Forever Eva [Sequel to When Kat's Away] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (15 page)

“Here you go.” Tony handed her a brightly colored wild flower. “You can play the love game.”

“What’s the love game?”

He took the flower back and began to pull the petals off one by one. “She loves me, she loves me not, she loves me, she loves me not.” When he got down to the last petal, he gazed into her eyes. “She loves me.” Holding her gaze, he tossed the silky petals into the water.

“I do, you know.” She hesitated and took a deep breath. “Love you.” When he drew in a quick breath, she raised her gaze to look at his eyes. “I love you and Zach very much.” A frown spread briefly across his face, to be replaced quickly by his eyes darkening with what she now knew was passion. While she still had the courage, she threw herself into his arms.

Tony pulled her tight then lifted her off her feet and swung her around. Stopping, he set her on her down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. After a moment, he studied her face. “Woman, you’re gonna be the death of me. As crazy as it sounds, I’m beginning to believe you really are from the past.”

Feeling like her heart would burst from happiness, Eva laid her cheek on his chest and breathed in his scent.

Tony hugged her tight and then took her shoulders in his hands and moved her back to look into her eyes. “Honey, we’ve been here quite a while. Sooner or later Andrew’s dad will probably send him to look for us to make sure we’re okay. Why don’t we pack up and take his home where we can share it with Zach?”

“I’d like that.”

“Okay, I’ll pack up the lunch we never got around to eating while you get your shoes on.”

Eva laughed. “You’ve got yourself a deal, cowboy.”

“Cowboy?”

She giggled. “Yeah, you looked just like a cowboy riding that horse today.”

He grinned and wiggled his brows. “You’re turned on by cowboys, huh?”

“Oh, yeah, very much so.”

He laughed, scooped all the picnic food up in the blanket, and took it over to Wanderer.

Eva rinsed her feet in the water and then sat down in the grass and started pulling her shoes on. She glanced up and saw a lone figure standing next to a horse. He was too far away for her to see his face, which was mostly hidden underneath a cowboy hat, but she could tell it was a small person, maybe a young man. There was no doubt in her mind that he was watching them. “Tony?” Her voice came out weak and garbled, so she tried again. “Tony!” She heard something drop, and he was suddenly by her side.

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

She moved her gaze to Tony. “Up on the ridge, someone’s watching us.”

He stood and glared up at the stranger. “What the hell? I can’t tell who it is.” He took one step forward, and the person jumped on his horse, yanked the horse’s head to the side, and galloped away.

Eva trembled. “Do you think he watched us, while we, um, you know.”

Tony turned and pulled her into his arms. “I don’t think he could really see anything from that far away, at least he couldn’t see any details.” He stroked along the length of her back, letting his hand glide over her bottom. “Don’t worry, honey. I’m gonna talk to Andrew and make sure he knows he’s got somebody prowling around their land.”

She pulled back. “Let’s get out of here. I’m ready to go home.”

Tony smiled. “Okay, honey. Come on and get mounted up. I’ll have you home before you know it.”

* * * *

Laura galloped toward the barn where Andrew was grooming one of the horses. He looked up and frowned. “What are you doing back so soon? Is anything wrong?”

She ignored him, her muscles quivering as she dismounted. She’d heard Tony ask if it was okay to come riding today, and it had been her plan to surprise him and spend the afternoon together.

“Ohhh, I see.”

“You see what, Andrew?”

He gave a snort of laughter. “I’ll go out on a limb here and guess you didn’t find what you were looking for on your ride.” He moved closer and leaned on the fence rail, his eyes lit with a twinkle of mischief.

She clenched her fists and glared at her coworker. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He gave her a bemused smiled that morphed into a wide grin as he chuckled. “Come on, Laura. Everybody knows you’ve got it bad for Officer Grandy. You must’ve seen him and his lady on your very brief ride.”

She narrowed her eyes as she tied the reins to the fence rail. “I don’t have time for your foolishness, Matthews. I just remembered an appointment I can’t miss.” She started walking toward her car and stopped when Andrew stepped in front of her.

“I don’t know how you found out Tony would be here today, but let me give you some friendly advice.”

She gritted her teeth and raised her gaze to meet the pity in his eyes.

“He seems pretty taken with his new lady. You won’t win any points with him, or the guys on the force, if you cause him any trouble.”

She took a deep breath. “Is that all?”

“Do yourself a favor, Laura, and let this go.”

She moved around him and went to her car. Feeling herself blush, she clenched her jaw and dug her keys out of her pocket. When she got the door open, she yanked off her hat, threw it in the backseat, and climbed into her car. Not wasting a minute, she started the engine, put the car in gear, and peeled down the drive toward the county road, leaving a cloud of dust blocking her view in the rear window.
What the hell does he see in her? She’s so damn plain it’s not funny. Where did she come from? Hell, she and that damn park ranger are living in his house.
She’d run Eva through the system and couldn’t even find a birth record on her.

“I’ve got to find out what she’s hiding, but I think I’m gonna need a little help.” She pulled to the side of the road and picked up her cell phone. Searching through her contacts, she pressed one of the names. It was answered on the third ring.

“Hey, doll. Long time no hear. What’s happening?”

Laura smiled. “I need your help, big man. Are you up for a little sleuthing?”

“Sure, baby. You know I’d do anything for you. What’s it about?”

“Not on the phone. I can be at your place in a half hour.”

“Bring it on. I can use a new challenge.”

Laura grinned and ended the call, tossing the phone onto the seat. “Okay, Miss Eva Bennington. Let’s see what you’re hiding.”

Zach glanced around the records department but didn’t see the woman he’d dealt with before. The young woman talking on the phone held up one finger, motioning for him to wait. When she finished her call, she walked over and gave him a bright smile. “Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Mrs. Hadley.”

The young woman frowned. “I’m sorry, but she’s away visiting family at the moment. Is there something I can help you with?”

“She’s doing some research for me. Do you know when she’ll be back?”

“It could be several days. She had a death in her family.”

“Damn!” Zach cut his eyes up and flinched. “Sorry, ma’am.”

She laughed. “No problem. I’ve said worse.” She held out her hand. “I’m Lisa Martin.” She shook his hand and then paused. “Just a minute, please.” She walked over to a desk and pulled open a drawer, taking out a sheath of papers. She glanced at it and then looked up. “You wouldn’t be Zach Carlson, would you?”

“Yeah, am I supposed to know you?”

“No, but Mrs. Hadley left me your name. She’s had me searching for the records you want.”

Zach felt his heart beat speed up. “Are you saying you found Eva’s birth records?”

Lisa frowned. “Yes and no.”

He blew out a breath. “What the hell does that mean?” When her eyebrows shot up, he cursed under his breath and lowered his gaze to the scratched countertop. “I’m sorry. This is just really important to me.”

“I understand.” She brought the papers to the counter. “Let me show you what I’ve been able to find.”

Zach moved closer and glanced at the pages.

“When Mrs. Hadley told me to search for the birth record of Evalina Katarina Bennington-Martinson, she indicated the birth to have been in 1876. I did a brief survey of our records, and then decided to go about it in a different way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Birth records back then were haphazard. With so many babies born at home, with no medical attendant, the records are sparse. Many people, especially the lower classes, didn’t take the time to register births with the county courthouse.”

Zach groaned. “So you’re saying there’s no birth certificate.”

Lisa smiled. “Like I said, I decided to approach the problem from a different angle. They might not have kept meticulous birth records, but later on, people kept accurate death records. I figured if she was born in 1876, she would have a death record somewhere, so I started with the Social Security Administration and hit pay dirt right off.” She pulled a single sheet of paper and laid it in front of Zach. “This says that Eva Katarina Bennington Martinson died on December 1
^st
in 1958.

Zach picked up the sheet as he felt his stomach drop, a feeling of nausea rolling through him. He felt his heart sinking as he rubbed the back of his neck.
She had to have been lying all along.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then shoved the paper across the counter, making a tight fist with his hand.

She moved the paper aside and set another one in front of him. “Seeing the death record gave me what I needed to go back and find a birth record.”

Zach frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Look again at the death record, Zach.”

He pulled the sheet closer and studied it.

Lisa reached over and pointed to the name. “See how they spelled her name?”

He looked again and caught his breath. “They left out the hyphen and made her last name one whole word.”

“Exactly. So, I went back to the old files and found this.” She pushed a third paper forward.

Zach reached a shaky hand to pull it close enough to read. It was the record of the birth of a baby girl to Anna Bennington Martinson, Beauregard Martinson, and Ezekiel Bennington.

“It’s kind of strange for a birth certificate since it lists more than two parents. I’m not sure what it means.” She laughed lightly. “Everyone in the office has been speculating since I found it, and the most popular theory is the lady in question might not have known which one was the father so she put both names.” She pulled another sheet from the stack. “The strangest part of all this is the timing of the records.”

“What do you mean?”

“The records are filed by dates, but it’s by date of entry. Usually, that works out fine. The births that take place on January 1st are filed on January 1st.”

“But not in this instance.”

Lisa snorted. “Not hardly. It’s like somebody went to the courthouse in the year 1900 and decided to file an official report of a birth from 1876. Like an afterthought, if you will. For some reason, this young woman, or a member of her family, decided to record her birth with the courthouse twenty-four years after she was born.”

What the hell does it all mean?
“Can I have these?” Zach asked.

“Sure.” She handed him the papers. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, thanks so much for this.” He took the papers and hurried out to his truck. He sat there for several minutes. “Why would somebody register a birth twenty-four years later?” He thought for a moment. “Somebody figured out there would need to be a record later on.” He looked down at the papers and his breath caught. “Eva would know to file those papers if she managed to get back to her own time. She knows I’ve been looking for proof. If she had the chance, she’d leave something for me to find.” He started the engine and began to back out of his parking place, only to slam on the brakes a moment later. “Son of a bitch! She’s going back to the past.”

* * * *

Eva turned the page of Tony’s family album and sighed wistfully. “You’re so lucky, having all these pictures of your family. I’d give anything to be able to see my folks again.” Her hand closed around her locket. “This is all I have left of my family.”

“Does it have a picture in it?” Tony asked.

She shook her head and pulled the gold chain over her head. She held the locket out and popped open the top. “Something better than a picture.” Her finger poked the curl of hair inside. “This is a piece of my great-grandmother’s hair. Mama said that her mama gave this to her and told her that as long as she wore it, she would know that somebody was up in heaven making her dreams come true.” She blinked back the tears she could feel forming. “Now, she is working on making my dreams come true.”

Tony moved closer to her on the couch. “And what dreams do you have that you’re wanting to come true?”

Eva looked into his eyes and felt heat spread throughout her body. “My dream is for the three of us to come together.” She turned at the sound of the door opening.

Zach stepped into the room and stopped when he saw them on the couch. His eyes flared and then smoldered as he took two steps into the room.