now she wanted to put her hands around Caleb’s neck and shake
some sense into the fool.
“Is the man who gave her the cameo the same man who
made the furniture upstairs?”
“Y-yes. He made five pieces in all.” Even the bed we made
love in last night. “Rebecca’s journals verify everything.”
Becci looked back at Caleb. He glanced up, and their gazes
locked. A spiral of heat zipped through her in response to the
desire she saw in his eyes.
It was as if he’d touched her in the most intimate of ways.
She felt the heat creeping up her neck to touch her cheeks. He
might be standing with another woman, but that look assured
her it was her he wanted. And she wanted him. Her jealousy
faded, and she smiled and tipped her head toward him. He
acknowledged her with the same slight movement.
It didn’t matter that they were a room apart, his eyes
warmed her from head to toe. When everyone left Becci knew
she would be the one he chose to be with. More than anything
she wanted to touch him. Love him. Hold him.
The blonde rose up on her tiptoes and whispered something
in Caleb’s ear, and he looked down, breaking the heated visual
contact between them. He shook his head and took his glass
from the bartender. A couple danced past, blocking her view.
In that fraction of time Caleb’s expression went from saucy to
distressed.
His motions were slow and calculated as he brought his
drink to his lips and drained every ounce of liquid from the
glass. The action startled Becci. What had the woman said to
bring about such a quick change?
Caleb’s gaze sought hers again. He looked as if he wanted
to be rescued. He was a handsome man, and he needed to learn
how to fend off modern women. She knew he should gain the
experience on his own, but the blonde cupped her hand to his
cheek, and Becci knew she couldn’t take another minute of
watching her make a play for Caleb. He belonged to her.
Maneuvering her way around the room, Becci came to the
spot where she’d last seen Caleb. The woman stood alone,
staring toward the entry hall, but Caleb had vanished.
Becci went to the kitchen to see if he’d gone in there to
help Lilly and Maude. Neither of them had seen him.
She returned to the family room and began to move from
group to group while she looked for him. Her heart was
pounding so hard it battled the beat of the music coming from
the stereo. Where had he gone?
Whirling around to go to another room, she gasped and
took a step backward. Michael stood so close she could smell
the bourbon on his breath. Mr. Latham stood beside him, his
gaze darting nervously around the room. A heavy silence hung
between the three of them.
Becci glanced around the room in search of Caleb, who
was still missing, then from one to the other of the men blocking
her path.
Mr. Latham tugged at his bow tie, cleared his throat and
cast a wary look at Michael before he said, “Ms. Berclair, as
you know, I just had a phone call. It was the committee
chairperson calling about the grant.” He finger-combed his hair
nervously, then took a long draw from his drink as he cut his
eyes toward Michael.
Why was he scared? Becci wondered, bewildered. It
wouldn’t be his fault if she didn’t get the grant.
“I—he informed me that the decision came back late this
afternoon on the grant’s recipient. They’ve decided to give it
to the food kitchen on Beale Street. I’m sorry you went to all
this trouble for nothing.” He gestured about the room with his
glass then brought it to his lips again, emptying the remainder
of its contents.
“Thank you. I...” She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Without the grant, she could go on with her plans to sell, but
where would that leave Caleb? “There’s nothing to be sorry
about. Just enjoy yourself. Even if I’d found out this afternoon,
it would have been too late to cancel the party.”
Mr. Latham nodded. Staggering slightly, he caught his wife
by the arm and headed toward the dance floor.
“Please don’t hold this against me,” Michael pleaded. “I
did everything in my power to sway them in your favor. After
everyone leaves, we can discuss your options.”
Becci nodded. What options? She had to sell. The only
difference now was that she didn’t want to. But with no money
to pay the taxes, she didn’t have a choice.
“May I have the next dance?”
“W-what?”
Without waiting for her answer, Michael caught her hand
and led her to the dance floor. He slipped his arm around her,
holding her firmly against his chest. Becci tried to step away
from him, and he tightened his hold even more.
Everything about Michael’s behavior frightened her. She
straightened and leaned away until she was able to look him in
the eye. His touch and his actions were angry, and the hard
glare in his eyes confirmed his fury. But why was he so angry?
She moved stiffly around the dance floor and searched the
room for Caleb. If he saw her in Michael’s arms, she knew he
would come to her rescue. As she examined each group they
passed, she was surprised to see Mr. Latham and Aunt Lilly
engaged in a heated conversation. Mrs. Latham stood at the
bar waiting for her drink order. Caleb and the blonde were
nowhere in sight.
“If you’re trying to find your hired help, he snuck into the
hall just after he tossed back his third drink. He’s probably
upstairs rummaging through all your belongings, looking for
more of the gold like he found last night.”
“Last night? What are you talking about?”
“According to his friend Jacobs, ‘he found the key that is
supposed to make everything right.’ I have no idea what that
means, but I don’t think the man was referring to what happened
in your bed.”
Becci froze, the dance forgotten. Michael couldn’t possibly
know that she and Caleb had made love.
“What I do in my house is no concern of yours. I am no
longer your fiancé.” Becci jerked her hand free and stepped
around him.
“I know that, Becci. That crack was totally uncalled for.
It’s just that I thought you loved me, and I’m jealous. I see the
way you look at him, and you held him so close when you
were dancing. We were engaged, and you never danced so
suggestively with me.”
Before she could respond, he continued, “This man doesn’t
love you. All he wants is the gold he thinks is in the house. He
probably found some old necklace that is worthless.”
“Caleb didn’t find anything,” Becci assured him.
“I don’t think Jacobs was lying. No. Let me correct that—
I know Jacobs wasn’t lying. Harrison did find something. Jacobs
showed me Harrison’s journal. The man wrote all about finding
the ‘medallion.’ Mighty interesti
ng reading. Of course, I didn’t
get to read the whole journal, just the last entry. And I couldn’t
tell you if what he wrote is the truth or not. I haven’t had a
chance to go upstairs and investigate.”
Becci frowned as a myriad of questions rushed through
her mind. How did he know Jacobs? And why would the man
steal Caleb’s journal? “You have Caleb’s journal?”
“No. Jacobs thought it might have some valuable
information in it that I needed. And it did. I know that whatever
Harrison found, it’s not of value or he wouldn’t have left it in
that little trinket box he made for you. I just wanted you to
know he was rifling through your things.”
“And you know this because you read it in his journal.”
Michael nodded.
“H-he didn’t find anything,” Becci repeated. “He would
have told me.”
“Would he?” Michael’s words were cold, pulling at the
trust she felt for Caleb. “The proof is in your room. Ask him.
I’m not sure he’ll be truthful, but I suppose you know him well
enough to sense whether he’s lying or not. Or better yet, go
look for yourself.” He indicated the stairs with a slight tilt of
his head.
“And Becci, I still care for you. Whether or not things
work out between us, I want you to know you can count on me
to help you straighten out your financial problems.”
“T-thank you. We’ll talk later. I’ve got guests to see to.”
Becci stared at the staircase, her heart pounding. Her
common sense told her to ignore Michael, that he was just
trying to cause trouble. But what if he wasn’t lying? What
would she find upstairs?
***
The clock struck midnight. Caleb stifled a yawn and
massaged the muscles at his nape. He hadn’t seen Becci alone
since he’d discovered Ascott’s deception, which was probably
just as well. After giving it some thought he’d decided that
what he’d learned could wait until everyone left. He didn’t
want to be the cause of an embarrassing scene between her
and the man.
The seconds continued to tick by in slow succession. Yet,
they moved too fast. It wouldn’t be long before his time with
Becci would come to an end.
As the people began to leave, Caleb’s stomach churned.
The turmoil he felt coiled inside him like a snake ready to strike.
He had to get out of the house. He’d promised Jacobs some
food, and now was as good a time as any to take it to him.
Caleb hurried to the kitchen. He retrieved the plate Lilly
had prepared for Jacobs and headed for the shed.
“Jacobs,” Caleb called out as he opened the door. “I have
your food.”
Jacobs immediately popped into sight. Caleb handed the
plate to him and picked up his journal. What was it doing on
his bed? Who had taken it out of his saddlebags? He shrugged.
He’d probably left it out last night. Jacobs couldn’t read, so he
wouldn’t have bothered with it.
“Why don’t you take your meal to the lake to eat?” he said
distractedly. “I need a few minutes alone to make some
notations in my journal. When I’m finished I’ll join you so we
can go over everything you need to know about our trip home.”
“Did ya find some more of that there gold?”
“I haven’t looked for any gold, and I don’t intend to. Becci
needs it more than we do.”
“Speak for yoreself, boy,” Jacobs drawled. “I got lots of
needs. I ain’t leaving without fillin’ my pockets.”
“I’m not a boy, and you’d best remember my warning about
Becci and the house. Now get on down to the lake and wait for
me.”
Caleb shoved him toward the door. Jacobs grabbed the plate
and disappeared into the darkness before the door shut.
Caleb shook his head. He hadn’t been able to keep his
despair from spilling into his words. The man had probably
mistaken the anguish in his voice for anger. The intensity of
the pain at the thought of leaving Becci shook him.
He raked both hands over his head and kneaded his neck.
Then he dropped them to the journal in front of him. “Oh, Becci,
I don’t want to lose you.”
He turned to the last entry and flipped the page over. Staring
at the blank page, he closed his eyes and inhaled. What could
he say? Had she believed him when he’d declared his love?
Had he been able to make her understand what he felt in his
heart? Did she know how much he loved her?
Slowly the words formed in his heart. He opened his eyes,
and his pen hovered over the page. Then the words flowed
from his heart onto the last page of his journal. When he’d
finished, a deep sadness filled him. He shut the book, slipped
it into his saddlebags and slid it under his bunk. He didn’t dare
read it again. The written word couldn’t show his true feelings,
but it was the best he could do. And he still had tonight to
show her how he felt. For now, he had to take care of Jacobs.
He left the shed and walked slowly down the hill. He had
never before noticed how the smooth surface of the lake
reflected the full moon. Stars flickered in and out of sight while
the clouds peeked over the tops of the distant trees. Lightning
brightened the edges of the clouds that would soon turn the
starry sky to black. With the storm would come high winds
and blinding rains and changes he had no control over.
Across the lake a fish jumped for insects, breaking the
silence and sending a ripple across the water. Had he really
been here five weeks?
“Are ya spendin anuther night with the filly?” Jacobs asked,
breaking into Caleb’s thoughts.
“Where I spend my night is no concern of yours. At ten
o’clock tomorrow morning I’ll meet you here, and we’ll go to
Becci’s bedroom together. That’s where we entered this time
period, so that should be the way back. I’ll have the medallion
by then. If it is the key, when we walk back through the door
we should be back in our own era.”
“What’s to keep ya from goin’ back without me?”
“We came together. If we don’t go back at the same time,
I don’t know what will happen. Maybe one of us could die.”
Gravel crunched in the distance. Both men glanced up as
the cars began to leave. “Just be here in the morning, Jacobs.
I’ve got to get back up to the main house right now. Our guests
are leaving.”
***
Becci couldn’t wait for the guests to leave. She excused
herself from the group of antique dealers and told Lilly she
was going upstairs to change her clothes. She shoved open her
bedroom door and walked to the dresser. She stared at the trinket
box. Did she really want to know if Michael was telling the
truth? It wasn’t whether she wanted to know—she had to know.
Clutching the box to her chest, she sat down in the chair
and slowly pushed off the lid. The imprint on the medallions—
two hands cla
sped in friendship—matched what Caleb had
drawn the day he told her about it. She held it up. It turned
slowly, catching the light and sending a glittery array of color
around the room. She couldn’t believe that this small necklace
had caused all the troubles listed in the journals. But she knew
firsthand how greed could change people.
Becci placed the medallion back in the box and picked up
the pouch. Loosening the drawstring she poured two small gold
nuggets into her palm. If this was pure gold it would pay most
of the back taxes, but it still wouldn’t be enough to do everything
she’d planned to do. Had Caleb put it there for her? He said he
needed the medallion to travel back to his time, but not the
gold. Did he plan on taking it anyway? Why hadn’t he told her
he’d found it? And why had he put it in the box he’d given
her?
“Becci, our guests are leaving,” Lilly said as she entered
Becci’s bedroom. “Oh, child, what’s wrong?”
Becci held out the gold nuggets. She wanted to trust her
heart. If Caleb had lied, he had to have had a good reason,
didn’t he?
Lilly raised her hand to her chest and gave a woeful shake
of her head. “Caleb lied to us, didn’t he?”
Twenty
Ascott stood at the back door with Mr. Latham. His
whispered words carried in the stillness of the night. “Tell the
boss I’ll have Ms. Berclair’s signature on the papers before I
leave here. We’ll close the deal by the end of the week, and
he’ll have his money.”
Caleb walked into the light as Mr. Latham headed for his
car. “Signature on what?”
“That’s none of your business, Harrison.”
“You’re not getting Becci’s house. That woman you set up
for me as a date told me what you’re doing, and I’m not going
to let you steal from Becci.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you don’t
have a say in what Becci does or doesn’t do,” Ascott snapped.
“After what she learned about you tonight, I doubt she will
ever be willing to trust you again.”
“She knows everything there is to know about me. You’re
the one with secrets.”
“We all have a few,” Ascott said as he stalked off toward
the Mustang parked under the large oak.
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