“He pushed the barrel of his rifle between them. Davis wanted to knock Thor flat on his backside for speaking the truth! Gibson wasn’t having it.”
She sighed. “I wish I could have seen it.”
The reverend patted her hand where it gripped the sides of his overcoat. “Some things aren’t for the eyes or the ears of a young woman. You shouldn’t have been in town at all.”
“I couldn’t stay hidden, worrying about you both. I’m sorry they hurt you.”
“Cuts and bruises heal, child. It’s of no consequence. I know the dangers of my calling, and I’m prepared for it. You’re too young to sacrifice.”
“I’m not a child,” she gently reminded him.
“I know. You and Thor did a good thing, going after Big Nat. Those children appreciated it; he did, too. I’m proud of you.”
His quiet statement left her speechless. He was so angry with her before. She never expected him to say her actions pleased him. And he was proud of her, too? Tears of happiness welled in her eyes.
“Thank you.”
“A stubborn old fool like me doesn’t deserve thanks. Elijah asked me to look after you. Olivia and I have done the best we can. I wish we could have done better.” His deep voice faltered, and he took in a deep breath. “We always loved you like you were ours. From the first time we saw you, just a tiny little thing lying in Bessie’s arms, our hearts opened to you. I just want you to know that.”
The tears spilled and flowed freely down her cheeks. “I always knew, and I’ve loved you, too.”
He laughed suddenly. “Listen to us. A person would think our actions never showed the truth.” He squeezed her hand. “Olivia and I always knew, child. Always. We’ve been saving up for you to go to that school in Ohio. Oberlin would be a fine place for you to further your education. There’s only so much we can teach you from Olivia’s collection of Shakespeare. We want you to follow your heart.”
“What if my heart is pointing in a different direction?”
His back stiffened, and he released her hand. “Not to Thor.”
“I care about him, Reverend. He asked me to go with him.”
“To the future,” Brown grumbled. “What did you tell him?”
“I didn’t give him an answer. When he asked, I wasn’t sure if he meant it.”
“And you’re sure now? What kind of life can he give you in his future?”
“Freedom to live the life I want. He said that in nineteen hundred and eighty-five choices for me are limitless. No one would bat an eye at seeing him and me together. He said I could have a life that would make my parents proud of me. You and Miss Olivia, too.”
“I don’t know what to say about this. It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind.”
“I haven’t, but I have been thinking about it. What he’s told me is better than anything I’ve ever dreamed.”
“Would Olivia and I see you again?”
“I think so,” she said. “That’s where Thor went after Grady Falls knocked him in the head; back to his time.”
Brown turned his head to the left toward Thor and Anders. Willow’s gaze drifted in that direction, too. She understood the reverend’s misgivings. Her concerns were the same. She’d miss the Browns and Eva terribly.
Willow expelled a low breath. Why did life have to be filled with complications? Before Thor came along, she knew exactly what she wanted and where she wanted to go. Oberlin College promised fulfillment of all her dreams and goals. She could pursue a degree while aiding in the Northern abolition movement. Thoughts of having her own family were put on hold. It was something she would consider later.
Just looking at Thor brought the thoughts to the forefront of her mind.
Her gaze wandered as her hand let go of Brown’s coat to press against her flat belly. Right this very moment, a new life could be forming inside her. The notion both excited and terrified her. She directed her attention to Thor again and found him staring at her. The moon provided enough light for her to note the expression on his face. He looked as confused as she felt.
Suddenly, gunfire broke the silence. The horses neighed in protest and reared back. Willow clutched Reverend Brown to keep from falling. Then a voice rang out, consumed with venomous hatred and self-righteous indignation.
“Get down off them horses!”
The group of travelers sat still. Their heads turned in different directions, searching for the owner of the voice. The light from the moon and stars revealed only so much. Anyone hiding in the trees would be impossible to see. The reverend patted Willow’s hand.
“Do as he says.”
Brown slid from the saddle and caught Willow as she jumped down. Anders and Thor joined them in the middle, with the horses walling them in on both sides.
Brown called out, “Who’s there? If it’s money you want, you’ll have to try elsewhere. We have no worldly goods here.”
“I have money,” Warren Eugene Davis spat as he stepped from behind an oak. “I didn’t come here for that.”
“What did you come for?” Thor asked. “We agreed to let bygones be bygones. Stop it now before someone gets hurt.”
“Hurt?” Davis repeated, his voice thick with sarcasm. “You say that word to me after what you did to my daughter. What kind of a fool are you? I could kill you where you stand.”
“No!” Willow cried and crossed in front of Thor. He gripped her shoulders and tried to push her away. The heels of her boots dug into the ground, and she wouldn’t budge.
“Move!” Thor growled.
“No!”
“Listen to her! She knows I come for you both.”
“You sonuvabitch!” Thor tried to circle around Willow. She blocked him with her body.
Brown called out. “They’re not going anywhere with you.”
“You’re right about that.” Davis cocked his pistol and aimed. “She’s going straight to the devil while he wallows in hell on earth.”
The click of the trigger echoed in the forest. Thor grabbed Willow around her waist just as the reverend jumped in front of her. The shot rang out suddenly like the crackle of lightning on a clear, spring day. Brown crumbled to the ground at Willow’s feet. She screamed and fell to her knees.
Another click sounded and something heavy fell on top of her. Her spectacles fell from her face. The images blurred. A second emission of gunfire reverberated around her. Hands pushed her face down. The rapid-fire noises ceased and silence hung in the air. Willow shuddered.
Thor’s scent filled her senses. He breathed heavily against her ear. “Are you okay? Were you hit?”
“No. You?”
“I’m fine. Here are your glasses.” He shoved the spectacles into her hands and slowly rolled off her. “Anders?”
“I’m here. How’s Brown?”
She pushed the glasses on and looked around. Reverend Brown lay sprawled on the ground right beside her. She went to the reverend and cradled his head in her lap. Blood poured from the open wound in his chest. He stared at her with a peaceful smile on his face. Her hands moved frantically, tugging on his shirt and overcoat.
“No, child,” he said in a barely audible whisper. “Let me be.”
“I have to stop the bleeding!”
“It’s too late,” Brown whispered. “Be still, and listen. Don’t you hear it? Angels on the wings of doves; simply beautiful.”
“No.” Her body shook with sobs. “I don’t hear anything. Be quiet. We will take you home, and Miss Olivia will patch you up. Good as new.”
His head shifted from side to side. “Ssh, it’s alright, Willow. Tell Olivia I love her. I love you, too. Be happy, child. Follow your heart.”
His eyes closed, and his head fell to the side for the last time.
Chapter Seventeen
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” Willow said, her voice hoarse, “is how the saying goes. You never really know what it means until you have to face it.”
She and Thor knelt at the grave of Reverend Mitchell Brown. The peaceful tranquility of the woods reminded her of the home she left behind. For a brief moment, she closed her eyes, inhaling the essence of her new world and reconciling it with the old. The scent of pines trees wafted gently in the early fall morning. Birds engaged in conversation. Their happy chirping aided in lessening her sorrow. Golden rays glowed as the sun made its usual ascent into the wide, blue sky. A cool breeze blew brown and red leaves, causing them to swirl in front of the headstone. A shudder went through her. Thor wrapped his arm around her shoulders, instantly warming her.
“It’s colder than usual this morning,” he said. “We can head for the cabin anytime you’re ready.”
His words registered in the far recesses of her mind, but she wasn’t ready to act on his suggestion. Before she could say hello to his time, she had to first say goodbye to hers.
With Davis’s whereabouts unknown and his hatred running rampant, necessity screamed for them to make haste. She had little time to bid Olivia and Eva farewell, nor was she allowed to pay her respects to the man who forfeited his life for her. Now that they were safe from Davis’s quest for vengeance, she needed to make peace with her past.
“When my parents went away and never came back, it was easy to believe they were just gone someplace else. A place I could not visit just yet, but it was a beautiful place. Peaceful and free from hate.” She paused, drawing in a deep breath.
“It’s different this time. I watched him die. I felt it. ‘Ashes to ashes…’ You cannot truly comprehend the meaning until you are face to face with it is what I’m trying to say.”
“You’re saying it well. When my mother died, it was hard for me to grasp it. Thinking back, I still see and feel the loss through a child’s eyes. I never imagined someone else would understand.”
“I do.”
“I know.”
A companionable silence stretched between them. After awhile, peace settled over her. She glanced at him and nodded. “I’m ready.”
* * *
The Magnusen cabin held up remarkably well in the twentieth century. After one hundred plus years, the building aged, yet Anders’s fine craftsmanship hadn’t diminished. The cabin obviously weathered the different seasons and the many years since 1860, but the building had grown, too. Anders’s additions expanded to at least three or four new rooms. Just that sight alone was enough to convince her that they really did it. Thor brought her to the future. Her fingers tightened around his. Sadness faded as anticipation took over. She could not wait to see the other changes that time had brought.
“That’s it,” he said, watching her closely, “Anders and Eva’s home. As you can see, it’s not quite what you remember. The changes may feel weird at first, so if you feel overwhelmed just tell me. We can do this at your pace.”
“I’m fine.” Her voice sounded distant and awestruck even to her own ears. Overwhelmed failed to cover half of what she was feeling. She never once doubted his origins, yet the very notion hinted at fantasy…until now.
A large structure with windows all around blocked their path to the cabin. Her eyes widened. She stopped suddenly and pointed. “What’s that?”
“Oh. That’s just Cal’s dirty Bronco.”
“A Bronco?” The word tumbled from her. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but somehow, the term seemed to fit. “What does your brother do with it?”
“He drives it almost like a carriage. Really, it’s more like a wagon. Most people use it to haul big stuff, but Cal only hauls books.”
Her hand hovered near one of the windows. She longed to touch it, but wasn’t sure if she should. Thor nudged her with his elbow.
“Go ahead, but be careful. He hasn’t washed it in months, and God knows what’s stuck to it.”
She pressed her forefinger against the window and trailed a small path down the side. When she pulled her finger away, dirt covered it. She sniffed. The smell was no different from the dirt she was used to. Craning her neck, her curious gaze missed nothing. It was unlike anything she ever saw in Canton. “Where are the horses? Where does he hitch them?”
His responding warm and affectionate laughter rippled through the air. “He doesn’t need horses. The Bronco runs on gasoline. He puts the key into the ignition, and off he goes. You’ll ride in it when he takes us home.”
“You don’t live here?”
“Nah.” He tugged her hand, leading her up the cabin’s steps. “I have a place in Stone Mountain. It’s not too far from here.” He paused at the door. His voice softened. “I think you’ll like it.”
His voice, low and seductive, seeped under her skin, and her body betrayed her. Desire burned a path of fire through her before she could protest. Her breath quickened as her mouth became slack. Thor’s eyes darkened and his face swam before her. Her eyes closed. In an instant, his mouth claimed hers in a sweet kiss, which ended earlier than she wanted when the front door squeaked open and boisterous voices welcomed Thor home.
“Welcome back, son!”
“Wow, knucklehead! You actually did it.”
The two men towered over Willow. Their open stares glowed with friendly curiosity. The older one had shining blue eyes whose shade was the same as Thor’s. The younger one, who stood a few inches taller than Thor, had intelligent, hazel eyes and a wide smile. The older man took her hand and pulled her inside.
“I’m Bo, Thor’s father. You must be Willow.”