Page 42 of Of Heather and Thistle
She sat up straighter, wiping at the condensation on the car window. For a second, it was gone. Then, there—a faint glow. Her pulse quickened. A house? …a car? …someone whocould help?
It was better than sitting here, waiting.
Heather took a breath and shoved the door open. The wind hit her like a slap, the rain soaking her within moments. She stepped out, sneakers sinking into the wet ground, and threw one last glance at the car. Byrdie’s silhouette was barely visible through the window. With a deep breath, she shut the door with a loudthud, sealing her decision, and then she turned toward the light.
The wet grass squelched beneath her sneakers as she trudged forward, muttering to herself to keep her nerves at bay. “You’re fine. This is fine. Just… a little rain. Not an ideal start, but it’s not the end of the world.”
But as she walked, the field stretched on longer than she expected. The wind howled through the open land, and the rain made it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.
The light flickered again. Still distant.
Heather exhaled sharply. It had looked closer from the road.
Her foot hit something solid.
A fence.
She blinked, rain dripping into her eyes, and hesitated. Had she wandered into someone’s property?
Gripping the slick wood, she peered ahead. The light still flickered in the distance, but the storm made it impossible to gauge how far away it was. If she turned back now, she’d be stuck waiting in the car, now soaking wet, with no idea when Alastair would return.
Heather exhaled, steeling herself. Carefully, she climbed over the fence, dropping onto the other side with a softplopin the mud.
A shiver crawled down her spine as she looked around. The darkness shifted, shapes materializing in the storm.
Large. Unmoving. Silent.
The scent of damp earth and something unmistakably…organic… filled her nose.
A low, heavy exhale sounded to her left.“Moooo…”
Heather turned her head, stomach dropping.
Cows.
A whole field of them.
She was in a pasture.
Oh, shit.
The cows stared at her, eerily still, their hulking forms barely visible through the rain.
Heather swallowed hard. “Okay… no sudden movements.”
The wind howled again, nearly knocking her off balance. She turned in a slow circle, panic creeping in.
What if there was no house? What if she had walked in the wrong direction?
She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, forcing herself to focus.
Then… a light.
This time, stronger. Steady. Glowing like a beacon in the distance.
Relief surged through her. She wasn’t lost. The house—or whatever it was—was real.
But it was still a long way off.
