Lightning Only Strikes Twice

by Fletcher, Stanalei

  In the kitchen, she lit a lantern the way she’d seen Paul do it last night. Then she studied the potbelly stove. All she had to do was keep it hot while she cooked. Right? She reached for the chamber door. “Ouch,” she said jerking her fingers back. The stove was still hot from yesterday’s fire.

  She sucked on her finger while reaching for a thick potholder before she tried that again. With her hand sufficiently protected, she opened the door and found the ash and coals inside still glowed red, but it needed more wood to get a real fire going.

  Locating the kindling in crate beside the stove, she arranged it in the feeder chamber like building a campfire. She knelt on the floor level with the opening, pursed her lips, and blew.

  Ash swirled around inside the chamber and right out the door into her face. She coughed and brushed soot from her nose and cheeks. Not a good first try. Her second attempt was better, but it took three more tries before the tinder finally caught a spark.

  As the flame grew, she added larger chunks of wood. In less than five minutes, she had a fire going. Feeling please with herself, she secured the chamber door and looked around to start her next chore.

  Then the kitchen filled with smoke.

  “Oh no!” Annie swatted at the smoke billowing from the stove with a towel. She spotted the flue and twisted the knob. Smoke stopped filling the kitchen. She opened the back door to air out the room, hoping none of the smoke made it into the hall and bedrooms.

  “Are you trying to burn down the house?” Elizabeth asked with a yawn as she peered around the corner.

  Annie whirled around. “Elizabeth!”

  Elizabeth stood in her dressing gown, smiling at Annie. “It’s a good thing I didn’t sleep in any later or we’d be eating outside.”

  “I wanted to have breakfast ready before you woke. I’m sorry about the smoke. I forgot to open the flue.”

  Elizabeth’s laughter immediately lightened Annie’s mood. “Here.” She took the towel out of Annie’s hand. “You’ve got a smudge on your cheek.”

  Annie stood still while the other woman wiped away the dirt as if she was child. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” Elizabeth kept the towel and lifted the coffeepot.

  Annie studied how Elizabeth measured coffee into the basket and added water before placing the pot back on the stove. “That’s how it’s done,” she murmured.

  “I beg your pardon?” Elizabeth said.

  Annie cleared her throat. “I should be doing that.”

  “Don’t be silly, you’re a guest here.”

  “Not any more. Didn’t your husband tell you? I’m going to earn my keep by helping you until the baby comes.” Annie pulled out a chair. “Sit here and tell me where I can find you some milk.”

  Sinking into the chair, Elizabeth pointed to a wooden box on legs standing in the corner. “That’s the ice box.”

  Annie opened the door and was surprised to find a cold pitcher of milk. She poured some in a cup she’d found in the cupboard and handed it to the expectant mother.

  “Paul didn’t say anything.” Elizabeth took a sip. “But I think it’s a wonderful idea. Between you and me, I could use a hand. Lately, I get so tired.”

  “Well, you can leave the housework to me. Relax and enjoy your days before you have to start changing diapers.”

  “I’m looking forward to holding a baby again.” Elizabeth sighed.

  Annie could have kicked herself. How could she have forgotten that this kind soul had already lost one child? She laid a comforting hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder. “Luke told me about your daughter, Laura. I’m so sorry.”

  Sadness crept into Elizabeth’s eyes and tears formed. “I’m just grateful we had our little girl for as long as we did.” She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Maybe you’d like to come with me when I visit her grave later. I try to go every Sunday. With all the activity yesterday, I didn’t make it out there.”

  “I’d love to.” Annie marveled at the other woman’s fortitude. Would she have been able to endure the heartache of a child’s death? True, she’d lost her parents and grandfather, but they’d all been much older. Parents weren’t supposed to outlive their children.

  “It’s settled then,” Elizabeth said. “In the meantime, you promised to tell me about your evening with Luke.”

  Annie shied away from dangerous topic. “I really should start breakfast. What should I fix?”

  “Why, Miss Annie, I do believe you’re blushing,” Elizabeth teased. “Changing the subject won’t stop my questions.”

  Annie fanned the heat from her cheeks. “I’m just warm from starting that fire.”

  Elizabeth chuckled, her sorrow put aside for the moment. “Perhaps we should make breakfast together. You can tell me about your evening later, while Paul’s at the mill.”

  Annie relaxed. Her reprieve might be enough time to compose answers that would satisfy the other woman’s curiosity without raising more questions.

  With Elizabeth’s guidance, Annie managed to cook a decent breakfast without burning the biscuits too badly. She even made a fresh pot of coffee.

  Annie watched Elizabeth and Paul surreptitiously while they ate.

  Paul hardly tasted his food before he swallowed, yet he didn’t complain. He grabbed a thick slice of bread as he rose from the table. With a peck on his wife’s cheek, he wished them both a good day and headed to work.

  Annie washed and dried the dishes while Elizabeth wiped down the table. When she grabbed the broom from the corner to sweep, Annie stopped her.

  “I’ll do that when the dishes are put away.” She took the broom. “You sit down and rest.”

  “Goodness,” Elizabeth replied. “I’m only pregnant, not an invalid. You should have been here when Mavis Beacher was having her fourth young ’un. Now there was a woman full of energy.” Elizabeth laughed. “Can you imagine? Right before she delivered, she’d chased little Willie out of the house with a switch. All that excitement is probably what started her labor.”

  Annie smiled, remembering the young boy who’d found her that first day. “What had Willie done?”

  Elizabeth sat at the table. “He’d brought home some tadpoles for the new baby.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad.” Annie started sweeping out the corner by the stove.

  “Willie wanted the new baby to have other babies to play with. Unfortunately, he put them in the milk pitcher. He thought all babies drank milk. When Mavis poured a drink for Susie…well, I’m sure you can guess the rest.”

  Annie laughed. She could just imagine poor Willie and his helpfulness backfiring on him. “I promise not to let Willie bring your son any tadpoles,” Annie said as she continued to sweep.

  When she noticed Elizabeth had gone quiet, she looked up. The other woman was quite pale.

  Annie dropped the broom and rushed to her side. “Elizabeth, what’s wrong?”

  Elizabeth laid a hand on her stomach. “How do you know I’m having a son?”

  Annie swallowed. Oh dear, Luke had warned her about keeping knowledge of the future to herself. Thinking quickly, she tried to cover her mistake. “I don’t know for sure. I just have a feeling.”

  “No, you said it like you knew. Are you sure it’s a boy?”

  Annie shrugged. “I…I—”

  “Paul would love to have a son.” Elizabeth caressed her mounded belly.

  The expectant mother’s color returned and Annie relaxed a little.

  “After Laura died, I wasn’t sure I wanted to have this baby. But all Paul could talk about was a son to carry on the family name.”

  “Oh, Elizabeth,” Annie said. “Then I truly hope you have a son.”

  “Can you keep a secret?” Elizabeth whispered. “I’ve never told anyone. Not even Paul.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I had a dream a few nights ago that I gave birth to a baby boy.”

  Annie smiled. “How wonderful. See? Even you have a feeling about this baby.”

&n
bsp; Elizabeth nodded. “Except, in my dream, I didn’t see him growing older.”

  A memory crowded into Annie’s mind. One she hadn’t realized she knew until just now. Her grandfather had told her a story about his father’s mother.

  And it scared her.

  It scared her more than accepting she’d time-traveled to 1891—more than living out her life in the wrong century.

  Annie realized that if she didn’t do something to change the past, Elizabeth was going to die when her son was just a baby.

  She scooted a chair next to Elizabeth and took her hands. “You probably woke up before the dream was over. It’s nothing to worry about.”

  Elizabeth searched Annie’s face, then smiled. “I’m sure you’re right.” She gave a little laugh and appeared to shake off the melancholy. “Now tell me about your special evening with Luke Maxwell.”

  Annie stood. She didn’t want to talk about Luke right now, but was glad to change the subject. “It really wasn’t anything special. Luke just showed me the town.” She shrugged and emptied the dustpan before putting it away with the broom.

  “I don’t believe you,” Elizabeth said. “Most of the single women in town would consider an evening ride with Luke very special.”

  Annie refilled her coffee cup and poured more milk for Elizabeth. She recalled the working girl who had called out to Luke. Elizabeth was probably right.

  She placed the cup of milk on the table, and then sat across from Elizabeth, cradling her coffee.

  For Annie, the ride was special because it revealed a future in the wrong century. There was some comfort in knowing someone from her own time was around to share this experience with her.

  There was so much Luke had told her, but what replayed over and over in her mind was his request at the end of the evening. “He asked if he could call on me again,” Annie said quietly.

  Elizabeth squealed. “I knew it!” She struggled out of her chair and gave Annie a hug. “I knew the minute he saw you at the church, he was smitten.”

  “I don’t think so.” She couldn’t tell Elizabeth the real reason Luke wanted to see her again. “I’m simply a new face. I’m sure he’s called on many of the single women in town.”

  Elizabeth returned to her chair. “Not a one,” she said. “In fact, he’s been the subject of gossip since he arrived in town.”

  “Why is that?”

  “A lot of the ladies have tried to get his attention, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Some have said he’s been sneaking out to the whorehouses late at night.”

  Annie squirmed as she remembered their conversation and his innuendo for her to work on her back. “He probably does.” A healthy male like Luke would have appetites to satisfy. In fact, he’d almost admitted as much when she mentioned his fans.

  “I beg to differ,” Elizabeth said. “Paul told me he’d seen Luke heading up behind the mill most nights.”

  “Maybe he was on a secret rendezvous.”

  “No.” A deep voice spoke. “No secret rendezvous.”

  Both Annie and Elizabeth turned to see Luke standing in the kitchen doorway.

  He smiled and hung his hat on a hook on the wall. “I knocked, but I guess you ladies didn’t hear.”

  Annie’s breath caught in her throat when Luke’s gaze met hers. How much of their conversation had he heard? His brows lifted and she quickly looked away.

  Elizabeth rose out of her chair, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. “Look at me, just lounging around, not even dressed for the day.” With a shake of her head, she excused herself and headed for her room.

  “Elizabeth.” Luke’s voice stopped her. “Could you spare Miss Annie for a short while?”

  “Of course.” Elizabeth gave Annie a conspiring wink. “We’re done with the morning chores.”

  “Surely there’s washing or something…” Annie started to say.

  “Nothing that can’t wait until later today.” Elizabeth motioned with the back of her hands. “Go with Luke. Enjoy yourself.”

  Annie hesitated. She wanted to talk more with Luke, but if she left, there would be no one to watch Elizabeth. Knowing Elizabeth’s future made her feel guilty leaving her alone. “You need to rest while I’m gone,” Annie insisted.

  Elizabeth hesitated.

  “I won’t go you unless you promise.”

  Elizabeth looked at Annie, then Luke and back to Annie again. “I promise.”

  “Good. It’s settled,” said Luke. “I’ll have Miss Annie back before lunchtime.”

  “Don’t you dare rush your time together, unless you’ll join us for lunch,” Elizabeth said.

  Luke’s brow rose. “I don’t want to impose.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Elizabeth said. “Annie’s going to cook today.” Her laughter tinkled through the kitchen as she walked into the other room, leaving Luke and Annie alone.

  Luke looked at Annie. “You’re cooking?”

  She snorted. “If you can call it that. Would you like some coffee?”

  “Sure.”

  Annie busied herself with a cup and potholder. “I can’t promise it’s as good as Doctor Smyth’s.”

  “Did you make it?”

  Annie nodded and handed him the cup. She waited anxiously as he took a sip. “Careful, it’s hot.”

  He winced and his voice came out on a harsh whisper. “No kidding.”

  “Sorry.”

  Luke cleared his throat. “It’s okay.” He put the cup on the table. “I’ll let this cool. In the meantime, I’d like to take you for a walk.”

  “Where to?”

  Luke smiled. “It’s a surprise.” He held out his arm.

  Annie untied her apron and draped it over the back of a chair. She hooked her hand through Luke’s elbow.

  He put on his hat and together they strode out the front door.

  The mid-morning sun shone brightly as they stepped off the porch. She suspected the high mountain location kept the summers cooler than in the lower elevations, but the day was already starting to get quite warm.

  Luke led her along the street to the opposite end of town from the mill. He greeted folks by name as they passed.

  The town was exactly as she had envisioned it. Everyone knew each other and had a friendly smile to share. She was curious about where they were headed, but didn’t ask, reluctant to spoil his surprise.

  When they reached the end of the boardwalk, she pointed to the shacks that lined the street at the edge of town.

  “Why do they live like that?” she asked.

  Luke frowned. “That’s the Chinese district. Their place isn’t prominent in the community, so they’re relegated to the outskirts.”

  “But why?”

  Luke’s hand tightened over hers. “People are still very prejudiced, even at the end of this century. I’d like to think we’ve progressed further than that in our own time, but I know it’s not completely true.”

  The pleasant thoughts about the friendly town’s people disappeared. History was filled with stories of unenlightened citizens relegating other races to a lower class to suit their own selfish needs. The stigma carried forward even in their own century. The hard truth about her idyllic romantic past was it had a dark side. “It’s so wrong.”

  As they took a left turn and walked down a small grade, she glanced once more over her shoulder toward the shantytown. Maybe this was her chance to make a difference.

  “Let it go,” Luke said.

  “What?”

  “We can’t interfere. You’ll have to let it go.”

  “But we could do so much…”

  He shook his head. “It’s not our place.”

  Luke was right. They couldn’t start a human rights revolution in an 1891 mining community. If they tried, they’d probably be arrested and sent to prison. Now wouldn’t that just disrupt the timeline.

  He slowed as they approached a clearing. In the center, a large area had been dug out. Lumber and bricks were stacked to one side.

 
“Here we are.” He pointed to the building materials. “We’ll start on the schoolhouse as soon as the mortar arrives,” he said, with a note of pride.

  “Elizabeth told me you were building a schoolhouse for the town. You’ve been able to use your talents after all.”

  “I might as well do something constructive while I’m here.”

  Annie chuckled. “Bad pun, Mr. Progress. I’m surprised you aren’t trying to re-develop the entire town.”

  “Ouch! How’d you learn about that name?” he asked.

  “Maxwell Development. The top property manager and developer in the state.” She stared at him in disbelief. “Who hasn’t heard of you?”

  Luke stood quietly for a moment. “Well, these people haven’t.”

  “It didn’t take long for you to become one of the town’s prominent citizens.”

  Luke guided her by the elbow over to a stack of lumber. He dusted the wood and indicated she should sit.

  The gentlemanly gesture was unexpected, leaving her a little flustered by his attention. “You seem to fit in quite nicely in this century.”

  “It hasn’t been easy. I’ll admit that after I accepted what had happened, I wondered if I could take advantage of the situation. Use my knowledge of the future to benefit myself.” He sat beside her, his shoulder casually brushing hers.

  There was nothing casual about the flutter in her tummy. “But you didn’t.”

  “Well…” He gave a self-deprecating grimace. “When I went to Boise, I invested in the stock market using my insight of the future. I needed a source of income if I was going to live here. Since then, I’ve realized I should lie low, not make too big a ripple. Like we discussed yesterday.”

  “Isn’t building the schoolhouse making a ripple?”

  He shrugged. “Probably. Sooner or later, someone would’ve gotten around to building it. I don’t think I’m changing too much.” He gazed over the worksite. “Something’s happened to me since I came here. People count on me. I’ve felt a need to give back.”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “I’m not explaining it right.” He angled himself to look at her. “Here, a man’s word is his bond. Like any booming mining town, I’m sure there were undesirables and crime in the early days when it was only a tent city. Once families arrived, and commerce took hold, the township has thrived. I’ve rarely witnessed such integrity and honesty in our own time.”