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

She choked back a laugh. “I tell you to go away, and you stay. I invite you in, and you hesitate. What’s up with you?”

“Remy will kick my ass if I piss you off.”

“I doubt that.” She handed over her glass. “One more drink, and I’ll fall asleep, which probably isn’t such a bad idea.”

“Whatever makes you happy.” He took the glass and headed out the door. “I’ll be right back.”

She dug through her gear for a comb and had it in hand by the time Austin returned with her drink.

“I’ll trade you this drink for the comb.”

“You don’t have one?”

He ran his fingers through his hair, making tracks through his thick auburn waves, and damn if his cheeks didn’t turn pink, which made her wonder what he was thinking.

“I don’t need one for me, but I thought…I’d volunteer to comb…yours.”

Remembering how good it felt when he untangled her knots, she gave him the comb and angled sideways into the high back chair. “What’s Remy doing?”

“Drinking. It’s weird to see Cajun lying on a sofa with a drink and no remote in his hand. He’s a maniac when it comes to sports.”

“And you’re not?”

“Sure, when it comes to basketball, but Remy will watch anything, even curling.” Austin glided the comb through her hair in long, even strokes.

“How’d you learn to comb a woman’s hair? You seem to know what you’re doing.”

“My cousin Betsy has long brown hair.”

“Who does she belong to?”

“Uncle Connor and Aunt Olivia. And Betsy thinks it’s funny and giggles when I brush it. She’s watched me on the basketball court from the time she was a year old. I don’t get it, but she’s in awe when she puts her little comb in my hand.”

“I understand the feeling. Your hands are huge. They could span my waist. So how old is Betsy now?”

“Almost ten, going on fifteen.”

“You must be her favorite cousin.”

“Not anymore. The younger guys have taken my place.” He combed Ensley’s hair, then rolled sections around his finger. “Do you want me to break down the boxes and dump them in the trash?”

“They probably recycle, don’t you think?”

He dropped each curl, letting it drape over her shoulders to dry. “I doubt they call it recycling, but I’m sure they reuse anything and everything they can. In which case, they’d probably prefer we leave the boxes intact.”

Remy came to the partially open door. “The cook and steward arrived with dinner from the hotel.”

“I wonder who paid for it?” she asked. “Not that I’m nosy or complaining, but it seems weird that they’d buy precooked food when there’s so much here to fix.”

“They thought we’d be hungry after traveling all day.” Remy entered the room and closed the door behind him. “I guess they have an expense account so they can buy supplies. But… I only got a quick introduction to the steward, and all I can say is, I’d rather have Norman here.”

Austin dropped the last curl over her shoulder. “Are you being paranoid?”

“Maybe.” Remy turned around and left—but came right back. “Look. Tavis was worried. Maybe he was just upset about the Viking, but it made an impression on me. After you meet the steward, if you feel the same way, we’ll dismiss them, and they can get off at the next stop.”

“Then we’ll have to cook for ourselves,” Austin said.

“I doan mind cooking,” Remy said.

“I don’t, either,” she said.

Austin scratched his whiskers. “If someone sent them after us, if we kick them off the train, others will come to replace them.”

“Why would somebody want to hurt us?”

“Because of your brooch,” Austin said.

“I don’t have one. JC and I both tried to hold on to the sunstone, but it got too hot. It’s still in the twenty-first century.”

“I doan want to scare you, Ensley,” Remy said, “but the enemy doesn’t know that and woan believe you. They’d likely torture and eventually kill you while trying to extract what you doan know.”

Sh…

She tried to say shit, but no sound passed through her constricted throat, and not much air came out of fear-frozen lungs. This was her worst nightmare. When her throat relaxed, she said, “But…those two men could really be a cook and a steward. Right?”

Remy rubbed the back of his neck without saying anything, but she wanted an answer.

“Tell me the truth.”

“If you want me to agree with you, I can’t.”

She stood and paced the room. Where was her Clovis Point? She needed protection. And then she remembered. The last time she saw her little knife, the point was dangling from the bear’s fur.

“Let me get dressed, then let’s have dinner. We can decide what to do after we check the guys out. I’d prefer it if we could at least start by believing they are who they say they are.”

Austin looked around the room. “Did you find anything comfortable to wear in all those boxes?”

“Other than two peignoir sets, the dresses all require a bustle except the black wool riding outfit. That’s probably the least complicated one in the collection.”

Austin winked. “Yell if you want help with zippers or back buttons.”

“I don’t think zippers are a thing yet, but if I need help buttoning, I’ll be sure to reach out.”

It took about thirty minutes to get the skirt and peplum jacket buttoned up and presentable without the corset. And besides, she wasn’t in the mood to be that trussed up. She picked through the box of elastic garters and knit silk hose in yellow, pink, white, and black, all with white lace trimming. Her feet almost sighed at the warm luxury. It was better than a pedicure.

Then she remembered the small piece of red fabric. She unwrapped her dirty jacket and found the fabric stuck to her bra. Now where to put it. The skirt should have a hidden pocket sewn in for a handkerchief. It took a minute of searching the folds to find it. Perfect. She just hoped she didn’t forget it when she changed clothes.

Inside