Meant To Be Read online

  “Are you Megan Jacob?”

  She tensed. Here she was, in the dark, alone in her house, with a stranger at the door, and he knew her name. She scanned the room, wondering what she could use if she needed to defend herself.

  “Who are you?” she asked, purposely avoiding his question.

  She wasn’t about to tell him anything about herself. For all she knew, he was a serial killer. She stepped toward the round table in the corner of the room. If she could reach the vase, she might be able to knock it on his head if he came after her. Hopefully, it’d knock him unconscious. At least that’s the way it worked in the movies.

  “My name is Blake Landon. I work at Jacob Innovative Creations. I came here from the future. I believe you came along with me when I ran into Cole Hunter on the Amtrak. This happened on April 23, and we were close to Fargo, North Dakota at the time.”

  She stopped inching toward the table. “You couldn’t know all of that unless you’re telling the truth.”

  He looked relieved. “I’m not here to hurt you. Cole Hunter stole an invention that he helped me and our partner work on. It’s a time traveling device the size of a cell phone. I need to find Cole so I can take it back. It doesn’t belong here.”

  She tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying. “So, when you and Cole bumped into me and Ted, we all went back to this time?”

  “Cole activated the device and pressed the button at that moment, so yes, that’s what happened.”

  She broke into laughter. “And all this time, Ted and I assumed there was a wormhole on the train.”

  He smiled. “I’m sure it was hard to adjust to being here, especially since you didn’t know that we made time travel possible.”

  That was an understatement.

  He stepped into the room and continued talking. “I managed to track Cole down for awhile but somewhere along the way at Devils Lake, I lost him. I searched everywhere I could think of, and then I remembered that he and I had bumped into two other people. I came here to Fargo to see if anyone unusual arrived here on April 23. The marshal told me that a woman in undergarments and a man with a jacket and cap with the letters JIC came into the train station on that day and handed the newsstand owner a phony dollar bill. After talking to him for awhile, I realized that your undergarments were shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. The JIC had to stand for Jacob Innovative Creations. So that is how I found you. I was wondering if you’ve seen Cole.”

  He reached into his pocket and produced a photograph. She went up to him and took the picture. It’d been a long time since she’d seen a colored photograph, so she blinked a couple of times to make sure she was seeing it right.

  “I haven’t seen him,” she replied and handed it back to him. “Why would he come here?”

  “Well, the fact that I found him in Devils Lake means that he lost a piece of the time travel device. I thought maybe a piece of it fell off and landed on you or Ted. Did you notice anything unusual on your clothes? Or maybe in a pocket?”

  She shook her head when she recalled Ted showing her the brochure. He’d not only found the brochure but he found something else. “Wait. He did find something. Neither one of us knew what it was but it was small and round and silver.”

  “That sounds like it might be part of the device. Do you have it?”

  “He put it in the pocket of his pants.”

  “Great! Can I have that chip? Cole’s looking for the piece, and if I have it, he’ll have to come to me. Then I can get the device and take us all back to the future.”

  She sighed. “I wish I could help you but Ted’s wearing his pants, and I don’t know where he is. In fact, I was looking for him when you came.” She looked at Buddy who was whining and staring out the door. “I think the dog is trying to tell me where Ted is.”

  “Do you mind if I go with you? I’d like to talk to Cole.”

  “Sure. Come on.”

  The dog raced down the porch steps and bolted to the field. He turned around and barked at them.

  She glanced at the outhouse and the barn. Wouldn’t Ted be in one of those places instead? She stepped toward the outhouse, and Buddy ran over to her and blocked her so she couldn’t go any further. Okay. So Ted wasn’t in this direction. She made a move to go to the barn, but Buddy stopped her from doing that too. Exasperated, she placed her hand on her hip.

  “Fine, Buddy. Where did Ted go?”

  The dog happily ran back out into the field.

  She turned to Blake. “Apparently, he went that way.”

  “I brought a horse. We can find him faster if we go on it.”

  Despite her apprehension she agreed. She didn’t relish the thought of riding a horse, but if Ted was in trouble, she’d do it. “Let’s go,” she agreed.

  ***

  Ted slowly gained consciousness. The first thing he noticed was the hard floor beneath him. The second thing he noticed was that someone was digging their hand into the pocket of his pants. Startled, his eyes flew open and he swung his fist into the man’s jaw.

  The man fell back and looked at him, as if he hadn’t expected Ted to punch him.

  Ted jumped up, raised his fists, and got ready to fight if necessary. “What’s going on? Where am I? Why did you bring me here?”

  The man held his hands up and slowly stood. “Look, I don’t want a fight. I just want a chip that you have in your pocket.”

  Ignoring the pain in the back of his head, he demanded, “What chip?”

  “The silver chip. It’s the size of a fingernail and it’s round.”

  Ted lowered his fists. “Wait a minute. You look familiar.”

  “You do too. It took me awhile to figure it out, but you work at Jacob Innovation Creations, don’t you?”

  “That’s right. You’re Dr. Hunter. You bumped into me on your way out of the building a couple months ago. That was in April.”

  “Yes. Three and a half months ago. Right before we ended up in 1898.”

  “Are you the reason Megan and I are here?”

  “Yes, I am, but that was an accident. I was trying to go back in time alone. I didn’t mean to take anyone with me.” He dug his hand into his shirt pocket and produced a silver rectangular object. “This is the JIC Time Machine. I helped to create it. When I ran into you on the train, a chip fell out of it and into your pocket. I found you by tracking the energy signature from that chip.”

  So it was a time machine that brought him and Megan back. Funny how that didn’t occur to either one of them. Except, one thing didn’t make sense. “If you were able to track the chip, then why did it take you three months to find me?”

  “It’s a long story. Let’s just say that I ended up near Devils Lake before I jumped off the train and had a heck of a time getting to Fargo.” He walked over to Ted and showed him the device. “I’ve been having financial problems. I thought if I took this and went back to the California gold rush, then I could recover. I didn’t intend to bring anyone back in time, and I planned to bring this back before anyone knew it was missing. I’m sorry you ended up here.”

  “Actually, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Ted searched his pocket until he found the smooth metal object. “Why didn’t you just come up to me and ask for this?” He handed Cole the chip. “I would’ve given it back.”

  “I didn’t want to get you involved in my problems. I didn’t mean for Charles to strike you on the head and bring you here. He was supposed to slip into your house and get the chip.”

  Ted chuckled. “That’s why the dog kept barking.”

  Cole smiled. “Thanks. You know, for not being upset.”

  He shrugged. “There are worse things that could’ve happened to me.”

  Cole inserted the chip into the device and turned it on. He breathed an audible sigh of relief. “It still works. I can take you and Megan back to the future.”

  “No. We’re meant to be here. My last name is Jacob, as in Jacob Innovative Creations.”

  “I don’t
follow.”

  “Well, as it turns out, Christian Jacob is going to be my great-great-grandson.”

  Understanding lit his eyes. “I recall hearing that Paul Jacob was born in May 1899.”

  “I’m the only Jacob in Fargo.”

  Cole laughed. “Now figure that one. I guess you were supposed to come back.”

  “I don’t believe there are coincidences. I think everything happens for a reason.”

  Cole looked at the time travel device and sighed. “I think you’re right.”

  Footsteps alerted them to someone’s presence.

  Ted looked at the doorway and saw Charles.

  Charles pointed a gun at them and motioned for them to back up. “You know, I got to thinking. If you were willing to give up a gold ring for that charm, then that charm must be especially valuable. So”—he held his hand out, palm up—“hand it over.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Megan was never so glad to get off of anything in her entire life. The horse’s jarring movements made her legs sore and her teeth hurt from clenching them every time she thought she was going to fall off, which turned out to be about every few seconds. Shaking, she stepped away from the animal and took a deep breath of fresh air to calm her nerves. For as long as she lived, she vowed to never get on a horse again.

  Buddy, who led them to this point, panted as he made his way to a row of trees that lined an abandoned property.

  Blake tied the horse to a tree before he approached her and spoke, keeping his voice low. “Ted must be in that direction. I’d say it’s a sure bet that Cole is with him.”

  She looked at the shelter belt. “Do you think Cole hurt Ted?”

  “I don’t know. It’s hard to say what frame of mind Cole is in. I don’t think he’d hurt anyone, but then again, I didn’t think he’d steal either.”

  She didn’t like the sound of that. Pressing her hand on her stomach, she forced the nausea aside. She’d just found Ted and didn’t want to live the rest of her life without him. Then she remembered the brochure. Well, of course, Ted was alive and well. She and Ted were supposed to have three children together. That meant whatever happened tonight, it would turn out alright. Feeling as if a huge weight was off her shoulders, she proceeded forward.

  “Don’t be hasty,” Blake warned, grabbing her arm. “We need to be careful.”

  “I’m going to be fine. Just worry about yourself.”

  She ran after the dog, her shoes quiet on the grass. She stopped at the evergreen trees and watched as Buddy slipped between them but decided that she wasn’t going that route. Instead, she traveled the length of the shelter belt and paused when she reached the end. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Blake was jogging after her. While she waited for him to catch up to her, she peeked around the tree and frowned.

  Through the window of the abandoned cabin, she saw Charles waving something. What was Charles doing there? When she saw that Charles had a gun, she gasped.

  She turned to Blake and reached for his shirt sleeve. “We have to help them!”

  Charles turned in their direction.

  Startled, she ducked behind the trees.

  Blake shook his head. “That was close. You have to be careful. He might not kill you, but he could shoot you in the arm or leg.”

  That was a sobering reminder. The brochure didn’t say whether or not she was crippled. That was it. She’d play it safe. Crouching, she snuck over to the cabin, Blake at her heels. The dog sat by the door, quiet but alert. Now how did Buddy know to keep quiet?

  Blake knelt next to her and pulled out a gun. He opened the chamber and rolled his eyes when he saw there were no bullets. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a couple of bullets.

  “No, Charles. I’m not giving you this device. It’d be much too dangerous if it got into the wrong hands.”

  “That’s Cole,” Blake mouthed to her as he put the bullets in.

  She nodded.

  “I didn’t ask if it was a good idea, did I? I ordered you to hand it over or you’ll be making a trip to meet your maker,” Charles hissed.

  “Be reasonable,” Ted said in a soothing voice. “This is a worthless piece of junk. It’s not worth going to jail over.”

  Charles laughed. “I won’t be going to jail because I won’t get caught.”

  Blake motioned to her that the gun was ready, so she moved aside and let him creep to the edge of the doorway.

  She held her breath.

  “I can’t let you have it,” Cole said, his tone firm.

  “Are you willing to die for it?” Charles asked, amused.

  Megan heard a click and knew that Charles was ready to shoot. Why wasn’t Blake going into the cabin and rescuing Ted and Cole? She shot him an impatient look but he held his hand up to her as a signal to wait. Gritting her teeth, she eased up and peered through the broken window. Ted and Cole had their hands up, and Cole was holding something in his hand. She guessed it was the time machine.

  A glance in Blake’s direction notified her of the problem. He didn’t have a clear view of Charles from where he stood. Well, she could take care of that. She bent down and picked up a rock. She estimated how much force she had to use and threw the rock in Charles’ direction. The rock landed on the back of his head.

  “Hey!” Charles screamed and turned the gun in her direction.

  She ducked just in time to avoid being shot at. The sound of the bullet rang in her ears. Oh my goodness. That was much too close!

  Blake rushed into the cabin. “Hands up!”

  Buddy ran in after him and barked.

  Another gun shot went off, prompting her to make a mad dash into the cabin as well. Sure, it was stupid. She wasn’t armed and she didn’t know if Charles still had the gun or not, but all she could think of was Ted and that Charles might have shot him.

  Blake was on the floor, face down and unconscious. She wasn’t sure but it looked as if there was some blood pooling beneath him. Ted struggled with Charles to get control of the gun and another shot rang through the air as Charles shot the floorboard.

  Cole ran over to Blake and turned him over, calling out his name.

  It was up to her. She had to help her husband. She yelled out and jumped on Charles’ back. She beat on his head and shoulders. “Let go of the gun, you creep!”

  Charles stumbled backward. Ted lost his hold on the gun, and Charles spun around. Screaming, she clung to him and inadvertently covered his eyes. He flung his arms and shot again. This time the bullet struck the window and the remaining glass shattered into a million pieces.

  Ted reached out and grabbed for the gun again but he missed.

  “Freeze! Don’t anybody move!” someone yelled.

  Charles swung around again and nearly shot Aaron who dropped to the floor in time to dodge the bullet.

  Cole leapt up and grabbed Charles’ wrist while Ted snatched the gun out of his grasp.

  Aaron jumped back up and rushed toward her and Charles. “Get off of him!” he ordered.

  She obeyed and fell to the floor with a thud. She winced and rubbed her back. That was the second time tonight she’d battered her poor body by landing on a hard surface.

  Aaron pointed the gun at Charles who was panting. “That’s enough, Charles.” He gasped for air. “I thought there was something suspicious going on when Blake Landon came to talk to me. Now, I know I was wise to follow him out here.” He glanced around at everyone in the cabin. “I think all of you have a lot of explaining to do.”

  ***

  Sunrise came up by the time Ted and Cole finished explaining everything to the marshal in the jailhouse. Charles was confined to a cell, so he wasn’t privy to the sensitive information the two men told Aaron who sat back and listened to everything with keen interest.

  “I thought there was something odd about you,” Aaron told Ted. “Now I know why.”

  Ted shrugged, unwilling to let the marshal know that he intimidated him, even now. He supposed that he would have to get
used to it since he was going to spend the rest of his life here. “It’s not like I could come out and tell you everything that happened.”

  Aaron turned the time travel device over in his hands. “Naturally, I don’t understand how this thing works.” He raised an eyebrow and looked at Cole. “I don’t have any desire to understand it either.” He handed the device to Cole. Then he turned his attention to Ted. “So, will you and Megan be staying or going?”

  Ted blinked in surprise. “You mean, you’re not going to arrest us again?”

  “Why? You didn’t do anything wrong. Charles was the one who threatened to kill people. He’ll be stuck in jail.”

  Cole inched forward in his chair. “What if he tells people about time travel? It’s not a good idea for this information to get into the wrong hands.”

  Aaron laughed. “Let him. No one’s going to believe him. It’ll just make him look like a fool, and if there’s one thing Charles Nicholas can’t stand, it’s looking like a fool. You don’t have to worry about me either. I won’t say a word. As far as I’m concerned, Charles saw that you had gold and got greedy for more.”

  “Thank you, Marshal.”

  Ted joined Cole and Aaron in standing up.

  After Aaron shook Cole’s hand, he turned to shake Ted’s hand. “I still don’t know about you though.”

  Ted felt a flicker of irritation before Aaron winked. Ted chuckled. “Well, maybe one of these days, you’ll figure me out.”

  ***

  Megan paced the hospital room, looked out the window, and huffed.

  Esther, who sat beside Blake who slept in the hospital bed, shook her head and closed her Bible. “I don’t understand why you keep looking out there. The men will come when they’re ready.”

  Megan turned and faced Esther. “I was there. I am a witness to the events, but your husband doesn’t care about that.”

  “It’s nothing personal. The men were there too and their testimonies are all Aaron needs.”