leather pouch holding the other diamond to her pocket.
“Aye. Will you be distracted if I remain nearby?”
“No. Actually, I think having you here might help.”
“All right. I’ll be over there beneath that tree,” he said, pointing to one of the many pines growing around the clearing.
She nodded, turned away and began concentrating. She’d done a search for an 1854 calendar, and concentrated on that Tuesday in time. Right here, the sixth of June, 1854. She repeated the words over and over in her head while fixing the image of the boulder where she’d just been sitting firmly in her mind. She opened her palm and stared at the uncut pink diamond nestled in the palm of her hand. “I want to be right here, on Tuesday, the sixth of June, 1854.”
A shimmer appeared in the air and grew until the undulating waves of pale pink and pale green were nearly as tall as she was. Swallowing convulsively, she stepped toward the passage she prayed would take her to Daniel. “Right here, the sixth of June, 1854. The sixth day of June, 1854, on Tuesday in this very spot,” she uttered as if it were a mantra. Tentatively, she took one step closer, trying to see what lay beyond the undulating light.
“Meredith,” Daniel’s shout reverberated inside her mind. “Look out!”
Something slammed into her from behind, pitching her forward. A whooshing force caught her. Colors and shapes stretched past her in a dizzying blur as she sped through time and space at the speed of light.
“Oof,” she grunted as she landed on the hard ground with her duffle bag beside her. The breath had been knocked out of her, and a weight pinned her to hard, rocky ground.
“Sorry. Sorry,” Oliver said as he rolled off her.
Oliver? It took her several seconds before she could breathe again. Once she was able, she got to her hands and knees and glared for all she was worth. Judging by the backpack he carried, and the jeans, flannel shirt and leather hiking boots he wore that could easily pass for this era, he’d planned this. How?
“Dammit, Oliver! What the hell were you thinking? What the hell are you doing here, and … what the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I didn’t want to miss out on the experience of a lifetime.” His expression smug, he cocked a brow. “I did ask that you keep me in the loop, yet you and the Schultes conspired to keep your plans a secret from me.”
“What makes you think you had the right to know anything about my plans?” She clenched her jaw, trying to rein in her anger. “This doesn’t involve you, and I had a good reason not to tell you anything. Have you forgotten what happened when you ignored my warning about ghostly encounters? You were nearly possessed.”
“Nearly, but I wasn’t. I had prepared for that possibility by carrying sage and a moonrise crystal with me.”
“How the hell did you know I—”
“I’ve been spying and following you around since the night you told us the story about your older sister and her trip to the third century. Figuring out what you planned to do was a no brainer. Actually, I’m surprised that fae man didn’t detect my presence outside of the saloon.” He shrugged. “Either he wasn’t looking for spies, or he didn’t care.” He tapped his noggin. “I’m not stupid, you know.”
“Yeah, you kinda are,” she gritted out. “This isn’t a game. You don’t know how your shove has affected where and when I landed.” Her throat clogged with dust and a rising lump, she stood up and began brushing herself off.
“Doesn’t matter. Whenever this is, it’ll still be an adventure like no other.” He smirked. “I wasn’t about to be left out, and besides, we have the second diamond to get us back.”
“Obviously it doesn’t matter to you, but it matters a great deal to me. It means even more to the two men whose murders I’m trying to prevent.” She glowered. “And what’s with the we? We don’t have the second diamond. I do. I hold the ticket for the return trip, and if you do not do exactly as I tell you while we’re here, I will return to the twenty-first century without you.”
“You wouldn’t do that.” He smirked.
“I wouldn’t bet on that if I were you, you selfish little twit,” she bit out. “You’ve jeopardized my entire reason for doing this, and it was already dangerous enough to begin with.”