Bring it on.
She smiled. Christ, he always made her smile. He was driving her insane. He teased her, he flirted with her, he held the darn car door open for her every time he picked her up or dropped her off at her hotel. No wonder she hadn’t found anything in the test pit. She was too busy trying to be witty and cute.
At least Liam didn’t care about witty and cute.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He’d long abandoned her efforts on the test pit to start documenting soil and rock samples in his fastidious, uniform handwriting. Occasionally, she’d hear him mutter something about strata or the infuriating ground shift, but otherwise their relationship was relaxed, near boring. In four short days it had become comfortable to the point of monotonous.
Hoisting the next bucket of dirt above the sifter, she shook out an even layer of dirt and then shook the sifter to filter it through the screen. Loose dirt fell through to the tray below, leaving behind dirt covered clumps. She picked through the rocks and dirt clods. Nothing.
She reached for a clod at the upper quadrant of the screen and the air around her seemed to shift. The chunk was cold—not completely unusual for damp dirt on an overcast day—but it felt like she’d plunged her hand through ice water to touch it.
Dragged her. He dragged her.
She dropped the clod back to the sifter tray. The voice was as clear as if Liam had spoken to her, like the unseen figure was standing at the opposite end of the sifter tray. Madison cleared her throat. There was no mistaking the words this time. The voice belonged to a male. He sounded exhausted.
...watched…I watched…dragged her…
He was frustrated. There was a tone to the voice that sounded desperate. She cleared her throat again. “Just go slow.”
“Excuse me?” Liam looked up from his plastic canisters. “If you’re trying to give Mikey directions, I don’t think he can hear you.”
She groaned. She hadn’t meant to actually say it out loud. “No, just talking to myself.”
“That’s nice.”
Madison ignored him and forced herself to plunge her hand past the cold seemingly radiating from the dirt clod. She reached into her pocket and withdrew her pick, carefully chipping the dirt away.
The object was a little larger than a dime. As she picked the dirt away from the surface, the muted brass patina became visible, cut by the curve and arch of an eagle. It was a button.
“Liam.” She tipped the button face up in her palm; the last thing she wanted was for the delicate rounded face to cave in. “I found something.”
“Get out.” He perked up, rising from his self-made nest of plastic containers and notebooks, and studied her outstretched hand. “Looks like your standard issue, run of the mill Federal sack coat button.”
“It’s better than nothing.” She shook her fist at him. “Don’t spoil my moment of discovery. You see an ordinary button, I see tangible proof they were here.”
“We don’t need a button to confirm the Federal Army was here.” He retrieved a small plastic container and held steady, allowing Madison to ease the button inside. “Most historians are in agreement that the Federal and Confederate armies met here for a few days in July 1863.”
“Think of it though: the last time this button was touched, it was by the Union soldier buttoning his uniform. Where was he going? What did he see during the battle? It’s like a moment frozen in time; the button’s journey ended here, but the soldier went on.” She pulled out her cell phone and texted Mike.
I see your canteen spout and raise you a Federal sack coat button.
“Look how cute you are when you’re enthusiastic and impressionable? Just wait until you’re old and jaded like me.” Liam patted her hand. “Call me when you find something I can’t buy in one of the town shops for under ninety bucks.”
“Buzz kill.”
“It’s like a part time job for me.” He set the container in his duffle bag and jotted something in his notebook. “If you’re looking for reaction, I’m willing to bet Brad will be thrilled. Anything to pad his final report and make him look like the best in his field.”
“I’ll pass, but thanks.”
“Smart girl.”
She turned back to the sifter screen and emptied the clean dirt out from the lower tray. In the silence that fell, she could hear the voice again. It was rambling and rushing, frantic and mumbled. She refilled the sifter screen with new dirt, straining her ears to hear him.
…I tried…couldn’t feel, couldn’t help…I tried…
What else could she do to hear him? It wasn’t like she could ask him to speak louder; the more she concentrated the farther away he sounded.
…gone…I still remain…Her. Her. HER.
His final word was a near scream into her ear. She jumped back from the sifter and brushed her hand across the side of her face. She’d felt the puff of air as he spoke, his breath exhaled across her cheek. It was like he was standing next to her, against her, demanding her attention. If it was so important, why couldn’t she hear him?
Liam was staring at her.
She held her breath for a moment, struggling against the trembling muscles in her body. Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. “I’m…I’m going to take a break.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She forced herself to smile at him, but she could feel the waver in her expression. “I’m just going to flaunt my find at Mike and, you know. Flirt.”
“We’re done in like, ten minutes.”
She took several steps backward and shrugged. “Call me a slacker, then. It’s ten minutes; I’ll come in tomorrow for ten minutes if you’re so concerned.”
Liam closed the notebook and again stood, crossing to the sifter. “Don’t worry about me, then, I’ll just finish this bucket on my own.”
“Thanks, I owe you one.” She turned around and took several steps forward, immediately hearing the shuffle of footsteps in the grass behind her.
“Madison.”
She jumped, but looked back at Liam. He was again staring at her, his hands resting on the edge of the sifter. “Are you taking the button with you, or what?”
“Yeah, thanks.” She hustled to his duffle bag and snagged the canister, patting his arm as she passed him. “That boy distracts me like nothing else.”
“Apparently.”
She ignored him this time, hurrying across the open field to where she could see Mike sitting at the edge of the test pit. He was talking to Brad, something she might otherwise have avoided. It seemed safer there, almost sunnier.
Mike’s smile faded when he saw her, replaced by a look of concern that knitted his brow into a frown. “What’s up, Maddy girl?”
She thrust the canister at Brad, practically throwing it at him. “Found a button.”
True to form, Brad looked impressed and pried the lid off the container. “That’s what, the third of the day?”
She glanced at Mike. He was still staring at her, his eyes so narrowed that he almost looked suspicious. “I texted you, Maddy.”
He was right, her phone had buzzed when she was blathering at Liam. She pulled her cell out of her pocket and glanced at the face.
Unimpressed. I’ve got two pair so far. I bet you’re bad at poker.
“I’m bad at all sports.” She shoved her phone in her pocket. “Oh well, excitement over. Nothing to see here, folks. All part of the show.”
“Not bad, Madison.” Brad held the button closer to his eye. “Her one blows your two out of the water, Caldwell. Look at how well the detail in the eagle is preserved; yours look like marbles in comparison.”
“Don’t be jealous of my superior digging skills.” She sat next to him, feigning it like a casual movement. What she really wanted to do was crawl in his lap and hide from whatever it was that had attached itself to her. “I’m often imitated, but never surpassed.”
“If you find me a canteen spout back there, we can have a battle royale between you two.” Brad
slid the button back into the container. “I honestly didn’t expect to find anything back by the woods. I thought it would all be up here by the structures.”
“Who did you say used this as a hospital?” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I mean, more specifically than just the Union Army.”
“The 11th Corps, they were positioned over on Barlow’s Knoll and later on Cemetery Ridge.” Brad motioned in a somewhat western direction. “Did Liam document this? If so, I’m going to put it with the other artifacts and call it a day.”
“He wrote something down; what it was, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Great job today, guys.” He spun on his heel and headed toward his pickup. “Someone let Liam know once the pit is secure, he’s free to go. Mike, you’ve got this one under control?”
“I think I can handle it.” Mike’s eyes remained on Brad only until the dig head was sufficiently far away from them. He dropped his voice and leaned closer. “You can’t tell me nothing happened.”
“I don’t know what happened.” She closed her eyes. “It’s just…it’s this voice. I can tell it’s a man, but other than that...he sounds frantic. I can’t always understand what he’s saying, but when I can, it’s only fragmented sentences and just a generalized sense of panic. I can feel his panic.”
“What does he say?”
“He repeated ‘dragged her’ a couple times and something about trying to help but not being about to feel. The worst was when he kept repeating ‘she’ and ‘her’—that’s what got him agitated. That’s when I came over here.” She hesitated. “Sometimes I feel like I can hear him walking behind me.”
“Did you see him again?”
“No. But I don’t have to see him to know he’s there. I can feel him next to me, can feel his breath on my cheek when he talks to me. I can hear his footsteps in the grass behind me.” Madison buried her face in her hands. “I sound ridiculous.”
“I can talk to Brad. Maybe he’ll let you and Cianna switch, so you can work with me instead.” He trailed his fingers over her knuckles and then covered her hand with his. “I don’t want you to be miserable for the next few weeks.”
“I think—” Madison shut her mouth as Cianna exited the summer kitchen, notebooks and oversized portfolios tucked under her arm. She watched the blonde girl struggle to adjust her pack strap on her shoulder, while still maintaining the balance of her art supplies. “I’ll figure something out. It’ll be fine.”
“That’s what you always say.” He lowered his voice. “And I’m worried about you.”
She smiled at him, the urge to throw her arms around him and kiss him nearly knocking her off balance. “Somehow I think he is, too.”
“Did you guys see which direction Brad went?” Cianna shuffled over to the test pit, digging her hand into her pocket. “I told him not to leave without me.”
Mike cocked his head toward the parked cars. “I think he went back to the truck. He said we’re good to go for the day if everything’s locked up and the pits are secure.”
“I didn’t lock the summer kitchen.”
“I figured as much.”
“I can’t carry everything, Mike, Jesus Christ.” Cianna struggled to pull something out of her pocket, inadvertently releasing the pressure of her arm against her paperwork and folders. Portfolios slid free, loose papers scattered like a hailstorm.
Madison lunged to the side to stop the papers from being caught in the wind. She gathered them on top of an open sketchbook, glancing at the top page as she handed them back to Cianna. It was a simple pencil sketch of the bank barn through the window of the summer kitchen. The interior of the kitchen was shaded as if in shadow, while the barn stood out crisp and clean. “That’s really good, Cianna.”
Cianna narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“The barn picture, it’s gorgeous. You obviously have talent.” Madison cleared her throat, uncomfortable that Cianna couldn’t comprehend she was trying to be nice. “I really like it.”
Cianna glanced down at the paper and then back at Madison, skepticism arching her eyebrow. “You like it.”
“Yeah.” Madison exchanged a glance with Mike. “Should I not like it?”
“Yeah, um, I mean no.” She looked taken aback and then smiled, a subtle grin that seemed to soften her perpetual scowl. “Thank you.”
Madison watched her walk to Brad’s pickup and then tap on the passenger’s side window. For a moment, she thought Brad was ignoring the impatient window thumping and was going to drive away without her. The brake lights came on and Cianna opened the door, shoving in her papers before following suit. “Those two have the strangest relationship.”
“He keeps her around because she puts out.” Mike stood and reached down to pull her after him. His hands were rough and calloused, no doubt from his years in the service, and he adjusted it around her, lacing his fingers between hers. “Let’s lock up the summer kitchen and go. I’ve seen enough of this place for one day.”
“We should probably tell Liam.” The pressure of his hand against hers made it hard to think. Who actually had the key to the summer kitchen? She was fairly sure it wasn’t her.
“Liam!” He cupped his hand by his mouth. “Brad split.”
“It’s about God damned time.”
Mike let her hand go long enough to pull the exterior kitchen door closed and locked it. He jammed the key back into his pocket. “Ready?”
“The weekend awaits.” She peered in the direction of the test pit. “Have a nice weekend, Liam!”
“Stay out of trouble, Sassy! No drinking.”
Mike reached over and slid his fingers around hers. He led her to the makeshift parking lot and opened the Jeep door, trailing his fingertips down her back as she got in the passenger’s seat. She watched him circle around the front of the vehicle. His gait was smooth and relaxed, the curve of his biceps pressing against his shirt fabric in a way that was far more distracting than it should have been. Jesus Christ, she’d sell a kidney to find out what it felt like to be held by those arms. Pinned down by those arms.
She exhaled sharply. Focus. Keep it together.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “I’d say that wasn’t too shabby a start to the dig. No unexploded ordinance but, hey, Brad can’t win them all.”
“I get the distinct impression we’re already falling behind his strict timeline.”
“Oh yeah, definitely.” He backed out of the parking area and drove down the lane, the Jeep bumping and swaying on the uneven road. “Four weeks is not nearly enough time for a dig like this. We’ve spent more time surveying yards the size of utility sheds. The park expects to find bullets and buttons and general military paraphernalia. No one is going to be surprised at our finds so far.”
“I’m used to cataloging nail fragments and sitting around hustling grant money. In comparison, this is like finding the Titanic.”
“You’re cuter than Bob Ballard.”
“So…I was thinking…” She hesitated. “Do you want to hang out tonight? As much as I enjoy my fortress of solitude at the Inn, having company for dinner might be a nice change of pace.”
Mike was silent. He slowed the Jeep to a stop at an intersection and glanced both ways before turning onto a battlefield lane. “I actually have plans tonight.”
“Oh.” She could hear the disappointment in her own voice. There was no point in trying to act like it didn’t sting. “Okay, well, that’s cool.”
He again fell silent.
Madison felt like she might throw up. Had she misjudged the entire situation? He’d flirted with her for nearly a week. He’d held her hand today for God’s sake. No, there was no way she’d misjudged anything…was there?
“I’m sorry, look…” His voice trailed off and he exhaled deeply, as if trying to expel a thick burden clotting his throat. “I see a counselor. Twice a week, Tuesday and Friday; every week, no exceptions—not even holidays—for the past year and a half. I…I had some issues when I ca
me home from Afghanistan the last time.”
“Okay.” She glanced at him. His knuckles were white from the force of gripping the steering wheel. “So…what you’re saying is, tomorrow would be better?”
“Seeing a counselor isn’t normal.”
“It isn’t abnormal.”
“It’s been a year and a half.”
“It doesn’t make me want to be with you less.” She flushed. Way to play it coy. “Okay, so you see a counselor and we can’t go out tonight. We’ll go out tomorrow. Or another night. Whatever.”
“You’re not upset?”
“There’s no reason to be upset. My brothers and I saw a counselor after my dad died. I’m in counseling now for being a drunk. It is what it is.” She shrugged. “You could see a counselor twice a week for the rest of your life and I wouldn’t think less of you.”
He was again silent. She glanced back at him. The color had drained back into his knuckles so he must have relaxed a little. His eyes were focused on the road ahead, his legs working the gas and the clutch as he switched gears. Well, this was awkward.
She inwardly grimaced and turned her gaze back out the passenger’s side window. The curve of Cemetery Hill was to the front of the car. There was nothing remarkable about the hill and nothing out of the ordinary; it was dotted with stone monuments like the rest of the battlefield. People milled between artillery pieces and took pictures in front stone markers commemorating units and brigades, yet, something was unsettling. She stared at a barren patch of land, devoid of markers or monuments. A heartbeat pounded in her head, but her own pulse remained steady. The hint of a shadow, nothing more than a faint interruption in the otherwise clear landscape, caught her eye. It sank toward the ground and then was gone.
The heartbeat stopped.
Madison held her breath and dropped her gaze to her lap. Her hands trembled. She clenched them together and forced breath steadily in and out of her lungs. This had to stop. Something had to make it go away.
“Madison.”
She jumped, embarrassed she’d been so distracted by her thoughts that she’d tuned out Mike’s voice. “Yes. Sorry, I’m looking at the artillery pieces and monuments. Touristy, I know. What battery is that?”
With Me Now Page 10
