Forever Eva [Sequel to When Kat's Away] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

“She and Kat were taking a trip, trying to get some background on some feller Kat wanted to write a book about. I don’t remember his name, but he was a painter and writer and he was supposed to have grown up around Hamilton. Anyway, they went to Hamilton to look around, only Mama said it was almost gone, rotted away with age.

“Kat wandered off to look at the mill, while Mama was drawn to the saloon. She went inside and snooped around. At one point, she started down the basement steps and saw a red glowy circle on the wall. She got scared, so she tried to go back up, but tripped and fell toward the circle. The next thing she knew, she was waking up in the cellar of the saloon and it was 1871.”

“Who owned the saloon then?” asked Zach.

“Papa Beau and Papa Zeke owned it together. Story was they won it in a poker game and decided to settle down there.” She lowered her eyes to the floor and felt her cheeks getting hot. “The two of them had a special relationship together, and they felt safer in a small town.”

“You’re saying they were gay.”

Eva looked up and frowned at Tony. “I guess they was happy. I never really asked.

Zach laughed out loud and quickly put his hand over his mouth. He cleared his throat. “Honey, men who fall in love with other men are referred to as gay.”

Eva worried her bottom lip between her teeth and shook her head. “I never heard Mama refer to them as gay.”

Tony sighed loudly. “Just get on with your story.”

She nodded. “Okay. Well, my fathers found her unconscious in the basement, and they cared for her until she woke up. She explained to them about where she came from, but she didn’t think they believed her.” Eva leaned forward in the chair, her feet dancing up and down. “The best part of her story is she saved the town.”

Tony glanced at Zach, who shrugged, and then back at Eva. “What do you mean, she saved the town?”

“Mama had read a book on the history of Hamilton and knew about this huge fire that would wipe out most of the town. She knew when and where the fire would start, so she convinced my fathers to help her stop it. Papa Beau said she saved hundreds of lives that would have been lost, not to mention she saved the mill.” She leaned back in her chair and stared toward the sliding doors. “Her saving the town is what got her in trouble.”

“What do you mean?” asked Zach.

“A nasty man by the name of Bart Canders ran the Seligman mine, but he was cheating the mine owners. He had a hand in everything in town. The man even ran a house for tainted ladies. He started the fire to cover up his stealing and even left one of his soiled doves in the office to burn up. Once Mama stopped everything, he had to go on the run from folks.”

Zach placed his cola can on the table. “What happened to him?”

“He made the mistake of kidnapping Mama. She said he became convinced that she knew things before they happened, and he wanted to know more. He took her to this little shack way out in the woods and left her there tied up so he could go home and make excuses to his family to be away for a few days. Luckily, Mama had made a friend of an Indian man after she helped his wife give birth to their son. He followed Canders when he kidnapped Mama, and when he left, Running Bear cut her loose and took her home.”

Zach crossed his arms over his chest. “Running Bear?”

“That was the Indian’s name. His wife was Moon Dancer. They were Shoshone. Mama delivered their son, Winter Warrior, in Papa Beau and Papa Zeke’s cabin.”

“What happened to Canders?”

“Justice caught up to him, and they gave him a necktie party.”

Tony frowned. “They gave him a what?”

Zach nudged Tony’s arm. “She means they hanged him.”

Eva nodded. “I think it’s what messed up Timothy so badly. He told me they made him and his ma watch the hanging.”

Tony muttered something under his breath. “Who the hell is Timothy?”

“He’s the man who forced me through the portal.”

Tony ran his fingers through his hair. “We’re getting out of order here. You’ve told us your story of your mother disappearing. What about Katarina Evans?”

“She came through in 1899 not long before I came here.”

“Wait a minute.” Tony stood and paced back and forth. “She disappeared the same day as Anna. Where was she for those 28 years?

“Mama said the portal could probably take people to any time it wanted. She just happened to get dumped out later than my mama. Kat told us she came looking for Mama. She even called the police to come and help. Then, she went and looked in the saloon because she remembered Mama was interested in it. She said the same red glowy circle sucked her in and dumped her out in the basement at the Silver Rush as well, only she wasn’t unconscious. By then, my brothers David and Winter Warrior were running the saloon, and they found her.”

“Wait a minute.” Tony sat back down. “You told us Winter Warrior was the Indian’s baby, not your brother.”

“He’s my adopted brother. Win, we call him that, lost his family in a massacre. Folks said another Indian tribe did it, but my papas helped bury their bodies, and Papa Zeke said he’d swear on a Bible that white men did the killing. Win was wounded, but managed to escape. His ma and pa had always told him to come to Mama if he was in trouble and she’d protect him. He showed up on our doorstep all bruised and bloody, and he’s been there ever since.”

Zach moved forward on the couch, just barely perching on the edge. “How did Kat react when she found Anna so much older, and with a family?”

Eva laughed. “She didn’t believe a word of what they told her.” She sighed. “But, she took one look at my brothers, and I don’t think she cared one way or another after that. It was love at first sight for the three of them.”

Tony sat his can on the table and narrowed his eyes. “You’re telling us that Kat joined your mother and is now living with your brothers in some sort of ménage relationship.”

“I don’t know what a ménage relationship means.”

Zach covered a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “It’s a word to describe three people in a romantic relationship.”

She nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

Zach reached over and rubbed Eva’s hand. “You said something about somebody forcing you through the portal.”

“Yes, I did.” She took a long drink from the cold can. “Timothy is Bart Canders’s only son. He also had a daughter named Alicia. Timothy wasn’t quite right in the head after he saw his father hanged. From what he told me, his pa told him all about Mama coming from the future, and Timothy believed every word of it. For years he tried to court me, probably to get close to the family to learn our secrets. He was beginning to make me really nervous when Kat showed up. When she was introduced as a friend of the family, he became convinced she was from the future, too.”

“What did he do?” asked Zach.

“He kidnapped her and held her in a cave. When Win and David rescued her, he got away and made it back to the saloon where he caught up with me. He was trying to force Kat to tell him how to get the red circle to take him to the future when the portal opened and sucked us both inside.”

Tony clenched his fists, his nostrils flaring. “If both of you came thorough the time portal, where is he? We didn’t see anybody else in town.”

Eva shrugged. “I don’t know what happened. I remember his hand pulling away from my arm, and then I just fell through empty space. Maybe it sent him back.”

Tony stood and walked to the sliding doors, his back to the room. “This is preposterous. I don’t believe in time travel.” He turned and glared at Eva. “And what was that nonsense about your prince charmings when you came out of the basement?”

Eva felt her cheeks redden and looked away. “I’ve always believed I’d have a relationship like Mama and Kat. There are two men meant for me to love.”

Tony groaned, his mouth dropping open. “And you think we’re the two men for you? That’s ludicrous. I’m not even gay. We couldn’t have a relationship like that.”

Zach frowned and reached for Eva’s hand. “Eva, what about your brothers?”

Eva sniffed and wiped the back of her hand across her damp eyes. “Remember, they aren’t real brothers. They’ve been in love with each other since they were about sixteen years old. They’ve always talked about sharing a woman between them.” She laughed. “Actually, they always talked about sharing Kat. Mama had a picture of Kat in her reticule when she arrived, and the boys kept it in their room just so they could look at her. I think they loved her before she even showed up.” She glanced up at Tony. “I guess I always thought there’d be a couple of men that I’d be able to call mine someday, and when I saw the two of you, I guess I just hoped that you might feel the same way.”

* * * *

Tony felt his head pound as Eva explained her family dynamics. He didn’t want to believe her, couldn’t let himself believe in anything as supernatural as time travel. He stepped forward to put her in her place when the sound of a car pulling into the driveway drifted through the open patio door. He glanced out the window and cursed.

Zach came to stand beside him. “What’s the matter, man?”

Tony glanced at Eva and then over to Zach. “We’re about to have company.”

Tony studied the old-fashioned clothing Eva wore and knew he’d never be able to explain it. “My coworker is stopping by for something. I’m not ready to explain about our guest. Would you take her upstairs, and I’ll get rid of Laura as quick as I can?” He ignored the hurt look on Eva’s face and moved toward the front door. He watched from the corner of his eye as Zach led her up the stairs.

Wearily, he rubbed his hand across his face. He’d made a huge mistake with his coworker, Laura Kennedy. She’d been assigned to his precinct for almost a year, and all that time she’d not been very subtle about wanting a more personal relationship. She was attractive enough, but he had a firm rule about relationships between coworkers.

Then, a few weeks earlier, the anniversary of his mother’s death had hit him hard. He’d comforted himself in a local tavern and somehow ended up waking up in her bed the next morning. There was no excuse for his behavior. It never should have happened, but it was water under the bridge now. Unfortunately, she’d decided that it meant he was ready to take their relationship to the next level. Not wanting her in his house, he opened the door and walked out onto the front porch.

Tony watched her get out of her car dressed in heather-colored slacks and a shirt that spoke of brighter days long gone. Her golden-brown hair fell in waves to her shoulders, her big brown eyes filled with flecks of gold. Her smiled widened, and she sauntered toward him, her hips swaying back and forth in a lazy manner. “What are you doing here, Laura?”

She let her fingers glide through the strands of her hair and tossed it over her shoulder. “I was gonna take a drive into the country and thought you might like to get away for a while.”

He watched her tongue slide out, wetting her lips, and cringed inside. “No, thanks. I’m not in the mood for a drive.”

She gave him a husky little laugh and began to climb the porch steps. “That’s okay. I’d rather stay in myself. Maybe you’ll offer a girl a drink?”

Tony held out his hand, palm out. “Stop right there. We’re not having this conversation again. I told you that we’re not gonna have a relationship outside the office. I can’t be any plainer than that, Laura.”

“That’s not what you said in my apartment.”

“Shit, woman, I don’t even remember going to your apartment, much less what we did there. My only memory is waking up the next morning. For all I know, we didn’t do a damn thing.” He looked at her heavy makeup and pushed back a shudder. “Truthfully, I find it hard to believe I could perform with that much liquor in me.”

Laura’s jaw clenched, her face reddening, the vein visibly pulsing in her throat. “Believe me, you were able to perform. You told me that you’ve wanted me for a long time, and that it was just the beginning. Why can’t you give us a chance?”

Tony studied her and knew she was lying. There was no doubt she was trying to manipulate him. “I’m sorry if I hurt you, but I won’t be held responsible for something I said or did when I was falling down drunk. You should have just put me in a cab and sent me home instead of taking me home with you. In fact, I’ve got friends staying with me for a few days, so I have no time to sit and discuss this now.”

Her eyes flashed, her red lips thinning into a straight line as she glanced at Zach’s truck. “I’ll go for now, but you can’t just pretend we weren’t together. I’ll come back later when you’ve got more time to talk.” Without another word, she got in her car and gunned it down the drive, rocks and dust flying in all directions.

Tony sighed and turned toward the house. She was an accident just waiting to happen. He walked in the door and found Zach coming down the steps. “Where’s Eva?”

“I showed her how to use the tub, and she’s gonna get cleaned up and put on some of my sister’s clothes. I thought I might take her over to the mall and get her some clothes that will fit. The ones I had will be a little big on her.”

“Don’t tell me you’re buying into all that crap.”

“I’m not sure what to believe, but I’m not willing to just discount everything she’s said. I say we process this logically.”