Highland Warrior mate

Chapter 1

When I first moved to Scotland I wasn't sure where I would go. I used part of my savings to buy a beautiful house that was sitting in between two mountains but the house needs some tender love and care. The other part of my savings was used to open my own shop in the nearest town called Inverness. I make and sell beautiful crystal jewelry along with natural oils and other items that help with healing. Some of the profits from the shop will help with the improvements on the house.

As I opened the shop for the day I noticed that I started to get busy. Most of my customers were ladies looking for something special. I was at the counter making a sale to a lady with long curly red hair that was pulled up into a bun and she had beautiful green eyes. I asked "Did you find everything alright?" She said "Yes I did. Your stuff is beautiful, did you make everything yourself?" I said "yes I did. I have a creative side." she said "My dear you have a talent for jewelry. My name is Elsie. I own the cafe across the street." I said "It's nice to meet you. My name is Freya Nightingale. I just moved here a few months ago." Elsie said "It's wonderful to meet you. You should come over to the cafe sometime for lunch." I said, "I would love it if I get time to take a break from here." After that, she paid for her items and left the shop.

By the time lunchtime came around, I had slowed down long enough to restock some of the jewelry displays. As I was putting a necklace on the display I heard the door open. I turned around and said, "Welcome to Crystal Treasures, how can I help you?" The person said, "I am looking for something for my mother to help with balance and protection." I walked over to a display of a necklace and a tree of life. I picked them up and I turned around. I came face to face with a man with bright red hair. It reminded me of something out of a romance novel. I said, "amethyst would help and so will a tree of life." I showed the man the crystal necklace and the tree of life that I was holding in my hand. He took the necklace and the tree with the crystal on it. All the while my wolf was yelling in my head "MATE". But that would be impossible. Half breeds don't get mates. The gentleman bought the tree and the crystal pendant necklace. He asked "what's your name lass?" I said "my name is Freya Nightingale. I moved here a few months ago." He said "Aye it's nice to meet you lass. My name is Lachlan Mckay." I said "it's nice to meet you. I hope your mother enjoys the necklace and the tree of life." Lachlan said "I'm sure she will. I hope to see you around lass. Maybe sometime I can show you around." I smiled and he left. As the day came to an end. I made sure everything was restocked for the next day before I left for the night. I locked up for the night and got in my truck to head home. My wolf kept thinking about the gentleman Lachlan. I pulled up to the house and went inside. I made homemade mac and cheese and sat down to unwind watching a little bit of tv. After dinner, I worked on some of the repairs on the stairs along with working on a few other things. I went to bed thinking why would I have a mate? Everything that I was told about half-breeds not having mates must have been a lie. I drifted to sleep with Isis next to me. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. The next morning I got up and took a hot shower. I dressed for the day and I fed Isis. I grabbed a cup of tea and a granola bar. I got into my truck and headed into town to open the store. I unlocked the doors and flipped on the lights.

My morning was busy but something felt off. I felt like someone or something was watching me. By lunchtime, I was sitting at the counter making a list of the custom jewelry pieces that I was out of. I guess I was not going to get much sleep tonight. I looked up when the door opened. I saw the same guy that was in the store yesterday. I said, "Welcome back Lachlan." Lachlan smiled and said, "I had a feeling that you might need something to eat after what looked like a busy morning." I smiled at the sweet thought and said "That is very thoughtful of you to bring lunch." He smiled. So I showed him to my lounge area near my work table and we sat down. Lachlan said, "I bought a traditional stew and I thought that maybe we can get to know each other." I said, "I would like that." As we sat there eating Lachlan asked "Why did you choose Scotland to move to lass?" I said "I needed a fresh start from my past. I wasn't running from anything in particular." Lachlan said "we all have a past lass but we learn from that. I come from a long line of highland warriors but what I choose to do is my own choice." I asked, "what do you do for a living if you don't mind me asking?" Lachlan said "I took over a family business if you call farming the land that supplies the local grocery stores with the freshest produce in the highlands. But I also took over the small construction business that my family owns." I said "there is nothing wrong with a family business besides I started making jewelry and oils just to get by but I found that I had a passion for both jewelry and herbs." We talked about everything. After lunch he hung around the store until closing. Lachlan asked, "can I help you with anything?" I said "I am just putting the last of my stock out. I guess it is going to be a long night. I have to make more of the jewelry that I sell." Lachlan said, "To me lass, it looks like you enjoy making the stuff." I smiled and said "I find it relaxing but I am also in the middle of trying to renovate my house. It is not in the best of shape but to me and Isis it's home." Lachlan asked "who is Isis?" I said "she's my cat. She's been with me for a while." Lachlan said,d "sounds like she's been a good friend." I nodded and put the rest of the stock out. I grabbed my list and Lachlan walked me out. I climbed into my truck and waved goodbye. I headed home that night.

When I got home I fed Isis and made dinner. After dinner was done I set up a small work area and turned on the tv. I turned on Netflix and while I was watching tv I made 3 different necklaces. I also made 3 different bracelets within an hour. The rest of the night I spent working and getting my restock list completed. I must have fallen asleep on the couch because I woke up the next morning with a migraine and I was stiff. I decided to take the day off to rest and get more stuff done for the store.