Timeless Whisper (Timeless Hearts Series Book 1) Page 5

  She exhaled. It was peaceful. Her cousin’s ranch was the Thornton's closest neighbor and she couldn't see their house from where she stood. But the slow, steady stream of white smoke rising and disappearing into the clouds had to be coming from there.

  Absorbed by the beauty of her surroundings, she forgot she was tied up, until she started to walk off toward her family home. She stumbled against the horse and righted herself, knowing her fate would have been different were the horse not there to support her. She would have to hop. Her gaze fell to her wrists. The knot would take forever to try and remove with her teeth. Any thought she may have entertained in making a break for it and seeking sanctuary from the Appletons fell by the wayside. It would be easier to hop the few feet to the front door and plan her escape at a leisurely pace. Lance couldn't possibly keep her tied up forever.

  She began to bounce, jumping the distance to the wraparound porch. As her body pranced up and down, she wondered if her relatives in this time zone were all about family, like they were in her time. Realistically, were they even in a position to assist her, were she to call on them for help?

  Somewhere along the way, she realized she’d also started accepting this wasn’t a dream but real, somehow…

  She jumped, stopped, paused to get her balanced, and proceeded again once. She'd show him she didn't need his or anyone else's help. Raven would make it to the door, then ask him to remove her binds. Her wrists were rubbed raw from the friction and the pain was becoming unbearable. She needed to soak them and apply some ointment. Her ankles weren't faring any better either.

  As the pain in her limbs numbed her senses, she wondered how she’d let herself get into this mess. It was her jealousy and stupidity that was to blame. Why had she allowed herself to be sent back in time, to a man she couldn't stand, and by the looks of things, his feeling toward her weren’t that far from her own toward him.

  Thinking back, she remembered there was a rumor about a Lance Thornton, an ancestor of the Thornton’s of Heartsbridge. Her Lance had been named after him. He was said to have the face of a God and the heart and temperament of the devil. A bitter and twisted man, he had never married.

  He'd been feared by many of the landowners in the area, because if he had a gripe against one family member, he'd make an entire family suffer for it. He'd been an unforgiving and ruthless person. She hoped this wasn't the same man she was stuck with for the next two months if she couldn't get away. She’d have to gain his trust, convince him she wasn't his ex, and discover his weakness in order to escape from him.

  Chapter 12

  He watched her progress from the window, as she bounced across the path, making her way toward the front entrance of the house. Something had shifted inside him from the moment his arms had gone around her, when he’d given her his jacket to hide her shame. She wasn't Charlotte, of that much he was certain. But she looked so much like her, and she knew his name.

  This puzzled him. Was Charlotte trying to toy with his feelings? Sending this woman who looked like her and smelled like heaven.

  Thinking she was Charlotte, he'd lassoed her initially to keep her with him a little longer, wanting to take a good look at her, absorb her beauty once more before he destroyed it. That's when he was struck by the likeness and subtle differences between his Charlotte and this strange, foul-mouthed woman.

  As he stared at her, he was tempted to tell her he knew she was a fraud, probably sent to trap him, although he didn't know in what way or how. This not knowing had riled him. She might as well have been Charlotte for the feelings she sparked in him. His vengeance needed an outlet and a look alike Charlotte was more than enough to be starting off with.

  She must have volunteered to act the role of his runaway bride and for that she must pay as if she were the real Charlotte. In his rage, he refused to see any difference. Like an ill-made suit, she just didn't fit right. But more than anything else, he found he didn't want to let her go. She may be an impostor, but she warmed him in the same way Charlotte had.

  Could he truly call her an impostor when she had been denying she was Charlotte from the beginning? Then again, maybe that was the plan. To torment him in a way he could do nothing about, if he accepted she wasn’t the woman who’d jilted him. Then she could report back to Charlotte how she'd broken him by her absence...robbed him of what little compassion he had left, and made him less than the man he used to be.

  They would laugh at his weakness. For what it was worth, Charlotte Springfield had been his only weakness. He'd lost his entire family to lung fever, his parents and sister. He and Ryder had been the only survivors. His heart had been broken in so many ways. He vowed never to love anyone so unconditionally and completely again. Lance couldn't bear to suffer such a loss ever again.

  And he'd kept that promise to himself. Right up until his cold, hard ways caused an innocent golden-haired tomboy with the face of an angel to fall crashing out of the apple tree from the orchard of their adjoining land. Land he now owned. She'd cut her arm along a branch as she fell. With her arm dripping with blood, she'd hurled a rock at his face. Later he was told he was lucky not to lose an eye.

  Lance absently rubbed his finger along the scar in his eyebrow as he watched Charlotte's double struggle forward. He smiled. The name Raven Eyez suited her. Her pupils had grown so large when she saw him, there was almost no trace of the thin natural violet orb of her iris left on display.

  Watching her determination, he sighed. He never should have carried on the charade but he couldn't let her go until he could explain the rage her presence sent through him. She had a fire in her he liked, and now he had two months to decide her worth. He would also need to decide if he would tell Ryder of his duplicity. Ryder was like a big brother to him, but he was also the sheriff.

  He couldn't ask him to go against what he'd vowed to protect. No, it was best to keep what he knew and did to himself. There was a mystery to her, one he wanted to unravel. Doctor Clancy confirmed the scar he gave Charlotte was the same one he treated on this woman's arm, but how was that even possible? He'd never seen this woman before today.

  She'd made some wild, farfetched claims, even more cosmopolitan than one could expect from a New Yorker. He would play along with her for now. Then make her tell him where to find the real Charlotte, and she could explain to him why she left him, when all he'd shown her was love.

  Even if he did use underhanded measures to secure her acceptance of his proposal, her interest in Hank Appleton had forced his hand. He'd never been very comfortable with the ladies. His coldness toward others had made forming friendships difficult. Ryder was his best and only friend, and had been before tragedy struck.

  No one knew where Ryder came from. He just appeared. A boy lost, cold, hungry, in strange clothes, and asleep in their barn. Unable to locate Ryder’s parents, his mother decided to keep the boy. Ryder never told anyone, not even him, where he came from.

  Whenever he was asked, Ryder would say he was from around these parts, but he didn't know exactly where as everything was different. However, when they were alone, Ryder would tell him fantastical tales of the things he used to do as a boy in Heartsbridge, before coming to live with them.

  None of it ever made any sense to Lance, but he didn't question it. Ryder was two years older than him, he looked up to him like a big brother. Having Ryder in his life saved him from disappearing into a dark, empty place in his soul.

  They'd both gone to live with his uncle Teddy in Houston, until Ryder was eighteen and took responsibility for him. Then together, they'd moved back to the ranch in Heartsbridge. They’d only been back a week, when he'd startled Charlotte out of the tree. He didn't know who she was at the time. Ryder had warned him not to say anything to the girl until she'd climbed down. He wouldn't listen and shouted, throwing a rock at the tree.

  Lance was jolted back to the present, when he saw her stumble as she tried to jump up onto the decking. He stepped away from the window and made his way to the front of the house t
o check that she was all right. He paused as he heard her feet scraping against the wooden flooring, and he heard voices.

  Chapter 13

  Sure she was about to need dental work as the ground rose to meet her, Raven’s mind raced to figure out how to protect her face as she descended in slow motion. Too stunned to call out her distress, she closed her eyes and braced for impact.

  Before the expected collision, a strong pair of hands reached out and circled her waist, pulling her back against what felt like a barn door, hard and lean. The arms that held her were pretty impressive too. She angled her head, so she could look at her rescuer.

  He was as tall and broad as he was handsome, with an overnight shadow she was sure was a permanent feature on his face. His clear blue eyes sparkled as he smiled down at her and his mischievous grin lit up his face. It was refreshing to see a warm and friendly face, and she appreciated the kindness behind his eyes.

  This man showed no ill feelings toward her, and she needed that. She didn't realize how much, until the urge to break down washed over her like a tsunami. She blinked back her tears and returned his smile, even though the muscles in her face felt stiff and weak.

  "Howdy, ma'am." His tilted his hat, which went up in unison with his eyebrows. "I thought the young'un was exaggerating when he said the boss man had a woman all tied up. The name's Bradley Stolfi. You can call me Brad. Would you like some help getting loose?"

  He set her straight and began to untie her wrists. She yanked her hand away from him, and he narrowed his gaze.

  "You want to stay like this?"

  "No, but I don't want to cost you your job either."

  "Let me be the one to worry about my job, little lady." Ignoring her plea, he reached into his boot, produced a knife, and cut her loose. "The boss man can fire me if he wants, but I'll not stand by and see a pretty lady in need and not lend a hand. I can send out for something for your wrists too."

  Brad walked on into the house and she shuffled after him like a geisha girl, as if her brain couldn't accept her feet were no longer tied together. And why should it? She felt as if she'd been tied up in one way or another all day.

  "You want to see me, boss?"

  Lance gazed at Brad, then her wrists and ankles, but said nothing as Raven shuffled past and headed for the side table laden with bottles of alcohol and a few decanters.

  "Carry on." She waved her imagined bound wrists at them. "Don't mind me. I just need to find a way to forget this craziness which is my life, is really happening. The last time I had alcohol, I blacked out. I’m hoping for some of the same."

  She upturned a bottle to her lips and drank down the scorching liquid, having no idea what it was she was drinking. Her throat rejected the attack and everything came flying out of her mouth and sprayed the room.

  She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as both men stared at her in wonder. She grinned, and said, "I don't suppose I can trouble you for a glass of water?" as she shuffled to the nearest seat.

  "May I?" Brad asked Lance, who appeared to be lost for words, as he stared at her wide-eyed. He nodded to Brad, who walked over to the pitcher of water, took a glass from the tray and poured her some, taking it over to her. She swallowed it down at speed with some of the liquid spilling over the side of the glass, trickling down her chin.

  “Are you truly simpleminded?” Lance asked at last.

  “I must be. To be stuck here with you,” Raven said, wiping her mouth and chin with the sleeve of his jacket, glaring at him. His discomfort caused by her behavior made her smile and gave her a small victory. She’d take her wins where she could get them and for the first time, she realized she made him nervous. For all his show of strength, he was afraid of her.

  She held out her glass for more water, and Brad refilled it.

  "Put the jug down, Brad, she can serve herself. Which is one of the reason I've sent for you. Miss..." He turned to Raven. "What name are we calling you by?"

  "Raven, as it's my name, and will continue to be. And if you’re planning to kill me before the two months are up, you can put it on my tombstone."

  "What she means, Brad, is she’s in my charge—a prisoner remanded to my custody—for two months hard labor. She’s not my guest and is not to be treated as one. I want you to pay all non-essential workers two months advance and tell Mrs. Jennings she’s to do the same with the domestic staff here at Thornton Manor."

  "What about me and Sarah?"

  "I don't think you and Mrs. Jennings could be categorized as non-essential, so you'll both be staying. No one is to help this woman, neither with her chores nor any other task assigned to her. Anyone seen helping her to leave the ranch will be arrested and placed in jail. Her duties here have been court ordered. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Crystal. What’s her crime?"

  Raven's hand shot in the air as though in a classroom striving for the teacher’s attention.

  "Let me...let me, I know this one." She waved her fingers.

  Lance's jaw jerked from side to side as she continued.

  "The only crimes are the ones committed against me. I became the victim of an unlawful lassoing, by a vindictive man who has nothing better to do. His behavior was then sanctioned by his uncle Judge Dreadful, an outlaw of a sheriff, a demented doctor, and the twelve village idiots who found me guilty. Have I left anything out?" She smiled sarcastically at Lance.

  Lance sighed and rolled his eyes like she was being overly dramatic.

  "Can I have a bath and some ointment for my wrists?" she asked, raising both her hands as if still bound in the air, her sleeves rolled back for him to see the red rings around her wrists.

  Seeing the condition of her wrists, Raven thought she saw a spark of concern flash across his face before he cloaked his expression. His finger rose to his eyebrow and he began to stroke his scar with his middle finger.

  Raven narrowed her gaze, was he flipping her off. No way! She could be wrong, but did they make hand gestures like that back then?

  He turned to his ranch manager. "Brad, I think we're done here. I'll speak to Mrs. Jennings myself. Just send the workers home, and I'll see you in the morning."

  "Good day, Miss Raven, it was interesting meeting you. Tomorrow then," he said, tipping his hat. He gave Raven a wink and left the room.

  Lance walked across the room and pulled a cord. "Why do you continue to embarrass me? You're just making things hard on yourself. In my entire life, I've never met anyone more infuriating than you."

  "Are you sure about that. I met a whole bunch of people in that kangaroo court who fit that description. You being one of them. But never you mind, you're still fairly young. I'm sure there's time to meet more." She pursed her lips and using her most impertinent stare, she challenged him to dispute what she’d said.

  Their attention was drawn to the door opening, and a motherly figure stepping through it.

  "Mr. Thornton?" Her eyes widened and a broad smile split her face. "Oh, Miss Charlotte, it’s so good to see you again—" She stopped and her cheeks deepened to crimson as she caught herself and glanced over at her employer.

  If looks could kill, poor Mrs. Jennings would not be long for this world.

  Chapter 14

  "Miss Eyez, will be staying with us. See that a bath is drawn and a change of clothes is organized for her. Find me in my study when you’re done,” he said, and walked out of the room.

  Well now, there's a howdy-do.

  What happened to her being a prisoner remanded on his ranch? Raven was curious as to why he hadn't said any of the things to Mrs. Jennings he'd said to Brad. Although she was grateful to not have to listen to it a second time, she knew there was a reason behind it.

  "Miss Eyez?" the housekeeper asked in confusion.

  "Yes, that's my name, Raven Eyez. Not Charlotte. Raven." She stood and walked over to the other woman who looked at her with the same disbelieving expression everyone else had given her, except Ryder, and touched her arm.

  She repeated i
t in a much slower, softer tone. "My name is Raven, there's no mistake, not by me anyway. How about that bath?"

  This seemed to wake Mrs. Jennings from her staring daze, and she shook her head as if to clear it. "Yes, of course, come with me."

  They walked a short distance along the wide hallway, past a number of doors and portraits of the single-story building. Then Mrs. Jennings said, "I must ask, if you're not Miss Charlotte, are you related?"

  "I don't think so. My mom was an Appleton until she got married."

  Mrs. Jennings lowered her voice and looked around her before leaning in conspiratorially. “It’s rumored Miss Charlotte ran off with Hank Appleton, it’s also said the couple went to live in New York city. I really thought you were her. I can’t say I'm disappointed."

  "Yeah, why's that?"

  "It's not my place to say. I'm sure Mr. Thornton or Mr. Lucore will tell you, in due course."

  Now she wanted to clam up? Raven shook her head. What did she care? It's not like she'd asked the housekeeper anything. All she wanted was to wash the grime from her hair, a hot bath, and a way to get back to town, find that Cissie woman, and go home.

  You can't leave. Not yet. You’re right where you're supposed to be.

  "I don't care what you say, I'm not staying here."

  "I didn't say anything, dear." The housekeeper narrowed her eyes and gave Raven a strange look.

  They stopped at a large four-paneled mahogany door that looked no different than any other door they'd passed. Mrs. Jennings opened the door and Raven followed her in.

  "This is your room," she said, crossing to another door in the room. "I'll draw your bath and fetch you when I'm done." She went through it, closing the door behind her.