What if Willow feared his attraction to her? The thought of forcing himself on her made him sick to his stomach. The food weighed heavy like lead in his belly. What remained on his plate lost its appeal.
He shoved the plate aside. A red haze of anger and disgust at the sadistic institution of slavery flared through him. On impulse, he turned to her and blurted out, “Are you a slave? Are they holding you against your will?”
Chapter Three
“No, sir,” Willow spoke quietly but firmly, “I am not a slave. I am free.”
“Thank God for that!”
His dark gaze penetrated her with its intensity. In the next breath, he pushed himself off the chair and thundered from the cabin. The door rattled on its hinges, as it slammed shut after him.
“What on earth!” Eva blew heavily, fanning herself with the wave of her hand as she stared at the closed door. “What do you suppose that was all about?”
“I don’t know.”
Willow rose and took her plate to the metal bucket beside the back door. The leftovers from her mid-day meal dropped into the tin pail. Her automatic movements gave her mind the freedom to deliberate over Thor’s actions and words.
His inquiry had been exact. Passion burned in his eyes and vibrated his voice. Did he find the tradition of human bondage deplorable and inhuman? Could he be an abolitionist, willing to fight the evils of society with conviction and dedication?
The grating of Eva’s chair across the wooden floor ended Willow’s silent questions. Releasing a slight laugh, she shook her head at her fanciful notions. Just because the man demanded answers from her in such an intense fashion did not by any stretch of her active imagination mean that he was a member of the anti-slavery movement. More than likely, abolition meant nothing to a man such as him at all.
“What are you doing, Miss Eva?” Willow turned away from the tin pail to find that her friend had risen and held an empty plate in her hand. “I’ll take that. You rest yourself. Doc Sully said that you need plenty of rest. So just sit down in that rocking chair over there and—”
“And what? I declare, I’m so bored just sitting and rocking all day. I wish this baby were here already. I’m tired of waiting.”
A quiver of fear trembled in Eva’s voice, overshadowing her impatience. Willow set the plate on the table and then gently rubbed her friend’s shoulders. “You’ll be just fine. The baby will be here in a little while, and all will be well.”
“I get so scared sometimes. When the baby stops moving around, I think that it’s gone like the last one.”
“Hush now. You shouldn’t think like that. Everything will happen the way it’s supposed to. Now go over there and rest. I’m here to help, and I can’t do that with you underfoot.”
Willow folded her arms across her chest and watched while Eva followed her suggestion. Once the mother-to-be settled in the rocking chair, Willow finished her task of cleaning up the dining area. She pushed the remains of Eva’s meal into the pail and then turned to Thor’s plate. Most of the food had been eaten, but not all.
The man had shoveled the meal in as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks instead of days. She couldn’t see herself tossing his plate to the pigs, considering how hungry he had been earlier. She draped a napkin over his plate and set the plate on the stove to keep it warm.
Tending to the remains of Thor’s meal made her thoughts drift to him. A few minutes had passed since he stormed from the cabin. Despite his flirtatious manner, he appeared to be a gentleman. Surely, he would not leave without saying goodbye.
Her stomach fluttered unhappily. An urgent need to see for herself that in his whirlwind of emotion he had not left overcame her. She grabbed the pail of leftovers and called out to Eva, “I’ll be right back.”
Willow paid little attention to the squealing pigs as she tossed their food into the trough. If her lack of conversation saddened them, she failed to notice. Shading her squinting eyes from the afternoon sun, she searched the yard for any sign of Thor. Silently, she cursed her limited eyesight and her forgetfulness. Remembering her spectacles would make life more manageable.
“Looking for me?”
Her skirt brushed against him as she whipped around. Willow’s flesh tingled from the caress of his breath, so warm against her cheek. Heat flowed from his body to hers even though a few inches separated them.
Willow lifted her chin to look boldly into his eyes. His earlier wild disposition appeared subdued. Concern, confusion, and a hint of avid interest filled his intense stare.
Her heart pounded. Never had one person baffled and affected her so. This stranger’s power over her senses frighteningly excited her.
“I—I was feeding the pigs.”
“Liar.”
He reached for the pail, his hand sliding over hers. Strong, caressing fingertips lingered on her knuckles far longer than necessary. A tingling sensation coursed through her hand and caused her to gasp in surprise. She stepped back and turned away.
The handle of the pail clattered. From the sound, she knew that he had set it on the ground. He crossed in front of her. His hand tugged on the fence railing of the pigpen, testing the wood’s sturdiness. Soon after, he pulled himself up and sat on the wooden plank.
“I saw you looking around after you fed the pigs.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “Listen, Willow, I hope I didn’t offend you at the creek. I have a habit of acting on impulse.”
“You didn’t scare me.” His quiet admission oddly flattered her. “Your candor surprised me is all, sir.”
“Please, don’t do that. Don’t call me Sir. Call me Thor.”
Her breath lodged in her throat. “Even with freedom, there are still some liberties that are not extended to me.”
An unpleasant scowl darkened his face, but he nodded in acceptance. “What about in private? You don’t have to be so formal with me. It’s not necessary.”
“Very well.” She found herself trusting him. Looking down at the tuffs of grass near her feet, she murmured, “In private.”
Willow dawdled near the fence. With her task of feeding the pigs completed, she had no real reason for remaining outside. Yet, she couldn’t leave.
The earlier questions about his possible involvement in the anti-slavery movement tormented her. She wanted desperately to get answers for them. The unknown strengthened her hesitation.
What if he were a spy? The movement demanded secrecy. She dared not let anything slip. If he were not for the cause, many lives would be endangered. Perhaps, it would be best to leave her questions unanswered.
Words of departure rested on the tip of her tongue, then she discovered him watching her. The heat of his gaze burned into her straight through to her heart. She couldn’t look away even if she wanted to.
“I’m sorry for my actions at the table. You set a fine meal, and I almost ruined it. It’s just that…well, I needed to know.”
“Why?”
“I don’t have a real reason.” He broke his stare to look at the trail. “I’ve been out here trying to figure out what happened and what brought me here. I keep waiting for Cal to wake me up and tell me to quit dreaming. But when I look at you and this place,” he said, turning his gaze to her again, “I know this is all real. I just don’t know what I’m doing here, Willow. I just don’t know.”
“You’re Mr. Anders’s relation, you said. Aren’t you visiting him and Miss Eva?”
“Maybe that’s it,” he said quietly, “But I know they’ll be fine. I can’t see them as the reason for this hurdle through time.”
“Hurdle through time? I don’t understand.”
His eyes darkened. The piercing stare returned. “I think you do. You may not realize it all at first, but deep down you know that I’m not like most of the men around here. I’m not like any of the men you know.”
“Sir!”
Thor jumped from the fence. He didn’t touch her, but the look on his face told her he wanted to. Roughly, he shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I didn’t mean it in that way, Willow. I meant in how I act. To you, I must seem forward and brash. I’m not shy about my attraction to you despite the difference in our skin color. My time made me the man that I am, and I’m not ashamed of it. I just wish I knew why I’m here.”
His statements bordered on insanity, but the truth resonated in his declaration. He simply was unlike any white man she knew.
His clothing resembled the general store’s offering, but the material was finer, softer. His shoes were odd, white with a slash of red on both sides. His way with words…the intensity of his emotion… Everything about him left her dumbfounded.
“I don’t know what to say to ease your mind. How did you come to be near the creek if you hadn’t intended to visit Miss Eva and Mr. Anders? Isn’t Mr. Anders your kin?”
“I stayed up all night, working on a watch my Pop gave me. He and my brother, Cal, went fishing and I took a walk. I sat down near the old creek and checked the pocket watch. It was still working when I fell asleep. The next thing I know, someone’s humming,” he answered. “Yes, Anders and Eva are family, and since I’m here now, I guess I’m supposed to visit them.”
“You said that your time was different. What did you mean by that?”
“I’m from the future. The year was 1985 where I come from.”
“That’s over a hundred years from now! Maybe you should come back inside to finish your plate.”
She spun on her heel, intent on grabbing the pail and going back inside the cabin. His ramblings were almost un-Christian.
Nineteen hundred and eighty-five?
Time travel was simply impossible! Passage from the South to the North was hazardous enough. His journey must have been harrowing for him to fabricate such tall tales. Surely, a heaping plate of collards and hot water cornbread would settle him and calm his senses.
Willow never reached the bucket. Thor grabbed her arm and whirled her around to face him. “I’m not so hungry that I’m hallucinating. I can give you proof.”
She looked pointedly at his hand. After he released her, she met his gaze and said, “Proof.”
“Okay. Can you read?”
He hesitated, ready if she took flight. When she didn’t move, he stuck his hand into his back pocket. A flat, black pouch made of leather rested in the palm of his hand. He opened it and pulled out a small, square card.
“Look at that.” He gave her the unusual object. “It’s a driver’s license. There’s my birthday. Nineteen fifty-seven was the year I was born. See my color photo. That’s my identification. I have a few credit cards in here, but they won’t mean as much as my driver’s license. Do you believe me now?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’ve never heard about anything like this,” she murmured.
Willow held the card close to her face. Her gaze absorbed the information that the tiny license held. A thumb-sized representation of Thor’s face swam before her eyes. His features were fierce and his blue eyes twinkled.
Quickly she memorized the details before handing the card back. “I suppose I believe you, but I don’t understand it. If you are from the future, what are you doing here? Now?”
“I don’t know!” he exclaimed in a hoarse whisper. “I think the watch brought me here. I went back to the creek to look for it, but it wasn’t there.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure, you can’t tell anyone what you’ve told me and that includes your kin. Talk about coming from the future would raise hackles up on some folks. They’d lock you up or maybe something worse.”
He gave her a faint smile. “We’ll keep it between us then. I knew I could trust you.”
The warmth of his voice sent quivers up and down her spine. Her thoughts spun and her senses reeled, leaving her dizzy and confused. She needed to put some distance between him and the wanton urges he stirred inside her. Stooping down, she grabbed the pail by its handle and swiftly turned to the rear of the cabin.
“I’d best go back inside now. Your plate is warming on the stove should you get hungry again.”
“Thank you, Willow.”
“You’re welcome…Thor.” Then she hurried inside the cabin.
* * *
Thor apologized to the women for his earlier abrupt departure, and then spent the day communing with nature and reacquainting himself with manual labor.
The afternoon sun was warm and its golden beams, energizing. Strangely invigorated, he searched for something to do. The pigpen needed mucking. He grabbed a shovel and went to work. Thor soon found himself working harder than he had since the football training camp of nineteen eighty-four.
The rambunctious pigs rutted and frolicked around him. His rubber-soled athletic shoes failed to provide the necessary traction. Outmatched by the mud and the playful pigs, he slipped. Loud squeals of protest echoed in the quiet air. The women rushed out of the cabin to investigate.
Thor guessed he must have looked a sight to the women. Flat on his behind in a pile of mud with pigs running back and forth in an uproar, he couldn’t fault them for laughing at his predicament.
“Oh, my!” Eva pressed her hand against her mouth as her body shook with mirth. Shaking her head, she waved her hand at Thor before disappearing inside the cabin again.