Page 69 of Borrowed Time

That sensation of well-being evaporated quickly enough, however, as soon as the two of them stepped down from their car onto the platform. Waiting there was Samuel Wilcox, an unpleasant smirk on his mouth that was obvious even in the fading light.

“Have a nice trip?” he drawled, and immediately, Seth stiffened.

What he wouldn’t have given for a chance to punch that bastard right in the jaw….

Devynn, fortunately, seemed far less inclined to lose her temper. “Good evening, Mr. Wilcox,” she said politely. “I’m not sure about ‘nice,’ but at least Louis and I are fairly certain that Eliza never passed through Williams. That is, no one there seemed to recollect seeing either her or Mr. Rowe, so I fear the rumors about the two of them going that way were entirely unfounded.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Samuel said, although nothing in his expression showed anything except a certain kind of sly amusement. “Must be hard for you, seeing as how close your family appears to be.”

“Yes, we’re quite close,” Seth responded, wondering what the hell Samuel was driving at.

The expression of amusement turned into an outright leer.

“You two might want to watch that,” the other warlock said. “Folks around here take a dim view of brothers and sisters who’re too ‘close.’”

After delivering that parting shot, he turned away and strode off into the approaching darkness, while Seth did his best to ignore the sudden worried churning of his stomach.

How much had Samuel seen?

18

THE FINAL TEST

He knew.Or rather, while Samuel Wilcox couldn’t know exactly who Seth and I were, he must have caught enough of a glimpse — whether it was the two of us holding hands, or leaning in close to share a comment — that told him our behavior toward one another was anything but familial.

In worried silence, we’d walked back to the hotel, neither of us daring to comment on what Samuel had just said in case anyone else around us was paying a little too much attention. And I didn’t head into Seth’s room to discuss our day the way we normally would, fearing that the slightest wrong move might send the local villagers after the incestuous couple with their torches and pitchforks.

Okay, that probably wouldn’t happen. But if Samuel really started flapping his jaw, he could make the remainder of our stay here just a wee bit uncomfortable. And although part of me wanted to say that I didn’t care how many bridges we burned here, I knew it was just smart to keep our heads down until we knew for sure we could get safely away.

Seth, bless him, had immediately picked up on the vibe, and only said, “Dinner downstairs at six-thirty?”

I nodded and murmured, “I’ll meet you down there.”

Maybe that behavior would look equally odd, considering the way we’d always shown up together before this, but I was feeling just enough rattled that it seemed safer for us to appear separately.

We went into our rooms, and I closed the door and locked it, aware of how fast my heart was beating under the confining corset. How I wished I could rip the damn thing off and fling it into the fire!

That wouldn’t be a very good idea, though, considering it was the only one I had. No, I’d have to force myself to deal with it, just as I had for the past ten days.

Ten days. It seemed crazy that we’d been trapped in 1884 for that long.

And we’d be stuck here a lot longer if I couldn’t figure out a way to get my act together.

Holding back a frown, I went over to the dressing table and used the brush I’d left lying there to smooth my hair as best I could, then set it down so I could slide in a few more hairpins to make sure the complicated style would hang together through dinner. Honestly, the thought of consuming anything made my stomach turn over, but I knew I needed to eat. If nothing else, Seth and I had to keep up the pretense that everything was perfectly normal in our world.

Satisfied that I didn’t look like an utter wreck — and actually appeared a little rosy in the cheeks, thanks to a day spent out in the wind and sun — I turned away from the mirror. I’d pulled the curtains closed before I left this morning, and now I went over to the window and drew them aside just the slightest bit so I could look out at the street below.

What I was expecting to see, I had no idea. It wasn’t as if Samuel would be foolhardy enough to be standing down there,staring up at me like the boogeyman from a teen scream fright flick.

No, he was scary enough working at the edges of things, through innuendo and implication.

By then, it was a little past six-thirty, so I figured I could go down to the restaurant now. I had a feeling Seth would already be there; during our time in Jerome, he’d always been punctual, and I had no reason to believe he’d be acting any differently now.

Sure enough, he stood near the entrance, waiting for me. As I crossed the lobby to be with him, I was struck all over again by how handsome he looked in that black frock coat and blue brocade vest, how a woman passing by to rejoin her table gave him a lingering look, clearly pleased by what she saw.

He’s mine, honey,I thought, although I hoped my expression didn’t betray anything except mild anticipation for another fine dinner.

Apparently not, because she didn’t have a spare glance for me as the front desk clerk came over to guide us to a table in the corner. Seth and I thanked him as he handed over the menus — although by that point, we’d pretty much memorized them — and we exchanged a few empty words about what we were thinking of eating before the waiter showed up to take our orders.

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