The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance by Katherine Logan (comprehension books .TXT) 📗

“Yes. It’s dangerous. You can’t go to the longhouse yet.” Tavis couldn’t take Joseph anywhere near the fighting because he’d take out his little dagger and attack. His son was fearless. “We must go back to the cliffs. You’ll be safe there.”

“I’m safe with you, Dad. Where you go, I go.”

“Not this time.”

They ran back to the cliff, but Tavis pulled his son to the ground again when a large cloud rose from the ground. He’d watched Arne disappear into the fog too many times not to know that travelers were coming. It could be Arne or Bjørn, Birger, or Forde, but he’d been at the last Council meeting, and they said nothing about a new brooch. The members had only told him recently that Erik’s brooch heated when another brooch was activated. When that happened, a Council member went forward in time to find the traveler and be sure a guardian was watching over them. If there was no guardian, the Council member stayed with the brooch until it found its way to the Keeper.

“What is it, Dad? Is it the fog that will bring Grandpa Elliott?” he whispered.

“It might be, son. But it could also be the other side—the bad men. Let’s wait. If I tell you to run, you know where to go.”

“To the cave.”

They’d found a small cave while climbing the cliffs and kept supplies there in case they needed to hide one day.

“Yes, to the cave. Get ready.” Tavis rested his hand on his son’s back, which was tensing under his touch. “Don’t be afraid.” He reminded himself not to tense up. He was battle-hardened. He knew what to do, how to respond, and how to control the rush of adrenaline.

Could it be Elliott?

When the fog faded, seven SEALS wearing utilities with body armor stood near the edge of the cliff.

“Who are they, Dad? Should I go to the cave?” Joseph coiled for action while he kept his head flat to the ground.

“No, son.” Tavis wiped beads of sweat off his upper lip and swallowed hard, trying to shove down the pinpricks of emotions hanging in his throat. They’d finally come for him, and if he didn’t get himself under control, he’d turn into a blubbering idiot. When he started shaking, he had to stay flat on the ground, unsure if his legs would even support him.

“They look like turtles, Dad. Should we talk to them?”

To justify stalling, he identified the people for Joseph and, in a way, reinforced the truth that Elliott had come. “The man in the middle is Grandpa Elliott.”

“He doesn’t look so old,” Joseph said.

“He’ll like hearing that. The tallest one is your cousin Austin.”

Joseph’s head popped up with a look of surprise on his face. “The man who shot the grizzly bear?”

“Yes.”

Joseph’s hand was shaking with excitement as he pointed at the group. “Who is the short man?”

“That’s not a man, that’s Ensley, and she’s carrying Erik’s ax.” The tightness in Tavis’s neck and shoulders released in a shudder of relief. He’d left home all those years ago to rescue her, and now she was here for him.

“Your…sister?” Joseph asked in a low, awed voice.

“Yes.”

“Who is the man next to her?”

“Elliott’s son.”

“J…C?”

“No, Kevin.”

Joseph made a surprised O with his mouth.

“And the other man is Remy.”

Joseph rolled over onto his back and kicked his feet. “Everybody’s here, Dad! They came for us!” Then he put his hands on his chest. “My heart is beating faster and faster.” He looked up at Tavis, his eyes glistening. “Remy is your friend from New Or…leans? Is your brother here, too?”

“No. Mark doesn’t know about time traveling, remember?”

“Yes.” Joseph rolled back over onto his stomach and studied the travelers. “Who are the two who look alike?”

“Your cousins Robbie and Henry McBain.”

“The funny ones?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s Granny Mere?”

“She must be home with JC.”

Tavis had stopped shaking and was finally sure his legs wouldn’t collapse under him. He got to his feet, sure and steady with the knowledge that his son would now have the future Tavis wanted for him.

“Come on, son.” He took Joseph’s hand and made the twenty-yard trek, stopping several feet away, watching Elliott. There was no recognition in his eyes, and his hand, like the others, rested on his holster.

“Grandpa Elliott!” Joseph shouted. “What took you so long to get here?”

Elliott’s jaw dropped as his gaze traveled from Joseph to Tavis, and the hand that hovered above his holster reached out. “Tavis!”

Tavis clasped Elliot’s hand, and Elliott pulled him in for a hug. “I knew you would come. I never gave up hope.” The warm embrace was nearly Tavis’s undoing. Elliott’s arms were like a vise around him, and then they started to tremble. Except for Astrid and his grandfather, Tavis had never been so warmly received.

“Lad—” Elliott swallowed hard, clapping Tavis on the back. “It’s so good to see ye. We were worried about ye.”

Before Elliott even let go of him, Remy grabbed Tavis in a headlock. “Damn, you fucker. We’ve been so worried. How long have you been here?”

“Three years,” Tavis said through the knot in his throat.

“Three fucking years.” Remy released the headlock, clasped both sides of Tavis’s face, and damn if he didn’t kiss him. “When I see that mother-fucking Arne, I’m going to shoot his fucking head off for stealing three of your goddamn years. It pisses me the hell off.”

Joseph slipped his hand into Tavis’s. “Dad, why is Remy going to shoot off Arne’s head?”

“He’s not, son. That’s just the way he talks. Granny Mere and Aunt Charlotte want him to clean up his language, but it doesn’t sound like he’s gotten any better.”

“And who’s this little guy?” Ensley asked, stepping into a hug from Tavis.

Tavis reached out to Joseph, but before introducing his son, Joseph said, “I’m Joseph Stuart, ma’am. Mom died when she had my sister. She died, too. It’s just Dad and me now, but the Council won’t let me leave. Dad can go, but not me.”

The knot in Tavis’s