The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Crazy For You
Copyright © 2013 by Marie Higgins
Cover Design by Sheri McGathy
Edition License Notes
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How can a crazy man proclaiming he’s from the future soften a woman’s heart when he needs her help the most?
Fashion Designer, Kendra Whitaker is leery about the strange and terribly dressed man she meets...and she’s even more skeptical when he explains he’s from the future. She refuses to help, but the offbeat man charms her into it, and shows her what love is all about.
Eli’s very existence is threatened, and he needs Kendra’s assistance. The man she’s supposed to marry has locked Eli’s father in a mental institution. Joshua Montgomery must be released and put in his rightful spot as president of Montgomery Aisle. If Eli fails, he’ll not only lose Kendra, but life will cease to exist.
Dedication
I want to thank my readers who know me well enough to expect something different from my stories. This plot is definitely something different!
Chapter One
Kendra Whitaker was using him. That could be the only reason for her doubts about her forthcoming marriage.
She pressed her back against the brick wall, hiding from the guests inside her soon-to-be mother-in-law’s house. Kendra took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cool early February’s night air, hoping to clear the several glasses of champagne she’d consumed already tonight. If she had to put up with more of Lisa Montgomery’s fake friends wishing her a happy future with Terrel, she’d be tempted to drink the whole bottle of alcohol instead of the goblets Lisa’s butler passed around.
Really, Kendra did try to be polite, but if she saw one more plastered-on smile, heard one more person call her darling, and endured one more cold-fish handshake, she’d do something completely out of character and scream. Swinging a bat around the room just to clear out Lisa’s friends tempted Kendra more than ever.
She giggled from the thought. The champagne was definitely taking effect.
With her mind scrambled, and suffocation overwhelming her, she ran her hand across the back of her neck. It had been excessively warm inside the crowded house. Careful not to disturb the French twist she’d styled her mass of hair in this evening, she patted it to make sure it still held together. Rolling her head, she worked out the kinks in her neck, wishing the knots in her shoulders would loosen, too. Why can’t I enjoy this party? Deep down she knew the answer, yet she wouldn’t admit it, because that meant admitting defeat.
From inside the glass patio door next to her, voices grew louder. Her heart thumped against the wall of her chest and she skidded away toward the shadows hovering around the rose garden. She lifted her long black skirt to her ankles to take larger steps due to the tight-fitting length, and hurried toward the garden. Before she reached the edge of the patio, the gazebo caught her eye. Kendra changed directions and headed for the get-a-way slightly hidden by the canopied oak trees.
Once inside, she wiped dust off the cushioned benches and sat. She closed her eyes and let the cool air touch her bare arms. Because of the high-neck collar on the satin dress, she was unable to feel the same comfort on her throat. She wasn’t complaining. This design was her best selling dress since she’d started her business. In one month, she’d sold over a hundred and fifty dresses.
So why aren’t I happy?
Kendra touched the collar and ran the pads of her fingers around to the back of her neck where it hooked together. She enjoyed the way the material flowed around her chest, leaving her arms and back completely bare before gathering tightly at her waist. The high slit on the long, beaded black gown displayed most of her right leg and high-heeled matching shoe.
Laughter exploded from the house, and she moved her attention to the windows, only seeing shadowed people. With a sigh, she admitted she couldn’t stay out here forever. Eventually, someone in the party would notice her gone. After all, this was for her and Terrel. What were the chances her own fiancé would miss her?
A light wind blew across her face, moving the tendrils by her ears. She lifted her face to the breeze and closed her eyes. Tree limbs scraped the top of the gazebo but didn’t override the chirping of night sounds and croaking of frogs in Lisa’s pond.
“Pssst.”
She snapped her eyes open, glancing around the shadowed yard. That didn’t sound like a frog.
“Pssst.”
The sound grew louder and was definitely not an amphibian.
Unless it was on steroids.
She stood and walked to the edge of the railing. In the manicured shrubbery a man’s form appeared. Doubting her sight, she blinked, looking again. This time the figure stood, making the shadow larger. Had the frog turned into Price Charming? She rolled her eyes. It was the champagne talking.
She gasped. “Who’s...out there?”
The bushes rustled as the person stepped out. Shadows hid the man’s identity well. Her heart raced as she blinked to clear her distorted vision. What if it was Prince Charming, coming to rescue her from...
“I’m looking for Kendra Whitaker.”
She hitched a breath. Her imaginary dream-like hero talks! Then again, maybe this wasn’t a dream after all. “What do you want with her?”
“If you’re Kendra, I want to know if your father is Edward Whitaker, the writer of the book, Away in Time.”
Her pulsating heart slowed and she took in a deep breath. Another fan of her father’s no doubt. Although she wasn’t an avid Science Fiction reader, she would always be polite to her father’s admirers. “I’m sure you know that answer or you wouldn’t be out here.”
He stepped closer—close enough to see him better now. Inwardly, she groaned. He definitely didn’t dress like any Prince Charming she knew. More like the male version of Cinderella.
She crinkled her brow, running her gaze over him. By his tattered appearance, he couldn’t be one of the guests from the party. As a fashion designer, she knew his black, overly-large short-sleeved cotton shirt and faded black Levis wouldn’t blend well with the tuxedos the men wore inside the mansion. This strange man resembled a hoodlum. And why wasn’t he wearing shoes? Her fashion tastes kicked in, making her want to teach him how to dress. Of course she couldn’t do that. Heaven forbid she’d have to touch him.
His hair was almost as dark as his clothes—except it looked more brown—but it hung to the end of his neck, barely brushing his shoulders. A shaggy goatee shaped his mouth and his square jaw. Her in-the-latest-fashioned sense roared into high gear, and she itched to find a pair of trimmers to help him with that problem.
“I take it you’re Kendra Whitaker then?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Eli.”
She nodded a silent greeting. “I’m assuming you’re not one of Lisa’s guests.”
“I’m not,” he said.
“So what are you doing out here?”
“I was watching you, hoping for a private moment alone.”
Her heart rate climbed a notch higher. He’d been watching me? “Why?”
“Because there’s something very important
I need to discuss with you.”
She studied him through a narrowed stare. Was he some sicko-perverted peeking Tom? A rapist? Murderer? She shivered and glanced around the gazebo to find something to use as a weapon if necessary. “What is it you need to talk to me about?”
He shook his head. “Can’t talk here. Can we meet after the party?”
Oh sure! Did she really look like the kind of woman who meets strange men after parties? She hoped not. If so, she needed to change that look about her mighty fast! “Why can’t we talk now?”
“It’s not a good time. Too many people are around. I don’t want our conversation to be interrupted.”
She gulped the golf ball-sized knot in her throat. He obviously didn’t want witnesses. Panic surged through her. She needed to get back to the house—in one piece. “That’s not a good idea.” Her voice trembled. “Just tell me now.”
He released a heavy sigh and folded his arms. “If you insist.”
“I do.”
A smile stayed on his scruffy face, and the skin around his eyes seemed to soften. Even his shoulders relaxed. Too bad her pulse wouldn’t do the same.
“I came to tell you your family is in grave danger.”
Her heart jumped to her throat. “Wh—what do you mean?”
“If I can’t put a stop to something that’s going to happen soon, your family will be in danger.”
“How do you know?”
A heavy sigh came from him as he ran his fingers through his unkempt hair. “Believe me, I know.”
She cocked her head. “Has anything happened now?”
“Not yet.”
“How will I know when it happens?”
He growled, folding his arms over his chest. “Miss Whitaker, will you please stop asking questions for now and listen to me?”
She nodded, twisting her hands against her stomach. “Sorry. Please continue.”
“You may think this sounds crazy, but...if I can’t stop you from marrying Terrel, your family will be in grave danger. It might not be now, but it will be...in the future.”
It took a moment for her to register what he said, but as soon as her fuzzy mind unscrambled his sentence, she let out an uncontrolled snort. Gaining control over her reaction, she straightened her shoulders. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. I’m more serious than I’ve ever been in my life.” He took another step closer and leaned against the frame of the gazebo.
“Why are you telling me this?” She scowled. “What makes you think you know what’s going to happen in the future?”
“Oh, believe me, I know. And I also know what’s going to happen thirty years from now.”
“Ha! How can you know what’s going to happen in thirty years? Are you a psychic?”
“No. The reason I know is because…” His lips pulled into a straight line.
In anticipation, she held her breath.
“I know because...” He scratched under his ear. “I’m from the future, and I’ve come to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life.”
She blinked, not believing what she’d heard. The future? Without a doubt, he was completely crazy. What was she doing outside in the dark talking nonsense with a crazy man? She couldn’t be that bored.
For the first time tonight, she couldn’t wait to get back to the party, but he blocked her path. “Listen, Mister –”
“Eli.”
“Okay, Eli. I must admit, you caught my attention with that family warning thing, but now I think you’ve probably got the wrong woman. Besides, I need to get back to my engagement party. I’m sure Terrel is looking for me as we speak.”
“Or maybe not.” He shrugged. “In fact, I think your fiancé is probably the center of attention, surrounded by beautiful women who want to sleep with him, and men who can’t wait to kiss the ground Terrel walks on.”
She pursed her lips at Eli’s remark. How dare he presume to know more about Terrel than she did? Although he did hit the nail on the head. He knew her fiancé better than she realized.
“It doesn’t matter. I need to get back.” She glanced over his body, taking in his shabby attire again and cringing. Poor guy needed to be slapped up side the head with a fashion stick.
“Kendra,” he said, reaching to touch her hand.
Gasping, she pulled back. Her high-heeled shoes caught in between two boards and tipped her off balance. She flayed her hands, hoping to grasp onto something to keep her from falling. Two strong arms caught her before she hit the ground. She clung to his muscular shoulders. Dizziness assailed her, and she cursed herself for drinking so much champagne. Either that or it was his heady scent of spice that made her lightheaded.
As he pulled her upright and their bodies touched, tingles danced over her skin, making her heart flutter. Good grief! What had just happened?
“Kendra,” he said again, his voice lower than before. “I am from the future, and I can prove it. I can also prove your father is in danger.”
She swallowed hard. “How?”
After letting go of her, he reached in his baggy jeans’ pocket and pulled out a red and green flashing gadget. “This is what I used to come here.”
Biting her bottom lip, she held in a laugh. “Uh-huh...” Surprisingly he didn’t come in a time machine that looks like a car. “And what exactly is your time?”
“I’ve come from thirty-one years in the future.”
She bit her lip from laughing again. “Really, Mister, do you think I’m going to believe this?”
“Kendra, please call me Eli.”
“Fine. Eli, forgive me, but I’m not buying one word you’re saying.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I thought you of all people would understand. After all, your father did write a book about time-travel.”
“That doesn’t mean I believe in it.” She chuckled. “Besides, that story is fiction.”
Eli shook his head. “You don’t know how wrong you are. That book tells more about the future than any book I’ve ever read. I think your father was inspired to write that.”
Her wobbly legs forced her to sit on one of Lisa’s many wooden benches. An ache started in the base of her skull and she rubbed the tender spot. “Okay, Eli, let’s just say for humor’s sake that you’re from the future. What’s so important you had to come at this time of night to tell me? And how is my father involved?”
“I couldn’t figure out any other way to meet you, and what I have to say is very important. Talking to you alone is the only way I can get your help.”
“Oh, so the truth comes out.” She nodded. “You want my help with something.”
“Yes.”
“Like what?”
During his pause, the full moon hit his gaze as he glanced over her face, then to her hair, and down her dress. Her body tingled with awareness, and she wished it hadn’t. Self-consciously, she crossed her arms over her chest, hoping he wasn’t looking there. When his eyes finally met hers again, he smiled. Why was his grin doing weird things to her stomach?
“My purpose in coming here is to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life—and in the process, I’m saving both of our futures from being destroyed.”
“Go on.”
“Terrel isn’t a very good man. He’s greedy, cunning, vindictive, and enjoys ruining people’s lives. Terrel will soon create a computer system that literally gives him access to everything he wants in the world. Thirty-one years from now, that man will control everything from the banks, to the airport, to the police department. With one stroke of his finger on the computer’s keyboard, he’ll decide your fate.”
“So my soon-to-be-husband is a computer hacker?”
“Not just any hacker. Terrel is the master of all hackers. He knows his way through any computer ever programmed.”
She shook her head. “This is too implausible.”
“Wait, there’s more.”
“Like what?”
“This morning when I left my time to come here,
he was devising a plan to take over the nuclear warheads all over the world. He’ll try to take over the world, and in the process, he’ll destroy everything. He’s evil, Kendra. People in my time fear for their lives. That’s why I’m here. To stop him.”
A painful twinge began in the back of Kendra’s head, working its way up her skull. Closing her eyes, she massaged her neck, trying to ease it before it became a full-blown migraine. But Eli’s words echoed through her mind and wouldn’t leave. Terrel is corrupt?
“What does my father have to do with any of this?” she asked, looking at Eli.
He stepped closer, leaning his hip against the railing. “In my time, he’s trying to stop your husband. Terrel has kidnapped him and is torturing him on this very day, thirty-one years into the future.”
Eli reached into his other pocket and withdrew a ring. She squinted to see it better. When she recognized her father’s school ring, she gasped. Besides his wedding band, her father never removed his college ring.
“Where’d you get that?”
“This is what Terrel sent to my battalion of men to prove he had your father. Along with it was his…finger.”
She gasped and covered her mouth. Staring at the ring, her mind buzzed with logic...or tried to. But although Eli’s story was so far-fetched, the fact that he had her father’s ring—the ring he’d never taken off—proved something.
He sat beside her and the wooded bench groaned from his weight. As she lifted her gaze to his shadowed face, his pleasant scent enveloped her. When had he gotten so close? Even in the night, she knew his eyes were pleading for help. She scrunched her forehead as the headache grew.
She scooted closer to the edge of the bench. “And what exactly am I supposed to do about all of this?”
“Don’t marry Terrel Montgomery.”
She shook her head. “Oh, and everything will change just like that?” She pressed her fingers to her temple. “Let’s just say I don’t marry him—assuming I believe your story.” At seeing his eyes widen, she hurried and continued. “If I don’t marry him, he’ll marry someone else and he’ll still do all those bad things.”
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