Finding Your Love (A Town Lost in Time Book 2) Page 8

  Luke hardly noticed Mrs. Jackson’s delicious dinner as he marveled at the imaginative future Emily and Leigh depicted.

  “Satellites,” he repeated. “Communications satellites in the sky. A scientific space station that flies above the clouds and encircles the world. What marvelous ideas!”

  He nodded approvingly at Emily, who had just described the said space station, and he wished for a brief moment that he too could stare up at the sky at night and watch a bright light fly overhead at speeds above seventeen thousand miles per hour. Emily reported she had watched the lights of the space station as it flew overhead on many occasions.

  “Oh, you have no idea what an exciting future we have in store for us!” Emily said.

  Luke noted that Emily’s cheeks glowed a delightful peach color as she and Leigh discussed the world in their time. She seemed to come alive during the conversation, as she had not before. Animated and vivacious with a confidence she had not shown previously, she appeared happy. To her credit, she had been thrust into a strange situation not of her making.

  Privately, Luke prided himself on his growing tolerance for that very situation. He still considered the entire concept of time travel a disorderly bit of pandemonium, but the prospect of such new and innovative things as Emily and Leigh related did excite the imagination.

  “There! See?” Leigh exclaimed. “You look a little more comfortable, Luke. I hoped you would when we were able to tell you about the future. There’s nothing to be worried about. We’re just normal people with two arms and two legs.”

  Luke’s face heated up. “Of course, I thought nothing different,” he murmured. He dropped his eyes to his food. The truth was, he did not consider Emily or Leigh, or Katherine for that matter, as “normal people,” as Leigh described. They were not normal. Some supernatural singularity had catapulted them through time to Kaskade. Kaskade itself no longer held comfort for him but seemed to be a living, breathing entity in and of itself, separate from the residents.

  He wished himself well away from the matter, from the town, from the time travelers.

  “No, of course he thought nothing of the kind,” Jeremiah said.

  Luke had a sudden thought, not a pleasant one. “Do you think that Kaskade is the only town taking people from the future? Are there time travelers in Tacoma, for instance?”

  Jeremiah lifted a dark eyebrow as if in inquiry, and Luke regretted the question. He had not yet received answers to his letters and did not want to discuss his future plans.

  “Not that we are aware of, but I suppose if there were time travelers in Tacoma or any other city, they might guard that information as well. Why do you inquire about Tacoma specifically?”

  Luke shrugged. “No reason. Perhaps because it is the nearest large city. I speculate about Seattle as well.”

  Jeremiah turned to Leigh. “You noted time travel is considered to be a fiction in the future as well, didn’t you, Leigh?”

  “Yes, they write books and make movies about it, but no one has managed to do it yet that we know about.”

  Luke seized on the strange word to change the subject. “Movies?”

  “Films, talking pictures,” Leigh said. “I really can’t explain the mechanics of how they’re done, but you’ve seen photographs. They’ve managed to photograph people in motion, speaking, moving, singing and dancing. We call them films or movies. They’re a great form of entertainment.”

  “Films, yes,” Luke said. “We have something similar now. No speaking or singing, as you mention, but I saw a short film only last year at a Tacoma theater before a play.”

  “Oh! I didn’t know you had movies!” Leigh said, turning to Jeremiah.

  “I am afraid I was not aware either.”

  “That’s exciting,” she said. “It will be wonderful to watch the advances that I know are coming.”

  Jeremiah gave his wife a look of such profound affection that Luke felt he and Emily intruded on the couple’s private moment. He glanced at Emily to see that she watched him with a tentative smile on her lips. He nodded before looking away. Emily Alexander was a beautiful woman, but he wished to maintain the distance between them that he had established. She was what she was—an oddity, something otherworldly, and while he was sympathetic to her experience, he did not wish to grow closer.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw the smile fade from Emily’s lips, and he inured himself against the guilt he felt. He had found her, had delivered her to a safe place and had done all that he needed to do for her. He was not indebted to Emily, was not her savior or even a friend, for that matter. He knew her secret, and he would keep it. Beyond that, Luke truly had no further responsibility to her.

  He repeated those words to himself silently for the rest of the dinner. Luke left soon after dessert, declining after-dinner coffee with the excuse that he had to rise early. He thanked the Cooks for their hospitality and turned his back on Leigh’s disappointed expression and Emily’s look of confusion. He could have been wrong about their emotions though. He did not know either woman well enough to decipher their expressions in any meaningful way. After all, perhaps women of the twenty-first century felt differently than did women in his time. Perhaps they manifested emotions differently. How could he know?

  Luke strode back toward the boardinghouse, stopping occasionally to look up at the sky. An unusually clear night, he scanned the stars to see if any moved. Although some twinkled, all remained still, unmoving, and he rather thought he would enjoy having the same condition in his life—still and unmoving, absent of chaos and turmoil.

  Martha greeted him upon his arrival back at the boardinghouse, and she invited him to the kitchen for a cup of tea. He joined her, desirous of spending time with someone who seemed normal.

  “Have you been at work?” she asked, setting two cups of tea on the kitchen table. “Are you hungry? I do have some food left over.”

  Luke pulled out a chair and sat. “No, I was invited to dine at Dr. Cook’s house and have just now returned.”

  “How nice! How is Emily? Was she there?” Martha sat down across from Luke.

  “She is adjusting, I believe.”

  Martha spooned sugar into her tea. “In what way? I have not met her yet. Is she unhappy to be here?”

  “She was when I initially met her, but in the intervening week, she seems to have adjusted.”

  “Yes, you said that. In what way?”

  “She does not appear unhappy. She and Dr. Cook’s wife appear to have grown close, and Dr. Cook seems very enamored of his wife, so anything that makes her happy must make him content.”

  Luke noted a shadow cross Martha’s face. “Indeed,” she said.

  He did not like to ask, but they were living in strange times where too many secrets abounded.

  “Martha, what troubles you? Your face darkened when I mentioned Dr. Cook.”

  She raised crystal blue eyes from her tea. “The one that got away,” she said with a crooked smile. “I did not realize that I liked Jeremiah as much as I did.”

  Luke caught his breath. “I am so sorry, my dear. I did not realize that you have a fondness for him.”

  “Had, Luke. That is in the past. That must pass. Dr. Jeremiah Cook has moved on.”

  Luke sighed. “For some reason, I thought marriage was not in your plans. Was I wrong to think that?”

  Her lips widened into a soft smile. “Yes, you were wrong to think that. I am very busy, but I did hope to marry one day. Perhaps I will.”

  “If that is your wish, then it is my fervent hope that you do!”

  “And you, Luke? Don’t you wish for marriage?”

  Emily’s face sprang unbidden to his mind. “No, I do not think so. I had contemplated the notion of marriage before but have met no one who would be suitable.”

  Martha’s cheeks reddened, and she blinked. Luke suspected she might be reacting to the hot tea.

  “So severe as that?” she asked. “Suitable?”

  “No, I really think
marriage is not for me.” He hesitated, then addressed something that had troubled him. “Did you know that Jeremiah Cook and his wife feel that these time travelers are brought back specifically to...em...mate with someone from Kaskade?”

  Martha’s head jerked up, and her mouth opened in surprise. “Mate?” she repeated. “Oh my word!”

  “Exactly!”

  “Did Jeremiah use the term ‘mate’?”

  “No, I do not believe that he did. Nor did Leigh, but the theory was there all the same. Katherine was found by John near the church. Now they are married. Leigh was found near Jeremiah’s home. Now they are married.”

  “And you found Emily near the school,” Martha said softly.

  “Yes, as it happens, I did. But she could have been found by anyone working late.”

  “You are the only teacher who works that late at night, Luke.”

  “Mere coincidence.”

  “Do you think Kaskade brought Emily back in time as a...companion for you?”

  “I certainly hope not!” Luke exclaimed. “Though I do believe that is what Jeremiah, Leigh and Katherine believe. It’s likely they have convinced Miss Alexander of that very thing. They are very much mistaken!”

  “Miss Alexander?”

  “Emily,” he relented. Somehow the name seemed too intimate for his use.

  “And you think that Jeremiah, Leigh and Katherine have convinced poor Emily that you are her future husband? That she was brought back in time for you?”

  Luke felt a pain in the middle of his chest, and he placed his hand there. The tea was extremely hot.

  “Yes, I believe they convinced her of that. I do not believe any such thing, and I do not appreciate any coercion in that direction.”

  “Ah! You believe that you were invited to supper to coerce you into falling in love with Emily. I really must meet this young woman!”

  “I do. Leigh invited me...no, she demanded—in Emily’s presence—that I come to dinner. I could not refuse. Once there, as I feared, I was ambushed regarding Emily—again in her presence.”

  “Ambushed!” Martha said faintly. “How terrible! What did this ambush involve?”

  “Leigh stated that I appeared uncomfortable in Emily’s presence and wondered if there were any questions I might have or anything they could do to ‘fix that,’ as Leigh described.”

  “Goodness!” Martha exclaimed.

  “I agree. I am finding these time travelers to be quite outspoken. Especially so in public settings.”

  “Including Katherine?” Martha asked. “You have worked with Katherine at the school on occasion and never said so before.”

  “I do not suppose I realized it before now, but yes, Katherine as well. She is very generous with her thoughts, perhaps overly so. I simply did not realize so before now.”

  “Before you realized that she was born and raised in the twenty-first century.”

  “Yes.”

  “I see.”

  “I thought you might. I cannot speak of my feelings to Jeremiah, as he is totally immersed in their world. He married a time traveler. But it does sound as if you understand how I feel.”

  Martha pursed her lips before taking a sip of tea. “I might understand how you feel, Luke, but I do not agree with you. I am not afraid of the time travelers. We spoke of this before.”

  “I am not afraid of them! As I said before! I simply do not wish to call one of them my wife!”

  Martha began to laugh. She tilted her head back and laughed as he had never seen her do.

  “Martha Lundrum!” he protested. “Are you laughing at me?”

  Martha glanced at the open doorway and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. Her shoulders shook before she lowered her hand.

  “Oh, Luke! I am sorry. That was so very stark! So much must happen between meeting a woman and calling her your wife, and none of that has occurred. Do you think you are being overly dramatic?”

  “I do not! You may feel comfortable with these creatures, but I am not!”

  Martha’s smile faded, and she shook her head.

  “Luke! That is quite enough. You are afraid, and you must face that fear. I do not know what terrifies you about these poor people, but you must mull it over and come to some proper understanding. How can you possibly live here with such animus? How can you teach their children?”

  Luke rejected his sense of shame. He rejected it outright. “I will not have to, Martha!” he snapped, rising to his feet. “I have applied for a position elsewhere, and I shall leave Kaskade as soon as possible!”

  Chapter Ten

  Emily awakened to a tap on her door. Leigh stuck her head in.

  “Good morning,” she said. “Hey! I need to go see my grandfather today. Would you like to come with me?”

  Emily pushed herself up in bed.

  “This is your fourth great-grandfather, right? I don’t even know how many generations back that is.”

  “About five, I think. Even I keep forgetting. It’s just easier to call him my grandfather, but never to his face. Like I said, he doesn’t know.”

  “Sure! I’d like to come.”

  “Good! Breakfast is almost ready.”

  “Okay,” Emily said.

  “I’ll see you down there.” Leigh withdrew and shut the door, and Emily climbed out of bed. She picked up the pink cotton wrap Leigh had given her, and she hurried down to the bathroom to wash up. On returning to her room, she dressed—as quickly as one could given the thousand bits of clothing—in a one-piece rose gingham dress before brushing and bunching up her hair at the crown.

  She hurried downstairs and joined Jeremiah and Leigh at breakfast. Emily didn’t think she had eaten so much in her life. Living with a housekeeper/cook was a bit like living in a hotel every day. She didn’t know if she could go back to her old life of waiting on tables herself.

  “Which reminds me,” she began.

  “Reminds you of what?” Leigh asked.

  “I need to get a job. I can’t keep living off of you like this. I’ve been waiting tables for the past few years. Is there a restaurant or something in town where I could apply for work?”

  “Oh!” Leigh said, turning to look at Jeremiah. “I said the same thing when I got here. Hmmm... There is a restaurant in town and a café, but they’re awfully small. I don’t know if they’d have any openings. The logging camps have service jobs like cooks and people who serve food, but you’re not going to go up and work at a logging camp. You’d have to stay up there, and I really think that would be too hard for you right now. What do you think, Jeremiah?”

  “I do not think Emily needs to work. She is perfectly welcome here.”

  “You are so good to me,” Emily said to Jeremiah. “But I really do need my own money. I can’t just live off of you guys.”

  “I know what you’re saying,” Leigh said. “She does need pin money at the very least. I wonder if Martha could use some help with cooking and serving. She’s been managing the boardinghouse for a few years, but she could probably use some additional help for a while. We could stop by the boardinghouse and ask.”

  Emily’s throat closed over. “The boardinghouse? Doesn’t Luke live there?” She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. He’s going to think I’m stalking him.”

  “Well, Jefferson lives there too! And other people. Luke is not the only boarder. Besides, he’s usually at school. Maybe you won’t see him.”

  “Let me ask at the restaurant and café first,” Emily said.

  “Do be cautious with your inquiries, Emily,” Jeremiah said. “Martha will know about you, where you come from. The owners of the restaurant and café are not among those who know about the time travelers.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Leigh said. “You’d really be better off with Martha.”

  “I hear you. Let me try anyway. As I told you last night after Luke left, I’d rather avoid him for the rest of my stay here. Just when I thought he was warming up to me, to the n
otion of time traveling—or whatever is bothering him—he took off like something was chasing him. Not me, of course. I’m not chasing him, and I don’t want him to think I am. He rescued me, turned me over to you fine people, and that’s all the interaction he was interested in.”

  Emily thought she rambled a bit, but Leigh appeared to understand what she was saying.

  “He turned out to be a strange duck, that’s for sure. I’d met him a few times, and he always seemed so nice and polite, but he’s definitely got some attitude about us, doesn’t he?”

  “I do not think it is personal, ladies,” Jeremiah offered.

  Leigh and Emily looked at him with raised eyebrows.

  He shrugged and ducked his head. “That is to say, I do not think he dislikes either one of you, but I do believe he is afraid of what you represent—a world that he cannot understand, where logic seems irrelevant.”

  “Well, I’m managing to deal with this illogical world,” Emily said.

  “Yes, you are,” Jeremiah said. “Luke seems to be conflicted, and it may take him more time to adjust than others. I suspect he is a very literal sort of person who cannot cope with the magical properties of Kaskade’s penchant for taking people from the future.”

  “Do you think he will adjust?” Emily asked, embarrassed by the hopeful note in her voice.

  “I certainly hope so,” Jeremiah said.

  They finished breakfast, and Jeremiah went to his office, while Leigh and Emily put on their hats.

  Mrs. Jackson came to the front door and handed Leigh a small cloth bag.

  “For your grandfather,” she said, her cheeks turning a youthful shade of pink.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Jackson.”

  Emily’s eyes followed Mrs. Jackson’s back as she walked away toward the dining room. She turned to follow Leigh out the door. They headed left when they reached the road, following the same lane that passed Katherine’s home.

  “Did Mrs. Jackson blush?” Emily asked.

  Leigh chuckled. “Probably. She and my grandfather are sweet on each other. They have a thing going.”

  “Really?”