Lightning Only Strikes Twice (8 page)

“Hello, Willie.” She looked at the older boy and his sister. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember your names.”

The oldest boy stepped forward, puffing out his little chest. “I’m Kevin Beacher and this is our sister, Susie.”

“Well, Kevin, Susie, and Willie, I’m glad I got a chance to thank you before I go home.”

“Where do you live?” Susie asked.

“In Boise,” Annie answered. “As a matter of fact, I’m leaving now to make it home before midnight. It’ll be a long drive.”

Uh oh. Luke moved in to intervene.

“Midnight? Tonight?” Willie asked.

Annie nodded. “Yes.”

Willie frowned and turned to his brother. “I thought Pa said it took two days to get to Boise.”

“Pa’s right. It does,” Kevin said.

Three pair of curious eyes gazed up at her as if they expected her to explain.

Annie stared back, speechless at their innocent observation.

“Miss Annie is a still little confused.” Luke told the kids. He touched her elbow. “I’m going to take her to stay with Mr. and Mrs. Crawford until she feels better.” He tipped his hat. “If you’ll excuse us.”

Susie giggled.

Kevin tugged on Willie’s shirt. “Come on. Ma’s waitin’ for us.” The kids ran passed them and down the street.

Annie stared after the children. “They really believe this stuff, don’t they?” She turned wide-eyed to look at Luke. “How’d you get them to play along?”

He answered as gently as he could. “I didn’t do anything, Annie. It’s not a game.”

He saw the moment the truth of his words sank in.

She started to sway and latched onto his forearm to keep upright. “You honestly believe this is real.”

“I swear, Annie, I wish it wasn’t.”

“But how? Why?”

“I don’t know.” He swallowed hard. “I’ve told you about my theory. That’s all I have right now.”

“No,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry, Annie, but unless we can figure out how to return, we’re trapped here for the rest of our lives.”

A muffled sound of distress bubbled past her lips. She teetered on her feet.

Luke caught her just as she collapsed.

Chapter Five

An annoying chirping sound penetrated Annie’s dream. She rolled over and pressed a lumpy pillow over her head to muffle the birdsong. She could still hear it. The bumpy mattress wasn’t comfortable either. So much for a few minutes of extra sleep. With a silent oath to do bodily harm to the bird if it didn’t shut up, she flung back the covers to get ready for work.

She stood, tripped on her long nightdress and landed hard on rough-hewn planks. Pushing to her feet, she looked around the dimly lit room.

A sense of foreboding stole over her. This sparsely furnished bedroom wasn’t hers.

Pale morning light filtered through the linen curtains that covered the small window next to the single bed.

In her bedroom, the dresser was next to the window with venetian blinds. Whose house was this?

She examined the nightdress. Not hers, either.

A single step brought her to the window. She drew back the curtain and looked out. A dirt-filled yard lay several feet below. Like her room in Boise, this one was on the second floor.

As she raised her gaze, she noticed the pre-dawn landscape was surrounded by a close mountain range. Beyond the mountains, the sky had lightened to a washed-out blue.

She couldn’t see the bird that woke her but knew it was out there somewhere. The obnoxious morning song hadn’t stopped.

Events from the previous day rushed through her mind in a sequence of flashes. The kids. The doctor. Luke. His kiss.

Annie shivered as she pressed her fingers to her lips. Last night hadn’t been a dream. She
was
in another place. Yet, she refused to believe she’d been thrust back into the past.

She still couldn’t remember the details between Luke’s presentation and returning to White Rock for the Founders’ Day celebration. How could she have forgotten so much? What had happened to her?

Luke Maxwell had some explaining to do. Apparently, after she collapsed last night, he’d taken it upon himself to find her a room. The joke had gone on long enough. She was ready to go home and prepared to battle anyone who stood in her way.

A quiet knock at the door startled her.

Her heart pounded in her throat and she chided herself for being so jumpy. Although the nightdress covered her from neck to toe, she grabbed a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Miss Crawford?” a soft feminine voice called.

“Yes?”

“Are you okay? May I come in?” The latch turned. The door swung inward with a loud creak.

Annie backed against the wall, clutching her chest to calm her pounding heart.

A blond-haired pixie-faced woman peered around the corner. “I thought I heard you stirring,” she said.

Embarrassment heated Annie’s cheeks. The woman was no older than herself and at least half a head shorter. She couldn’t possibly be a threat.

Annie relaxed a little and stepped away from the wall. “I tripped getting out of bed. I’m sorry about the noise.”

The woman entered, a frown etched on her pretty features. “Did you hurt yourself?”

The woman’s dress was in the same period style Annie saw yesterday. The clothing was like something out of the 1800s. Surely, the celebrations would be over by now.

For a moment, she considered Luke Maxwell might have been telling the truth, but then dismissed the silly notion. Time travel was the stuff of science fiction movies.

“No. I’m not hurt.” Annie brushed grit off her palms. “Well, maybe my pride. That was clumsy of me to trip.”

The woman smiled. “You can’t possibly be as awkward as me.” She patted her rounded, protruding belly.

An innate sadness filled the woman’s eyes, yet there was something endearing about her that Annie liked immediately. From the bulge in the woman’s middle, Annie guessed she was close to having the baby. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“You didn’t.” The woman laughed. The sound was pleasant, like water trickling over rocks. “I don’t sleep much these days.” She patted her belly again. “As soon as junior gets here, getting around will be easier. But I expect I still won’t get much rest.”

“When are you due?” Annie asked.

“Next month,” the woman said. “Oh Lordy, where are my manners?” She held out her hand. “I’m Elizabeth Crawford.”

Elizabeth Crawford
. The name echoed through Annie’s mind. It had to be a coincidence. This woman couldn’t possibly be her great-great grandmother.

A buzz grew in her ears as the dizziness started again. She reached out to steady herself and found the woman’s delicate hand in hers. It was so slight, Annie was afraid to clasp too hard.

“My name’s Annie…” Her own voice sounded as though it came from a distance.

“…Crawford. Yes, I know. My husband told me you might be related.”

“I’m not sure.” As Annie released Elizabeth’s hand, the dizziness faded. “Can you tell me where I am?” she asked.

“Goodness.” Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. “Don’t you know?”

Annie was reluctant to answer. Time travel wasn’t possible. And yet, she couldn’t deny something very strange had happened. “I bumped my head yesterday. I guess I’m a bit disoriented.”

“Perhaps you should sit for moment.” Elizabeth led Annie to a chair. “You’re in our house, here in White Rock. Do you remember coming to White Rock?”

Annie shook her head. She wanted to remember, but couldn’t. Even more curious was a sense she shouldn’t say too much. It took effort to quell the questions hovering on her lips. If she asked what year this was, would Elizabeth think she was really sick and insist she go to the doctor? If her memory didn’t return, she might not have a choice.

For now, she’d just play along with whatever was happening. On the remote chance Luke was right, there must be rules about the space-time continuum she shouldn’t break. Of course, her only reference was what she’d seen in movies.

Then she realized if she
had
traveled back in time, she’d probably broken every law that existed. What if she changed her own future by interacting with her relatives?

She closed her eyes. Why was she thinking like this? None of this was real.

“Well, don’t worry your head about it,” Elizabeth said. “We’ll make sure you get some rest. You’ll feel better in no time.”

Annie doubted that. She felt disadvantaged by the circumstances and wanted nothing more than to go home. She pulled the blanket tighter around her. “I don’t want to impose on you.”

Elizabeth waved a hand at the objection. “You’re no trouble. Besides, where else would you go?” She crossed to the bed, smoothed the covers, and fluffed the pillow as she made the bed. “It must have been hard to lose your only family.”

“How’d you know about my grandfather?”

“Paul told me.” Elizabeth turned, distress written across her face. “Oh dear, I hope I didn’t bring up hurtful memories.”

“He’s only been gone a few months, but I’m getting along.” Annie didn’t quite understand her desire to assure the other woman.

“Did your grandfather raise you?”

“Yes,” Annie replied. “My parents died when I was very young.” A car accident that also killed her grandmother, leaving Annie and her grandfather with only each other.

“You poor thing,” Elizabeth said. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.” Annie was unwilling to discuss it further.

The people she’d met so far had been nice, but this wasn’t her life. She wondered what would happen if she simply walked away? Found her car and drove home?

“Do you mind if I sit?” Elizabeth asked as she gestured to the bed. “I’m not able to stand as long as I used to.”

Annie cringed with guilt. “Of course. It’s your home.” It was obvious Elizabeth was pregnant. Just because she was playing a role, Annie didn’t need to be rude to her.

Elizabeth sank to the mattress with a sigh and fanned herself with an open hand. “I swear, this child has plumb worn me out.”

“Can I get you something?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I just need to sit a spell before I start breakfast.”

“Let me help you.” Annie had no idea where the impulse to volunteer came from. Maybe because she’d been raised with better manners and here she was being selfish in her own misery. “It’s the least I can do for putting me up for the night.”

Besides, if the people in this town were play-acting she was curious to see how far they’d go. It might be fun to pretend she lived in the past, to be more than a faceless person in a busy city. Once the playacting was over, though, she had to leave. Missing overtime on a Sunday was one thing, she couldn’t miss work Monday.

“That’s not necessary,” Elizabeth said. “You should rest, especially with that bump on your head.”

“I’m feeling much better.”

Elizabeth looked doubtful.

“I promise to take it easy,” Annie said. As soon as breakfast was over, she’d find a way out of this place.

“If you’re feeling it up to it, then we’d better get started.” Elizabeth stood. “I could use the help. Paul is out milking and feeding the cow before church.” She glanced shyly at Annie. “Will you be joining us for services?”

Annie stood as well. “I…I don’t know.” She hadn’t been to church since she was child. Even in a reenactment, she suspected worship services were taken seriously. Hours sitting on a wooden pew. Annie wasn’t planning to hang around that long. Would it be impolite to refuse? Would the Crawfords be offended?

What she thinking? So what if they
were
offended. This was all make-believe.

Elizabeth slanted a glance in Annie’s direction. “Luke Maxwell will be there. I’m sure he’d like to see you.”

That startled Annie. Luke? At church? The man was full of surprises.

She recalled his kiss. Heat warmed her cheeks. He’d only kissed her to prevent her from screaming. The shock of contact probably hadn’t fazed him.

She, on the other hand, had melted like snow in June. He must have thought she’d never been kissed before. “I’m sure Mr. Maxwell wouldn’t attend church just to see me.”

“Well, of course not. He attends every Sunday.”

The gentle rebuke shamed her. Jumping to conclusions wasn’t something she typically did. This whole situation had affected her normal good manners.

“He goes every Sunday?” That seemed out of character for Luke, but then she didn’t really know him.

“Well, almost every Sunday,” Elizabeth amended. “I think he missed a few right after he moved to town.”

“Mr. Maxwell lives in White Rock? I thought he lived in Boise.”

“Oh, no. He moved here a couple of months ago. It seems like Paul and I have known him for years. He’s building a new schoolhouse for the youngsters.” Elizabeth walked to the door.

“A schoolhouse?” The Maxwell Development Annie knew didn’t build schools. The elite development company only built premier, high-priced homes.

“Isn’t it great?” Elizabeth smiled. Her eyes twinkled as she talked about the schoolhouse. “The kids have had to meet in the church but the pastor doesn’t like them playing on the grounds. Luke fronted the money for all the building materials. He’s supervising the construction.”

“That’s very generous of Mr. Maxwell.” It was the least he could do with some of his wealth. Since he rebuilt the entire town, a schoolhouse should be part of the deal.

Elizabeth took a robe off a wall hook and handed it to Annie. “Here, this will keep you decent until you can change.”

Annie looked around the room. “Change into what?”

“Oh, Luke bought you something to wear,” Elizabeth said over her shoulder as she headed out of the bedroom.

Luke Maxwell bought her clothes? He went to church on Sundays? Something was definitely out of kilter. She hoped she’d get to the bottom of it soon, otherwise she might have no choice but to believe she’d actually traveled back in time.

Annie took off the blanket and folded it. As she laid it on the bed, she marveled at how everything felt so real. From the little room and this bed, to the way Elizabeth spoke. What would the rest of the day bring?