Creighton Manor

Creighton Manor

             By Karen Michelle Nutt

Federal copyright law prohibits this work from being copied, scanned, mechanically, or digitally produced for sale or for sharing except for brief passages to be used in reviews and related articles.
For permissions or requests for other uses please contact the author.

This is a work of fiction
.
Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author
’
s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real
.
Any resemblan
ce to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Creighton Manor

Copyright ©
2009
Karen Michelle Nutt

2
nd
Edition 2012

Cover Artist:
Karen Michelle Nutt

All rights reserved
.
No part of this book may be u
sed or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

Praises for Creighton Manor

Creighton Manor
won Honorable Mention P.E.A.R.L. Award 2009.

“A
n incredibly heartwarming and fantastic love story that has been magically brought to life by the rich and vibrant words
.”
~
Amy Ramsey
,
Midwestern Reviews
and Ramsey Reviews
~

“There is never a dull moment in Creighton Manor. Gillian and Zach are a wonderful match. They are robust and know how to bring excitement to the pages.”

~
Cherokee, Coffee Time Romance
~

“
Ms. Nutt delivers a wonderfully told story with memorable characters that you can't help but love. As I have found in the books I've read, Ms. Nutt always has a message in each of her stories that is heartfelt and refreshing to read. Sit back with a nice cup of tea and savor an enjoyable, heartfelt read.”

~
Missy Brown, Reviewer for PNR Paranormal Reviews
~

“A
wonderful romantic time travel story that will have you flipping the pages. The characters have personalities that sing off the pages. Readers will have a great time reading this book.”

~
Arianne, Night Owl Romance
~

“The author takes a well known theme, adds a few twists and turns and creates a well written tale. I especially like the movement between time periods. For lovers of good fiction, this is love story and an adventure story and a time travel story all
rolled into one filled with very good dialogue and
characterization. Well done.”

~
SkyWalker, Ghost Writer Reviews
~

Native Americans believe animal guides enter our lives depending on the direction one is headed and what needs to be done to complete the journey.

The main guardian totem animal is with a person for life, both in the physical and the spiritual world. The connection may be shared through dreams, interest in the animal or other interaction.

The dog is a
guardian of mankind. It is believed the dog possesses psychic gifts because of their ability to detect subtle energy frequencies that man cannot
detect.

If a dog appears in your
life, let the animal guide your footsteps.
Y
our life
may depend on it
.

Dedicated always to
Greg, Kendra, Katrina and Vincent,
who are my heart and soul
.

A special dedication to Tyler Kenley and Cayla Mosier.

…
And to the memory of Cassie, the inspiration for the lovable mutt, Molly
.

CHAPTER ONE

Gillia
n opened the hatch to her SUV
and tossed her friend’s leopard-print suitcase in back with her luggage. She caught Samantha eyeing her
,
as she pretended to secure her long blond
e
hair in a ponytail. Gillian recognized the look. She had endured them all week from others who were convinced she suffered a mental breakdown. “Go ahead, say it.” Gillian slammed the hatch shut and faced Samantha.

“Say what?” She shrugged, her brown eyes widening in innocence.

“Oh come on. I know you think I’m pathetic.”

“Not pathetic. Maybe
a little
confused.”

“I’m not confused.” Gillian walked to her side of the SUV and unlocked the doors.

Samantha jumped in and turned toward her. “Really, you aren’t confused? I can’t name anyone who calls off their wedding two days prior to the happy event.”

“I’m sure there is someone in the world.”

“Be serious, Gillian.”

She gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. “I should be on my honeymoon, but instead, I’m taking you.”

“Gee thanks.”

“You know what I mean, Samantha. I never cancelled the hotel
reservation aboard the Queen Mary. I took it as a sign that I should leave town for a few days and let the full impact of what I’ve done sink in
.”
                                                            

“What you’ve done is beyond my understanding. You shopped for the perfect dress and planned a beautiful wedding, but then you threw it all away. Why did you do this to yourself? Why did you put Jerry through it, too? He didn’t deserve the embarrassment you caused.”

“Yeah well, the alternative could have been worse. I could have married him.”

Samantha shook her head. “You aren’t making any sense.”

“I know.” She sighed, but she didn’t say anymore. She put the key in the ignition and roared the engine to life.

Jerry Avery worked at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, a successful surgeon with a bright future. The man stood six-two. He was gorgeous with his sandy-blond hair and naturally tanned good looks. He had a toned body: flat stomach, wide chest,
and
muscled biceps. To top it off, he couldn’t be a nicer person. For this reason alone, she had to let him go.

Gillian adjusted her rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of her auburn hair that she’d trimmed and layered for the wedding.
You did the right thing
, she reminded herself. Gillian forced a smile in Samantha’s direction. “You ready?”
 

“Okay, Queen Mary, here we come.” Samantha snapped the seatbelt into place.

Gillian headed toward Long Beach, deciding to take surface streets to avoid the out of town traffic on the freeway. Samantha’s heavy gaze weighed down on her. She knew round two of the interrogation loomed in her future. Samantha didn’t disappoint her.

“I’m worried about you.”

Gillian glanced at her. “I’m fine.”

“Yeah, then tell me truthfully, just between you and me. Why did you call off your wedding?”

“It's complicated.”
 
She chewed on her lower lip, wishing she could justify her drastic decision, but frankly, she didn’t have a good reason. At least, not one that anyone but herself would accept.

With all honesty, she did feel a connection with Jerry. They
’d
hit it off from the start. She considered him one of her closest friends and she loved him, but she wasn’t
in love
with him. Someone else stood in the way. Only she hadn’t met him yet. Yes, she knew the statement sounded crazy, but she couldn’t dismiss the dreams.

She hadn’t been brought up to believe in past lives, but sometimes she felt she had known this man before and she would find him again. All she had to do
was
bide her time. She dreamt about his touch, his voice that caressed her with an endearment:
Grá mo chroi
. She had no idea what the words meant, but she knew they were spoken from the heart. The words were precious to her, the special incantation to finding him. If only when she dreamt, she could see his face clearly, but his features escaped her once she opened her eyes.

“Gillian, are you all right?” Samantha asked
,
breaking through her reverie
.

Gillian shook her head. “Please understand that I had no other choice.”

“Okay,” Samantha said carefully.

Gillian rolled down her window letting in the ocean breeze. She cranked up the volume on the radio. One of her favorite Rascal Flat
t
s’ tunes blasted through the speakers.

Samantha promptly turned it off. “You can't get out of telling me what’s going on that easily
.”

Samantha had been her friend since the first grade. They had laughed and cried on each other’s shoulders; shared the joys along with the sorrows; and they had disclosed their secrets and dreams.

Gillian shifted uncomfortably in her seat, pondering why she couldn't confide in her now. “You want to know, but you aren't going to like it. You'll probably laugh.”

Samantha raised her hand to her chest in a mock pretense. “I'm genuinely hurt.”

Gillian chewed on her lower lip again, debating.
Just confess. Get it all off your chest.
Who knows maybe she’d feel better if she did. “Do you remember the dreams I’ve been having? You know the one about the guy.”

Samantha’s brows furrowed. “The dreams with the man who speaks to you in a foreign language? Yes, I remember them and why are your bringing them up?”
 

Gillian didn’t answer, already having second thoughts about telling Samantha the truth. She never understood how important the dreams were to her. She cringed as she waited for Samantha to blast her.

“Oh no. Don’t tell me you called the wedding off because of those dreams! What could you be thinking?
 
That dream-man is a fantasy you have concocted in your mind. It has nothing to do with reality.”

Gillian glanced at her friend, pleading for her to understand. “He's out there. I just have to find him.”

“And Jerry didn’t have someone pick you up with a special white jacket? Good God, do you know how crazy you sound?”

“Thanks, and no, I didn’t tell him about the dreams. I told him I had met someone else.”

“Why did you do a thing like that? There isn't anyone else. The dream-man doesn't count because he doesn't exist
.”

Gillian glared straight ahead and
pursed
her lips together.

“Okay, at least, as far as we know,” Samantha patronized her.

“I'm aware he might not exist. I haven't completely lost my mind. However, if I didn't tell
Jerry I had found someone else,
he would have wanted to continue to wait for me. I couldn't be unfair to him. Don't you see?
 
He deserves so much more. He deserves to have someone love him the way he should be loved. If I married him, we both would have been miserable
.”

Samantha's mouth dropped open with disbelief. “Listen Gillian, you need to make this right with Jerry. He’s good for you. He’s the real deal. Take it from me I know. I have a trail of disastrous relationships behind me with men who have treated me like dirt. So don’t tell me you threw away a perfectly wonderful man for one who visits you in your dreams.”

Gillian gripped the steering wheel, wishing she had just kept her big mouth shut. “I shouldn’t have told you
.”

Samantha sighed. “I care so much about you, and I want you to be happy, but—”

“Then be happy for me. I will find the man I am looking for. I know he's out there.” She took her eyes off the road to look at Samantha. “He's—”

“Watch out!” Samantha screamed.

Gillian slammed on her brakes, sliding to a halt as a dog streaked across their path to the safety of the sidewalk. The cars behind her swerved around them as they laid into their horns.

“I believe, I lost a few years off my life,” Samantha gasped, holding onto the dashboard.

Gillian pulled alongside a parked car and flipped on the hazard lights before she jumped out of the SUV.

“Where are you going?” Samantha yelled as she followed suit.

“It’s the dog,” she called over her shoulder.

“What?”

Gillian halted when the dog turned and looked at her or so she thought. “It’s been following me and—”