Page 60 of Borrowed Time

“Told you so,” Devynn replied, a twinkle in her eye. She seemed much more cheerful now, as though being away from allthose watching eyes in Flagstaff had given her an immediate lift to her spirits. “Like I said, it’s amazing in the fall, and also in the summer when everything is green. But it’s still balm for the soul even when it’s like this.”

A fallen log lay on the forest floor a few feet away from where they stood, and he took her hand and led her over there so they could both sit down. This time, she wore a dark green cloak over her wool gown, since she’d told him the elevation in the meadow was a good deal higher than it was in town, and that it might be colder there.

Words that were proven true as soon as they appeared in the meadow, since the air had more bite to it and small patches of unmelted snow lingered under the pines. But because she had on that cloak, Seth knew she wouldn’t have to worry about any dirt or sap from the tree possibly soiling her dress.

Almost as soon as they were seated, her gloved hand went in his. “This feels much better. I’m sorry I was so cranky earlier.”

“I don’t know about ‘cranky,’” he said. After all, he’d been around his cousin Helen’s kids when they were toddlers, so he knew all about crankiness. No, Devynn had just seemed tired and maybe a little out of sorts, which was to be expected if she really hadn’t slept well. “This has all been hard for you, I know.”

Her shoulders moved slightly. “I’d think it would be harder for you. We’re in enemy territory, after all.”

Seth supposed that was true, although — well, with Samuel excepted — he found it hard to think of Flagstaff in those terms. Not now, after the help Jeremiah had given them…and after he’d realized that while the Wilcoxes might be in a position of power here, they certainly didn’t make up the majority of the town’s residents or even run things.

No, it was a normal enough place, not the citadel of black magic he’d once imagined.

“I don’t know if I can call it that,” he replied. “Jeremiah’s been pretty friendly. And even the rest of them don’t seem too bad.”

“Except for a certain someone who will remain nameless,” Devynn remarked. Now her eyes had that teasing glint in them he loved so much, and she seemed far more like herself.

Yes, getting away appeared to have been a very good idea.

“Except for him,” Seth echoed, and knew he smiled a little, too. Out here, Samuel Wilcox seemed like a bad memory and not much more.

And Devynn was so beautiful, sitting there with the morning sunlight catching gleams of copper and gold in her warm brown hair, that the only thing Seth could do was lean over and kiss her.

How sweet she was, like the strawberry preserves she’d spread on her toast at breakfast earlier. Her mouth opened to his, and he tasted her, the kiss deepening even as his arms stole around her corseted waist so he could pull her close.

His body told him he wanted much more than this kiss, and if it had been high summer with a warm sun blazing down on them, he might have dared to unbutton her tight-fitting bodice to see what lay underneath.

Now, though, the air was much too chilly for those sorts of intimacies, and he knew he would have to settle for hoping for warmer days and better times.

When they parted, her breath came more quickly and warm color burned in her cheekbones. However, she didn’t look away as women of this time might have after sharing those sorts of intimacies, and instead she said, “Right now Ireallywish we were back in Jerome. A warm summer afternoon in your bedroom….”

She let the words trail off, but he understood what she meant. To fall on the feather mattress, to feel her lithe body under him, unencumbered by the bulky gown she now wore?

Yes, that would be a little piece of heaven.

“Maybe we will be soon enough,” he replied, and something of the light went out of her eyes.

“If I can manage it.”

“You will,” he assured her. She didn’t have her power completely under control yet, but he had to believe she would in time.

How much time was the real problem.

Her lips pursed, and she glanced away from him. To see what, he didn’t know; he could tell they were utterly alone here, with their mere presence enough to keep away any deer or coyotes or foxes who might be roaming nearby.

“And if I can manage it, we still don’t know exactly when we’re going.”

Although her tone sounded neutral enough, he could tell she was troubled.

Bad dreams might have kept her awake last night, but he’d been equally wakeful, if for an entirely different reason. No, he’d spent some of the dark watches of the night wrestling with their situation, brooding over their conversations about traveling in time and all the various pitfalls involved.

And he’d come to a decision. One she’d probably want to challenge, but he knew he wouldn’t change his position on the subject no matter what she said.

He took her hand again, his fingers pressing against hers, hoping his touch would be enough to reassure her that he was making the right choice.

“Yes, we do,” he said calmly. “We’ll go to your time.”

---