The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance Katherine Logan (no david read aloud TXT) 📖

fond of each other. Miss Ensley wanted to go on the roundup with Mr. Roosevelt to research a book she’s writing, but Mr. Fraser wanted to go to Kentucky to visit his family. Mr. Roosevelt agreed to watch over her until they could meet up in Cleveland and return to New York City together.”

“New York City, huh? So JC and Miss Ensley plan to live in New York City instead of Kentucky.”

The woman gave him a suspicious look. “That’s where they’ve been living. You didn’t know that?”

“Hmm,” Tavis said. “My mama’s family news is a bit behind. I’ll be sure to catch her up. Now, you mentioned a roundup? When did they leave?”

“This morning,” the woman said.

“Then I could catch up with them. Where were they going?”

“They were meeting the other cowboys at the mouth of Box Elder Creek on the Little Missouri River to take part in the District 6 roundup. It’s about thirty miles north of here.”

“Thank you, ma’am. You’ve been most kind.” Tavis tipped his hat. “Oh, one more thing. Was it just Miss Ensley and Mr. Roosevelt? Cause they could ride pretty fast. But if they had a wagon and extra horses, it could slow ’em down.”

“Four men, a chuckwagon, a remuda of thirty horses, and Miss Ensley.”

“Then I can catch ’em. I bet they could use another set of hands, too. Thanks again.”

He waved and rode away from Elkhorn Ranch, returning to Austin and Remy with a minute to spare.

“Where’s JC?” Austin demanded.

“He went on a roundup with Roosevelt. They left about four hours ago. If we ride hard, we’ll catch them within a couple of hours.”

“We can’t catch two riders with a four-hour head start in just two hours,” Remy said.

“He’s traveling with three men, plus a cook driving a chuckwagon, and a remuda of thirty horses.” Tavis wasn’t going to mention that JC wasn’t with Roosevelt, nor was he going to mention Ensley.

If Tavis did, Austin would just start bitching louder. And Tavis wasn’t in the mood to listen to him. This was a need-to-know mission. “Give me five minutes to look at the map and chart a course.”

It took him ten.

Ninety minutes later, Tavis spotted a dust cloud. It had to be Roosevelt’s party.

How was he going to handle this now? He hadn’t had a chance to pull Remy aside and tell him JC went to Kentucky. So both Remy and Austin would react to the news in front of Roosevelt. Tavis could count on Remy playing along with him. But Austin was a wild card. And if he recognized Ensley’s name, then all hell could break loose.

This reminded him of Elliott asking him to stand down while Rick and Remy broke into the Gothenburg Museum. He knew what they were doing and why but he couldn’t tell Elliott how he knew. Elliott took the deception in stride, but Tavis couldn’t count on Austin doing the same. His behavior was too erratic right now.

Tavis mentally sifted through possibilities. The logical next step was to collect Ensley, ride to the nearest telegraph office, and send a telegram to MacKlenna Farm. Once Tavis confirmed that JC was with Elliott, Tavis’s team could take Ensley home.

But what concerned Tavis was their delay in getting here. Why had they arrived now instead of shortly after JC’s arrival? Maybe Elliott and the others weren’t even at the farm yet.

The Council knew more about the brooches than the travelers did. But there were still details the Council didn’t understand.

And as a guardian, Tavis knew even less.

He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing—and for a fleeting moment, he heard a man’s blood-curdling screams, and Tavis’s skin burned hot as fire.

42

MacKlenna Farm, KY (1885)—Elliott

After Erik’s departure, Elliott returned to the cabin and its dueling aromas of cedar and eucalyptus to find Emily scooping water onto the stones and Sean filling glasses with whisky. He handed one to Elliott, but Elliott couldn’t bring himself to drink it while he stood by James Cullen’s bed, silently praying for his son’s recovery.

“We can’t keep this from the women,” Sean said before taking a hefty swallow. “If they find out from someone else, Lyle Ann will never forgive me, and I doubt ye’ll fare any better with Meredith.”

Elliott stared down at the glass of whisky in his hand, needing a drink more than he’d realized until now, but also knowing that if he started drinking today, he might slide down the slippery slope to alcohol dependence again.

He set the drink aside and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief. It had to be over a hundred and fifty degrees in here.

“I’ll tell Meredith as soon as I return to the house.” Elliott looked at the drink he’d set on the table—wiping his upper lip—and reconsidered but arrived at the same conclusion. He couldn’t escape this reality in an alcoholic stupor.

“Kitherina and Cullen’s children should be here by the time we get back,” Sean said. “Thomas Montgomery sent a telegram saying he’ll be here with Emily’s parents before dinner.”

Emily hung the ladle on a hook by the hearth before tossing a log on top of the flames. Her face was dripping sweat, too. “I hope they recognize me. I’ve changed a lot since I left Napa. They’ll be astonished that I graduated from college and medical school.”

“It might be sixteen years for ye, but it’s only been four years for them. They’ll recognize ye. And besides, ye look just like yer mother.”

“I hope you’re right, but it’ll be a short visit,” she said. “We’ll have to leave as soon as JC wakes up.”

“We’ll make the best of the days we have.” Elliott checked the time on his Rolex. “I have to head back and talk to Meredith.”

“What do you think she’ll say?” Emily asked.

“She won’t believe an ancient cloth can heal James Cullen. I’m not completely convinced myself, but I have to be committed before I talk to her. If I waver, she’ll balk and demand we take