Destiny Calls

By Beverly Creech

The year is 1864.

In the Highlands of Scotland, amidst a desolate backdrop of death, a new life comes to be with the unraveling of another. A story begins with a trunk of gold, a mysterious ring and the whispering of a wish.

Twenty years later, in Missouri, a young, beautiful woman discovers her true identity and knows she must leave everything she knows and travel to Scotland to claim her birthright. The handsome cowboy offers his help, but will he win her heart in the process?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524564384

Beverly Creech

Beverly Creech is a mother of two and "Nana" to four amazing grandkids. She and her husband of forty years, reside in Tennessee with their dogs and chickens. She loves to travel and meet new people and experience their cultures, but reading has always been her favorite pastime. She enjoyed creating the characters for A Time To Love, and hopes you like reading their love story.

Book preview

Prologue

Highlands of Scotland

1864

It was almost dark now as Meg looked out the window, she could see the bodies being thrown into the pit. So many dead and dying and the cries of the living were deafening at times. Meg’s two younger sisters had succumbed to the disease three days ago. One day, they were full of life and healthy, the next day the diarrhea and vomiting started, and was so violent, that they died within hours of being sick. Meg could not get the image out of her head, their young bodies had a bluish tint while they struggled to take a breath. Cholera was an evil disease and showed no favoritism, for it took the lives of land owners, farmers, shopkeepers, masons, wheelwright and even the clergy. Meg bowed her head and whispered, Dear Lord, help us.

As if in answer to her prayer, Lena screamed out and Meg rushed back to the bed where Lena was trying her best to give birth to her first child.

Meg and the midwife were exhausted. Lena had been in labor for over twenty-four hours and it seemed she could not hold on much longer. Wiping sweat from her brow, Meg could finally see a dark head popping out and a shout of Thank the good Lord! filled the room and within minutes the babe was here.

Oh Lena! Meg gasped. She’s beautiful! The midwife took care of Lena while Meg cleaned the babe. She wrapped the wee little girl in a swaddling cloth and handed her to Lena who was fading fast. As Lena looked at the babe, she smiled and said, She’s the very image of her da.

Lena motioned for Meg to come close and in a weak voice said, Meg, her name will be Wendolyn Leonora Campbell. I want you and Henry to raise her, but no one is to know her real name. Lena struggled to talk, Please, take her far from this place of death and when she is old enough to understand, tell her I loved her and tell her about her da. There are bags of gold in my trunk along with the Laird’s ring. I want this wee little one to have the ring one day and I trust you will know when.

Lena looked back at the babe, stroking her chubby little cheeks with her frail fingers, she whispered, My dear little Wendolyn, I love you.

Meg burst into tears as Lena took her last breath.

Chapter One

Lake City, Missouri

Twenty Years Later

The sounds and smells of spring were wafting through the bedroom window. Sweet smelling honeysuckle, crickets chirping, birds singing to one another, and then there’s the neighbor’s dog, Champ, barking. He’s probably barking at geese down by the lake. Wendy was just about to drift back to sleep when she heard Aunt Meg calling her name. Wendy, are you up dear? We have a lot of baking to do before the town social this afternoon.

Aunt Meg was a jolly, short, plump lady who enjoyed taking care of everyone she met. Wendy never knew her real parents, but Aunt Meg and Uncle Henry told her she would have loved them. Aunt Meg would say, Your mother was my sister and a wee little red haired beauty like meself, and that comment would set her to laughing. And your da, well, there is no one I can compare him to, except you my dear, you are the mirror image of him with your midnight black hair and emerald green eyes. He was a great man in our Scotland before we brought you over the great water and one day we will go back for a visit and you can see our homeland for yourself. Aunt Meg would get a dreamy look to her eyes, Aww, the Highlands is the most beautiful place on God’s good earth. With her rugged mountains, deep blue lochs and colorful heather as far as you can see. She shook her head and smiled, Well lassie, there I go, day dreaming again.

But, time kept slipping away, and then three years ago, Uncle Henry fell sick with a fever and died. Aunt Meg still mourned his passing everyday and Wendy did too. He was the only father she knew and Wendy loved him with all her heart. His last words as he smiled at his wife were ‘S tuna gradh mo bheatha’, his homeland gaelic for ‘You’re the love of my life’. Aunt Meg and Uncle Henry had no children of their own, so now it was just Wendy and Aunt Meg.

Wendy relunctedly sat up, stretched her arms over her head, and slid off the soft feather mattress. She tidied up the bedroom, washed her face and picked up the hair brush. Looking in the mirror, she sighed when she saw her unruly mass of dark locks. She should have braided it last night before going to bed but she had fallen asleep while reading, something she did quite often. Finally managing to get the brush through it, she tied a ribbon at the base of her neck, put on her old blue dress and hurried downstairs where Aunt Meg was busy kneading dough for her famous pecan pies.

Good morning Aunt Meg, I see you’ve started without me. Wendy said while putting on her apron.

Well, good morning sweetie, sit down and have some breakfast first. There are eggs and bacon on the stove still warm for you.

Wendy sat down with her plate of food at the old wooden table and took a piece of warm bread from the basket and put a spoonful of honey on it. She listened to Aunt Meg whistle a tune while she ate and smiled as a memory came to mind of Uncle Henry sitting at this same table, whittling a duck or some other animal, out of a piece of wood while listening to his beloved Meg whistle. Uncle Henry loved to whittle and he would give the finished product to the local children after church on Sundays. Wendy loved those random memories that made her smile. But, she needed to quit daydreaming and start helping her aunt with the baking.

Three hours later, there were six pecan pies and twenty-four fried apple pies cooling on the table. The house smelled so good, Aunt Meg, you’ve outdone yourself this morning. Go sit on the front porch and I will bring us a cool drink and a plate of cheese and biscuits.

As Wendy prepared their lunch, she started thinking about the social this afternoon. She was so excited, she had made a new dress out of bright yellow gingham with white lace around the neckline and waist. She just finished it yesterday and hadn’t even shown it to Aunt Meg yet.

You know dear, your basket of food will probably break the record this year for the most money raised. And not just for your culinary talents either, she said as she took her plate of food. Every available lad within one hundred miles wants to court you. There will probably be another fight this year over who gets to buy your basket and sit with you during dinner. Why you get more bonny by the day! Aunt Meg exclaimed.

Wendy rolled her eyes as she sat down in the rocker, Oh, Aunt Meg, you are always saying such things. But, I am hoping we raise a lot of money for the school. Our little town has grown and we need that new school house finished before the summer ends. I always look forward to the social every year where we get to see all of our neighboring families. I think we have the best cooks in all of Missouri! Speaking of baskets, your’s always goes first. Even the married men bid on yours!

Aunt Meg’s eyes twinkled and she laughed so hard she snorted.

This would be Wendy’s second year teaching at the Lake City school and she loved her job. Not only did she love teaching but it also brought in much needed funds to help with the monthly expenses. Aunt Meg always told her they had plenty and didn’t need any more but Wendy wanted to contribute.

The day is so warm and nice, I think I’ll go to the water hole and take a swim. When I get back I’ll fix your hair for you, Wendy said as she took their plates inside.

Sure sweetie, I’ll just take a wee nap while you’re gone.

It was a long walk to the secluded part of the lake where Wendy loved to go and swim and take a book to read. She loved the romance novels where there was always a handsome knight on a white horse coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress. Of course, in her daydreams, she was the damsel in distress which was funny, because she could outride and outshoot most of the men in town thanks to Uncle Henry. He told her, A Scottish lass should be able to take care of herself. But, that didn’t keep her from dreaming of a handsome stranger riding into town one day and sweeping her off her feet. Wendy didn’t want just any man, she wanted a love match like her aunt and uncle had. She remembered the way they would look at each other and she could see such love in their eyes. Stepping over a branch, Wendy smiled as she remembered, Uncle Henry sneaking up behind Aunt Meg and pinch her bottom playfully and she would shriek and turn around ready to strike and then he would give her a peck on the cheek and a bouquet of wildflowers. Aunt Meg would laugh and then shoo him back to his chores while giving him a wink. Whistling a Scottish tune, he would strut back to his chores. Uncle Henry was the biggest, strongest man in town. Truth be told, probably in all Missouri, but, one look from his little wife and he was a gentle teddy bear. Yes, she would wait until that special man came into her life before she got married. She wouldn’t settle for just any man even if she was ridiculed and called an old maid.

As Wendy neared the water, she heard something to her right and turned to see a young doe grazing on a tender shrub. Wendy stood unmoving for a moment so as not to disturb the graceful creature. The doe’s head rose in suspicion, but scented nothing and saw no movement so it bent again to the tender foliage. After a few moments, Wendy continued towards the lake. As she did, the doe’s head rose, caught sight of Wendy, and leapt over a log to flee the area.

Wendy reached the water’s edge and looked around to make sure she was alone then casually stripped out of her clothes. She made a clean dive into water that sparkled like colored glass, from the sun’s reflection. Ahhhh the water was cool today, but it felt so good. Wendy floated on top of the water effortlessly, inviting the sun to warm her body. Knowing she didn’t have time to linger today, she bathed quickly, dove under water to rinse and surfaced near the bank where she heard Champ barking loudly.

Oh, hello, Champ. What’s the matter boy, no geese to chase here?

As Wendy stepped out to dry, she heard a horse snort and stomp his foot. She tensed, and grabbed her towel quickly, and heard a gruff, deep voice clear his throat and say with a bit of amusement, Excuse me ma’am, but I didn’t know anyone would be here, I’ll be going.

Wendy was so startled that she slipped on the wet bank and before she could get her footing and turn and see who spoke, the man was riding off. ‘Where did he come from and how long had he been there?’ She didn’t see his face, but was sure it wasn’t anyone she knew. Shaking while she dressed, she ran most of the way back home, slowing her pace just long enough to look behind her and make sure she wasn’t being followed. She ran up the front steps and didn’t stop until she was in her bedroom. Clutching her clothes tightly around her and leaning against the door she sighed heavily, ‘Goodness gracious! What just happened?’ Her face was still flaming red as she tried to catch her breath.

***

‘Holy Smokes! What just happened?’ Dan was expecting to wash a weeks worth of trail dust off in the lake when he happened upon the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. He did not know how long he sat motionless in the saddle but he knew he was powerless to move as he watched her float on her back and then swim to the bank and step out of the water. His breath caught in his throat, she was stark naked! She took his breath away with her long, dark hair that shimmered in the sunlight, and that body, dear Lord, she was perfection! Every movement she made was having a hypnotic effect on him. She laughed at the dog and that brought Dan back to reality. He shook