The same gold shade gleamed on the woodwork of the window frame and the door, spreading a feeling of cozy warmth throughout the room. The entire effect was faintly Victorian, yet far brighter than the somber shades so beloved by homeowners of a hundred years ago.
“It’s beautiful,” Corie said, no longer able to hide the tears. “You have done an incredible job. This will be my favorite room.” Her heart ached at the thought of entering that room through the long years ahead, with the constant evidence of his touch everywhere she looked.
“I wanted to give back to you in some small way everything you have given to me.” Granger looked around the room with pride on his face. “I wanted to put the same loving care into this as you have put into everything. I wanted to leave a small part of me behind, so that you will never forget me.”
She was crying now, helplessly, with the ragged sobs of a wounded child. “How can I ever forget you, Granger? You have given me more joy these past few days than I have known in a lifetime. I’ll never forget you. Or stop thinking about you.”
He gathered her into his arms and held her close, his hand clasping the back of her head. “I am sorry, Corie. I wish with all my heart that things could be different. I wish I could make you understand why I have to go back...why I cannot turn my back on my duty to my country.”
“I do understand,” Corie whispered, trying her best to control her ridiculous outburst. “I just have trouble dealing with it, that’s all.” She sniffed, and drew back, searching in her pocket for a tissue. “I’m being childish, I know. I’m better now. Just ignore this, okay?”
With a sigh, he placed his warm palms on either side of her tear-stained face and tilted her chin up. “Perhaps one day we shall meet again, Corie. Maybe not in this world, but in the world hereafter. Somewhere inside the gates of heaven, if God is kind to us, we will once more hold each other as we are now. Until then, my sweet Corie, promise me you will remember me, as I shall remember you.”
She managed to smile at him through her tears. “Always, Granger. Always.” How she longed to tell him she loved him. But that would only deepen his remorse and she could not do that to him. He couldn’t help the kind of man he was. And she could feel nothing but pride for a man who cared so deeply for his country, who was so completely committed to the cause, that he was incapable of giving anything more.
Dashing away the spilled tears with the back of her hand, she said with a determined smile, “Now, how about that pizza?”
Granger caught a stray tear with his thumb, gently brushing it from her face. “That sounds like a good idea.”
Pulling away from him, she crossed the room to the phone. “I could always order you a cheese steak if you prefer, seeing as how you devoured that one yesterday....” She paused in the middle of the room. “The pictures!”
Granger gave her a questioning look.
“I forgot to pick up the pictures.” Corie glanced at the clock. “I’ll order the pizza, if that’s what you want, then I’ll go and pick up the photos. I should be back by the time the pizza gets here.”
Granger looked worried. “What if you’re not?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll give you the money and you can just hand it to him when he gives you the pizza.” She picked up the phone and looked at him. “Pizza or cheese steak?”
“Pizza.” He moved closer to her and put his arm around her. “The kind we had the other night.”
Turning her face up for his kiss, she closed her eyes briefly with the bittersweet pain. “Supreme it is.”
She gave the order, then replaced the receiver, saying, “I’ll just run down and get the pictures. I won’t be more than a few minutes.”
She picked up her purse and pulled some bills from her wallet. “Here, just give him this if he gets here before I get back.”
Granger took the bills. “I hope it doesn’t get cold before you can eat it.”
“It won’t.” She paused in the doorway and looked back at him. “Just don’t start eating until I get back. I want at least one slice of it.” Laughing at his offended expression, she let herself out of the front door.
The camera store was still open when she reached it. She hurried inside and handed the somber young man behind the counter her receipt. Excited now to see the results, she could hardly wait until the fat packet was in her hands.
Returning to the car, she decided to hold on to her patience until she got back to the house. She and Granger should see the pictures together. She couldn’t wait to see his face when he saw the very first photo of himself.
The pizza still hadn’t arrived when she got back, and she sat down on the couch with Granger beside her, full of excited anticipation.
Drawing the first picture from the envelope, she studied it quickly, delighted to see the intrigued look on Granger’s face as he gazed at the camera.
“Here,” she said, handing it to him. “Now you have to agree, you look just like a Phillies fan.”
His astonished expression was everything she could have wished for. He stared at the picture for so long, she couldn’t help teasing him.
“For heaven’s sake, Granger, you’re not that fascinating.”
He looked up, his smile spreading over his face. “This is unbelievable. Look how clear it is. You can even see the foam on the waves as they break. It looks so real.”
“It is real.” She handed him the next picture, looking at it over his shoulder as he held it. “There, you see? You can see everything that was on the pier behind me.”
Granger shook his head. “Beautiful,” he murmured.
She wished she knew if he meant her or the pier. “It is a pretty good picture of me,” she said smugly. “You did a good job. Usually I don’t—”
She broke off, leaning closer to get a better look. With a muffled exclamation, she took the picture from his hand and peered even closer. She hadn’t been mistaken.
Her blood ran cold as she stared at the figure half-hidden in the background behind a group of young girls. It was Helen Grant, and she was staring straight at the camera...and Granger.
Chapter 11
Corie’s mind raced with possibilities. It was too much of a coincidence to expect to see Helen Grant in both places. For her to be in that precise spot as they were, at the same time, Helen would have had to follow the car. Which meant that Dr. Richards’s secretary had more than a passing interest in Corie’s passenger.
Helen must have seen the photo of him that Dr. Richards had taken. Corie inwardly cursed herself. Why hadn’t she thought about that before? Of course the scientist would have shown his secretary the picture, probably giving her the same story of wanting to surprise his friend.
Granger must have sensed Corie’s distress. He leaned over to look at the picture again. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes,” Corie said unsteadily. “Something is very wrong.” She pointed with a shaking finger at the blurry figure. “That woman there, with the red hair. She is Dr. Richards’s secretary.”
Granger drew in a sharp breath. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” She looked up at him. “I think she recognized you.”
“It could just be coincidence. There were a lot of people there.”
“I don’t think so.” Corie looked at him unhappily. “I saw her earlier, Saturday morning, when we were at the store. She saw me at the checkout and could have seen the men’s sneakers and baseball cap.”
Granger pursed his lips. “You think she followed us.” It was more a statement than a question.
“Yes, I do. I also think it’s possible she has told Dr. Richards—” She paused, suddenly remembering something. I’ll see you tonight. And the reply. Midnight, no later.
“What is it?” Granger asked sharply.
Corie didn’t answer, her mind grappling with the implications of that terse exchange. Vaguely, she heard Granger repeat his question.
“Corie, what is it?”
“We have to leave here tonight,” she said slo
wly.
“Tonight? But I thought—”
Quickly, she told him what she’d overheard that morning. “I think they are planning on coming here tonight,” she finished, surging to her feet. “We can’t wait around for them, Granger. We have to head for Philadelphia tonight.”
The expression in his eyes mirrored her own despair. He stood, reaching for her, and she went into his arms, burying her face against the soft fabric of his shirt.
They stood like that for several moments, just holding, comforting, each taking strength from the other. Then the doorbell rang, jangling in the silence like a clarion of doom.
With a gasp, Corie pulled away from Granger, her heart pounding.
“Pizza,” Granger said softly. “I’ll get it.”
He went out into the hallway, and Corie called after him. “Granger, be careful. Look through the peephole first.”
Too late, she realized he had no idea what the peephole was. Holding her breath, she heard the door open, then Granger’s deep voice thanking someone for the pizza.
She let out her breath, her mind once more racing with the details crowding her mind. They had until midnight. That gave them about five hours. She would have to pack a few things and get some cash.
There was no point in calling in sick at the lab, now that the scientists knew she was helping Granger. She would simply have to deal with that when she got back. Always supposing they didn’t catch up with her before then.
Granger came back into the living room, carrying the pizza. His face looked set, and she could see the signs of strain. She felt a rush of concern for him as she took the pizza from him. She loved him, and although she had told him she understood, deep down she wished he had loved her enough to stay. But right now he must be going through hell, wondering what was going to happen to him.
She put the pizza down on the coffee table and held out her arms. “Try not to worry,” she said softly. “I’m sure everything will work out just fine.”
“What about you?”
His voice was muffled in her hair and she closed her eyes against the pain. “I’ll be fine,” she lied. “After all, what can they do to me? Have me arrested for helping a runaway captive, whom they were holding illegally, escape to the year 1863? Who in the world would believe them?”
He raised his head, saying in a resigned tone, “I suppose when you put it that way...”
She looked up at him, forcing a smile. “Come on, let’s eat the pizza. Then we’ll take off for Philadelphia. You’re gonna love what they’ve done to it.”
* * *
Granger sat in the passenger seat of the car, wishing he could see the scenery flashing by the window. All he could see were the yellow beams of headlights eating up the road, and the shadowy line of trees against the night sky.
The woman at his side sat silent, no doubt working out the last minute details of his attempted return to his own time. He couldn’t help wondering what would happen to him if the experiment failed, leaving him stranded at the end of the twentieth century.
He was surprised to realize that he wouldn’t be devastated by the prospect. He would have done everything in his power to return, to obey the creed he had sworn to follow so long ago. If he was prevented by Providence from following his duty, he could live this new life with a clear conscience.
The thought jolted him, giving him an entirely new perspective on his life. What had happened to his fierce resolve, his intense conviction that he belonged to the military and the causes for which he risked his life?
But then he had to go back. He had to be in Ewell’s camp to spread the rumors. The entire course of the war, and ultimately the future of the Union, might well have depended on him.
But what if it hadn’t? What if, as Corie had suggested, Ewell was simply too tired, too sick to launch the attack earlier? The general had been given a choice. Would he really have based such an important decision on mere rumors?
If only he knew for sure, Granger thought desperately. If only he knew. But then Corie had said that no one knew why Ewell had delayed the attack. The only way he could know for sure was to go back and carry out the orders he’d been given.
Confused by his chaotic thoughts, he tried to analyze why he was asking these questions now, when it was almost time for him to make the attempt.
“There,” Corie said suddenly, shattering his thoughts, “you can see the lights of the city. Over there on the left.”
Eagerly he followed the direction of her hand. They had reached the top of a rise, and in the distance he could see what looked like a thousand stars all bunched together in a cloud of brilliant light.
“I’ve never seen Philadelphia look like that,” he said, his voice hushed in awe.
Corie laughed. “Wait until we get closer. You’ll really be amazed.”
He saw her glance up at the little mirror on the window, as she had so many times during the trip. “Is everything all right?” he asked quietly.
She nodded. “So far. They are not expecting us to leave before tomorrow. What worries me is that they know as well as we do exactly where to look for you, if they guess that I’m trying to get you back.”
“Will they try to stop me?”
She shrugged, and he knew the effort it cost her to sound unconcerned. “Who knows? If they think they are losing their guinea pig, a real live person who had actually traveled through time, they might try to stop you. After all, no one has ever done it before, at least not to my knowledge.”
“They want to experiment on me?”
“I can’t imagine why else they were holding you, drugging you so that you wouldn’t remember who you were. It’s hard for me to believe they would do such a thing. They’re scientists. They’re supposed to be committed to preserving life, not destroying it.”
She shivered, and he was about to change the subject when something on the horizon silenced him. Staring him straight in the face was the most awesome sight he had yet seen on his strange journey through time.
The lights on the boardwalk had fascinated him beyond belief. But even they paled into insignificance as he watched the skyline of Philadelphia draw closer. It was impossible to equate the town that he knew with this monstrous, sprawling mountain of structures such as he’d never seen before.
The lights dazzled him. They seemed to shine everywhere. Twinkling bands of gold outlined windows, walls and roofs, reflecting on the pointed spire of an impressive-looking building that was almost dwarfed by the towering monsters behind it.
Granger blinked, leaning forward in disbelief. He recognized the building. It was Christ Church, no longer dominating the skyline in solitary splendor as he’d last seen it, but now battling for space among the mass of stone and iron.
His problems forgotten now, he could only stare in wonder as the car swept across a wide bridge, over what had to be the Delaware river, changed beyond recognition. Everywhere he looked there were new sights to marvel at, new wonders to try to grasp before the next one took his breath away.
“This is the Ben Franklin Bridge,” Corie said, beside him. “That’s a name you should recognize.”
“Tell me,” Granger said, his voice hoarse with emotion, “is Independence Hall still standing?”
“Yes,” she said softly. “It is still standing. I’ll take you there tomorrow. Thousands of people visit the building every year. It is just as revered now, if not, more so than it was all those years ago.”
“I’m glad,” Granger murmured. “I’m so very glad.”
He sat back, still unable to take in the myriad of images that flashed before his eyes. When Corie brought the car to a stop in front of a brightly lit building, he could only stare helplessly at the splendor of the entrance and beyond.
“We might as well do it up in style,” Corie said, smiling at his expression. “I’ll take you sightseeing tomorrow. We’ll leave early Wednesday for Gettysburg. We’ll have to be on the battlefield before 3:20 on Thursday morning.”
Granger
couldn’t answer. He was too busy watching a stretch limousine pull away from the curb.
* * *
Corie slept little that night, her mind busy with 101 questions that didn’t seem to have answers. What would she do with Granger if her theory didn’t hold up? She couldn’t just set him adrift. He couldn’t function on his own. Yet he wouldn’t let her support him indefinitely. She was sure of that.
As it was, he was only accepting her help in return for the work he’d done on the house.
She ignored the small voice that suggested they could run the bed and breakfast inn together. It wouldn’t work, she told herself firmly as she turned restlessly onto her side. He cared for her a great deal, she knew that. But it was more gratitude than anything. And that was a far cry from the way she felt about him.
She couldn’t see him clearly in the darkness, the room wasn’t as well lit as her bedroom in Cape May. But she could hear the steady rhythm of his breathing, feel the comforting warmth of his body, and breathe the clean, musky fragrance of his skin.
Soon, he would be gone, leaving only the memories of his deep chuckle, the odd way he lifted his eyebrows when surprised and the soft graze of his fingers down her cheek.
Carefully she rested her arm across his chest in a vain attempt to ease the ache of loss. She would carve the sensations into her mind, she told herself, and in the lonely darkness of the night, when sleep was impossible and the wakeful hours unbearable, she would hold on to the memories, finding some small comfort in their presence.
When she awoke in the morning, her arm still lay across Granger’s broad chest, now clasped in the warmth of his fingers. She opened her eyes to find him watching her.
Smiling, he drew his finger down her cheek. “Good morning, sweet lady.”
She answered him with a firm kiss, then with a swift movement threw the covers aside. “Come on, we have a long day ahead of us and I want to show you everything. When you get back you’ll be amazing everyone with your prophecies.”
“When I get back I’m not going to mention anything about the things I’ve seen,” Granger said, climbing out of the bed. “I don’t want to be burned at the stake for witchcraft.”
So Little Time Page 19