His eyes widened, and he looked a little stunned by her curtness. The stunned look quickly turned to offended indignation “Nope. I guess not. See you at supper.” He passed her without sparing her another glance.
“See you then,” she called to his back.
Meredith released the breath she’d been holding. Now she had guilt to add to the pile anxiety already sitting on her shoulders. She’d left dealing with Oliver’s sulky questions to the Schultes, and they didn’t deserve that. Oh, well. If everything went according to plan, after three weeks in the past, she’d be walking back to Garretsville on this very same point in time, and she’d have a story to tell. They would have supper together, and everything would return to normal … everything except for her heart.
By the time she reached Daniel’s camp, perspiration trickled down the back of her neck and at her temples, and she had to work to get enough air into her lungs. Partly due to the altitude, and mostly due to the way she’d hurried uphill to reach her destination. As promised, Daniel was waiting for her.
“Daniel,” she said, coming to a halt. “Whew, I need to catch my breath. Meredith moved to sit on one of the many boulders that were so common in these mountains.
He drifted over to stand before her. “You’ve not changed your mind then?”
She smiled as her insides performed a series of skips, hops, and jumps at the sight of him, and at the thought of what she was about to do. “No. I haven’t changed my mind.” Originally, she’d planned on staying one week. Soon, two weeks sounded better. Finally she’d decided to arrive two weeks prior to Daniel’s murder, and stay another week after. More than anything, she wanted to spend time with him, even if it did make their eventual parting more difficult.
Meredith pushed herself up from the boulder and hiked the strap of her duffle bag higher over her shoulder. She drew the small leather pouch from her pocket and took out one of the diamonds, closing her fingers around the crystal.
Daniel came closer. “Let me see, love.”
She held her hand out to him and slowly opened her fingers, fixing her attention on him and not the stone. “I’ve been afraid to look at them, fearing I’d trigger the magic before I’m ready. Who knows where I’d end up?”
“Hmm.” He studied the gem. “It’s pink.”
“Is it?” Her brow rose. “Pink diamonds are rare.”
“And this one is flawless, weighing in at about three carats, I’d wager.”
“A fortune.”
“Aye, Meredith, a fortune.”
“Okay, I need to center myself, concentrate, and open the portal. Hopefully I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She returned the leather pouch holding the other diamond to her pocket.
“Aye. Will you be distracted if I remain nearby?”
“No. Actually, I think having you here might help.”
“All right. I’ll be over there beneath that tree,” he said, pointing to one of the many pines growing around the clearing.
She nodded, turned away and began concentrating. She’d done a search for an 1854 calendar, and concentrated on that Tuesday in time. Right here, the sixth of June, 1854. She repeated the words over and over in her head while fixing the image of the boulder where she’d just been sitting firmly in her mind. She opened her palm and stared at the uncut pink diamond nestled in the palm of her hand. “I want to be right here, on Tuesday, the sixth of June, 1854.”
A shimmer appeared in the air and grew until the undulating waves of pale pink and pale green were nearly as tall as she was. Swallowing convulsively, she stepped toward the passage she prayed would take her to Daniel. “Right here, the sixth of June, 1854. The sixth day of June, 1854, on Tuesday in this very spot,” she uttered as if it were a mantra. Tentatively, she took one step closer, trying to see what lay beyond the undulating light.
“Meredith,” Daniel’s shout reverberated inside her mind. “Look out!”
Something slammed into her from behind, pitching her forward. A whooshing force caught her. Colors and shapes stretched past her in a dizzying blur as she sped through time and space at the speed of light.
“Oof,” she grunted as she landed on the hard ground with her duffle bag beside her. The breath had been knocked out of her, and a weight pinned her to hard, rocky ground.
“Sorry. Sorry,” Oliver said as he rolled off her.
Oliver? It took her several seconds before she could breathe again. Once she was able, she got to her hands and knees and glared for all she was worth. Judging by the backpack he carried, and the jeans, flannel shirt and leather hiking boots he wore that could easily pass for this era, he’d planned this. How?
“Dammit, Oliver! What the hell were you thinking? What the hell are you doing here, and … what the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I didn’t want to miss out on the experience of a lifetime.” His expression smug, he cocked a brow. “I did ask that you keep me in the loop, yet you and the Schultes conspired to keep your plans a secret from me.”
“What makes you think you had the right to know anything about my plans?” She clenched her jaw, trying to rein in her anger. “This doesn’t involve you, and I had a good reason not to tell you anything. Have you forgotten what happened when you ignored my warning about ghostly encounters? You were nearly possessed.”
“Nearly, but I wasn’t. I had prepared for that possibility by carrying sage and a moonrise crystal with me.”
“How the hell did you know I—”
“I’ve been spying and following you around since the night you told us the story about your older sister and her trip to the third century. Figuring out what you planned to do was a no brainer. Actually, I’m
