Words lodged in Thor’s chest. He nodded and accepted the coins. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” Anders removed a handsome black suit with a crisp white shirt from the wardrobe. “Return safely so that Eva can find some peace. We don’t have a valise, but this bag should be big enough to hold a day’s change of clothing and a few supplies like soap, a razor, coffee, beans, and jerky. I suppose you can say the trunk is on the way or something to that effect. You can try on the suit out in the barn.”
The pants fell past Thor’s ankles and turned out to be a better fit than the britches. He walked a few paces in the barn, adjusting his feet to the fit of the spit-polished boots. Anders leaned against the barn door and watched.
“The pants never did fit me right. The suit was a gift from Eva’s father. I couldn’t complain,” Anders explained. “How are the boots? I expect you’ll be doing some walking and probably some running, too.”
“The boots fit like they were made for me.” Thor pulled the suspender straps over his shoulders. “I’m surprised by your generosity. Why the change?”
“I’m careful, not heartless. The situation is getting bad on both sides. Straddling the line and being neutral should protect us, but I have a feeling it won’t for very long. I’ll have to make a choice.”
Thor tested the weight of the jacket before he shrugged into it. “It looks like you made it.”
“Because I’m helping you? Maybe so. Eva loves Willow. If something happened to her, Eva would be heartbroken. I can’t let that happen. Besides, you are family. Nobody but a Magnusen would be stubborn and foolish enough to sneak onto a plantation with the intent of reuniting a slave father with his runaway children.”
Thor smiled faintly. “I suppose that’s true.” He took off the suit and shirt, carefully folding them and placing them into the bag. As he changed back into the shirt and pants he previously borrowed, he noticed the thoughtful expression on the other man’s face.
Anders reached inside his pocket. “I found this on the road today. It was just lying there, blinking in the sun. Something made me pick it up and pocket it. I don’t have much use for one of these things, though. I can tell the time of day by looking at the sky.”
Anders opened his hand and extended it toward Thor. A shiny gold timepiece rested in his palm. Thor’s throat constricted.
Could it be?
Nah
.
There was only one way to know for sure. Thor inhaled a quick breath. He took the watch and held it to the lantern. The clasp opened easily. The clock ticked without hesitation. Unable to put off the inevitable, he flipped the watch over. The inscription winked back at him.
Air rushed from his lungs. “Love lasts forever.”
“It’s true,” Anders said. “Good times and bad times come and go, but it’s the love that remains. I didn’t always know that.”
The timepiece held Thor transfixed. His key to the twentieth century rested in the palm of his hand, but was it really? If so, did he want to take it? What about Willow? She needed him, and he didn’t want to let her down. Hell, he didn’t want to let himself down! He endured his share of disappointment and failure. If he could risk the dangers of stealing a slave from a plantation in 1860, there was no doubt he could face his future in 1985.
He extended the watch. The timekeeper would be safe in his great-great-grandpa’s hands. “Here. It’s too expensive. I have your money. You keep this.”
“I was thinking about trading it, but nobody in these parts has any use for a fancy timepiece like that. You use it to complete the picture. Who knows? You may need it yourselves.”
Thor hesitated. When Anders’s stance didn’t change, Thor grudgingly accepted the timekeeper. Uncertain of what set the thing off and hurled him back in time made him edgy. Maybe the watch didn’t work on its own. Maybe variables like location and state of consciousness mattered, too. As long as he refrained from napping under the tree near the creek while in possession of the watch, he should manage to stay put. He hoped for some control. He refused to think of the repercussions without it.
“You’ll get it back when we return.”
Anders replied to Thor’s promise with a nod. “Do you have anything in case you run into trouble? I hear patrollers are starting to roam again and they’re never empty-handed.”
Thor shook his head. “I don’t have a weapon. I suppose I could buy one.”
“Don’t waste the money on that. Use one of my pistols. Like the clothes, I want it back.”
“Of course.”
* * *
“We have some decisions to make.” He and Willow followed the trail away from the Magnusen cabin. “With the money Anders gave us, we can either take the train or use the stage. Which do you prefer?”
“It doesn’t make a difference, but wouldn’t using either of them bring attention to us?”
“I don’t see how it could. The return trip will be the hard one to make. Getting down there will be the easy part since we’re together.”
“I suppose so.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Well, Thor, I can’t decide. Whichever you want is fine with me.”
“Have you ever been on a train?”
“I’ve heard about them. Miss Eva rode the train when she lived in Boston. She said it was a nice ride if you had the money to afford it.”
“We have the money—”
“But should we waste it on a train?” she asked. “What if we need it later to buy horses or food?”
“We’ll have enough,” he assured her.
“Sounds like your mind is made up. The closest railway is quite a ways.”
“There’s one in Canton. That’s only a few miles.”
“The railroad doesn’t go through Canton.”
He frowned. Canton’s railroad had been around for a long time, but obviously not prior to 1860. Hiking through the woods to the plantation would take up a considerable amount of time. Time, he wasn’t sure they had. Big Nat’s circumstances weren’t clean cut. What if he’d already been moved to another plantation? What if the reverend forwarded the children to the next station before their return? The questions nagged Thor and made him wish for faster transportation than what the nineteenth century offered.
“So, Canton
will
have a railroad one day,” she commented softly.
Her attempt to lead him into a discussion about the future was cute. He wagged his finger at her. “Yes, it does and that’s all you need to know about that.”
“I suppose.” She stifled a yawn. “But aren’t there little things that you could talk about?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll think about it some and let you know.”
He glanced at the sky. To the east, the golden rays of sun had yet to make an appearance. Stars still glittered across the sky. Daylight promised to arrive before they knew it. Neither of them had slept. Their movements had slowed. They needed rest.
“What were you planning to do about sleeping?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it,” she confessed, stifling another yawn. “Most of the runaways say they catch sleep when they can. I guess I was thinking of doing the same, but I wanted to get some distance first. When the reverend sees my note, he’ll come after me.”
“And when he finds out I’m with you, he’ll come even faster. Since we can’t take the train, we might as well get a horse.”
“From where?” she asked. “Few folks in these parts have horses, and if they do, they’re not about to give them up.”
“Canton is about a half hour walk away. We’ll stop at the livery station and see what happens. Time is important, and we have to get a good lead on Brown. Around what time will he get up?”
“Usually after a meeting like the one last night, he’ll be tired. He won’t wake up until after eight.”
“And Olivia? Will she sleep in, too?”
“Sleep in?” she repeated slowly. “Um, no, she wakes up early every day, but I doubt if she’ll see the note. She’ll be busy with the children and getting breakfast ready. She won’t take a moment until her chores are done.”
“Do you think she’ll miss you?”
“Not with Miss Eva as large as she is. Miss Olivia expects me to leave early and go to the cabin. If the reverend hasn’t told her about my need for an escort, our secret will be safe for six or seven hours. Otherwise, she’ll wake him immediately and they’ll be after us.”
“We should keep moving. After we get the horses, we’ll ride for an hour or two, and then we’ll find someplace to rest.”
They arrived in Canton while the small town was fast asleep, and daylight was still some hours away. Having adjusted to life without the convenience of electricity, Thor read the names on the buildings by the light of the moon and stars.
A small general store sat in the center of the town with a tavern on the opposite side of the wide dirt road. A blacksmith lay adjacent to the store, but nowhere did Thor see a sign for a livery.
Willow’s soft hand brushed against his. Her footsteps lingered a step behind. Her interest in their surroundings caught his attention and he paused, waiting for her to stand beside him. “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but never at night. It’s so quiet. I always thought the town breathed on its own, but I guess like the rest of us Canton needs its rest. Mr. Hammond is the blacksmith. Here’s his place. Maybe we’ll find some horses inside.”
The blacksmith shop was dark, but a sign propped against the window said that the owner was upstairs in case of emergency. Thor headed toward the staircase. “Wait here for me. I’ll be right back.”
He raced up the creaky steps and knocked firmly on the door. A disheveled man appeared. The man squinted at Thor. “Yeah?”
“Are you Hammond, the blacksmith?”
“Yeah. You need something?”
Thor grimaced at the man’s slow response.
What’s the point of false advertisement?
“Yes, I’d like a couple of horses if you have them.”
“I have some, but they don’t come cheap. You’ll have to pay for ’em.”
“I have money.”
“Hold on. Let me pull on some pants, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Thor found Willow waiting for him in the doorway of the shop. Eyes closed, she leaned against the jamb. From the slow fall of her shoulders, he knew that slumber claimed her. She should be near exhaustion with all the walking they’d done coupled with the lack of sleep. He’d have to find a decent place for them to rest.
He lightly cupped her face and whispered, “Willow, wake up.”
Her eyelids fluttered open. Her eyes focused on him and she smiled. “Thor.”
The innocent happiness of her response warmed his heart. No one had ever looked at him quite that way before. It made him feel special.
Creaking stairs reminded him of their surroundings and ruse. He dropped his hand. “The blacksmith is coming. Don’t say anything. We’ll pretend you’re mute. Does he know you?”
“He’s come to a few of the reverend’s meetings. I’ve seen him, but I don’t know if he’d recognize me.”
“Keep the hat on and try not to look at him.”
“I’ll keep my eyes on the ground.”
“The horses are back here in the stable,” Hammond informed them. He held a lantern and waved it front of Thor and Willow. He then moved it back to Thor again. “The stable’s this way.”
Thor followed with Willow right behind him. The blacksmith led them to the rear of his shop. He unlocked the large double wooden doors and pushed them open. Horses neighed at the sudden noise and light. The efficient man spoke to the animals in soothing tones. The horses soon became quiet again.
“Here they are. The ones in the first couple of stalls are yours if you want them. The price is—”
“Hold on a minute while I take a look at them.” Thor went to the first stall and bent to inspect the horse’s legs. He didn’t know a damn thing about examining horses, but hoped Willow did. She squatted beside him, and he whispered in her ear, “Is this one any good?”
She held up a finger and moved around the horse, examining its legs, shoes, and flesh. When she finished, she looked at Thor and nodded.
He waited for her to check the second horse. Upon her approval, he said, “I’ll take them. How much?”
“They don’t come cheap. I got them from a breeder from Charlotte.”
Thor handed the man two gold coins. “Will this be enough?”
Hammond bit into the coins and gave Thor a wide smile. “It would be just fine. I’ll even add a couple of saddles and blankets, too. Do you need anything else?”
Thor smiled at the man’s eagerness. No matter the century, money talked. “A couple of canteens with water and some beef jerky. That will be enough. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” The blacksmith chuckled, coins jingling in his pocket as he closed the doors behind them.
Thor and Willow left Canton and followed the dirt road south. Willow sat upright on the horse and guided it without any problems, but her shoulders slumped, and that was enough for Thor. “We’ll stop soon,” he promised.
“We should go a little ways more. Do you think you can make it?”
“I suggested we stop for you. You look like you’re about to drop.”
“I’m fine.” She straightened her shoulders. “Do you know what you’re doing on that horse? He’s looking antsy.”