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

what she saw or relieved. “I saw Elliott at the cabin. He told me what happened.”

There was something bleak in Meredith’s voice, and it told Ensley the meeting with Elliott didn’t go well at all. Ensley touched Meredith on the back, finding her muscles so rigid that it was like patting cement. Meredith tensed even more for a moment, and then her shoulders drooped a little as she released some of the tension.

“I’m new to this whole time-traveling business, but Kenzie was afraid it could be years before we came back for you. How long was Dr. Fraser gone?”

“Call him Elliott. No one calls him Dr. Fraser.” Meredith checked the time on an antique diamond and platinum watch pendant pinned to her lapel. “Maybe an hour. Kit had taken food to the cabin, and when she returned to the mansion and told me what he said, I decided it was time to talk to him. The fire was blazing when I arrived, and I was only there a short time before Elliott walked in. We talked for a few minutes, and then I left.”

“An hour to return to the future and come back. Is that unusual?”

“Each brooch has different properties, and I don’t know which one Elliott used.”

“The diamond, I think.”

That was all the small talk Ensley could manage. And as tense as Meredith was, she wouldn’t be interested in anything else, either. Ensley’s conversations with JC’s mom had always been about literature or the latest New York City restaurants, never anything about personal stuff. And right now, everything was personal.

Where was Austin? Ensley sure could use a rescue right now. She glanced around but couldn’t see over the next hill.

“Austin and Braham should be at the mansion by now. Donald McCabe will be pleased to see Braham.”

“Elliott said he’s very ill.”

“Emily wasn’t sure at first if he has lung cancer or TB. She’s leaning toward lung cancer and doing everything she can to keep him comfortable. He doesn’t have much time left.”

Ensley saw a long-legged man coming over the knoll in a blaze of sunlight, and her heart rate skyrocketed. “There’s Austin.” She darted out from under the trees and waved, yelling. “Austin!”

His face lit as he spotted her, and his stride lengthened. When he reached her, he picked her up and kissed her. “I was so worried. Are you okay?”

“Yes! Yes! Put me down!”

What will Meredith think?

He set her gently on her feet. “I can’t believe how scared I was when I came out of the fog and you weren’t there.”

Meredith stepped out into the sun and walked a few steps closer, brows puckered. “Have you seen Braham?”

“Oh, hi, Meredith. No, have you seen Elliott?”

Meredith glanced over her shoulder. “He’s at the cabin. Let’s go find Braham.” She took off, leading the way. “Ensley told me about you shooting the bear.”

“Lucky shot,” Austin said.

“Four shots,” Ensley said. “And luck wasn’t involved.”

“Sounds like Pops made the right decision when he insisted you go rescue Ensley.”

“It was a good idea, but Ensley didn’t need rescuing.”

“I didn’t? What about the bear?”

“Tavis was only a few minutes behind me.”

Ensley punched him in the ribs, and Austin faked a reaction, grabbing his gut and bending over. “Damn, that hurt.”

“Yeah, right. My elbow bounced off you. But seriously, that bear would have mauled me to death by the time Tavis got there.”

The wind sighed across the pasture, bringing the scent of horses and springtime. And it wafted the folds of Ensley’s skirts about her legs, an odd sensation for her. She took in a deep breath of the breezy air, letting go of some of the fear and anxiety. No, it wasn’t the breeze. It was Austin’s presence. He was with her now, comforting her, willing to help carry the heavy load of her worries.

“I want to hear all about it,” Meredith said, sounding only half interested. “But a story like that deserves a good bottle of wine. So how long were you gone?”

“A month for me,” Ensley said.

“Three days for us,” Austin said.

“In three days, you’ve grown very…close. I’m surprised.” Meredith looked up at Austin. “What happened to the surly man who didn’t want anything to do with his family?”

Austin scratched his scruffy chin but didn’t say anything.

Ensley put her hand at the side of her mouth like she was telling Meredith a secret. “It was a ruse to keep people out of his business.”

“A ruse? Austin! Is that true?” Meredith tsked. “You were officially my first grandchild, and you lied to me?”

“I never lied, and besides, I was sixteen when I went to work for you at the winery. I will never call you Granny Mere.”

“Good, because I’m not sure I’d answer. But after worrying about you for months, JL will be extremely pissed.”

“I sent a text to Pops with a big thank-you for insisting I go on the trip. He’ll give JL a heads-up.”

Ensley marched along, keeping up but remaining silent.

“I hope you plan to do more than a heads-up,” Meredith said.

He stared at her briefly. Then he cleared his throat. “Let it go, Meredith. I’ll take care of it.”

Tension seeped back into Meredith’s face, so Ensley stepped between them. “Do you want to hear what I enjoyed most about the time I spent with Teddy Roosevelt?”

Oh, God. How lame.

Meredith gave her a forced smile, obviously not at all interested, but being polite, she asked, “What? Politics?”

“No, he said upfront that talking about politics was strictly off-limits, although JC did get in a few questions about the election of 1884.”

As they walked, Ensley rattled on about the cattle drive and book discussions, and Austin mentioned playing chess with TR.

“Who won?” Meredith asked.

“I was very competitive, but TR won two out of every three games.”

“I didn’t know you were that good,” Meredith said. “If you can keep up with Teddy Roosevelt, you’ve got to be the best chess player in the family.”

“Jack gives me a good game,” Austin said.

As they neared the mansion, they spotted Braham crossing the drive.

Austin yelled, “Braham!”

Braham acknowledged