“My schedule changed, and I ended up back in town tonight. I have a flight to catch tomorrow evening.” Tammie gave her a studying glance and shifted away from Thor. “It was quite a pleasant surprise to come home and find this handsome guy in my room. Much to my dismay, he’s been a perfect gentleman.”
“I’m sure he has,” Hannah said, not entirely certain she could bank on those words.
For the first time since she’d met him, Thor blushed, and she could see a glimmer of guilt in his entrancing blue eyes.
She could hardly blame Tammie for her interest in him, though. No red-blooded woman in her right mind would pass him by without giving him a second look.
Untamed as he was, Thor would be hard for a woman to resist if he decided to pursue her. In spite of his primitive ruggedness, he was charming, sweet, thoughtful, and kind. Just looking at him, with that head full of wild, slightly curly hair, and his impressive bare chest on display, he looked like any other hunky, entirely too attractive man. Just not one who had existed thousands of years ago.
“It’s late. I think I’ll head to bed,” Tammie said, getting up and giving Hannah what could have been interpreted as an apologetic look.
Hannah nodded to her. “Sleep well.”
“Oh, I will. You do the same.” Tammie waggled her fingers at Thor. “Nice to meet you, Thor.”
Hannah waited until Tammie’s bedroom door shut before smacking Thor on the arm.
He scowled and looked up at her with a wounded glance. “Why did you strike me?”
“I didn’t strike you,” she huffed, tamping down the urge to swat him a second time. “If I had, there would be no question about it.”
“Why are you angry?” Thor rolled over the back of the couch and stood in front of her. He took her upper arms in his hands and drew her closer, staring into her eyes. “You look watery-eyed again. What is wrong?”
“Nothing, you… you…” Hannah couldn’t think of a word he’d understand, so she turned, flicked off the lights, and marched down the hall to her room.
Thor followed and lingered uncertainly at the door, watching her through the muted light coming from a nightlight in the hall. “Where am I to sleep?”
Hannah almost told him to go back to his girlfriend in the other room but stopped herself. In truth, Thor had done nothing wrong. She knew he hadn’t. Hannah was aware of how Tammie’s mind worked. She’d probably walked into her room, found Thor in Marcia’s bed, and immediately changed into something “more comfortable,” then invited him to join her on the couch for “drinks.”
Only Hannah had interrupted them before things had a chance to progress that far. Tammie was a voluptuous, desirable woman, albeit with huge feet.
Weary beyond the ability to reason, Hannah giggled as she thought of Tammie’s shoe size. Thor gave her a concerned look, as though she teetered on the edge of losing her mind. Hannah had to work to curtail her mirth as she motioned Thor into the room. “You can sleep in Susie’s bed.”
Thor grunted in approval and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.
Hannah held her breath, waiting to hear the other bed creak as he settled into it. When his weight dipped the mattress beside her, she sucked in a gasp.
She felt the warmth of Thor’s breath on her face, smelled the faint hint of the minty toothpaste he’d used before bed, as he leaned over her. “I do not know all the words to say, Hannah, but your friend is not of interest to me. She is not you.” His lips brushed over hers in the softest, most tender kiss Hannah could imagine before his weight lifted.
She heard Susie’s bed squawk in protest at bearing his weight and the rustle of covers as he slid between the sheets.
“Sleep well, Hannah.”
It didn’t take long for Thor’s deepened breathing to attest that he slept, but Hannah tossed and turned for hours before sleep claimed her.
She awoke gritty-eyed the next morning. Recalling what interrupted her sleep, she whipped her head around to find Thor’s bed empty.
No noise came from the rest of the apartment, so she got out of bed and hopped into the shower. She took time to style her hair, apply a little makeup, and put on a summery dress before making her way to the kitchen. Thor sat at the counter drinking coffee and looking through a book loaded with photographs from World War II. It was one of Susie’s books, but they all shared a bookshelf in the living room.
“Why are these men fighting?” Thor asked as Hannah poured a cup of coffee and took a seat beside him. Her tired brain scrambled for a way to explain the war in a few words and couldn’t find any that seemed adequate.
“I’m declaring today a holiday,” she said, rising and taking another long drink of her coffee. “Let’s go on an adventure.”
“You aren’t going to the lab today?” he asked, giving her a puzzled look.
“No. We’ll spend today having fun.” Hannah warmed to the idea. A sense of urgency, one she couldn’t understand, compelled her to spend as much time with Thor as she could. She knew it was foolhardy to care for him, to fall for him, but she couldn’t help it. He’d already worked his way into her heart, and she wanted to own his. In spite of her professional successes, she decided capturing the cavedweller’s heart would be the most important thing she’d ever accomplish.
At Thor’s confused look, she smiled. “I’ll get your things out of Tammie’s room, and then we can go.”
While Hannah quietly gathered a change of clothes for Thor, his shoes, and ball cap, Thor put away his drawings, leaving them in Hannah’s room. He changed while she wrote a note to Tammie, telling her they’d be out all day and wishing her a safe flight if they weren’t back before she left for the airport. By the time Thor returned to the kitchen, Hannah had planned out several places to take him she was sure he’d love.
The first stop she made was the zoo. Thor studied each and every animal, comparing them to the creatures of his time. He seemed quite taken with the giraffes, didn’t care for the monkeys, and made a hasty retreat from the reptile and amphibian exhibits.
Seeing the zoo with him was like seeing it for the first time. Hannah enjoyed every moment. When they left there, they went to the rose garden where Thor found a bench and wanted to sit for almost twenty minutes with his eyes closed. Hannah had an idea that he needed the restful moments to calm his overloaded system, since he had such a heightened sense of smell.
They visited a beautiful historic mansion that required much explaining on her part that few people lived in such splendor, then she drove south of town to an airplane museum where she could better explain the answers to his earlier questions about World War II.
Exhausted, they stopped on the way home just long enough to pick up hamburgers and take them to the apartment.
Tammie was gone, but she’d left a note telling Hannah that she thought Thor was quite a catch and to hang onto him.
“If only she knew,” Hannah muttered as she tossed a load of clothes in the washer.
By the time they left Sunday afternoon, Hannah had taken Thor to museums, a shopping mall, ice skating, a water park, a craft store where he nearly drooled over the art supplies, and a concert. He seemed to especially enjoy the music.
On the way back to the dig site, he turned up the radio and sang along to what she was coming to realize was his favorite song, an old tune by the band Alabama.
His happiness was contagious, and she found herself belting out the words to the song, too, as they drove to the bunkhouse and prepared for the work-week ahead.
One week went by, then another, and they settled into a routine. Thor became an unofficial consultant on their project. Erik even made sure he was paid for the hours he put in helping them.
Hannah took Thor to the ranch to celebrate the Fourth of July. She’d had to hide a laugh when the first fireworks went off that night as Thor and little Rachel shared similar reactions.
At first, their mouths hung open in startled surprise. Then they squinted against the bright bursts of light.
Their hands covered their ears at the continued explosions. Finally, they smiled. Rachel fell asleep halfway through the fireworks display, but Thor grilled Hannah with questions, wanting to know how fireworks were made, when they were invented, and where he could get some.
As the days went by, Hannah fell more and more in love with Thor. With his gentle yet strong spirit. With his laughter and child-like wonder. With his honesty and intellect.
Part of her, the sensible part, questioned how she could love him so deeply, so completely, when she’d known him less than a month. But she did. And something in her soul whispered she’d love him no matter where or when he was in time.
Thor hadn’t done more than hold her hand or brush a chaste kiss across her lips, but something held her back from kissing him as she dreamed of doing. She longed to hold him so close he’d never be lost to her.
One late July afternoon when the sun beat down on them, Thor suddenly appeared at her side as she methodically brushed loose dirt away from what she thought had been a cooking pot.
She glanced up at him, backlit by the sun, and thought he looked like a warrior or maybe a god from one of the mythology stories he seemed to enjoy having her read to him. Evenings, she’d been teaching him to read and write and do simple math. He was a quick learner, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before he could read the stories he liked without her help.
He held a hand out to her, and without hesitation she took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
“Come with me,” he said, leading her away from her coworkers. The others didn’t pay them any mind as they continued working, accustomed to Thor’s coming and going. He’d helped them find far more artifacts than they ever would have on their own, so no one questioned him, especially if he came to get Hannah. That generally meant he was about to share something interesting they’d all benefit from.
“Where are we going?” Hannah asked as she grabbed her pack in the hand he wasn’t holding and followed him down a path that led in the direction of the cave that had disappeared.
“I remembered something you will want to know,” he said, purposeful in his long strides as he walked away from the others. It wasn’t until they walked around the curve of a hill, hidden from sight, that Thor stopped and raised her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers. “You are beautiful, my Hannah.”
When he said her name like that, in a tone somewhere between a rumble and a growl, it made her so languid and lightheaded, she had to fight to remain standing. Thor slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her against him, holding her close for a moment. He cupped the back of her head and rested his cheek against hers before releasing her.
“What was that for?” she asked as he continued leading her down the trail.
“Because I care for you.” His eyes held such yearning and love when he looked at her, Hannah almost threw her arms around him right there and professed her love. But she didn’t. She sighed and walked on in silence until Thor stopped in a flat area between two craggy hills. The hill where she’d first met Thor in the cave was directly behind them.
“If I’m not mistaken, this is where you’ll find our burial ground.”
Hannah couldn’t believe what he was telling her. Human bones. Burial ground. This could be groundbreaking for their research.
“Are you sure?” she asked, turning to him and placing a hand on his arm. She wasn’t questioning if the bones were there, but if he was okay with them being dug up.
“I’m sure. It will aid your research. Yes?” he asked, looking like a child who’d just given an adult a precious treasure.
“Yes, it will.” Hannah dropped her pack and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
His arms engulfed her in a hug and lifted her off her feet, swinging her around and around, making her laugh.
“Well, cavedweller, what do you think we should do to celebrate what will surely be a fabulous discovery?” she asked, resting her hands on his broad shoulders as he continued to hold her aloft.
“Only one thing comes to mind,” he said, lowering her slightly. “But first I must know the truth.” He swallowed hard but held her gaze. “Do you find me ugly? Repulsive?”
“Are you nuts?” she asked in a teasing tone then brushed her fingers along his jaw. He’d shaved just that morning, and she loved the smooth, supple feel of his skin. “I think you’re hunky and handsome.”
“Hunky?” he questioned, giving her another heated look. “Even if my teeth are not white like snow and I have many scars?”
“I don’t care about those things. Your teeth look fine, better than many people, in fact. And your scars make me sad, because you suffered great pain when you received them, but they don’t repulse me. They’re just part of who you are.” Hannah bracketed his face with her hands.
His eyes smoldered as they held her gaze. She returned his hungry look with one of her own. Her love for this man was more than her heart could possibly ever hold.
“I love you, Thor. I love you with all my heart and soul. I don’t care that you came from the past. All I want is a future with you.”
He lowered her a few inches so their lips connected. In a kiss far more passionate than she’d imagined, Thor claimed her as his. The mark he left on her heart and branded in her soul would always be there. Always. Regardless of what tomorrow might bring.
The world and her worries fell away as they kissed, engaged in an ardent, fervent exchange that held urgency, yet remained full of tenderness and hope.
Finally, she pulled back and rested her forehead against his. “That was…”
“Beautiful,” Thor whispered, setting her down and running his hands along her back, over her arms, settling on her face. He brushed his thumb over her cheek and across her just-kissed lips. “Beautiful and amazing and wonderful, just like you.”
He was silent for a long moment before he spoke again. “My people do not speak of love, Hannah. We don’t talk of emotions or feelings, but you have taught me to feel. More importantly, you’ve taught me to love. I will be a better leader, a better friend, a much better father because of the gift you have given me. You have captured my heart, my very spirit, with your love. I love you, Hannah. I have loved you since the beginning of time, and I will until the end. You are my one great love.”
He took a step back and released a heavy breath. “If I never return to my people, I would miss them, miss especially my daughter and sister, but if I had a choice, I would stay with you. Only one day of knowing your love would be better than a lifetime without it. I would like to marry you, Hannah. For you to be my mate, my wife.”
Hannah hugged him again, eager to hold him, afraid to let him go.
Suddenly, he turned so they both faced the hill behind him.
“Hannah…” He pointed to the cave that was now visible. “Do you see it?”
“I do, but let’s pretend it’s not there, Thor. Let’s go. Erik would let us leave early. Did you know you don’t have to wait to get married in Las Vegas? We could catch a flight and be there before the day was over. We could take a long weekend. You’d love seeing all the casinos and eating at the buffets. There’s acres of food to choose from.” Hannah knew she was grasping at straws of desperation, but under no circumstances did she want Thor to go into the cave. In the very depths of her being, she knew if he did she’d never see him again.
“Hannah.” Thor’s voice sounded pained. When she continued rambling, he took her face between his big palms and forced her to look at him. “Hannah, enough. We both know I must go, but you must remember, no matter what happens, that I love you, across the ages and through all times, I love you.”
He drew her into his arms and kissed her again, unrestrained, as desperate as she was to wring every drop of love out of each precious second they had left together.
Thor pulled back, kissed her once on the nose, and then took her hand. “We will go now.”
Hannah wanted to set her feet and refuse. She wanted to run the other wa
y with Thor. She wanted to throw herself against his brawny chest and beg him to stay. But she couldn’t. He had to go. She picked up her pack and nodded once in resignation.
Fingers entwined, they scrambled up the hill then stood at the entry to the cave. Finally, Hannah drew a flashlight from her pack and handed it to Thor. He turned it on, took her hand in his again, and led the way into the cave.
It looked the same as the last time they’d been there. Although, at that time, they’d both thought the other one meant to inflict harm. Hannah smiled as she thought of Thor calling her a witch and thinking she’d cast a spell over him.
He looked over at her and grinned, easily reading her thoughts. “I still think you are a sorceress because you have bewitched me, woman, putting me under a spell of love.”
“Isn’t that the best kind of spell to be under?” she teased.
“Indeed, my love.”
They didn’t speak as they made their way to the back of the cave then turned down the hallway. Thor showed her where he’d hidden when she’d come to the cave with Erik, Sam, and Jen.
“That was sneaky,” she said, examining the small space, wondering how Thor had managed to stuff his big body in there and hide.
“Not sneaky. It was smart,” he said, leading the way to the wall of petroglyphs. He ran his hand over them and the ledge where Hannah had found the lion’s paw pouch. “It is the same. Maybe it won’t drag me back to the past. I’m still here, and you’re still here.”
He tucked the flashlight in the ledge, so it lit the space without him having to carry it. Roughly, he pulled Hannah against him again, kissing her hair, her temples, her cheeks. He lifted her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him as though it would be their last. Her heart ached, her chest burned with dread, but she held on.
“I love you, Thor. Don’t ever doubt it or question it or forget it. I love you.”
“And I love you, my beautiful, perfect Hannah.” He set her on her feet and stepped back. He stared at her, as though he committed every detail of her face to memory.
Suddenly, an eerie, cool breeze blew over them, and the flashlight went dark. Hannah shivered, not from the breeze or the dark, but because she knew Thor was gone.
Capturing the Cavedweller's Heart Page 14
