Hell Transporter

All rights reserved.

Published by Cyndi Tefft

Smashwords Edition

Author photo by Saskia Kidd

Cover by Woulds & Shoulds Editing and Design

www.editinganddesign.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Aaron Jamison, whose message of Choose Joy in the darkest of times was the greatest display of faith I’d ever seen. I can only imagine the choir of angels who attended his homecoming.

Acknowledgments

The greatest joy I have as a writer is sharing my story with readers who loved the tale. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I’d have a fan club name for these fabulous people, let alone a logo! A huge thanks from me to all of Aiden’s Angels whose encouragement and support kept me motivated to reach the end. I love you all!

Special thanks to my Twitter BFF, Lindsay Rae Cox, for her relentless love of all things Aiden MacRae. And, of course, to Mr. Linz for his support of her obsession.

Many thanks to Sue and Carl Martin, Dyan Kirkpatrick, Vicki Gleeson and Clare Marshall for their input and eagle eyes in catching the inevitable typos.

And lastly, I have to thank my wonderful husband, Dave Tefft, who let me sneak off to the coffee shop for hours on end to whip this book into shape. Air would not be worth breathing without you, my love.

To him that waits, all things reveal themselves, provided that he has the courage not to deny, in the darkness, what he has seen in the light. -Coventry Patmore

Contents

Copyrights

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Visit Author Online

About the Author

Chapter 1

At the crack of noon, I snuck out of bed and threw on Aiden’s linen shirt, which hung to my knees. He never slept in longer than I did when we’d been together in the realm between earth and heaven, but I guess the process of resuming his physical form after three hundred years had sapped his strength. Sunlight painted the log walls of the cabin’s loft bedroom with an ethereal glow. I held my breath as I stood next to the bed, watching him sleep, like if I were to make the tiniest noise, the spell would be broken and I’d wake to find this had all been a dream.

Aiden, with me again.

I thought I’d lost him forever. The memory of him reaching for me, screaming No! as I was ripped back to life, had left a gaping hole in my chest. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t function, and I didn’t want to. All I wanted was Aiden. And now, by some mind-bending miracle, here he was, in the flesh, with me.

My eyes traveled over that flesh: the sheets curled over one hip, his bare chest dusted with blond curls, his lips slightly parted. It had only been two days since he’d come forward and already, his jaw was starting to show some darkened stubble. My fingers ached to touch the wiry hairs on his chin, just to be sure he was real, needing to hold on and not let go, to not let him out of my sight.

He rolled onto one side and blinked sleepily at me, his lips curving into a smile that melted me down to my toes.

Where are ye going, lass? he asked, his voice playful but still husky with sleep. Do you mean to sneak off with my clothes so I have to chase you about the place in the altogether?

Loving the way his tongue curled around the r in his words, I giggled at the thought of him streaking through the cabin after me. I’d meant to bring him breakfast in bed, but his idea sounded like more fun. His kilt lie discarded on the floor, next to his dirk, belt, and sporran. With a wicked grin, I snatched up the kilt and made a run for the stairs. The bedsprings protested loudly as Aiden leapt off the mattress and bolted after me. A delighted squeal escaped my lips as I raced down the steps, my heart pounding with the anticipation of being caught.

A second later, my feet left the ground as he grabbed me around the waist and picked me up from behind. He twisted us around in the skinny stairwell and pressed me against the wall. Clutching the kilt between us, I tried to keep a straight face but the closeness of his naked body made my words come out in a stutter.

Oh, d-did you want this? I asked with wide eyes, the picture of innocence. He shook his head and a dimple appeared on one cheek as he pinned me with his smile.

Nae. I want you, he said and kissed me.

The green and black plaid fabric fluttered to the ground as I reached up to wrap my arms around him. He caught my wrists and pinned them above my head with one hand.

Aha! Now you’re all mine. I heard his words in my mind as clearly as if he’d spoken them out loud.

I always was. I mentally replied and he bent down to kiss me again. When he let go of my wrists, I threaded my fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer. His hands were everywhere and before I knew it, he’d taken back his linen shirt as well, leaving us standing skin to skin in the stairwell, breathing hard.

Suddenly, he became completely still. A moment later, I heard the sound of wheels on the gravel road outside the cabin. When a car door slammed, I shot up the stairs like they had burst into flames beneath me.

Helloooo...? Anybody home? A man’s familiar voice drifted up to the loft and I groaned. Aiden was right there, his face set in a protective scowl, but I shook my head.

It’s just Ranger Jim. Stay here and I’ll get rid of him, I whispered, pulling on my bathrobe. I padded down the stairs in bare feet, wishing I’d had the sense to lock the door the night before.

Jim stood in the doorway, part way in and part way out of the kitchen, peeking his head around the corner. Oh Lindsey, there you are! I didn’t recognize the car in the drive when I was making my rounds, so I thought I’d pop in to make sure everything was on the up and up. Where are your folks? Ranger Jim was a short, balding man with a kind smile and a round belly whom I’d known since I was about three years old. He stepped farther into the room and craned his head around, looking for my parents.

Um, they didn’t come with me this time. I decided to come by mys—

Just then, Aiden appeared at the foot of the stairs, his hair flowing wildly over his shoulders and his hand on the hilt of the small dagger at his side.

Hallo there. Can I help ye? Aiden greeted him suspiciously, his Scottish accent coming out thick.

Jim whipped around to look at him and swallowed hard, taking in Aiden’s kilt and the sheathed weapon on his belt. He glanced from me to Aiden and back again, then dropped his gaze to the ground, stammering uncomfortably.

Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you… uh, had company, Lindsey. I’ll just be… His cheeks flamed with embarrassment. He started to retreat toward the door, but Aiden crossed the room in two strokes, his hand extended in welcome.

I’m Lindsey’s husband, Aiden MacRae. Very pleased to be meeting you, sir.

Ranger Jim’s eyes grew as round as saucers but after a beat, his face broke into a huge smile. He clasped Aiden’s hand, pumping it up and down.

Well, I’ll be damned. I’m Jim Patterson, the forest ranger for these parts. I’m delighted to meet you as well, Mr. MacRae. He looked over at me, grinning. Lindsey! I didn’t even know you were engaged! When did all this happen?

I stared at Aiden blankly, shocked that he’d made this declaration of our marital status and realized with a start that he, in fact, had absolutely no idea when it had happened. I opened my mouth and then promptly shut it again. What was I supposed to say? Yeah, Ranger Jim, we were married in the way of ancient Scots when I was dead and floating between earth and heaven. Sorry you didn’t get an invite.

It was... uh... last December, I said instead, barely able to push the words past my lips.

Well, well, congratulations, you kids. That’s great. Just great, Jim said. I returned his smile and backed away so he could make his exit, thankful to have this impromptu meeting over.

We’ve not yet eaten this morn. Would ye care to join us? Aiden asked.

My jaw hit the floor.

What are you doing? I demanded in my mind, giving Aiden the evil eye.

His face didn’t register that he’d heard me but he sent back We’ve a guest. Like that explained everything.

Jim was quick to take him up on the offer and before I knew it, I was pulling supplies out of the pantry to make breakfast for everyone.

Unbelievable.

Jim wandered into the living room, reminiscing about how he’d seen me every summer since I was just a squirt. What on earth happened in here? I heard him ask.

Aiden explained that we’d had a fire a couple nights ago and hadn’t had a chance to clean up the charred curtains or blackened walls. What he didn’t say (thank God) was that I’d almost died (again) in the fire, but that Aiden had been given new life to come save me. It was one thing to tell Jim we were married. It would be something else entirely to tell him that Aiden was from the 1700s and had been something like the grim reaper, transporting souls to heaven until just two days ago.

You kids were lucky. That could have been much worse, Jim said, a note of censure in his voice. I’ve got some spare materials over at the station that we could use to patch things up. In fact, I might have a few things with me now, come to think of it. Jim, now in his element, headed out to his truck with Aiden dutifully trailing behind.

While we ate breakfast, Jim talked all about the lake and surrounding woods. Aiden listened intently, interjecting questions here and there. I sat watching the two of them, unable to wrap my head around the fact that Aiden was here at the cabin, talking to this man whom I’d known most of my life, like everything was completely normal.

Normal. I didn’t even know what that meant anymore.

Well, I’d best be shoving off, Jim said finally, standing up. I’ve got to get back to my rounds, but thank you both for your hospitality, and congratulations again. He gave Aiden a firm handshake and patted me on the shoulder as he left.

Aiden’s face glowed with excitement. I raised one eyebrow at him while I gathered up the breakfast dishes, not sure what was so thrilling about Ranger Jim.

That’s the first living, breathing man I’ve spoken to since my death. It’s just… incredible to be alive again. I cannot explain it.

You don’t have to. The look of awe and sheer joy on his face softened me. For the first time since Ranger Jim had appeared, my shoulders relaxed. I reached up and kissed him. But you do need to be careful about telling people we’re married. An awful thought occurred to me. What if he were to call my parents? They don’t know anything about my getting married in December, do they?

His face creased in a frown and he held my hand in his own, twisting my wedding ring between his fingers. But you’re my wife, Lindsey MacRae, whether they know it or not. What would it look like if I were staying here with you all alone, and we weren’t married? What of your reputation then? I would not dishonor you that way.

I struggled to find words to make him understand. I know, but in this world, right now, you’ve simply materialized out of thin air. I’ve been at school since December. Hardly anyone even knows I died in that car accident. I was revived at the scene of the crash, so even though I spent all that time with you in between—and yes, married you— I put up a hand to cut off his protest, to everyone else, I never left. So there’s no way they could understand I’m your wife, not without us getting married here.

He grunted and fell silent. Nervous energy bubbled inside me, making the hash browns I’d eaten congeal into a hard, solid lump in my gut. The myriad of complications ahead of us suddenly smacked me in the face.

I mean, just look at you! I love your kilt and all, but that is definitely not going to fly in the real world. We’ve got to go shopping and get you some new clothes ASAP. He gave me a questioning look at the unfamiliar term, but I ignored him. We’ll have to come up with some explanation about where you came from and how you got to be here in the first place. Like, if you’re from Scotland, what are you doing in Priest Lake, Idaho, halfway across the world? A note of panic crept into my tone.

You don’t have any ID, no driver’s license or passport. You have no money and no way to get a job. What are you going to do? You just learned how to use a toilet two days ago, for crying out loud! How long will it take before someone notices that you don’t know anything about things from this century? Things even a child would know! My eyes flickered around the room, my freak out switch completely flipped at this point.

"What’s a computer? And the Internet? What about a cell phone? Somebody’s going to ask you the most mundane question—like, what’s your favorite video game?—and you’re going to give them a blank stare just like you’re doing to me right now and they’re going to know. They’re going to know, Aiden!" My voice reached the upper limit of hysterics.

They’re going to know you’re not from this place, from this time and they’re gonna call the police and they’re gonna take you away and hook you up with electrodes in some lab…

The breakfast plate I’d been holding slipped out of my fingers and fell to the floor, smashing into pieces. I covered my face with my hands and started to hyperventilate, envisioning guys in white jackets hauling him off. The hundreds of ways that things could go terribly wrong pummeled me from all sides.

Aiden grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard.

Lindsey. Lindsey! Stop it. Listen to me.

I blinked up at him, tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. The look of steely determination on his face was like a port in a storm. Trembling, I locked onto his eyes in order to keep from being pulled under.

You will teach me everything I need to know in order to blend in. When I was a teenager, my Uncle Alex taught me to live in high society in France on top of a completely new language. I can learn how to live in this place, in this time, too. His words were strong, tempered and methodical. I drank them in like a woman dying of thirst.

"Don’t be afraid, mo chridhe. We will manage. Trust me." Fear choked out my reply and I nodded at him, overcome with dread. He sighed heavily, drawing me into his arms.

God did not give me new life to be a burden to you. Believe me, I will work day and night to learn it all. And I will make you my wife, here for all the world to see, and I’ll do it the right way this time. My eyes misted with tears but when he kissed me, the iron grip of fear loosened so I could breathe again. Enveloped in his strong embrace, I couldn’t help but trust that everything would work out.

It had to. There was no alternative.

Aiden straightened up and painted on a bright smile. Come, lass. Let’s start right now, this minute. I’ll walk around the cabin and call out anything that looks foreign and you can teach me about it.

So we did just that. I followed him around and did my best to explain electricity, microwaves, digital music, refrigeration, plumbing, plastics and every other concept I could think of. Every time I’d start to get overwhelmed and feel like the situation was hopeless, he’d squeeze my hand and that tiny seed of hope would grow again.

I pulled out my laptop, got him acquainted with the mouse, and showed him how to surf the web. He commented how remarkable it was that I could type words on the screen without even looking at my fingers.

Kids these days learn to use a computer before they can read and write. Some people spend their entire day working on a computer and then spend the evening playing games on it or chatting with their friends.

How can… ye mean to tell me… people live inside there? He looked at the slim laptop screen, apparently so far beyond his comfort zone that he was willing to believe anything was possible.

I started to laugh uncontrollably and he scowled at me.

"Sorry, I…uh, no. People don’t live in the computer. I explained the concept of social networking to him and his shoulders relaxed. Maybe it would help if you took notes." I grabbed my pink paisley journal and a pen out of the living room and handed them to him, explaining as I did about ballpoint pens and that no one uses quills anymore. He opened the journal to the first page, which was the poem I’d written about him while we were separated. He stopped, reading it silently to himself. I’d forgotten it was in there. Snippets of the poem came back to me as I watched him read.

My God, my God

My heart is pierced, my foundation shaken

I’m pressing hard against the dam but it’s not enough

I can’t keep the pain at bay

The leaks are killing me, memories of joy stripped . . . away

I am not God, I am barely even me

Make me whole again, Lord

And hold me through the flood

My heart had bled onto the page as I’d written those words, agonizing over being brought back to life while he was still in between. He looked up from the journal and stared at me several heartbeats, his eyes resting on mine. The memory of our shared pain wound around us like a steel cord.

Finally he said, simply, I love you.

I love you, too. I echoed him in my mind and he smiled at me. Then we returned to our task, more focused and determined than ever to make this work.

Chapter 2

In the afternoon, I taught Aiden how to drive and let him practice on the back roads. The car had a manual transmission and Aiden was so not getting the hang of the whole stick shift thing. After about the fifth time he bunny hopped the car, I had to talk him down, telling him that I’d done the same thing when I first learned to drive. Of course, I didn’t have to learn terms like steering wheel, brake pedal and rear view mirror my first time out, so he was doing just fine.

The downside of the whole experience was that my transmission was getting thrashed. On the upside, I was learning some great new swear words in Gaelic. He kept at it and eventually learned to start and stop without killing the engine. I was ridiculously proud of him and had a fleeting thought that my dad must have felt the same way when he’d taught me.

We needed some supplies, so I asked if he felt up to driving to the store, about ten miles away. He looked like he was going to say no, but then mustered his courage and nodded. It threw me off a bit to see him so unsure of himself, since he seemed to have this supernatural confidence about him all the time. I didn’t know whether to egg him on or to treat him with kid gloves. So I did neither and just kept quiet.

The first few miles went smoothly, but when a semi passed us going the opposite direction, the muscles in his forearms tensed and his knuckles went white. I was afraid he was going to jerk the steering wheel and dump us in the ditch, but he kept it together, his eyes locked on the road like laser beams. Stress radiated off him in waves and I dared not say anything to break his concentration. The last few miles felt like an eternity.

Finally, he pulled into the gravel parking lot of the little grocery store and turned off the car. With a huge sigh of relief, he closed his eyes and murmured a prayer.

I’m sorry to put you through that, I said, feeling guilty.

He shook his head and smiled, though I could tell the onslaught of new information was starting to weigh him down.

It’s not easy, but I have to learn it. All of it. And I will, he said. A glimmer of his former confidence shone in his eyes and my heart clenched.

You’re doing great, I said, as much for my own benefit as for his.

Once inside, I filled my cart slowly, allowing Aiden time to absorb the unfamiliar surroundings. I tried to remind myself that nearly everything in the store—from the Hamburger Helper to the toilet paper—was new to him. Trying to see through his eyes, I scanned the narrow rows, my brows knit together in concentration. Lines of boxed goods and canned vegetables stared back at me, standing stiff like soldiers ready for battle. And a battle it was, with the deck stacked against us.

As I let the situation really sink in, the walls of the little store seemed to contract, inch by inch, little by little, suffocating me. Hopelessness pressed me into the floor, the playlist of worry and fear stuck on eternal repeat in my brain.

It’s too much to learn in too little time. We only have until the end of the summer. We’ll never make it. Someone’s going to figure it out. Something’s going to slip.

Anxiety churned in my gut. I wanted to scream, to cry, to punch someone in the face over how freaking unfair this was. After all that we’d been through, why would God bring us back together again and yet make it so damn hard? He had the power to bring Aiden back to life, so it’s not like he couldn’t have filled Aiden’s mind with things of this time. It’s not like he couldn’t have made this easier.

Anger started to boil within me. I didn’t want to be pissed at God. He did, after all, give me Aiden, but there was no one else I could yell at, no other way to vent the panic that was twisting me into knots.

Lindsey?

I snapped my head around to see Aiden, holding a peach and frowning at me.

You look ready to kill someone.

I looked down at the box of instant rice in my hands, now mangled and leaking tiny white tears out the bottom. I threw it in the cart, ignoring the trail of rice on the floor.

It’s nothing. I just... I need to get out of here.

Speeding through the store, I tossed groceries into the cart, refusing to acknowledge Aiden’s concerned gaze, then emptied the contents onto the counter to be rung up.

Horror flitted across Aiden’s face when he saw the cashier. I heard him bite back something that sounded like Holy God.

Her short, purple hair had black spikes sticking up in the back, and she had both a nose ring and a pierced bottom lip. A tight orange tank top emphasized her large breasts, and tattoos covered both of her arms from shoulder to wrist. I caught him staring and coughed a little, hoping to distract him. He blinked a couple of times and his gaze dropped to my hand as I pulled a small box out of the bottom of the cart.

Trojan. Aiden read the label out loud. What kind of food is in that wee box? Candy?

So much for burying it under the other groceries, I thought. I dropped the condoms on the counter and studied the floor, my cheeks burning hot. The cashier’s boisterous laugh made me snap my head up and she gave me a knowing grin, wiggling her eyebrows.

Yeah, candy’s just about right. But if you were planning on eating them, you should have gotten the fruit flavored ones. They’re my favorite.

Too stunned to remember I could talk to him with my