Lightning Only Strikes Twice (33 page)

“Such as?” Luke prompted.

Arnold took a deep breath. “One night we were playing poker.” He grinned sheepishly. “We’d both had a bit too much to drink and poor Rick didn’t hold his liquor well. The stakes got out of hand. Before either of us knew what we were doing, we’d run out money. Being stupid drunk, neither of us quit.” He stopped and reached for his water.

Annie recalled the poker cards she’d found in her grandfather’s chest. They were in her purse. She’d plan to decipher the writing at work. She realized now she wouldn’t have to.

Luke’s father held the answer—an answer she didn’t want to hear. She preempted Arnold’s next words. “My grandfather gambled away the property, didn’t he?”

She felt Luke’s stare. Ignoring him, she opened her purse and withdrew the envelope that held the cards. One at a time, she laid out the hand. When she reached the ace of spades, she held it up.

“That’s the one,” Arnold said with nod.

“What is it?” Luke crossed the room to stand beside her.

“It’s an IOU.” Annie laid it on the bed with other cards.

Her breath came too quickly. Tears threatened, but she refused to let them fall. She stood.

“That’s what you wanted to tell me isn’t it?” Arnold Maxwell’s face blurred as she stared at him. “The land was never mine to sell. I’ve taken money for property that doesn’t belong to me.”

He nodded.

She rushed on. “I’m sorry—until just now I didn’t know. But not knowing doesn’t excuse my actions.”

Taking a deep breath, she searched for strength to say what had to be said. “My grandfather
was
a cheat. So am I.” Unable to face her accuser any longer, she hurried from the room.

“Annie!” Luke called. “Wait!”

As the door started to close, she heard Luke’s father say, “Leave her be, son.”

****

Luke turned to his father. “You’re a bastard.”

“Watch your mouth, boy.”

Luke stared at the empty doorway. “I need to go after her.” He headed toward the door.

“I said, leave her be.” The command, although spoken with a weakened voice, was forceful enough to stop Luke in his tracks.

“Why?”

“Because she needs to come to terms with what her grandfather did. She can’t do that if you’re there coddling her and clouding her judgment.”

Luke glared at the old man and tried to remain calm. His father was ill—had been at death’s door. Yet, he wanted to condemn his dad for destroying Annie’s heroic image of her grandfather. She had worshiped Richard Crawford, the man who’d taken her in when her parents had died.

“Why in hell did you have to hurt her like that?”

“Because when she hears the rest, she’ll be ready to accept it.”

“Accept what?” Luke looked over at his father.

“It’s like she said. She didn’t own the land. The money Maxwell Development paid her for the property doesn’t belong to her.” Although the statement was harsh, the tone in which his father spoke was uncharacteristically gentle.

Confused by the contradiction, Luke could only shake his head. “You’re telling me she has to give the money back?” He took a breath. “I won’t do it. I’m not going to let her out of the contract.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

“I don’t understand.”

Before Luke’s father could answer, the nurse strode in.

“Time’s up.” She gave Luke her don’t-argue-with-me stare.

Luke glared at his father, who shrugged. “I expect to see both of you in a couple of hours.”

The nurse frowned as she looked from one to the other, but didn’t say anything.

“Count on it,” Luke growled and left his father in the nurse’s care.

On a hunch, he found Annie in the small chapel on the first floor.

Her features looked frozen as she stared at a large wooden cross on the wall.

He slipped quietly onto the pew beside her.

She didn’t move or acknowledge his presence.

“I’m sorry. My father had no right—”

“It wasn’t his fault.” A tear slid down her cheek, unheeded. “I should have gone through Grandpa’s papers more carefully.” She sniffed and took a tissue from her pocket to wipe her nose. “I’m sure there’s something that proves he didn’t own the property.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “I didn’t know. I never meant to cheat you.”

Luke ached to gather her to him. He wanted to tell her that no one cheated. He didn’t care if the story his father spun was true or not. It happened so long ago, it didn’t matter.

Except he could see how much it mattered to Annie. Her honesty had been called into question. That was something he couldn’t restore with a hug and kiss.

He had to prove to her that she hadn’t cheated him or his father. Somewhere there must be evidence she missed.

“Did you go through the papers like you planned last night?” he asked.

She nodded. “I couldn’t find anything different than I already knew. Only those cards. Until now, I didn’t realize their significance.”

“It was a stupid game. Played by two old men who should’ve known better.”

“My grandfather was always strict about honesty. How could he have lived with this lie all his life?”

“Maybe he didn’t think it was a lie,” Luke reasoned. “Maybe there’s something you overlooked. Do you have all the property papers in one place?”

She sniffed. “Yes. I organized them last night.”

Luke took her hand. “Come on. I’ll help you go through them again. We’ll get to the bottom of this together.”

The drive to Annie’s home was silent. Luke wanted to assure her that she had nothing to worry about. No matter what the circumstances, he’d take care of her. However, if there was one thing he’d learned about Annie it was that she took pride in her integrity and in her family’s honor.

She came from a long line of hardworking, honest people. She wouldn’t allow that a member of her family had defrauded another human being.

She’d do everything in her power to make it right. If he tried to take that away from her—if he made her keep the money from the sale, then she’d never believe he’d want to marry her for anything more than the land.

With a start, he realized he still wanted to marry her. What had started out in White Rock as a way to connect to someone from his own time, had morphed into something deeper—something he’d never expected to feel. Love.

There must be a way to verify she’d owned the property fair and square. More than her family’s honor was at stake. This was his battle too.

He parked in Annie’s driveway.

She opened the door, before he turned off the engine. Without waiting for him, she headed straight inside.

Luke followed, not sure what he could do, but determined to try anything.

Annie raced up the stairs leaving him in the doorway.

He glanced around the modest living room before following her. Packing boxes half filled with wrapped items were stacked in the center of the room. He marveled at how close she’d been to leaving town. If his dad hadn’t come here…if Annie hadn’t saved his life…Luke might not have ever seen her again.

He hurried upstairs to find her. The first bedroom he passed was distinctly feminine. Annie’s room. He glanced inside. She wasn’t there, but her scent lingered. The tantalizing aroma of lavender called to him as it had the first day they’d met. He took a deep breath, savoring that moment and all it had come to mean. He smiled and moved back into the hall.

Shuffling noises drew him to the only other bedroom.

He found Annie sitting between a large cedar chest and a couple of cardboard boxes. The chest sat ajar. A file folder opened on her lap.

“This is where all the property papers were kept.” She held up another folder. “This one holds the original offer letters from your company.” She held them both out to Luke. “I don’t think you’ll find anything in there. The deeds are copies of the originals I gave your company at the final sale.”

Luke took the folders and opened one. It contained letters from his father to Richard Crawford with offers to purchase the land. That alone should be proof enough that his father believed Richard Crawford owned the land. He checked the date. It was just after Annie had come to live with Richard. This must have been part of the original offer, before his father and Richard Crawford went back to 1899.

When he looked further through the file, there were no other offers.

The next file, however, contained the documents he hoped he’d find. Each notice was filed in date order. It wasn’t complete, but there was over fifty years of property tax receipts. They ran from 1958 to last year. The one for this year sat on top. Unpaid.

Annie must have sensed Luke’s sudden interest in the notices.

“What is it?” she asked glancing up from the file in her hand.

“The property taxes,” he replied. His heart came alive with the possibility that these notices would spare Annie the anguish of losing her family’s honor.

“Oh.” She seemed to deflate. “That’s one of the reasons I sold the property. I got that notice the day I buried Grandpa. I found the file with last year’s notice to compare. He must have saved his social security all year long to make the payments.”

She stood and brushed off her slacks. “I couldn’t afford those taxes on top of all the other debts plus my living expenses. When I found the offer letter from your company, I made the call.” She shrugged. “The rest you know.”

Luke smiled at her, feeling a weight lift off his chest. “This is all the proof we need to show you owned the land free and clear.”

Annie frowned. “What do you mean? It just taxes.”

“Taxes your grandfather paid. He never missed a year after his father died.”

“But the IOU…”

“Doesn’t mean a thing if your grandfather paid taxes on the property he owned,” he interrupted.

Annie shook her head. “That’s not true. The card proves my grandfather lost the land in a poker game.”

“Who’s going to believe it?” Luke said. “No court in the state would consider listening to such outlandish evidence.”

As far as Luke was concerned, Annie had every right to sell the land. It was hers by inheritance. “No one’s going to hold you to a gambling debt made in 1899, by two old men who traveled back in time.”

“I do. And so does your father.”

Her comment stopped Luke cold. He saw the resolve on her face. The gambling debt was the other reason Arnold Maxwell had gone to see Annie. At the time, he couldn’t have proved he’d won the land in a poker game. The only other recourse Arnold had to gain the upper hand was to insist Annie stop seeing Luke.

An icy cold settle over Luke as he realized Annie would walk away from everything they shared because of that one fact.

“Annie, please. See reason. You owned the land.”

“I didn’t. Neither did Grandpa.” She began packing up the papers and returning them to the boxes. “But I’ll pay you back.”

“I don’t want you to pay me back.” He knelt beside her, grasping both her hands so she had to stop shuffling the files. “I want
you
, Annie. I love
you
.”

Tears filled her eyes. “How can you love a cheat?”

“You’re not a cheat. You’re the most honest person I know.” He reached up and cradled her cheek. “Do you hear me? I love you. Nothing else matters.”

“How do I know you’re not still trying to protect me like you were in White Rock? That you’re not taking on more obligation? Maybe you think it’s love because of what we shared, but you’ll always wonder if I’m after your money.” She pulled free. “I couldn’t bear it if you began to doubt me.”

“I’ll admit what we shared was extraordinary,” Luke said. “But what I feel for you isn’t obligation. You have to believe I would never doubt you.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “We can work this out. Come with me to the hospital. My father said he has more to tell us that may solve this whole mess.”

She pulled her hands free. “I don’t think I can take any more today. You should go and be with him.”

****

Luke looked disconsolate. “Please. Don’t give up,” he said. “I know you still love me.”

She’d never been able to deny him. If she didn’t walk away now, while she still could, she’d fall into his arms.

Would that be such a bad thing? He said he loved her. Why couldn’t she just take what he offered?

She swallowed the pain. Someday, when the sparkle wore off, he would hate her for coming between him and his father. He wouldn’t be able to help himself. She refused to put him in that position. “I’m sorry.” Her voice caught. “I’m doing this because I love you.”

Luke’s face hardened.

Annie realized he finally understood.

“Then at least have the guts to come back with me and tell my father to his face that you’re paying back the money.”

She shuddered. Her empty stomach churned at the thought of facing Arnold Maxwell in his moment of triumph over her and her grandfather.

Luke was right. She had to face the consequences. Perhaps her confession would speed his recovery. Luke would have his father for a few more years. It was the least she could do make things right.

With a slow nod, she agreed. “Okay.”

****

“It’s about time you two showed up again,” Arnold Maxwell said as they entered the room. “I was beginning to think I’d have to come and get you.” He looked at Luke.

Luke glared back.

Arnold looked at Annie for a moment, then at Luke. “What’s happened?”

Luke crossed the room and stood at the foot of his father’s bed. “Annie has something she wants to tell you,” he said, gesturing for her to stand beside his father.

Making her face his father was cruel. What she was doing to him—denying him a lifetime of love with her by his side—was just as cruel. Couldn’t she see that?

He hoped she lacked the courage to confront his father. Or by some miracle, his father would relent on the property issue. Unfortunately, he knew that neither was likely happen and he lose the only woman he’d ever truly loved to some stupid trick of fate.

“Well?” his father said to Annie.

“You were right, Mr. Maxwell.” She swallowed and looked his father squarely in the eyes.