by Loyd, Sandy
“Spare me,” he muttered under his breath. The disbelieving look sliding over his expression as he slanted a glance in her direction added to his tone. “That’s utter bullshit.”
“Oh?” Stretching out her legs and leaning back in the chair, she held his gaze. “I’ll prove it. What do you see when you look at me? Not that I don’t already have a good idea. But tell me. Do you look beneath my surface?”
“OK, I’ll play your game.” His gaze took a trip over her body. “I see a pain in the butt with a loud mouth, spiked hair, and too many earrings.”
“I thought so,” she countered with a forced laugh. “For your information, Dr. Predictable Bull, I’m graduating from U of L summa cum laude in pre-med. I put myself through school, though my parents can buy and sell you. I’ve already been accepted to three med schools, which I probably won’t attend because I’ve got my heart set on vet school. I’m sure you never knew those details. Why? Because you can’t look beyond the cover, especially if you don’t like what you see. You assume the worst.”
Dave’s jaw clenched as a bit of red hit his cheeks. “Oh, yeah?” he said in a growl. “While you’re listing my faults, let me tell you this, Ms. Colorful. If all that’s true, then you’re just as bad. Hiding who and what you are behind the hair and rings. Joke about me all you want. At least I don’t hide from life. I know who I am, and I’ll not make any excuses to you because you find me predictable.” With a dismissive turn of his shoulders, he refocused on the window.
A knock sounded.
“Saved by the bell,” Bev muttered as she headed for the door, relieved to have the diversion. She didn’t want to think about the thread of validity running through his words.
Tom Edwards entered, concern written in bold print across his face. “Have they found any sign of her yet?”
“No, Mr. Edwards,” Bev said, shaking her head. “Now that you’re here, why don’t you sit down?” She looked over at Dave and nodded to the table. “You too, Dave.”
Dave raked an impatient hand through his hair. “I only want to find Libby, talk some sense into her,” he murmured, turning back to the window. “Then get the hell out of here.”
“Please sit.” Bev motioned toward the chair.
Sighing, Dave moved to sit in the chair she indicated and waited. When she hesitated, his eyebrows rose. “Well, you’ve got our attention, so tell us what you couldn’t over the phone. Where’s Libby?”
“You won’t like what I have to say.” Bev curled a fist, holding back the urge to hit him. “And knowing you, you won’t be open enough to believe, but here goes.” She flashed him a mocking smile. “She went back in time and decided to stay.”
“Come on, Bev.” Dave laughed. “That’s the best you can come up with?”
“What makes you think this, Bev?” Tom Edwards said, interrupting the snide reply on the tip of her tongue.
“Well…” Bev cleared her throat. “She’s gone back before,” she said, glancing at him. “I know it’s hard to believe, but it happened—the first time when she was fourteen.”
Tom noticeably paled. “Go on,” he said, swallowing hard.
“A few weeks ago, after Libby started working on the farm, she went back to 1874 to—” She shrugged. “The why doesn’t really matter. Anyway, she returned and told me about it. Then Sam was having legal problems with clearing his title. Somehow the deed to his property went missing and there’s no record of it. Libby went back to retrieve a copy of the original. She thought something that happened on her first visit created the change.” When Dave scoffed, she threw him a heated glance and said, “You can leave if you don’t want to hear the rest.”
Dave opened his mouth to speak, but Tom raised a hand. “I’m interested in what she has to say.” Then turning back to Bev, he still looked awfully pasty when he nodded. “Please continue.”
Bev sighed. “As crazy as it sounds, she left earlier this afternoon and traveled back to 1874. She returned briefly. We texted back and forth and said our good-byes.” She cleared her throat and pushed a strand of hair behind her ears. “She was in a hurry to get back. She promised to leave messages for everyone under the twin oaks.” She left out the part about her finding her dream man. Hopefully, Libby took care of that. “The oaks had some kind of magic. She wished to go back in time and they took her.”
Dave stared at Bev until he shook his head and snorted. “I know Libby thinks she can travel through time. Hell, she even tried to convince me, but come on, Bev. You can’t really buy into her games? Flitting around time like you’re zipping to the store and back is impossible.”
“I don’t care what you think. It’s true.”
Tom Edwards gripped Dave’s shoulder, his expression solemn. “I believe her, Dave.”
He gaped. “You can’t be serious, Tom. They’re daydreams or her imagination working in overtime. There’s always some explanation.”
“Come with me.” Tom started for Libby’s bedroom. “I need to show you something.”
Both followed him into the room.
At Libby’s dresser, Tom rifled through her jewelry box, grabbed an earring, and glanced at Dave, holding it up. “See this?” When Dave nodded, he continued speaking. “This earring belonged to Liz, my wife. It went missing the night we decided to have Libby. That same night Liz told me an incredible story.” Fingering the earring, Tom paused. He glanced up with a gaze full of pain. “She was upset, thought she was imagining things because this kid claiming to be her daughter appeared out of nowhere, telling Liz she loved her and that she was sorry for the things she’d said. Apparently, this daughter from the future took the earring with her and then disappeared right before her eyes.” He set the earring back in the box and sighed. “We had no idea what happened and quite honestly, I’d forgotten about the incident until after Liz’s death.”
“That’s when she wished under the trees to see her mother,” Bev said. “The trees allowed her to go back.”
Tom nodded. “When Liz died, Libby was inconsolable. She wasn’t eating and lost interest in outside things—was basically in a deep depression. Her doctor suggested this place,” he said, indicating the farm outside the bedroom window. “I’ve always been leery of Twin Oaks because of the night she came home from her two-week stay. That same night I went to check on her and saw Liz’s earring in her hand. Now, how or why it happened, I don’t know. But I do know she met my wife before her birth and left with the earring. The whole idea bothered me. I felt that somehow, at some point in the future, I’d lose her just like I did Liz, so I tried to keep her from this place.”
Bev stared. “Wow. I had no idea.”
“The two have always seemed connected. And now she’s vanished, which only confirms my earlier fears.” Tom glanced at Dave. “I think we should go and see what’s under the trees.”
Dave murmured something under his breath.
“What?” Bev donned her most innocent expression. Despite feeling so wretched with never seeing her best friend again, she felt immense satisfaction at seeing Dr. Bull brought down a peg or two. “I didn’t catch that.”
Ignoring her, Dave kept walking. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.” When he got to the front door, he stopped. “Are you coming?” he yelled to Tom. “Let’s get this over with. The sooner we dig up nothing, the sooner we can look for Libby.”
Bev sidled up behind him, taunting, “A predictable disbeliever till the very end. Why am I not surprised?”
Dave grunted. “You know, Bev, someday that big mouth of yours will get you into trouble.”
“Says who? You?” Fighting with the guy somehow took her mind off missing Libby.
“Children, please,” Tom said. “Let’s go. You two can fight when I’m gone.”
A chagrined expression flitted over Dave’s face. He offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
Embarrassed, Bev remained silent as Tom asked, heading out the door, “Where’re these trees?”
“Not too far,” she said to his
departing back.
Along the trail, they joined Sam and Doug, both carrying shovels. The small procession headed to the trees.
At the center of the oaks, Bev halted, then pointed. “The text Libby sent told me to look in this area, in front of where Pride was tied.”
The men started digging.
They dug about a foot, when Sam shouted, “I think I hit something.”
All eyes focused on the ground beneath his shovel. They each took turns and dug faster.
Seconds later, they pulled out a rusty old strong box, an antique lock securing it.
The group quickly advanced to Sam’s study where he worked on the lock with a penknife while Bev and the others watched with interest. After a few minutes and a little finessing, the small lock gave. Sam opened the box and pulled out a journal, four letters—each separately addressed, and a notarized copy of Sam’s deed to Twin Oaks.
They all stared at the aged letters addressed in Libby’s bold scrawl as Dave whistled. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
~
When Libby’s equilibrium returned, she grinned at the scene before her. Eighteen seventy-four. Exactly as she’d wished. Never had she been so happy to see the familiar oaks without the other trees. She could only marvel over how much this stud farm had come to mean to her in such a short time. Pushing to her feet, she wondered how much time had passed. Hopefully she could spare Colin from enduring her same pain.
Anticipation flowed through her. For the first time since she’d made her decision, Libby was struck with exactly what coming home meant. It meant they could be together. Always. She could be a part of Colin’s life without the fear of ever having to leave again, and they could build their future together. Plan together. Dream together.
She laughed, hugging herself, before turning and running toward the house. At the top of the porch steps, she slowed, surprised to find everything ominously quiet. Were his children in bed already? Maybe she’d been gone longer than she thought.
“Colin,” Libby called out softly, tiptoeing through the dark hallway, stopping at the library door. She hesitated, then knocked. “Colin?” She opened the door and slipped inside.
Slivers of light spilled from the shade-drawn windows, creating shadows in the darkened room. Catching movement, Libby could barely make out Colin sitting behind his desk, holding a filled glass. A decanter of what looked like either whiskey or bourbon was within his reach.
“What’s this? A ghost who’s come to haunt me?” Colin’s anguished whisper filled the air, sending chills down Libby’s spine. “I can’t get you out of my mind and now I’m having visions.” He lifted the glass and took a long swallow. Then he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, not moving a muscle.
Libby watched in stunned silence, unsure of what to do. “Colin?” She tentatively stepped farther into the room. “Are you all right?”
Colin opened his eyes. In the barely lit room she could see his bleak expression. “Ah, the apparition speaks. ’Tis funny, but you sound just like her. Have you come to torment me more? Is it not enough to haunt my dreams? Now you haunt my waking moments? Maybe if I drink enough, I’ll be able to get you out of my mind. Out of my heart. Out of my soul.” He took another long swig, slamming the glass on the desk. “Go away, vision. Leave me be.” He then leaned back and shut his eyes once more. “I don’t want to feel any more.”
Why was he acting so strange? Apprehension filled her. It couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes since she’d last seen him.
She rushed up to his chair and knelt beside him, taking his hand.
“Colin. It’s me, Libby. I’m not a dream. Open your eyes.”
His eyes opened and in a heartbeat, joy replaced sorrow. “Libby?” He shook his head, as if clearing his mind. “My God,” he whispered. “It is you.” A jubilant smile lit his face and tears lurked at the edges of his eyes. “Somehow you’ve come back to me.” He gripped her wrist, tugging her up and onto his lap. Lowering his head to an inch over hers, he murmured, “How can it be? I saw you disappear.”
Libby closed her eyes as his mouth made the final connection, and poured every emotion she felt into the kiss. This is where I belong, she thought as his strong hands drew her closer. When they broke apart, she softened her smile. “I came home.” She kissed her way up the side of his face, brushing his black hair off his brow and kissing to the lids of his amber eyes. “I wished myself home. Now that I’ve found where I belong, I’ll never leave again.”
“Please, Libby.” Colin wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him. He laughed, planting kisses everywhere…her face…her chin…her neck…all the way to her ear, whispering in between the kisses, “Tell me you mean your words. I can’t survive another parting.”
“Oh, Colin, I’m sorry I left.”
“I let you go once. I don’t have the will to do it again.” His audible anguish tore her heart in two. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you here, by my side, till death do us part. Do you understand?”
Nodding, she met his gaze, hers becoming blurry, wondering how she had any more tears left. “I should have known I could never be happy without you.”
“And I should never have let you go.” Grinning, he stood and rearranged her in his arms. As he carried her toward the door, he said, “You are my life, my love. I need you so much.”
Libby smiled into his shoulder. “My sentiments exactly.”
He took the stairs two at a time.
Once in their bedroom, Libby looked around and sighed. Home. She now had no doubts. Her decision to come home had been the right one. At the four-poster bed, he stopped. His arms went slack. She slid the length of him, well aware of his full arousal signifying the need he spoke of, increasing her own awareness. Her own need.
They came together like two lovers who’d been apart for too long. Neither could stop touching, kissing, stroking, nibbling, as if not believing their good fortune. Within minutes, Colin had Libby naked. Seconds later he rose above her to find his way home.
Libby’s last coherent thoughts before the storm of his passion swept her up were of Colin, of the rightness of loving him, of being in this place and time. Where he was concerned, she gave all she had. He was her love and she was his.
~
When Colin could think again, he lifted off Libby, situating her right where she belonged, with her head on his shoulder, wrapped in his embrace. He kissed her brow, let his head plop on the pillow, then closed his eyes. Now that his mind had cleared, it didn’t take long for his thoughts to gather, as all of the reasons he’d sent her home resurfaced.
“What about my century? And all you hate here,” he asked, the question intruding further into his cocoon of contentment. “Nothing has changed. I meant my words. I won’t see you unhappy.”
Libby put a finger to his mouth, but Colin pushed her hand aside. “Can you truly be happy? Giving up all in your own time?”
He felt her smile.
“I’m not Abigail.” She lifted up on her forearms, leaning close enough for him to see the seriousness in her eyes. “I’m taking responsibility for my choices. I can easily live without twenty-first century advances. What good are they, if I can’t share them with you?”
“What about the restrictions for women here?” Colin countered, still unconvinced. “I have no qualms about you working on the farm in boys’ clothes if that will make you happy. But you can’t wear boys’ attire all the time. I’ll expect you to dress in the evenings, and because of the racetrack, I’ll be traveling back and forth to Louisville. I want you with me so the world will know you’re mine, not hiding here. While in town, you’ll need to dress the part and follow convention. Can you? Can you be happy abiding by those strict rules you hate?”
She lowered her head and kissed him. Thoroughly. Then lifting her mouth, she grinned. “Of course I won’t like it but I accept the rules, and I promise to abide by your wishes when we’re in town. After all, no place or time is ever completely perfect. Besides
…” She winked. “I think I like dressing up and looking beautiful for you.”
Colin chuckled. “Libby, you are beautiful to me no matter what. Whether in boys’ clothes or a stunning ball gown, I’ll always see perfection.” Seconds later, their lips met.
Chapter 22
“I guess we should open them and find out what happened,” Sam Thorpe said after passing out three letters and staring at the one addressed to him.
Bev peered in silence at the envelope in her hand. Her eyes misted.
The tearing of envelopes rent the air before the sound changed to rustling as she, like the others, began reading.
Dear Bev,
This is the hardest letter I’ve ever written. As I put pen to paper, it dawns on me that I will no longer be able to confide in you, share drinks at Giorgio’s with you, or hug you. Your friendship gave me the courage to find my destiny and meet my fate. Without you in my life, I wouldn’t have had the guts to do so.
You deserve more than a text saying good-bye, for sure. My main regret is not waiting that afternoon to give you one more hug and kiss good-bye. I was too worried I wouldn’t be able to get back to Colin and forgot to take time for what was important. I hope you will forgive my impulsive selfishness.
I miss you so much and probably will for the rest of my life. You are always in my thoughts and prayers. Never a day goes by when I don’t think—what would Bev do—or what would Bev say to that? I’m smiling right now because I’m imagining your own smile as you wish me well, only too glad I had the spirit to follow my dreams.
Those dreams led me to Colin Thorpe. Once I found him, I couldn’t give him up. He’s become my life. I know you’ll understand and be happy for me. My biggest wish for you is that you find your destiny. I pray fate gives you a love like I have with Colin. Bear in mind, your love for me is what I will always remember and cherish most. You always believed in me and I’ll always believe in you.
Your loving friend,