That man is trouble, Caleb thought as he went into the
house, slid the bolt into the lock and put the chain into place. It
wouldn’t keep Ascott out, but it would detain him while Caleb
talked Becci out of signing the papers.
“Caleb, help Maude gather up the trash while Becci and I
settle up with the bartender we hired, then meet us in the kitchen.
We have a major problem that needs to be settled.” Lilly handed
him a plastic bag. Her demeanor was not the gentle manner
he’d become used to.
“Sure,” Caleb said. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes. All I can say is just be truthful when you answer
Becci’s questions.”
“Lilly, I love Becci. I would never lie to her.” As he spoke,
he watched Lilly for some indication of what he’d done.
“Love? Hah! You don’t know the meaning of the word,”
Becci snapped as she stormed into the kitchen, slammed back
the dead bolt on the door, jerked the chain out of the slide and
hurried outside with a sack of trash.
The metal trash can lid crashed against the concrete just as
lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled, and then there was nothing
but silence and another flash. Caleb planted his hands on his
hips and waited for Becci to come back into the kitchen. She’d
changed from Rebecca’s dress into a green, loose-fitting pants
outfit with tight-cuffed edges at the wrist and ankles. He
couldn’t mistake the “hands-off” signal.
Becci ignored him when she came back in. She swept
across the room as the bartender entered the kitchen, greeting
him with a smile. “Here’s what I owe you. I appreciate you
breaking the rules for me. I swear, no one told me you didn’t
accept checks.”
The man smiled at her and said, “Michael said you were
good for it, and I trust him.”
Trusted Ascott? The man was a fool.
“Becci, I’m not the one lying to you,” Caleb said after the
bartender left. “According to that woman who followed me
around all evening, everything is a set up. Latham is not with
this Ascomp Company, because there is no Ascomp. He’s a
friend of Ascott’s, as were all of your guests. Ascott is trying
to steal this house from you.”
She grabbed the plastic bag Caleb held and headed for the
front room, filling it with trash as she went. “I don’t know who
to trust any more,” she replied as he followed after her. “And I
don’t know whether to follow my heart or my head at the
moment. Please, either get to work or get out.”
Caleb gathered a handful of napkins and slammed them
into the plastic bag. After he’d removed everything he knew
went into the trash, he gathered several pieces he wasn’t sure
about.
“Save or toss?” Caleb held up a handful of plastic forks.
Becci pivoted toward the bar without answering him.
“Toss,” Lilly said as she came into the dining room to get
the vegetable tray, her voice just as icy as Becci’s actions.
His temper churned a fraction more inside him. He’d prayed
for one more night with Becci, and all evening his emotions
had swung back and forth like a saloon door. At least his anger
tamped down the pain gnawing at him. He’d have to be blind
not to see what Becci’s actions meant.
She didn’t love him.
Lilly snapped off a clear sheet of plastic, covered one of
the leftover trays of vegetables, and took it toward the kitchen.
Becci stood in front of the bar, tightening the bottle tops. He
couldn’t stand the silent treatment she was giving him.
He edged up to the bar and slipped his arm around her
waist. “Don’t be upset. I’m not angry. I’ll leave as soon as it’s
possible. I should have known you couldn’t love a man like
me. It takes more than a few weeks to earn someone’s love.”
“You’re not angry?” Tears threatened to slide down Becci’s
cheeks. She whirled out of Caleb’s light embrace but kept her
back to him until she had her emotions under control. Then she
rounded on him, ready to tell him exactly what she thought of
him and his deceit. One look at the pain in his eyes, however,
and she felt her anger start to melt.
Don’t let him do this to you. He’s no good, and you should
be glad you found out before you lost your heart completely.
Why was she lying to herself? She already loved him.
“Damn you, Caleb Harrison. Listen to what you’re saying.
You say I can’t love a man like you. What do you think I am?
I’m not some loose woman who gives herself to just anyone,
but if you want to go, don’t use me as your excuse for sticking
around. Go ahead and jump back through that time-traveling
door you keep talking about.”
“What have I done to upset you like this?” Caleb asked,
bewildered.
“I found the gold nuggets and your blasted medallion in
that box you gave me. Exactly where Michael said they would
be. You did put them there, didn’t you?”
Caleb nodded slowly, unable to trust his voice. How did
Ascott know where he’d put the nuggets and the medallion?
Had she even thought to question the man? Everything she
said was true, and he knew if it came down to a choice between
him and Ascott, she would side with Ascott. After all, she’d
not only known him longer, but they’d been engaged.
“When did you find them?” she asked. “Before or after we
made love? You didn’t have to take me to bed. You could have
just stolen the damn gold and the medallion and left. No, you
had to steal my very soul.”
Steal her soul? Did that mean she loved him? He wanted
to yell. I love you, too. “I never meant to hurt you, Mary
Rebecca,” he said instead. “Lying with you felt right, like we
were meant to be together. But I have to go back. I don’t have
a choice. Others are depending on me. When the time is right,
I’ll bring Jacobs back to the house, and we’ll leave, if you’ll
let us.”
Becci stared at Caleb. His words were barely a whisper,
containing no anger like there normally was when he called
her by her full name. She sensed only a deep sadness. It was
better this way. He had a promise to keep—a child to raise,
and another woman to marry. Another life to live.
“Let you?” she repeated, her heart screaming for her to
run to him, while her mind shouted for her to remember he’d
never promised her a future. The regret she saw in his eyes
couldn’t be real. “I want you to leave.”
“Then you have no problem with me taking the medallion?”
“If that means you’re leaving, no.”
Caleb raised his hand and gestured as if he were tipping a
nonexistent hat then walked out of the front room. At the door
leading to the kitchen, he hesitated, turned and scanned the
entry hall, his gaze finally coming to rest on the box of
Rebecca’s diaries. He would add his to the stack. Hopefully
Becci would read them before she made her final
decision about
the manor.
Drawing a deep breath, he raked his fingers through his
hair and let his gaze rest on Becci. “Please don’t sign anything
until you’ve read all the journals. Especially not anything that
Ascott may present. I don’t trust him. And, Becci, I may be
leaving now, but I will return because I must know if our union
created a child. I won’t let you be burdened with a fatherless
bastard.”
“That’s not necessary,” Becci said, telling herself that last
night had been a dream. “If I’m pregnant, I’ll take care of my
baby without your help.”
Caleb felt his anger churning. “No, you won’t. I will not
desert a child of mine like my father deserted me.”
No one deserved to grow up looking at strangers and
wondering if they could be the man responsible for giving them
life. His first memories of his mother were of her laying with a
stranger to put food on their table while he hid in the armoire.
Then his mother died leaving him with no one to depend on
except himself and a group of nuns. And all his life he’d been
forced to do what others dictated because he had no father.
His heart had ached at his mother’s death, but this was
different. For the first time in his life he’d felt what it was like
to be loved and to love in return. Now Becci wanted him gone,
and he would leave. Hopefully the memories she had given
him wouldn’t vanish when he journeyed back in time. He would
return to take care of his child, if there was one.
“You won’t desert a child of yours?” she whispered. “You
may not have any say in the matter.”
Caleb clenched his jaw to keep from saying anything more.
She was right. The medallion controlled his life now, and his
leaving was best for both of them. He nodded again and marched
out of the gathering room.
Becci heard the slow scrape of Caleb’s boots as he crossed
the kitchen and the screech of the rusty hinges as he slung
open the back door and hurried down the three steps. The door
slammed shut, its sound ricocheting around the empty room.
Becci pressed her fist to her lips to stifle a sob. Her heart felt
heavy—a gaping emptiness of despair.
At least she’d known from the beginning that their love
had no chance of lasting. Caleb hadn’t lied about leaving.
She wiped her palms down her sweat suit and straightened
her shoulders. She didn’t have time to wallow in self-pity. She
had work to do. Grabbing a tray of dirty glasses, she carried
them to the kitchen.
Lilly silently loaded the dishwasher, her shoulders stooped
and her head bent forward. From the moment she’d learned
they hadn’t gotten the grant, her aunt had been like this.
“Are we going to have to sell the place?” Lilly asked
without turning around.
“Those two nuggets aren’t enough to save it. We don’t have
a choice.” Becci set the tray on the counter and started placing
the glasses in the dishwasher. Her hand trembled. She tried to
stifle the sob that shook her and failed.
“If we could only find the rest of the gold...” Lilly began.
“Stop it! This isn’t about the gold!” Becci shouted. “And I
don’t want to hear another word about the legends of gold
supposedly hidden in this damn house. There were two nuggets.
Two nuggets,” she repeated holding up two fingers. “And that
won’t pay all the back taxes we owe, much less the upkeep on
a place like this.”
Regret gnawed at her the moment the words spewed out
and she swiped at her tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she told
her aunt. “The only thing of value here is the property this
house sits on. Selling it is the only way we can survive.”
“This is all my fault,” Lilly said, a quaver in her voice.
“No. If anyone’s to blame it’s Mom and Dad. They’re the
ones who didn’t plan things right. If they hadn’t mortgaged the
house to the limit I could have saved it for Caleb.”
Becci collapsed against the counter and shook her head.
Had she really said that?
“Saved it for Caleb?” Lilly shut the dishwasher, started
water running into the sink and stared down at the rising
mountain of lemon-scented suds. Becci watched her shut off
the water. After she dried her hands she tossed the dishtowel
over her shoulder, turned and caught Becci’s fingers with her
own. “Child, what in the world are you talking about?”
“Oh, Aunt Lilly, what am I going to do? I love him.”
“I can’t tell you what to do,” Lilly said. “I can only give
you the same advice my father gave me years ago. He told me
I had to choose between being logical or foolish. I made my
decision with my head, and I’ve lived to regret it. Loneliness is
not a good companion.”
Lilly pressed her palm against Becci’s chest. “Do what
you feel is best in here. Don’t lose your chance for happiness
like I did.”
“But I don’t know what I’m feeling. Nothing is logical
about my situation.”
Lilly squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, child. You’ll make
the right decision. Besides, I don’t think it matters whether the
bricks and mortar are standing or not. The door Caleb travels
through is not earthly.”
“Oh, Aunt Lilly, he’s going to leave me. I told him to leave.”
She went into her aunt’s arms and burst into tears.
“I know, child. I know,” Lilly said as she gathered her into
her arms. “I know how badly it hurts to lose someone you
love.”
***
As Caleb left Becci, he listened to the door slam behind
him. It sounded so final, and his heart lurched in response. If
Becci wanted him out, he would go for now. But he would find
a way to learn whether or not she was carrying his child. If she
were, he would do what he had to do—what his conscience
demanded.
Lightning flashed, outlining the figure of a man standing
under the oak tree’s canopy and smoking a cigar. He didn’t
have to see the man’s face to know it was Ascott. Raindrops
pelted the ground and fluttered the leaves as Caleb approached
him. This was not a man to be trusted. He’d known it from the
moment he’d set eyes on him.
“Well, Mr. Harrison, I guess with you out of the way, I’ll
get what I want. I might even find the gold.”
“What you find might not be what you really want.”
“Gold is gold,” Michael quipped.
“Don’t count on it. Some of it might even be cursed.”
“For you maybe. You’ve put up a good fight, but I can
truthfully say I will be happy to see you go.” Ascott extended
his hand. “It has been challenging.”
Caleb glanced at Ascott’s hand then looked away. “I had a
fiancé once,” he said. “She was shot in the back by a gambler
named Michael. Not that you might be that man, but you have
the look of a gambler about you. I don’t trust gamblers.
Never
have. Never will.”
Michael came up even with Caleb’s shoulder. “Just get out
or Becci will be the one who loses.”
“You and I might lose, but Becci won’t. She has destiny
on her side.”
“We’ll just see about that.” Ascott stalked away.
Caleb waited until he heard the car door’s hinges creak
before turning toward the lake. When he reached it, an eerie
calmness settled over the water, disturbed only by the raindrops
dancing on the slick surface. Not even the wind blew to ripple
it.
Dropping to his knees, Caleb lifted his face to the dark sky
and let heaven’s tears drench him. “In my heart I know I can’t
save you, Rebecca, but I will bring your killer to justice. And
as I promised, I will care for Luke as if he were my own. But
I’m not leaving this place a whole man. My heart is broken.”
A gust of wind erupted. The water’s glassy surface suddenly
rippled and sloshed against the bank. Blue-white lightning
flashed repeatedly in the distance as thunder rumbled. Caleb
rose, turned his collar up and headed back to the shed. He had
one more paragraph to write before he turned his journals over
to Becci.
As he opened the shed door, his foot hit one of the whiskey
bottles that littered the floor. Signs of Jacobs’s drinking were
everywhere, but there was no sign of the drunk.
It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. One by one
Caleb slipped his shirt buttons free, his heart growing heavier
with each one. He’d thought Becci would be undressing him
one last time. The memory of her hands touching, caressing,
loving him gnawed at his very soul.
He would never again feel her touch. Never see her green
eyes flash with anticipation or darken with passion.
Locking out the memories, Caleb finished changing and
hung Obadiah’s damp clothes up to dry. He would give Jacobs
fifteen minutes to return. After they finalized their plans, he
would go over the instructions he wrote Becci for opening the
secret compartments.
Caleb reached for his saddlebags and touched nothing.
No! He dropped to his knees and frantically scanned the
dark area under the cot. Only a black, empty void greeted him.
***
“I need your signature on four different documents,”
Christopher, Barbara - Keeper of Key.txt Page 33