Leaving Lavender: A Time Travel Romance (Lavender, Texas Series Book 3) Read online

  Geoff looked solemn, then after glancing from one to the other of them, politely excused himself and went outside. The guardsmen began to file out after him, their search obviously having been fruitless. Zan could see that though water still dripped from the roof, the rain had finally stopped and stars were peeking through what was left of the clouds.

  “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they’ll let us take you home,” Lynne said.

  Eddie looked straight at Zan. He raised one hand, crossing fingers even he couldn’t see. She smiled.

  The one thing that seemed particularly odd to Eddie was that she could, now and then, see Zan. Nobody else seemed to have that ability, thank goodness.

  She was scared that he was going to become visible too soon and be caught and was even more frightened that he was going to suddenly drop dead. He looked green and sick and she wondered just how dangerous this experiment was he’d run on himself.

  She covered her face with her hands when Geoff came back so that he wouldn’t see that she’d been able to turn off the tears. “Edith, Eddie,” he said, “I’m so sorry, but they won’t allow it. They’re afraid your aunt and uncle here will just take you somewhere to meet my brother.”

  Which would have been a really good way to follow me and catch him, Eddie thought, so obviously they don’t believe any such thing. They think he’s around here close somewhere and I’m just surprised they don’t want me out of the picture, thinking it will put more pressure on Zan.

  “Of course we’re all extremely sympathetic with your situation and I’ve convinced them that the best thing would be to see you safely home to your family. So if you can leave immediately, they’re programming one of the choppers for the Bonham, Texas area right now.”

  She uncovered her face to stare at him. “Can I take the dog?” she blurted out the request.

  He didn’t even seem surprised. “I suppose it would give you something to remember him by,” he said sadly. “And I’m sure it’s what Zan would want. He was really fond of old Einstein.”

  She pretended not to notice that he was speaking of his brother in the past tense. It was, after all, what she wanted them to believe.

  Zan knew her tears were real as she hugged Lynne, Moss and even Jerry goodbye. Hell, he felt almost like crying himself. And on top of that he was so nauseated he was afraid he might vomit at any minute and the top of his head was on fire.

  Obviously his ‘Dr. Hyde’ potions weren’t exactly good for the body. Eddie glanced around anxiously as though she wasn’t sure he was coming and he didn’t take a step until they were all moving so as to disguise any sounds he might make as he followed her out the door. He touched her shoulder lightly as he brushed by and she looked up gratefully while the dog whined softly.

  “Guess Einstein is anxious about leaving,” Eddie said quickly. “But I’m sure he’ll be happy on our farm.”

  She looked a little startled, he thought, when she saw that the chopper, like modern autos, was self-propelled, but she put the dog in the back where he settled happily at Zan’s side. Geoff motioned her into the seat beside him in front.

  This would be, Zan thought, the perfect time to go visible as what looked like half an army watched in a circle around them as they took off. He waved at the Caldecotts, who could not of course see him, and then looked down, pleased not to be able to see his legs or feet.

  Einstein cuddled comfortably against him as the slow movement of the chopper blades began to whirl softly, then faster and faster as the craft lifted in the air.

  He’d been ferried to work by chopper many a time and rather enjoyed the ride, but he could see by looking at Eddie’s chalky face that made her dark red hair a vivid contrast that she wasn’t feeling the same. But she didn’t as much as squeak.

  They took off in the darkness, the lights of the chopper a searching stream in the sky.

  “For a short trip like this, the chopper is best,” Geoff told her, seeming to be unaware of her tension. “And we can land it right in your farmyard, which we probably couldn’t do with a plane unless your family has an airstrip.”

  Her smile looked a little wobbly. “No airstrip,” she agreed. “In fact we’re in deep woods. You’ll probably need to set this thing down a couple of miles away and let me walk in. I won’t be afraid with the dog for company.”

  Damn, but she was quick. Zan felt prouder of her than ever.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. “We’ll have to look over the terrain.”

  He watched Eddie’s slow smile and figured she’d work this out too.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Even if she hadn’t been too tense to feel sleepy, the sounds of Einstein snoring back of them would have kept her awake. At least she hoped all those snores were coming from the dog.

  Now and then Zan flashed briefly into her view, but he went out again as quickly and she felt fairly confident his brother wasn’t seeing him. Even though they were moving across the sky at a terrifying pace, she had no time to be afraid of anything but that he would regain visibility before they landed.

  Well, if he did, then they’d just have to manage to knock Geoff out of action. She only hoped, as she looked around for any possible object of defense, that the chopper was programmed for landing.

  She reassured herself that Zan would probably know more than his brother about the programming. If he managed to stay conscious. From the glimpses she’d had, he wasn’t looking any too healthy.

  “You really care for my brother, don’t you?” Geoff’s mellow voice jarred into her private thoughts.

  It was hard to know how to answer. If she told the truth, that he meant everything to her, then he might ask why she was running away like this.

  She nodded, not looking at him.

  “He changed after he met you.”

  “For good or bad?” she challenged.

  “Depends on your point of view. Up until then he relied on me in so many ways. Sounds foolish, but I miss that.”

  “It wasn’t just me,” she retorted without taking time to be cautious. “You betrayed everything he believed in.”

  Several minutes of silence passed. She couldn’t believe how incredible sky and earth looked from this point of view. The milkyway spread like a gateway to paradise above her, while below man-made light s left too few night dark locations. For the first time she realized, watching a trail of autos on a roadway below, what Zan meant when he said the world was overcrowded.

  She’d almost forgotten their conversation when Geoff spoke again. “It didn’t start out like that. You have to understand how proud I was of him. Nobody else has a mind with that kind of brilliance and originality and I discovered that before anybody else noticed.”

  “Good for you,” she said sarcastically.

  “I loved him and I looked after him. He wasn’t always tuned in to the real world around him and it seemed to me that he dreamed of impossibilities. I tried to make real world decisions that would benefit both of us.”

  “Zan doesn’t care about money.”

  His smile was slightly bitter. “He never had to. I saw to that.”

  They traveled in silence for a while, the trail of traffic below them like a long snake, crawling across the countryside. So many people and not enough space, a problem growing larger all the time. Zan wanted to help, but virtually he was being driven out.

  He called himself a weapon that must be removed; she wondered instead if he wasn’t a blessing that his world was losing.

  She glanced back and saw him for a long two minutes this time and again fear choked her. What would Geoff do if he realized his brother accompanied them. Zan looked searchingly at her, his right hand stroking the sleeping dog.

  She swallowed her fear and tried to distract Geoff. “We must be getting close.”

  He nodded. “That’s Bonham below.”

  She looked down. It was the middle of the night and most households were sleeping in the darkness, but she saw lights lining the streets, a flic
ker below her. “I guess it’s not such a small town anymore,” she observed.

  “Anymore?”

  She thought quickly. “My grandpapa told me when he was growing up, it was a little town.”

  “Not many such towns left now. Not with the population crowding into smaller and tighter areas.”

  She nodded as though she understood. He was referring to those who had fled the bombed out areas like the badlands in the Texas panhandle and in New Mexico. She’d never asked what other areas had been hit and she didn’t do so now. Eddie wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  “We’re close enough that you need to give me directions to land.”

  It wasn’t easy, not from the air. In fact, it wouldn’t have been a simple matter even if they’d been in an auto. Her only trip across this area had been the one with Betsy when Moss sent the car for them.

  She wondered if she could see Lavender from the air. Of course the only lights would be from candles burning in an occasional house as someone stayed up late because there was illness in the home. At this hour of the night, the limited power they generated would not be in use.

  Then she dismissed the thought. Lavender and its surrounding acres lay in another place and time. And hopefully they would soon be there.

  There were seconds now when he could actually see his feet and legs. This had to be over soon or he would be totally visible. He was younger and stronger than his brother, but he didn’t look forward to having to attack Geoff. Angry as he was, he didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

  Stay invisible. Stay invisible. He tried to hold on by sheer will at the same time he was calculating the effectiveness of the Mr. Hyde serum and how long it would work at the dosage he’d taken. He wasn’t feeling too good either; he’d need to find something to counter the nausea. It was almost like being seasick and he knew from experience that chopper travel did not make him sick.

  He had no idea how Eddie managed to give directions where to land. To him the countryside below looked the same, but somehow she was directing them down to the edge of the roadside near a spot where a thin stream of water shone in the starlight.

  Traffic was slower at this location and at this hour of night, though they were on the edges of a new grown city. Anyway motorists seeing them would probably only think they were in a chopper operated by the state police.

  Geoff didn’t immediately open the door. “If I could talk to my brother, I’d want him to know that he was right. Foreign powers, our enemies, have infiltrated Alston Adventures. I thought I was being patriotic, but it was a whole lot more complicated than that.”

  Eddie glanced wildly toward the backseat and Zan could see she was wondering what, if anything, she should say.

  “Anyway, I’ve resigned as managing officer and am selling all my rights. That’s the best I can do and stay alive and keep my family safe.” He allowed himself a slight smile. “Nancy’s giving me a second chance. So we and our girls are going to find the safest place we can and retire to the quiet life.”

  He looked almost apologetic. “I would tell Zan that if I could.”

  Perplexed but relieved, Zan watched his feet disappear once again.

  Rather than giving verbal orders, Geoff clicked the tab that opened the doors. “If anybody asked me,” he said, “I’d say this was a weird place to get out. I don’t see a farmhouse or anything that looks like the way you described your home.” He hesitated as though waiting for a reply and then, when there was none, went on, “But then nobody’s asking me. You know they are already tracking you, Eddie.”

  She nodded.

  Good luck with that, Zan thought. Good luck with finding them if they were successful in getting into Lavender.

  The landing, gentle as it was, had awakened the sleeping dog and Einstein followed her out, than stood waiting while Zan quickly and noiselessly did the same.

  “Have a good life,” Geoff called.

  “The same to you and your family,” Eddie returned politely. She turned to the west. “Come along, Einstein.” Zan, of course, went with them.

  They had walked about fifty yards to the west when Betsy stepped into view, waving wildly. Zan could hardly believe things were really going to be all right.

  He turned to look back to where his brother still sat in the open-doored chopper, its blades whirring overhead. Golden haired Betsy hugged her copper-haired sister, “I’m so glad you’re back. You can’t imagine how we’ve missed you.” She patted the dog and then asked with a frown, “But where’s Zan.”

  “I’m here,” Zan said softly.

  She gave a little half-step backwards. “Oh my goodness!” she said, than grinned. “You’re definitely going to be a shock to Lavender.” She reached to take Eddie’s hand in her left one, than stretched out to the open air with her right one. She grinned again when she felt his grasp. “Nothing will surprise me after this,” she said.

  Eddie locked her free hand tightly around a clump of Einstein’s fur.

  “Goodbye, little brother,” Geoff’s voice called to him. The doors on the chopper closed and it rose into the air. They were left alone.”

  “I wonder how he guessed,” Eddie said.

  He felt Betsy tighten her grip on his hand. “Let’s go,” she said.

  They moved forward into a spring day in a countryside of open meadows and aged trees. The creek sparkled in the sunlight and about a dozen people stood staring at them, their buggies and wagons setting in the background.

  Zan sniffed sweet country air as he made certain Eddie was safe. Then he realized. “My dog,” he said with dismay. “Where is Einstein?”

  “Oops!” Betsy exclaimed. Without further discussion, she turned back in the direction from which they’d first come, disappearing after a few steps.

  An instant later she was back with the big tail-wagging dog wrapped awkwardly in both arms. So that was how it worked. Betsy herself had to be actually touching persons, or dogs, to bring them across with her.

  People flooded toward them and while Eddie began to suffer hug after hug with surprising willingness, lingering longest in her father and stepmother’s arms, Betsy began telling Zan who everybody was.

  Of course they all looked a little startled at being introduced to the thin air, but in their joy at having regained Eddie they didn’t protest.

  He couldn’t help smiling. Eddie was so sure she was a misfit in Lavender, but it was obvious to Zan that she was much loved.

  He supposed it was the stress, but suddenly he was feeling woozy, his head whirling and his stomach churning. He dropped rather abruptly onto the grassy ground.

  “Why Zan,” Betsy said with laughter in her voice. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Eddie opened her eyes at dawn to peer out at the little room where she had slept with her husband. Nothing had improved while she was sleeping. The dresser still needed dusting, the shirt Zan had been wearing the night before still draped one of the bed’s posters, while what looked like her own whole wardrobe was left in a trail across the floor, everything from petticoats to the dark green dress that her husband said went just right with her auburn hair.

  She sighed. No helpful brownies had come in the night to clean their cottage then. She kept hoping that would happen, but somehow it never did.

  The rest of the little house was in fairly much the same shape, though Zan was fussy about his kitchen, which was more of a small laboratory these days, and each glass, vial and strange-looking liquid was not to be moved from its proper spot.

  Neither the disorder or the fact that they didn’t have a kitchen to cook in and ate most meals over at the house where she’d grown up bothered Zan one bit. He seemed too happy and busy to even notice disorder or to care what he ate.

  Most days she felt the same. Oh, she usually woke at this hour of the morning to feel temporarily guilty and to promise herself she would spend the next hours straightening up and organizing. The trouble was that she had so many more
interesting things to do than keep house.

  Fortunately they’d found a woman who said she liked ironing to take care of the laundry or they’d probably go around constantly unkempt. Cynthia had suggested several possible house cleaners, but both of them valued their privacy, and since neither had been born with a gift for neatness, they were probably doomed to happy disorder.

  She became aware that she wasn’t the only one awake in the room when a hand soothed its way down her back. One thing she had to say about Zan, though he sometimes seemed to be unaware of the needs of his body, in this one way he was acutely sensitive.

  At Grandpapa’s insistence they had been married a second time, the wedding taking place in the big family home. “I don’t think a marriage is legal in front of either man or God if a preacher didn’t say the words,” her grandfather had said, eyeing Zan rather doubtfully as a possible spouse for his beloved granddaughter.

  Surprisingly it was Grandpapa out of the whole family who had grown closest to her new husband. They spent hours talking over the old journals his father had left and Forrest Stephens related to Zan everything he could remember about the remarkable man who had been Dr. Tyler Stephens, the individual who had the knowledge to take Lavender into its own individual time.

  Even while she worked at her own project of committing the community’s history to memory, Eddie knew that eventually Lavender would become too small a world for Zan and he would go back to do what he could to deal with the problems of the larger world. And she would go with him.

  But for now she was in Lavender and in the arms of the man she loved. She gave herself up entirely to his embrace.

  The End

  About the Author: Barbara Bartholomew learned to love fantasy and science fiction when she listened to her grandfather talk of traveling through time and space when she was a little girl, an interest enhanced as she slept with her family in the open under the starry summer skies of western Oklahoma. Among her fantasy romances are: The House Near the River, By the Bay and the Lavender, Texas Trilogy: The Ghost and Miss Hallam, Letters From Another Time, and ,of course, Leaving Lavender. Each book in the Lavender series is complete in itself, but most interesting if read in sequence.