled chin—the man was also more handsome than most, leaving in his wake many a broken heart—the direction of the five dark redheaded muses. Jake hadn’t even noticed before they stood in front of a long table full of roasted turkeys, hams, cooked vegetables, and, ‘o course, fruit bread called black buns, shortbread, and kegs of ale and whisky.
“See the woman, er, muse, gulping down the punch over there?” Michael asked. “That’s Urania. The other one close to her, singing—Lord, that is bonny the way she sings, is Terpsichore. They taught us a few things about yer time, trying to help us catch up.”
As if they knew they were being talked about, all five redheads turned toward the brothers, waving, except Terpsichore who nodded while she sang,
“And there’s a hand, my trusty faire! And gie’s a hand o’thine! And we’ll tak’ a right gude-willie waught, for auld lang syne.”
“Lord, ‘tis unsettling seeing people like that,” Thomas remarked as he eyed the stayed crowd.
Duncan nodded. “The muses probably want us to catch up without the gathering watchin’.”
“Aye,” Jake and his brothers agreed simultaneously. God, it was good to be with them again.
Then Duncan clapped his shoulder. “I have someone ye have to meet too.” He turned and presented the bonny brunette. “This is my
wife
, Fleur.”
“Married?” Jake’s heart thundered as he looked down at the pretty woman.
“And she’s with child. My child!” Duncan nearly roared with pride, utterly embarrassing his wife who covered her face with her hands.
“Duncan,” Fleur reproached behind her fingers.
Jake could hardly keep up. Duncan was married with a bairn on the way.
He glanced from Duncan to Fleur.
After a growl of indignation and her hands fluttering up to the ceiling, Fleur said, “It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” She extended a dainty hand in welcome.
“Ach, hell.” Jake swooped in and gave her a hug. “I have a sister.” He pulled away to see her instantly crying. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt ye?” Jesus, had he squeezed her too tightly?
Fleur shook her head smiling widely. “No, not at all. It’s just so nice to have you in my family. I cry a lot lately. I—I—” She seemed to be at a loss of words and looked to Duncan. He merely placed his big hand across her stomach.
Jake laughed. He truly laughed, as he had when he first met Meredith. He had his family back, his woman beside him who stood so close, warming his very soul through the bonny snowstorm outside. Oh Lord, this new year, this new time was so
guid
.
E
rato
and Clio watched from near the punch bowl as all the humans came back to life, chuckling and chatting as if they hadn’t been frozen for six minutes and hadn’t missed the New Year. The MacKay and Cameron brothers and their friends and lovers didn’t seem to observe the animated mob, or they were too busy reacquainting with each other to notice.
Michael, almost the incarnate of Adonis, lunged down and hugged Meredith suddenly. Wafting through the crowd the muses could hear, “...have two sisters now...”
“Aw, he’s so nice,” Terpsichore, the muse of dance, the harp, and education, whispered, taking a sip of the mulled wine.
“You’re just saying that because he’s so good looking,” Melpomene, the muse of tragedy, said in a drone tone. Although she was thoroughly Greek, like her sisters, somehow she always sounded more like Woody Allen.
Terpsichore turned to her sister with a scowl. “I am not. Yes, the man is devilishly attractive, but he seems sweet too.”
All the muses glanced at the tall brothers. Michael shook hands with Erva and Will who had suddenly appeared. Handsome Michael looked politely at the materialized couple, almost unfazed by their abrupt emergence, and nodded at something Will had asked.
Melpomene, Mel, shrugged. “How can you tell he’s sweet? He not even—”
“I love you, sister,” Urania, the muse of astronomy, interrupted, taking Mel by the shoulders. “Gods know how much I love you. But do you have to be a Debby Downer even now? It’s New Year’s Day for crying out loud.”
Mel’s permanent frown soured. “I don’t mean to be. I—I’m very appreciative that you invited me to your human party, but you probably wanted Thalia instead of me, being the muse of comedy and all.”
Erato sighed. “Let’s get her drunk!”
Mel shook her head. “I don’t think that would be prudent. Besides, don’t you two” —she pointed at Clio and Erato— “have some work to finish up?”
Clio shrugged. “I think it best to keep the happy couple here. For now. They can help Jake’s brother’s acclimate to the different times.”
Mel nodded and glanced at the brothers again. “That seems smart. I’m sure it’s a good decision.” Then she sidled closer to Clio. “Sister, why the frown? Why do you look more like me than I do? Shouldn’t you be celebrating your matchmaking success?”
“Oh my gods,” Terpsichore nearly shrieked. “Did Mel just try to make a joke? Was that a wee jest about Clio’s terrible disposition?”
Clio finally cracked a tiny smile.
Erato wrapped an arm lovingly around her shoulders. “She’s sad because Coyote told her he needed some time to think. That’s why he’s not here. He wanted to think about things, and give Clio time to think too. He said something about being immortal and questioned if love could last that long, if mortals knew how to love, since it seemed to have a shelf life of less than a hundred years. Stuff like that.”
Clio turned to her sister, dark red brows drawn tight. “Eavesdrop much?”
Erato grimaced, but didn’t seem too sorry. “I just wanted to make sure he didn’t say anything to hurt you. And besides, we really didn’t do anything. I wanted to make sure he told you that.”
“You know, he’s an asshole if he doesn’t want you,” Urania said, but began to pay attention to a young human couple kissing in a corner. The boy, one of the Slavic miners, slipped a gold ring on the young Finnish girl’s hand. She kissed him excitedly.
“What—what happened to...Odin?” Mel asked on a whisper.
As one, all the sisters turned to her, detecting the vulnerability in her voice and pouncing on it like kittens would a mouse.
“Odin worried Jake didn’t want him here,” Clio answered with a wry grin. “So he sent the barrels of ale and whisky instead.”
“You like him!” Urania almost screeched.
“What? Who? Jake?” Mel asked. “He seems like a nice human.”
“Not Jake. You like Odin! Yes, you do.” Erato pointed a finger at Mel’s chest. “I know these things. You like him a lot.”
“Oh my gods, what’s not to like?” Terpsichore chimed in. “He’s kind of perfect, you know? With his chiseled body and that flowing blond hair. Can you imagine him riding a horse with all that hair?” She audibly sighed and smiled, hooking an arm around Mel. “I don’t blame you at all.”
“I don’t like him like that.” Mel argued, but no one believed her. She huffed. “Can we talk about something else please? Like...like...oh my gods, I know the perfect girl for that handsome devil, Michael.”
Erato and Clio narrowed their eyes at each other, doubt evident, but then glanced toward their usually morose sister.
“Okay, sissy,” Clio said, her voice high and sweet. “We’ll let you play matchmaker with us, even let you play with our humans, but you have to admit you like Odin first.”
“What—what? Are we children now? I don’t have to admit anything.” Even though she argued, Mel’s usually dulled features sparkled with her obvious infatuation for Odin.
“She’s so in love with him,” Erato cooed. “Look at how cute she is right now.”
For once in more than a millennium, Mel cracked a rare grin.
All the muses screamed, making the humans turn toward them. But soon enough they returned to their party.
The golden-clad sisters giggled.
“I think that smile was answer enough,” Erato said.
Clio swung an arm around Mel, but looked at Erato. “I agree.” Then she turned toward her now blushing—blushing!—sister. “Besides, we need help with Odin. He still hasn’t told us where he put that World War I doughboy. We know he’s somewhere within the Roman Empire when it was fading.”
“You—you expect me to seduce Odin for information?”
“I didn’t say that.” Clio was quick to point out.
“Isn’t it interesting Mel would think that though?” Urania grinned.
“It’s very interesting and just might work too!” Erato giggled.
“Oh gods.” Mel shook her head.
“That’s what he’ll say soon,” Terpsichore teased.
If possible, Mel took even more pink into her cheeks, understanding the innuendo. She swallowed. “Okay. Okay. I’ll help find out where the doughboy is. But—but, I’m serious. I know the perfect girl for Michael, especially if he’s as sweet as you think.”
Clio and Erato glanced at each other, rolled their eyes, but then nodded, placating their sister.
“Of course you do, sis,” Erato said. “Tell us all about her.”
THE END
F
irst, I must apologize. There is an historical error in this book. When Jake hears Will’s English accent for the first time, he bristles because he knows it’s English. However, the evolution of the English versus American accent is interesting to study and will prove that Jake would not have heard Will’s 18th century accent in the 17th century. In many movies they have colonial Americans with a British accent, but it is actually the British accent that evolved the most during the 18th century. Not the other way around. Oh, I love the study of linguists too, and it is through those studies that we know about the evolution of the beautiful English accent, which I mimic all the time to my family’s chagrin. Anyway, back to the point, which is I hope you will understand that Jake being in the 19th century for so long understood the linguistic changes of Will’s accent, and that’s why he can recognize it as English. Goodness, was that ever a convoluted explanation.
Being born and raised in Montana, I knew my Montana history rather well. From the time I was very small, I had heard all about Montana in history. So the research for
Cowboy of Mine
was rather easy. However I always love learning something new. For
Cowboy of Mine
I researched a town close to my hometown of Great Falls, Montana. The town had been founded by a former slave. I’d heard about the town all of my life, but for this book I finally did the research. Not only was this particular town founded by a former slave, there were multiple black and white marriages within the town. The town’s founder was a woman who had encouraged diversity. So of course I had to write about this town. I did change the name of the town though, due to legalities. Still, a real town inspired my Plateau.
I hope this book doesn't come across as a rose-lens view of history. I had just finished months of research about slavery. It was quite possibly the most horrendous research I've ever conducted. So to compensate, this book was conceived. However, the history is as accurate as I could research and write.
Lastly, I hope you, my wonderful reader, won’t mind when Jake recited Dickenson. It seems especially people of the Victorian times memorized and recited poetry. I’m especially fond of that particular poem, because it was a favorite of my brother’s.