JESSICA WADE HAD lingered far too long in the tub. Her hands were like prunes and the water was growing tepid, but she didn’t care. She was miserable. She heard the door from their bedroom open and close and then the heavy footsteps of her husband.
“Jake!” Travis called.
When she and Travis first met, it was necessary for her to assume the role of his brother in order to travel safely to Harrisburg. After dirtying up her face and forcing her to wear his hat, he’d given her the name “Jake” as a cover, but the nickname had stuck.
“In here,” she grumbled.
“I shouldn’t be surprised, I suppose,” he said as he poked his head into the bathroom. “At some point, the Fords are going to solve the mystery of the hot water always running out.”
“There’s plenty of hot water,” Jessica grumbled.
His grin quickly turned into a frown. “Sweetheart? What’s the matter?”
Jessica shrugged. “I just feel sad.”
“Why do you feel sad?”
Jessica burst into tears as she stared up at her gorgeous man, his dark hair swept away from his face and his blue eyes piercing as he walked toward her.
“Oh, my beautiful girl.” Travis knelt beside the tub and stroked her cheek. “Tell me.”
“It’s Mark’s birthday today... well, it would be... in the future.”
“Sweetheart.”
She bit her lip. “We’d be at Chili’s right now, eating chips and salsa, drinking big margaritas.”
“Chili’s?”
“It was our favorite restaurant.” She sighed. “We went there every birthday.”
“I’m sorry you miss your brother, sweetheart.” Travis smiled gently as he slipped a wayward curl behind her ear. “I know it was difficult to leave him.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” she rushed to say. “I would have chosen you over him every time and I don’t regret that. I just miss him sometimes.”
“You don’t need to tell me that, sweetheart,” he assured her. “I know you would have.”
She sniffed.
“You know, you can spend as much time with mine as you like.”
Jessica snorted, unable to stop a giggle. “I happen to like Topper. Why are you always trying to pawn him off onto other people?”
“Because he’s my annoying little brother.”
“Oh, please, you’re just saying that because he’s dissing you right now.”
“Dissing?”
“Ignoring you... treating you wrong,” she clarified. “You miss him more than I do.”
Travis sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I’m always right,” she retorted. “Not that he’s up for much in the way of conversation anyway. He has Charlotte now.”
Travis chuckled. “Oh, I see how it is.”
Topper had originally planned to marry Charlotte in June. However, that plan was altered when Topper had confessed to Jamie and Travis that he’d gotten Charlotte pregnant. When his Aunt Nona found out about the pregnancy, she insisted the ceremony be performed the next day.
As loving and accepting as Dr. and Mrs. Wade were, an out-of-wedlock pregnancy was too much, even for them. Originally, Jamie had offered the errant couple refuge at his and Sophie’s home, but Charlotte was painfully shy, and Topper knew his new wife needed privacy to adjust to her new life.
It was Jamie who thought of the Maddens’ cabin. The suggestion received nothing but support from Clayton and Richard Madden, who readily offered the use of the private retreat.
Jessica sighed. “Ever since they got married, Topper has no time for us anymore. And talking to Charlotte is like talking to a mannequin. She doesn’t talk back.”
Travis rose to his feet and grabbed a towel, holding it open for her. “You can talk to me.”
“I do talk to you.” She stood and climbed out of the tub, raising her hands to let him wrap the towel around her. “I love talking to you. You’re amazing. It’s just that sometimes I want to talk to someone my own age... that’s a girl. Or someone who’s known me my whole life and doesn’t think I’m amazing all the time.”
Travis laughed. “Would now be the wrong time to admit I don’t think you’re amazing all the time?”
“Yes, now would be the absolute wrong time. But mostly because you’re right, and you know why you’re right?”
“Because I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant, and you’d think that as a person with a registered nursing degree, I’d know my own stupid body, but other than the fact my period’s three weeks late, and my boobs are twice their normal size and hurt like crazy, I don’t know for sure, because this century doesn’t offer a stick to pee on!”
“Jake,” Travis whispered. “Really?”
Jessica bit her lip and nodded. “Yes, I really do think so.”
Travis let out a whoop and picked her up, spinning her in a circle before kissing her and laying her on the bed. Pulling the towel away from her, he laid his hands on her still-flat abdomen. “A baby.”
Jessica laid her hand over his. “You done knocked me up, son.”
He scowled. “What? Why would you say that?”
“It’s slang, meaning you got me pregnant.”
“Not here it isn’t,” he said. “I mean, it is, but it’s not a positive thing.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “It’s a derogatory term in the South. It means a slave woman has become pregnant. And I know how you feel about derogatory terms.”
“Oh. Lame.”
He smiled. “Lame indeed.”
Jessica giggled. “I love it when you use my terms.”
“Do you now?”
She nodded. “You make them sound so, ah, proper.”
“Glad I can amuse you.” Travis settled his head in his palm, facing her. “I want my uncle to examine you.”
Jessica shook her head. “No offense to your uncle, but I’d much rather have Stephen examine me.”
Stephen Paxton was also from the future, having arrived long before the war, sent back from the 1990s.
He kissed her. “I don’t really care which of them does the examination, sweetheart, I just want to be sure you and the baby are healthy.”
“We’re perfectly healthy.” Jessica ran her hand down his chest. “But I have to admit, I’m glad you’re almost done with the army. I like the idea of you never leaving. Especially without a phone to call me every day.”
“I cannot wait to see this phone you talk of. It sounds fascinating.” He kissed her again. “On that note, we have the rest of the day to do with as we please. So, what would you like to do?”
“I’d like to take a tour of our land. I want to see if we can see anything yet.”
“What do you expect to see?”
“I don’t know. Vegetation, grass, maybe the view from the kitchen window?”
Travis chuckled. “We still have quite a bit of snow, but I’ll be happy to drive you out there if you want to.”
“I definitely want to,” she said as she tugged his shirt from his pants. “But first, I want to take advantage of the fact I’m not wearing a hundred-thousand-million yards of fabric.”
Travis slid from the bed and pulled his shirt off over his head with a laugh. “That’s a lot of clothing.”
“I know! I’m the one who has to stand still while someone dresses me.” Jessica propped herself up on her elbows and admired the view. “My word, you’re not real.”
He stepped out of his pants and shoes, and Jessica sighed. He was wearing the black boxer briefs she’d brought back from the future on her final trip, and they fit him perfectly. “Honestly, baby, I think you’re a figment of my imagination most of the time.”
Travis crawled onto the bed, hovering above her, and kissed her belly then her neck. “Can a figment of your imagination do this?”
“My imagination’s pretty vivid, so probably.”
He ran his tongue over her bottom lip. “Can your figment do that?”
“Pshaw, easy-peasy.”
“What about this?”
Jessica couldn’t answer coherently after that as he proved just how good the real thing was.
* * *
Washington, D.C.
Hannah Butler walked the perimeter of her bedroom in an effort to calm her restless baby, just enough to put her back down. Awakened at six by Christopher’s good-bye kiss, she’d hoped to fall back to sleep, but the second she thought she might be close, the scream of their daughter drove an ice-pick through her eardrum. Four hours later, Penny had been fed again, rocked and put to bed, again, only to wake up again fifteen minutes later, pushing Hannah into a haze of exhaustion... and possible hallucination.
She didn’t even hear the door, but like a knight in shining armor, her husband was standing in front of her, taking the baby from her and guiding her back to bed.
“I’ll just nod off for a few, eh?” she said.
“You can have an entire hour, sweetheart. We don’t have to leave for two. I’ll wake you when it’s time to go.”
It took less than a minute to realize her daughter was no longer crying. Hannah yawned. “I’d get cross with her if it wasn’t for the fact you have the same effect on me.”
Christopher chuckled and kissed her quickly before taking Penny out of the room. Hannah flopped back onto the mattress, only to be awakened just a few seconds later. “I thought I had an hour,” she grumbled.
“It’s been an hour and fifteen, sweetheart,” Christopher said as he massaged her shoulders. “I couldn’t bear to wake you any earlier.”
“If you keep doing that, Knight, I won’t be able to leave the bed.”
He patted her bottom. “It’s time to get up. We have a new nephew to see.”
Hannah rolled onto her back and settled her hands behind her head. “You know, I’m good with not seeing any babies for a while. They’re kind of overrated anyway.”
Christopher ran his hand along her thigh and grinned. “I could ask my mother to come back for a few weeks.”
“No.” Hannah grabbed his hand. “Don’t get me wrong, I love your mum, but she can be a bit intense at times.”
“At times?”
Hannah smiled. “Okay, more than that, but most of the time it’s one of the things I like about her. That being said, I don’t want to argue with her about how often to bathe Penny. Every day. Period. I just wish our wee poppet would bloody well sleep.”
“I think we should look for a nanny and a wet nurse when we return.”
“Knight, I’m not having some other woman raise my kids, and I sure as hell am not having one feed Penny.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t come in here to cavil, sweetheart.”
Hannah sighed, sitting up and looping her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted and not thinking straight.”
“I know.” Christopher pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. “Just think of all the people available to help over the next few weeks so you can get a break. I personally wouldn’t mind some time alone with you.”
Hannah frowned. “Feeling a little neglected?”
“Not at all. Just worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine—” Penny’s scream echoed through the house and Hannah groaned. “Maybe not.”
“I’ll get her. You get dressed.” Christopher stood and kissed Hannah’s cheek. “I’ll come and help you with your corset in a bit.”
“This is one of the many reasons you truly are my knight in shining armor.” Hannah forced herself out of bed and to the bureau. As soon as she’d washed her face, she felt a little more human and managed to don all of her undergarments, including her corset, although tightening it was out of her realm of ability. When Christopher returned with Penny, she had to admit she felt a lot more relaxed than she had earlier. For such a tiny two-month-old, Penelope Wilhelmina Butler certainly made her presence known.
Christopher settled the baby on the bed and Hannah leaned over her. “Well, hello my wee loose change. What is Junior going to think? You’re not acting much like a lady at the moment, are you? He won’t want to marry you if you’re constantly throwing a fit.” Penny rewarded her with a toothless grin and turned her head to look for Christopher. “Oh, I know. Your daddy’s the most handsome man in the world. I get it. I’d rather look at him too.”
Christopher kissed the back of Hannah’s neck as he tightened her corset. “How’s that?”
Hannah squeezed her eyes shut. “Manageable. Ta.”
He kissed her neck again and Hannah turned in his arms to face him. “I’m sorry I’m not... ah... in the mood.”
“What do you mean? You’re often in a mood,” he joked.
She smiled sadly. He was right. “You know what I mean.”
“I do know what you mean. Soon.”
She kissed his chest. “I’ll try harder.”
Christopher chuckled. “You don’t need to do that, sweetheart. You just need time to adjust to motherhood.”
Hannah sighed. “I guess so.”
He stroked her back. “Just wait until tomorrow. We’ll have someone take Penny for a few hours, and I’ll make up for lost time.”
She yawned. “Sorry.”
A knock at the door sounded and Christopher answered it. Their housekeeper, Mrs. Putnam, stood on the other side. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Butler, but your cousin, Miss Butler’s here.”
“Which one?” he asked. “I have six of the female variety.”
“Gabrielle.”
“Alone?”
Mrs. Putnam nodded. “She appears to be, sir.”
“All right. Would you help Mrs. Butler with her clothing, please? I’ll see to Gabrielle.”
Christopher left the room and Hannah was left half-dressed and wondering what the heck Gabby was doing in Washington D.C. at ten o’clock in the morning.
* * *
Just a few blocks away, Victoria Butler was attempting to close her trunk. She’d over-packed, as usual, but she didn’t know what she could realistically purge.
“Rebel?” Quincy called from downstairs. “Are you almost ready?”
“Not really.” She sighed and leaned into the hallway. “I can’t get the trunk closed.”
Quincy’s footsteps sounded as he plodded up the stairs. He walked into their room and shook his head. “What have you packed, sweetheart? We’re only going for a few weeks.”
“Only the necessary items. I promise.” Victoria grinned. In her humble opinion, her husband was the best looking man on the planet. He wore dark brown trousers with a matching vest and jacket, although, currently, his jacket was off. His white shirt did nothing to hide his muscular arms, and Victoria wished there was time for her to peel him out of his clothes for some fun.
“What is going on in that beautiful head of yours?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
She bit her lip. “You just look like a big chocolate bar.”
“Hmm, really? You do look like you want to eat me.” Quincy wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Oh, I absolutely do.”
“Are you trying to sidetrack me from my lecture about packing within reason?”
“Maybe.” Victoria slid her fingers into his hair. “But I’d endure the lecture if you’d take me back to bed.”
“I wish we had the time, sweetheart.” He grinned and then kissed her. “We will have time before dinner, will that suffice?”
Victoria giggled. “You’re such a military man. Yes, before dinner will ‘suffice,’ as will after dinner and before bed.” She kissed his neck. “And maybe in the middle of the night.”
Quincy groaned. “Rebel. You’re not playing fair, sweetheart.”
She dropped her head onto his shoulder. “I know, Gus. I’m sorry. I just want more than a quickie in the back of a closet.”
When Victoria had arrived from the future, she’d been dropped onto the middle of a battlefield in Virginia. Quincy had been convinced she was a rebel spy, and his treatment of her had Victoria accusing him of being nothing more than a grumpy Gus. Their accusations had turned into private endearments for one another.
He chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know, the closet was a nice distraction.”
Quincy had been working late hours with his brother, Christopher, at the war offices, trying to prevent the next known attack on the President, and Victoria had rarely seen him over the past few weeks.
Victoria rolled her eyes. “But it was a quick distraction. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I miss making love in our bed. Any bed, for that matter. All we ever do is sleep in it nowadays, and I’m kind of sick of grabbing sex whenever we can. Regardless of the fact it’s hot. I want to spend the day in bed with you. Naked and licking sweet things off you.”
Quincy groaned. “So do I, sweetheart. So do I. But we’ll have three days together before I have to work with the men to sort this threat out. My focus will be on you and you alone. We’ll make up for lost time. I promise.”
She smiled. “That’s all I ask.”
“Now, let’s sort out this trunk of yours. We still have to deal with Rocky before we can head to the train station, and that’s going to take some time.”
Quincy had rescued her beloved black stallion and had gifted him to her. The horse had become more than a pleasure horse, however, having led Quincy and Laughing Crow to her when a madman kidnapped her. She never went anywhere without Rocky, and he often grew agitated if she didn’t visit with him at least once a day.
“One more kiss?” she asked hopefully.
He obliged.