One Thousand Years to Forever Read Online Free Page A

is my mug. Can
you make me some oatmeal too? I have a full morning.”
    Katherine grabbed a pan from the
hooks. “Go get dressed and I will have it ready in a few
minutes.”
    “ Morning, Mom.”
    Katherine turned to the sound of
her other son’s voice. “Morning, Pat. Thought I was going to have
to wake you. You have to stop staying up so late to play games, no
more school nights.”
    “ Yea, yea... ” He came up and gave
her a hug. “Cousin Kevin was on and we talked more then
played.”
    “ Well your Aunt Issy isn’t going
to be happy with him for staying up so late either. No more school
nights. Besides you two can talk when the family comes up for
Thanksgiving.”
    Pat turned off the teakettle. “I
know, we talked about that. They’re bringing his mountain bike up.
We plan on going up to the Snow Bowl to ride the
trails.”
    “ Yea if there isn’t snow, then you
may be skiing.”
    “ I’d rather snowboard.”
    Katherine looked at her son who, at
this rate, would be taller than his older brother. John was like
her, medium height and Pat was going to be a big boy at the rate he
was growing.
    “ Do you want something to eat? I’m
making oatmeal.”
    “ Yea, if we have
bananas.”
    “ Gross,” piped up Sally who came
back into the room.
    “ Oh, shut up.”
    “ You two stop it right now.”
Katherine said. She saw them smiling after making faces at one
another.
     
    * * * * * * *
     
    Colum sat at his desk and finished
the letter he had been putting off. A knock could be heard softly
at his office door.
    “ Come in.”
    Travis opened up the door and stuck
his head in. “Sir, she has just left her home for the usual morning
run.”
    Colum looked at the clock. Ten
o’clock. “Fine, thank you, Travis.” Seeing the butler stay by the
door. “That will be all.”
    Travis bowed. “Yes, Sir.” He left
quietly.
    Colum stood and walked towards the
door. He was going to go running and hoped he didn’t scare her half
to death.
     
    * * * * * * *
     
    On her run, Katherine came out of
Bay View Street and headed back towards Rockport Village. She was
just running by the first pasture of the belted Galloways when she
saw up in the distance a man jogging. From what she could tell he
looked big. Not just tall but like something out of the Viking
days. The closer she got she started to realize she had seen this
man before. They ran past each other. She smiling slightly and
trying in vain to remember and then she stopped. She turned and saw
he kept on running. Now she knew...
     
    * * * * * * *
     
    Colum kept running but knew she had
stopped. Knew she was standing there at this very moment standing,
staring at him, trying to figure out where she had seen him before.
He felt her eyes on him like a caress. Then he heard her footsteps
behind him.
    “ Wait up. I know you from
somewhere and I think I know where... ” Katherine could see him
slowing and then he stopped and turned. Seeing his face closer
again she knew she was correct. Here in front of her was the man
who had carried her to safety. The same man who her brother William
had wanted to invite after the funeral but after her wild display,
all of that had been forgotten.
    She stared up into eyes that at
first glance looked as black as ebony. She just stood there very
still, feeling she was in the presence of an animal, a large and
very strong animal. Feral would be a better word because as she
watched his face, different emotions crossed it. Then the strangest
thing happened, his eyes that first appeared black were now a shade
of green the likes of which she’d never seen before. But stranger
still, they changed yet again and became a warm blue. His nostrils
flared as if he was sniffing the air or her...
    His hair was the color of the raven
that flew behind him and now perched on a branch nearby. That too
was strange because it was cocking its head at her as if it was
studying her also.
    Colum realized she that was
becoming intimidated by his size, and