“That’s exactly what I was trying to explain before we”—she paused—“well, you know.”
He shrugged. “You were right. What can I say?”
The sunny day took on an extra glow and she smiled up at him. “Why do I feel so content when I’m with you?” she asked.
She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. The only reason he sought her out was because of what they shared.
A slow heat filled her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she said. “I didn’t mean…I’m not used to being with someone like you.”
Luke’s face grew serious.
The intensity of his dark gaze unnerved her.
He leaned closer.
She tried to look away, but couldn’t. She lifted her face in anticipation of a kiss.
“Annie.” His voice was hoarse. He drew back, his expression grave.
“What is it?”
He reached for her hand, gathered it in both of his and took a deep breath. “I think I know how to get us back to our own time.”
Chapter Nine
I think I know how to get us back to our own time.
With that one sentence, Luke turned Annie’s world upside down. Again.
The construction site seemed to fade into the background. She searched his face for signs he was joking.
He didn’t look like he was trying to be funny. He looked serious. Very serious.
Luke still held her hand and she forced herself not clutch it in a death grip. She wanted to run from what he was saying, but instead, sat motionless. “You told me we couldn’t return to our time. You said you’d tried and failed.” The mere thought of returning home brought on a bout of vertigo, threatening her equilibrium.
She was finally accepting that this town was where she’d live out the rest of her life. Elizabeth and Paul were here. They needed her.
She belonged.
“What I said before was true,” he replied. “All this time, I’d been trying to go back on my own and it never happened.”
“You told me that even together we probably couldn’t make it work.” She heard the protest in her voice. What was wrong with her?
She looked out over the town. Dusty roads. The mill. The shantytown. Didn’t she want to go home? Wouldn’t life be easier? She turned to him. “What makes you think we can go home?”
“After I left you last night, I couldn’t sleep.” Luke lifted their joined hands. “Feel this?” he asked.
The trembling had stopped the moment he touched her. “The shaking stopped,” she said as she focused on their hands.
“Exactly.” Luke squeezed her hand again. “I wondered about that all night.” He placed his other hand over hers, holding on with both now. “Why does the trembling stop? Why, when we’re together, does the vertigo disappear?”
She may have stopped trembling on the outside, but inside, desire quivered through her like a willow in a windstorm. The same feeling as when he touched her in the grove while in their own time, and then again, when he kissed her at the doctor’s house. “Did you come up with an answer?”
“The only thing I know for sure is, when we’re together we create stability. We generate a power that neither of us can produce alone.”
“Do you think this power will get us back to our own time?”
“I do.”
“How?”
Luke’s brows drew to together in a frown and he shook his head. “I haven’t figured that part out yet. But I think it’s worth trying to do something.”
“We’re together now and nothing’s happening.” She looked around, half expecting the scenery to change.
His smile was indulgent. “I think we have to be in the right place at the right time. I want to try again at the grove.” He paused. “With you.”
Only this morning, she’d accepted her fate. She loved being with Paul and Elizabeth. Now she had to leave, before the baby was born. Before she could prevent Elizabeth from dying.
A new sense of urgency filled her. She couldn’t leave. Not now.
She tugged her hand free and turned away. “I’m going to stay.” Oh dear, she’d said it out loud.
“What?” He grabbed her shoulder and made her face him.
“It’s crazy, I know. Especially now that you’ve convinced me we’re really in 1891. But Elizabeth needs me.”
He stared at her as though she’d lost her mind. “Elizabeth did fine without you—long before you were born. Trust me. She’ll be fine now.” His grip tightened. “Every day, every minute we stay, we jeopardize changing the future. No matter how hard we try, we’re bound to slip up. We’re taking risks by just being here.”
“I know…I get it. I do.” She bit her bottom lip. Surely, he’d understand if she explained. “I think I’m meant to be here. Elizabeth…” Tears burned Annie’s eyes. “Elizabeth dies sometime after the baby is born. If I stay here, I can prevent it. I can—”
“How do you know she dies?”
“I remembered. Today. While she and I were talking. I remembered something my grandfather told me.” She grabbed his shirt. “Don’t you see? I can’t leave. I have to save her.”
“No.” He squeezed her hand. “No, you can’t. You can’t act on any knowledge you have from the future.”
She looked away.
Luke turned her chin with his finger. “We don’t belong here, Annie. Who knows what could happen if we try to change future events.”
Jerking free of his grip, she stood.
He was right. They didn’t belong…it’s just that she felt like she did. “Please, give me some time to think.”
He reached for her but she stepped away. His hand dropped to his side. “The sooner we return to our time, the better it will be for everyone. Including us. I’d like to try tonight. Will that be enough time for you to think about it?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
“Okay. I’ll take you home.” He stood and hooked her arm inside his elbow. “It sounded like you have a busy day planned.”
Annie was grateful he changed the subject. After finally accepting this strange quirk of time, she wasn’t ready to think about leaving the family she’d found.
As they walked back to the house, she recalled the promise he’d made to Elizabeth. “You said you’d stay for lunch. Elizabeth will be disappointed if you don’t.”
“I will, but I won’t stay long. If my plan works, there are a few things I want to wrap up before we leave. I’ll come back for you tonight.”
“You really believe we can go home?” she asked.
“We owe it to ourselves to try.”
“I suppose.”
Maybe she hadn’t had a choice in coming here, but the decision to leave was hers. She’d found relatives. A family to call her own. To stay with them, she’d have to change her entire lifestyle, but it would be worth it, wouldn’t it? Especially if Elizabeth survived to raise her son.
She glanced at Luke. His jaw was set firm and proud. He believed they must be together to return to their own time.
If she decided to stay, would he be stranded here too? Did she have a right to sentence him to that fate? She had a lot to consider before he called for her tonight.
****
Paul came home for lunch to see how Elizabeth and Annie were getting along. He and Luke talked about the progress on the schoolhouse while Annie laid plates of leftover fried chicken and mashed potatoes on the table. She refused to let the turmoil from Luke’s hypothesis ruin a pleasant meal.
After Paul returned to work, Luke bid the women a good afternoon.
Annie followed him onto the porch and he held her gaze for a moment.
The promise in his eyes was clear. “I’ll call for you after dinner.”
She nodded and closed the door behind him.
Annie returned to the kitchen and shooed Elizabeth into the main room to read.
Elizabeth’s protest was only half-hearted, proving to Annie that the expectant mother truly
needed her rest.
After clearing away the lunch dishes, she started the laundry. How was she supposed to wash the clothes Elizabeth had gathered?
A washing machine would have made the job quick and easy. Instead, she found a large tub with a hand-cranked ringer. She’d never take the convenience of an automatic washer for granted again.
Bending over the large tub filled with harsh soap, she scrubbed and rinsed waterlogged dresses and shirts before putting them through the ringer. After a couple of hours in the water, her hands had turned raw. It would take several days for her fingers to develop enough calluses to withstand this kind of punishment and at least that long for her lower back to stop aching.
Regardless, the satisfaction of manual labor made Annie feel as though she’d accomplished more in the past few hours than she’d done in an entire year at her job in the accounting department.
If she and Luke succeeded in returning to their own time, all she’d have to remember of her time here was this single experience.
When she sat down to eat their evening meal, she was grateful for the simplicity of bread, milk, and slices of smoked jerky.
Cleanup took hardly any time and although Elizabeth had rested much of the day, she seemed more than ready to retire early.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Elizabeth said as she hugged Annie goodnight.
Annie returned the hug, holding her close for a moment. She wanted to admonish Elizabeth to take extra care—to offer a final farewell. Instead, she said, “I may take a stroll with Luke, if he calls.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Luke’s a good man.” She held Annie’s hand. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but you’ve become such a good friend. I wish only the best for you. You and Luke suit each other. I can see it when you are together.”
Annie struggled with her response. Indecision about Luke’s request warred with her feelings for Elizabeth and Paul. “You’re a hopeless romantic,” she said. A lump formed at the back of her throat, making her voice choke. “Goodnight, Elizabeth. Sleep well.”
Paul bid Annie a goodnight as well, and followed Elizabeth to their room.
Alone, Annie walked out on the front porch. The sun had set and early evening stars appeared on the eastern horizon.
She looked up into the night. “Grandpa, what should I do?” she whispered. Only the saw-song of the crickets replied.
Three days ago, she’d lost everything she knew. Now she’d found so much more than she could have dreamed. The decision to return should have been easy—would have been twenty-four hours ago. Her heart felt as though it was breaking.
“Miss Annie.”
She dropped her gaze to see Luke’s disarming expression. Her breath caught. In that moment, she made up her mind.
The future she sought would only manifest by her own hand, not by some mishap of fate. As hard as it was to leave Elizabeth and Paul, she had to take control of her destiny.
“I’m ready,” she whispered.
****
Luke released the breath he’d been holding. When he’d come upon Annie staring into the night, he’d been reluctant to disturb her.
She appeared content—at home in this place—with her own family. Maybe he had no right to make her choose between the past and the future. Yet, he was certain working together they stood a chance to return to their own time. Two months ago, he had tried and it hadn’t worked. Now he had a solid plan and wasn’t willing to give up.
He offered his hand and Annie took it. He’d changed into the clothes he’d arrived in. Like Annie, he’d lost his shoes in the trip through time. Tonight, he wore his work boots for the walk to the grove.
Annie wore a dress she’d borrowed from Elizabeth and the boots he’d bought her.
“How is this supposed to work?” she asked as they headed toward the mill.
“I’m not sure. I figure we need to recreate the circumstances that brought us here.”
Annie looked to the cloudless sky. “There’s no storm.”
“I’ve already tried during a storm. I don’t think that’s the missing element.” He welcomed the warmth of her hand. A sense of stability spread through his limbs. “As I said this morning, I believe you and I, together, will generate the power for this to work.”
They reached the mill and began the short climb up the hillside.
She stopped and gazed at the houses spread below. “I can’t believe I’ll miss this town,” she said. “I’ve only been here a short time, but it’s like home.”
He nodded in the growing darkness. “I know what you mean. I’ll miss it too.”
When they reached the tree line, he stopped and dragged a bundle from under a bush. Wrapped inside a blanket was a lantern. He lit it, and then held it high as he led the way into the dark grove.
The artificial light contorted the trees’ shadows, giving them a misshapen, creepy look. A slight breeze stirred the leaves. Creaking branches filled the night with eerie sounds. He sensed Annie’s hesitancy as they approached the young pine.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” she whispered. “Something’s wrong.”
“Being in this time is wrong,” he answered. “We’re going to set it right. Take this.” He handed her the lantern while he unsheathed a hunting knife strapped to his belt. “Hold the light high.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I want to reenact everything we were doing that day.”
“So you’re recreating the moment?”
“That’s right,” he said. “I’m going to carve your initials in the tree.”
Annie raised the light. The initials on the young pine were barely visible. She stepped to the side so the light shone directly on the tree.
He looked at her. “Are you ready?”
Her eyes were wide and she looked as if she wanted to bolt, but she gave him a nod.
“Here we go.” He faced the tree and placed the knife tip underneath the last set of initials.
“Wait!”
He lowered the knife and turned. “What’s wrong?”
She held the light higher. “You said we had to recreate the circumstances as close as possible. Right?”
He looked up through the trees at the cloudless night. “We can’t control the weather.”
“I know. But look.” She pointed to the tree. “There are only three initials.”
“So?” She was stalling, and he didn’t like it.
“There were four initials in the tree the first time.”
“Then we’ll put your great-grandfather’s initials in first.” He raised the knife.
“Wait.” She shook her head. “It won’t work.”
Exasperated, Luke lowered his knife. “Annie, logically none of this should work, but we have to do something.”
She placed her hand on his arm. “If we carve the initials, we’ll be changing the future. We can’t do that. At least not until the baby is born. Paul has to carve the baby’s initials in the tree first.”
The stubborn jut of her jaw convinced him he wouldn’t persuade her differently. Maybe she was right. He’d already concluded they didn’t need a storm.
He sheathed the knife. “Okay, we’ll sit here for a while. I believe the key is being together and to be in the grove, near this tree.”
He took the lantern from her. “Wait here,” he said. He walked to where he left the blanket. Wrapping it under his arm, he hurried back.
Annie was waiting patiently beside the tree.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Might as well be comfortable while we wait.” He spread the blanket on the ground. “Sit down and relax.”
She continued to stand. “Why don’t we just go home?”
“As I said, the key to returning to our own time is to be together. Right here in this spot.” How could he explain that he felt better when she was around? Simply having her near eased the turmoil that had plagued him for the last two months. “Please, sit with me for a
while. If nothing happens, then I’ll take you home.” He settled on the blanket and sat with his legs crossed.
She bit her lip and looked like she might protest again.
He couldn’t decide if she was naturally contrary or if she didn’t like being with him.
After another moment, she sat and scooted until her back rested against the tree.
Several minutes passed as they listened to the night. In the cool air, the rhythmic sound of crickets ebbed like waves on a beach. Bats flew through the trees feeding on flying insects attracted by the light.
“When I woke up here, I was so dizzy,” Annie said breaking the silence. “I keep wondering if the vertigo will ever completely disappear.”
“I know what you mean.” He moved next to her until his back was against the trunk.
After a few moments, she relaxed beside him, supported by both his shoulder and the tree.
Overhead, the breeze died and the branches stopped scraping against each other. An earthy scent saturated the air, anchoring them to the forest.
Luke was surprised at how comfortable he felt around Annie, as though he’d known her for a very long time. By now, he certainly thought he knew the important things about her. She cared deeply about others, wore her loyalty on her sleeve for all to see, and fought for causes when justice seemed misplaced.
He leaned into her, enjoying the warmth that infused his chest. Never had a woman affected him like she did. The longer he was around her the more he wanted to touch her. He wondered if there was something more to his feelings than the fact that her presence eased his lightheadedness. Her allure was like an addiction—like a drug that had seeped into his system.
It didn’t make sense to him. Annie was quiet, reserved—the exact opposite of women he was usually attracted to.
He smiled to himself remembering how she’d argued about the changes he’d planned to make to the property. She was even willing to stay in the wrong time just to save Elizabeth.
She would be a fierce protector of her family. A man would be fortunate to have her as his wife, the mother of his children—
Lightning Only Strikes Twice Page 12
