He cupped her chin and brushed his thumb across her cheek. She shivered from the exquisite tenderness of his touch. He smiled in response. “I don’t think there would be a problem. Football is a professional sport. The NFL, which stands for National Football League, is comprised of football teams from all over the United States. I was the backup quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.”
“The Atlanta here in Georgia?”
“The very same. The football teams play against each other with opposing offensive and defensive sides. The quarterback is an offensive player, and he leads a pack of ten players. The quarterback’s job is to get the ball to other members of his team.”
“For what?”
“So that his team can score a touchdown or gain more yards.”
She noticed from his intense expression that his job meant a good deal to him, but for the life of her, she could not understand why. “Is it a real ball?”
“Yeah.” He gestured with both hands. Excitement replaced the disappointment in his eyes. “It’s about this wide and this long. The shape makes it easy to grip.”
“And doing this football is how your collarbone was broken?”
“I was tackled by a lineman. My collarbone snapped in two, and so did a couple of bones in my arm.”
Shock flew through her. Her mouth dropped open. Whatever this lineman was, it certainly was brutal. She clutched his hand. “Blessed be!”
“Tell me about it. That tackle wasn’t a thrill. That’s for sure.”
“When you return to your home, will you continue with this profession? It doesn’t sound very safe to me, and surely, there are less violent occupations you could consider.”
A warm smile teased the corners of his mouth. “You’re worried about me.”
“Yes, I do not want you to be hurt.”
“How about this?” He leaned toward her, and his voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “I’ll think about a change in career if you’ll promise to consider coming with me to 1985.”
With his face so close to hers, his sweet breath fanned her mouth. Surrender came easily. “I promise.”
He removed her spectacles. His hand moved to the back of her head and drew her to him. Her lips parted in anticipation. His kiss was wet, warm, and wonderful. As he lowered her to the bed, her arms closed around him. The soft, tiny hairs on his chest tickled the hardening tips of her breasts. Their hearts pumped in unison. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the delicious sensations that promised to flood through her body.
All too quickly, his caresses came to a sudden halt and he pulled away. “Did you hear that?”
“No.”
“I heard something.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed. His bare feet thumped across the hardwood floor. He pulled the door open and stuck his head through the opening. A few seconds passed before he closed and locked the door and returned to her.
“What did you see?” She moved into his open arms.
“Nothing. It must have been the wind.”
His mouth claimed hers again, and any concern for unexplained noises disappeared with the taste of his lips on her tongue. The rest of the night was spent in Thor’s arms. For that moment, nothing else mattered.
* * *
Anders spent most of the night watching over his wife and child and thinking about Brown’s dilemma. Brown wasn’t bound by blood to take care of Willow. Anders knew the story. Slave patrollers lynched Willow’s parents and left her an orphan. Brown had taken the young girl into his home because of a promise to Willow’s father, but he allowed her into his heart because she was a lovely person.
Eva told Anders often enough that Willow didn’t think he cared for her. Nothing was farther from the truth. He liked Willow well enough and appreciated her friendship with Eva. Country life bored Eva, but Willow’s questions about Eva’s life in the North invigorated his wife. She enjoyed having a friend her age to chat with while sewing and pouring over those Sears and Roebuck catalogues.
He was never much for book learning, but Eva adored William Shakespeare. Countless times, the two women discussed the English playwright well into the night. Giggles and sighs often accompanied their conversation. The glow that warmed his wife’s cheeks created a burning sensation all through him. He supposed he had plenty reasons to be grateful to Willow Elkridge. Her friendship made his wife happy, and that was priceless.
Dorothea awakened with a gusty wail. Eva pulled the squirming babe into the curve of her arm and gave the hungry infant her breast. The greedy display filled him with pride.
A beautiful, contented smile crossed Eva’s lips. “She reminds me of you. Loud and red-faced when the hunger pangs strike.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and slid his finger between Dorothea’s tiny fist. “She’s her daddy’s little girl.”
An overwhelming sensation hit him hard in the gut. Blood rushed from his face. The enormity of parenthood sent him reeling. He dropped onto the bed beside his wife and daughter. The endless sea of responsibilities of raising and loving a child drained him, yet filled him, too.
“It’s a powerful feeling, isn’t it?” His wife had been watching him closely. “But it’s a good one.”
“She’ll look to us for everything,” he said quietly. “She’ll learn by what we do, and not always what we say. We’ll have to set good examples.”
“Yes.”
He directed his attention to Eva. “Brown asked me to join him in looking for Willow and Thor. I told him I would think about it. He’s coming by here in a little while.”
“You’re going with him,” she said with a knowing smile. “Don’t worry about me. Olivia said she’d come by. Dorothea and I will be fine.”
“You don’t mind if I leave you? I hate to leave you alone.”
“I’m not alone. Our daughter is with me. I want you to help Reverend Brown find Willow. I’m scared for her out there and with Thor, too.”
“What about Thor?” Anders stepped into his work boots and rose from the bed. He grabbed a rifle and checked to see if it was loaded. It was.
The baby finished breakfast. Eva patted the infant’s back until she burped. Eva rocked the baby. “It’s a just a feeling. Willow has not had any real attention from men. Thor is a handsome, charming man, and he has been very friendly with her. I wouldn’t want her to get hurt.”
“Do you think he’d use her?”
“Not on purpose. He reminds me of you; kind, caring, and stubborn. I don’t think he’d mean to do it, but things happen despite the best of intentions.”
Anders grimaced. “Don’t they, though? I will look into it when we meet up with them. Brown will be here any minute.” He stopped beside the bed. “Are you sure you’ll be fine without me?”
“I’m sure.” She took his hand and squeezed. “Go and be sure to tell the reverend that you’re all in my prayers. I love you, Anders Magnusen.”
“I love you, too.”
* * *
Leah cornered Thor as soon as he and Willow descended the staircase. The young mistress of the plantation pulled him out of the house before he could protest and had him inside a horse drawn carriage within the blink of an eye.
“Where are we going?” he asked, turning around to stare behind them. Willow’s form decreased as the horses carried them down the lane. “I have business to attend to with your father, Miss Davis. I haven’t the time for foolishness, and I’m sure your father wouldn’t appreciate you being with me without a chaperone.”
“My father knows we’re together, and Monty here can act as a chaperone even if he doesn’t have the proper credentials.”
The older black man stiffened as her caustic remark snapped in the morning breeze. Thor saw the tightening of the slave’s back muscles and came close to offering an apology. Remembering his situation, he thought better of it and instead asked, “Where are we going?”
“Aunty Nitta prepared a basket filled with breakfast delights. We’re having a morning picnic. Papa is busy with Lucas and Grady and would not have time to see you. He suggested I entertain you for a little while.”
“How long is awhile?”
Gravel crunched as the horses’ hooves pounded into the dirt road. Clouds of dust billowed and wafted inside the open carriage. Thor glanced at the passing scenery. Jumping was a foolish risk. The carriage raced like greased lightning down the dirt road. He grunted and stared straight ahead. “Well?”
“Awhile isn’t too long at all. The glen is just ahead,” she soothed. “We’ll picnic there and once we’re done, we’ll return to the house.”
Thor pulled out the timepiece. It just made eight o’clock. Willow said they planned to punish Big Nat around noon. That gave them four hours. Even a breakfast picnic could not last that long. He sighed and snapped the watch shut.
Leah must have sensed his acceptance. She bounced on the seat beside him and chattered nonstop. While she carried on a one-sided conversation, his thoughts turned to Willow, and he hoped that she’d have an affirmative response for his invitation to join him in 1985. Provided he could ever figure out how to work the pocket watch to get back there himself.
Leah giggled and clutched his forearm. He sighed.
Lord, please let this hour pass quickly.
* * *
The time spent with Leah passed slowly at first. Monty spread a blanket for them and arranged the dishes over it, leaving enough room for Thor and Leah to sit. When the older man shuffled off to tend to the horses, Thor watched him leave with much regret. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with Leah. Willow’s comment that Leah wanted him for dessert floated back to him, and he couldn’t help but see the truth to Willow’s prediction. Leah’s flirty behavior left nothing to his imagination. The young woman wanted him, and he was certain she meant to have him. Unfortunately for her, he wasn’t so easily had.
“Isn’t this lovely?” She speared a piece of ham and extended it toward him. “Go ahead and take a bite. I don’t mind.”
He plucked the piece from her fork with his fingers. Bacon was his preferred form of pork. Ham was never a favorite, but he popped the morsel into his mouth anyway. Arguing with Leah would no doubt prolong the damn excursion. It would serve him better just to humor her—to a degree—and then get back to the main house as soon as possible.
His stomach lurched at the prospect of consuming ham, and he decided that the faster he consumed the meal, the sooner they’d be on the road again. Grabbing food and shoveling it in, he ate as if his life depended on it.
“Mr. Magnusen?” she questioned. “It doesn’t do a body any good to swallow without chewing. Aunty prepares a palatable meal, but please, slow down.”
“When I’m hungry, I find it hard to slow down.”
“Please, try.” She lifted the silver pot and poured a steaming brown liquid into a dainty china cup. “This tea should settle your stomach.”
He accepted the proffered teacup and took a sip. The tea was sweet like honey. There was a bitter aftertaste, but overall, he liked it. He emptied the cup and held it out for more.
A tiny smile played around the corners of her mouth, as she willingly obliged his silent request. “Slowly, now.”
“Of course,” he murmured. He drank more tea and consumed the rest of his meal in a less frenetic pace. As he reached for a teacake, his vision blurred. He blinked to clear it, but there was no change. Leah’s gaze didn’t stray from him, and her face held a peculiar expression. Seconds later, he became dizzy. Before he could question Leah, his stomach muscles clenched, and everything went black.
* * *
As Willow headed for the slave quarters, she tried hard not to think about Thor’s unexpected excursion with Leah. She made herself focus on Big Nat and how she and Thor could manage his escape in broad daylight. Rescuing him after his punishment was delivered would force them to remain on or near the plantation longer than either wanted to. The escape would have to happen before noon. She hoped Thor wouldn’t be too taken with Leah and her ash-blonde ringlets and pouty pink mouth to remember their goal.
That thought brought her up short. She’d never been envious of another person, even with the injustices society had forced upon her. Nevertheless, she could not deny that her foremost thoughts about Leah were born of jealousy. The planter’s daughter pounced on Thor like a starving cat on a field mouse. Willow supposed she could not begrudge the girl for her actions. Thor was a striking man and just the thought of him—not to mention the thought of his touch—caused her heart to pound and her flesh to sprout goose bumps.
Lord have mercy!
She drew in a harsh breath. Even away from him, he had a powerful hold over her. What about his invitation to join him in his world of nineteen hundred and eighty-five? It was sweet of him to offer, but she could not be sure about a proposal such as that. Honor ran deep in him, and he was more than likely feeling remorse for bedding her. Not once or twice. She bit back a smile. But several times.
Blessed be. He is thorough when it came to loving.
Heat burned her cheeks, and she pressed her hand to her face. For just a split second, she didn’t watch where she was going and slammed straight into an unmovable body.
Her gaze flew to her unintended victim, and she came close to verbalizing an apology. Grady Falls glared at her with dark, beady eyes, and she stepped back.