Chapter 3

• Colin Gregor closed door to his townhouse and turned to look at his car. He didn’t even feel like driving today.
• Take a few weeks off and de-stress, wasn’t that what the doctor had told him? Of course if he’d also explained how exactly one goes about this mind-numbing task, it would have helped. He stuffed his keys in his pocket and started towards the bus stop.
• He’d spent three days so far, of the doctor-ordered ten, away from the lab wandering around his home trying to find something he wanted to do. He still got up before dawn, he still checked his email while the coffee brewed, he still worked out for a half hour and he was still dressed and ready to rush out the door by six thirty. Problem was, he had nowhere to rush to.
• Colin stopped and let a few kids ride their bikes past him. They looked up at him like he was a giant. His six foot four height probably made him seem like one.
• He reached the bus station and stood there. He didn’t even have a destination in mind, just knew he couldn’t sit in the house a moment longer.
• Running a hand through his hair he sighed and waited. As the bus pulled up he glanced at the ad covering its entire length. The museum was displaying Scottish artifacts. Sounded as good as any place to spend trying to fill his day. It might be interesting to see what his ancestors had back then.
• He stepped onto the bus and deposited his fare. He had to duck his head awkwardly to the side as he walked to the back of the bus. He preferred the back, having found out the hard way that his size frightened and intimidated others as he folded down into a seat beside someone.
• ~
• Maddy snapped the picture and then read the plaque again. She was so glad she lived in the time she did. If that was what her Irish ancestors had to use for dishes, she shuddered looking at the roughly shaped dish. Maybe it just didn’t age well—on the other hand maybe it looked great for being four hundred years old.
• Pulling the little map back out of her pocket, she unfolded it. Where should I go next farming and agriculture or Scotland in the 1600’s? She turned and looked down the long corridor, then spun around slowly trying to decipher which direction to go. This, she thought with a smirk, is what happens when you spend your life secluded in the woods. You have no sense of direction. Holding the map back up, she started walking in the direction she hoped would lead her to where she wanted to be.
• ~
• Colin came to a sudden stop as a tall redhead almost walked right into him. She had the map almost in her face as she walked mumbling to herself. In truth, he’d already noticed her wandering before she tried to run him down. A man his size appreciated a tall woman. He took a moment to watch the denim-clad legs walk away from him. He definitely appreciated those. Smirking he turned. Having no set guidelines, he was fairly certain ogling a woman would not be against the rules of this de-stressing thing.
• Surprisingly, he was actually enjoying looking at the exhibits. He’d lost track of how many hours he’d filled checking everything out and reading the history at each display. He hadn’t seen the redhead again, but overall, it was the most relaxing thing he’d done in longer than he could remember.
• Glancing at his watch he realized the doors would be closing in less than an hour. He’d done it. He’d spent an entire day not doing anything. Grinning to himself he walked over to the last few display cases he had to look at.
• Scottish vessels 1500-1800’s. They’d come a long way, he thought briefly of his stainless steel travel cup at home. Taking his time, he moved around to the other side of the displays. One caught his attention more than the others, moving over to it slowly he stooped over to look at it. Amazingly smooth for the period it was crafted in. He glanced down at the plaque again. A Quaich for the late 1600’s. Believed to belong to descendants of the Picti King— Colin glanced through the glass case and found himself looking into the most fantastic blue-green eyes he’d ever seen. Even better, they belonged to the long-legged redhead.
• He offered her what he liked to believe was his charming smile. She glanced at him in that moment and he had to stop from holding a hand over his heart. He could have sworn it pounded dangerously hard for several beats. Was it his heart or the intriguing woman on the other side of the case that made him have to catch his breath? She looked at him a few seconds longer and then smiled at him, before causing his day to plummet back to bland as she turned slowly and moved away. He watched her for a moment or two, okay he watched the ass hugged perfectly by her jeans and those legs. Sighing, he turned and headed for the side entrance deciding it was time to go home.