“Where are you, then?”
Liam walked to the curtains and drew them open. The downtown streets of Providence Falls were teeming with traffic. Somehow, he knew all about automobiles and bicycles and modern-day conveyances, but it was still startling to see the cars speeding by. There was movement everywhere, and smooth pavement in the place of mud and dirt. Neatly groomed hedges and trees lined the streets, with shops as far as he could see. The only things that looked remotely familiar were the hills and forest off in the distance. Everything in the town seemed sleek edged, orderly and clean. A far cry from his village in Ireland. Across the street was a park with an iron statue of a lion by the sidewalk.
“I’ll meet you at the lion statue,” Liam said. “Near the park.”
“Belltown Heights? What are you doing over in that ritzy neighborhood? Hopefully not looking for places to live, unless you plan on robbing a bank.”
“Not anytime soon.” Liam located his clothes in a heap on the floor. “I was just going to have breakfast with...a friend.”
“Ah. I see.” From the way Hugh’s voice rose slightly, it was clear he did see.
Liam’s knee-jerk reaction was alarm, until he remembered that this was a different life. Hugh didn’t think of him as a poor tenant farmer anymore, and he certainly had no reason to suspect him of foul play with Cora, so Liam had no reason to worry. If Hugh assumed Liam was involved with someone, it wasn’t his business to comment on it.
“I’ll be ready when you get here,” Liam assured him.
They got off the phone and Liam dressed quickly. The black, short-sleeved shirt was luxurious and soft, and he marveled at the stretch as he pulled it over his head. He hitched on the sturdy, dark blue pants, then pulled on a pair of leather shoes that molded perfectly to his feet. He was striding back and forth, enjoying the bounce in the shoes and the ease of movement the new clothes afforded him, when Margaret emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
“What happened in here?” She stared at the jumble of bedding and pillows strewn across the room, then at him. “And why are you doing lunges?”
Liam scooped up the bedding and tossed it back on the bed. “I’ve just had a call from the—” he stumbled over Squire McLeod’s old title “—from...an old friend of my father’s. He’s taking me somewhere this morning, so I can’t stay.”
Margaret’s full lips formed a sensual pout that Liam remembered well. She lifted a bare shoulder and let the towel slide off her naked body. “Have it your way.” She ran a hand across his back as she sashayed over to a chest of drawers against the wall. “Now that you’ve moved here, we’ll have plenty of time to get together. It’ll be nice living in the same town, don’t you think?”
Did he? He wasn’t so sure. Margaret was a complication he hadn’t expected. He cared for her, yes. But he had Cora to focus on now. And, of course, the small matter of his soul facing everlasting damnation. Aye. He nodded. That’s where his focus needed to stay.
It seemed to appease Margaret, because she gave him a sultry smile. Then she took a chemise from the drawer, raised her slender arms and pulled it slowly over her head.
Liam watched as the pale blue satin slid over her naked curves. Margaret Brady had the body of a goddess, and she knew how to use it. That much hadn’t changed. In another life, he’d have taken her hard and fast, throwing her body to the bed and caution to the wind. But that was before he found out the wind could retaliate. And it was merciless.
Several minutes later, Liam found himself leaning against the stone lion near the park, trying to remind himself that caution was a good thing, and he’d been wise to walk away from the warm and willing Margaret. He’d made his excuses to her and she’d been quietly accepting, which had been a big surprise. Back in his time, Margaret had been hotheaded and prone to sulking if she didn’t get her way. On more than one occasion, Liam had been the recipient of her rants, and he was grateful to avoid one today. Small mercies, and all that.
A dark SUV pulled up to the sidewalk. Hugh McLeod waved from the driver’s seat.
Liam placed a steadying hand on the lion’s mane, taking a moment to ground himself. Cora’s father looked very much like the squire he remembered, but there were distinct differences that were impossible to miss. Squire McLeod had had pasty skin, a few missing teeth, and a round, paunchy belly. This man was the complete opposite. He had a muscular, compact frame, gray, cropped hair and what appeared to be a full set of healthy teeth. He was also tanned from the sun, as if he spent a lot of time outdoors. The difference was remarkable, and it reminded Liam just how far from his comfort zone this new world was.
Hugh rolled down the window. “Are you getting in, or are you waiting for that lion to give you courage?”
Liam squared his shoulders and quickly got into the car.
“Don’t worry about meeting Cora,” Hugh said with a chuckle as he pulled onto the busy street. “She’s going to love you.”
Liam’s heart squeezed. “I hope so.” But as he stared at the buildings, the shops and the people rushing by, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. If he was going to save his soul, then she could never love him again. The angels had set him up for torture. He clenched his fists and wondered—not for the first time—if this was all some joke and he’d really been sent to hell, after all.
Hugh drove through the busy neighborhood, then pulled onto a highway. The bustling streets gave way to a sleek road flanked on either side by gently sloping hills, thick with trees.
Liam rolled down the window and stuck his hand out to feel the wind on his face. Thanks to the angels giving him some basic knowledge of the modern world, he was comfortable with automobiles, but he still marveled at the speed. No conveyance he remembered could match this. He breathed in the balmy morning air, letting it soothe his senses. Even though the landscape was different from the Ireland he remembered, he loved the scent of damp earth and green things growing. It gave him a sense of comfort to know that nature didn’t change, even when the rest of the world did.
“Cora’s making us breakfast, so you’re in for a treat,” Hugh said. “She’s a wonderful cook. Had to be, poor thing. Ever since her mother died when she was little, she sort of took over the role of housekeeper, and all that. Which is a damned good thing, since my cooking skills are terrible.”
Liam wondered just how much of the past the angels had reorchestrated. There was so much he still didn’t know, so he’d need to tread carefully. “It’s a shame Cora lost her mother so young.”
“Yes. The cancer was...” Hugh’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “We thought she was going to beat it, but then she contracted pneumonia and couldn’t recover.” His voice was too matter-of-fact. Too carefully neutral. Cora’s father still mourned his wife.