Chapter 1

Dateline: June 9, 1909

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Ashley stood looking up at a classic Victorian home in Manitou Springs, Colorado, next to her fiancé, Cory, both with carpetbags in hand. She straightened the wide straw hat with the black bow perched atop her poofy up-do, still not quite believing they were in 1909. The long, kick-pleat skirt and white blouse had been ubiquitous as they’d walked through town, but she still couldn’t help feeling out of place. Somehow, going to the future had been easier to accept than jumping to the past.

“Only one way to find out.” Cory started up the stairs to the big wrap-around porch in his own straw hat and linen jacket, and Ashley smiled as she followed, thinking they should break into a rousing chorus of “Sweet Adeline” for whoever answered the door.

He stopped on the porch and turned to her, his eyes twinkling, his finger hovering near the doorbell. “Ready?” It was obvious how excited he was.

Ashley grinned. “Ready.”

He pushed the button, and she was surprised to hear a loud buzz rather than a chime. It was only a few moments before the door opened to a tall man with a thick head of brown hair holding the most adorable toddler that Ashley had ever seen. Recognition lit his eyes in seconds. “Cory!” He looked her way. “And…” His eyes went wide. “Ashley?”

She nodded. “In the flesh.” She looked down. “Well, actually, in far more clothes than I’m used to wearing in June.”

Stepping out and looking as if he might cry, Jeff took Cory in for a one-armed hug, then pulled in Ashley as well. “If you two aren’t a sight for sore eyes,” he said, releasing her and turning to shout into the house. “Nellie! You won’t believe who’s here!” He waved them inside. “Nellie!”

The pretty blond-haired Nellie appeared at the top of the stairs in what Ashley recognized from her research as a classic pompadour hairstyle. Nellie’s eyes went round when she realized who was standing in her foyer. “Oh my heavens!”

Jeff shook his head, taking them in as Cory shut the door behind them, then broke into a grin. “I can’t believe you’re here, and look at you! It’s like you just walked out of a history book.”

Cory swept one side of his jacket back, hitching his thumb in his trouser pocket. “I always knew I’d look good with a pocket watch.”

Jeff laughed, and the little girl with shoulder-length dark hair in his arms broke into giggles. “Funny man,” she announced, and Cory laughed.

“I try, darlin’, I try.”

Ashley’s heart melted. “Is this the infamous Sadie?” she asked, as Nellie appeared at Jeff’s side. “Was Jeff able to help her?” Ashley couldn’t remember exactly what had been wrong with the child, but she knew it had something to do with her digestion.

“Yes!” Nellie said brightly. “With Jeff’s help, my dad performed surgery to fix her…” She looked to Jeff questioningly.

“Pyloric sphincter,” Jeff supplied as he took Ashley’s bag with his free hand and set it on a bench in the hallway. Cory set his there as well, and Jeff snatched the straw hat off his head and flung it toward the hat stand by the front door. “Cory Slowenski in a straw hat. Now there’s something I never expected to see.” He couldn’t seem to stop smiling.

Nellie waved them through a wide doorway into a sitting room. “Come on in and tell us what you’ve been up to.”

“And I want to know why it took you so long to get here!” Jeff added, bringing up the rear.

Ashley and Cory sat on a blue velvet upholstered settee that looked as if it should be in a museum, while Jeff sat in a leather wingback and Nellie took the wooden rocker. Ashley couldn’t help but gawk at the exquisite lace panels on the lower half of windows surrounded by wide wood trim and what looked like crystal wall sconces. It seemed that these two were doing okay. Or maybe this was how everybody lived in this time.

Nellie brought her attention back to the people in the room as Cory filled them in on the details of their flight from the Colorado wilderness in 2015. No need to tell Jeff and Nellie about that part in particular—they were there—but after several weeks on the run from those who didn’t want them to squeal about the U.S. military wiping out the Colorado Springs Police on that mountaintop, they had gotten separated from Jeff.

“So I knew that you had the note from Jewel telling you to jump to 2325,” Jeff said as Sadie slid off his lap and ran toward her mother, “but you said that was nuts.”

“Yeah, well, nuts finally became our only option,” Cory explained as Ashley watched Nellie pull Sadie onto her lap. “We had nowhere left to go and down to our last dime. The Time Agents Academy sounded pretty good at that point.” He swept an arm around Ashley, narrowly avoiding her big hat. “You’re looking at a couple of time agents.”

“Well, we’ve _worked_ as time agents, even though we haven’t graduated yet from the main program,” Ashley explained as she pulled the hat pin out of her hat and carefully lifted it off her pile of honey blond hair.

Nellie leaned forward in her chair. “You’ve also got a ring you didn’t have before!”

Ashley grinned and put her hand out for Nellie’s inspection. “I do.”

Cory laughed. “And that’s one of the reasons we’re here—to say ‘I do’ with our friends in attendance.”

Nellie looked delighted while Jeff once again shook his head. “You two are just full of surprises.”

The next several hours were spent trading stories about Cory and Ashley’s first mission as time agents and Jeff’s adjustment to the early twentieth century. Then Ashley watched Jeff and Cory out the window as they headed down the street in one of those Model T’s she’d only seen in old pictures. Jeff wanted to show Cory the medical clinic he shared with Nellie’s dad. “This is so surreal.”

Nellie laughed in the doorway, having returned from putting Sadie down for a nap. “I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I was in 2015, and to hear Lita tell it, she was completely ‘weirded out’ the first day she woke up in 1892 and realized she wasn’t dreaming.”

“Lita. Cory told me she was actually a friend of his sister, and that she disappeared in a flash of lightning on top of Pikes Peak.”

Nellie nodded. “Yes.”

“And she stayed for your father.”

Nellie beckoned her toward the doorway. “Come sit in the kitchen while I make supper, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Chapter 2

Jeff unlocked the medical clinic that he and Tate were establishing together and ushered Cory inside. The lobby was miniscule by 21^st century standards. “Wow,” Cory said, walking to the center in two steps and turning back to look at Jeff. “Cozy.”

Jeff nodded and closed the door. “A little too cozy for germy people. It’s taken a while, but we now have a mask policy for anyone displaying symptoms.”

Cory looked skeptical. “What kind of masks?”

Jeff brushed past him, heading for the next door. “Not disposable, unfortunately, but Lita has made a pile of cloth masks that we wash in hot water and bleach.”

Cory nodded as he followed. “She’s ahead of her time. Remember that pandemic we told you about in 2020? There was a shortage of PPE, and homemade masks became quite a thing.”

Jeff stopped by the entrance to one of two exam rooms. “It’s really weird to hear you talking about the future as if it’s the past.”

“I know, right?” Cory’s focus shifted to the room. “It’s a crazier world than we ever imagined.” He stepped in. “Well, this seems to be a standard size for exam rooms.”

Jeff followed him in. “Same in size, but check out some of these instruments.” He opened a drawer to show off some of the weirder ones.

“Cory picked up something that had a three-inch disc with what looked like a tenpenny nail driven into one side and two hoses coming out of the other that ended in rounded, hollow, wood tips. “What the heck is this?”

“Phonendoscope,” Jeff said with a smirk. “It’s for listening to internal sounds.”

Cory laid it back in the drawer. “Fascinating.” He picked up a metal and glass syringe. “Nothing disposable about these.”

“Nope. We sterilize them with an autoclave.” Jeff pointed to a glass jar with a lid on the counter. “Sterilized needles.”

Cory bent to look closer. “Holy cow, some of those look like something you’d use to blow up a basketball!”

“Yeah. I’ve got a small supply of disposable syringes and needles I brought with me, and I keep a few in my bag for emergencies, but I have to be careful to use them when nobody’s really paying attention.”

Cory pointed to what looked like an antique blue kettle with a large spout angling upwards from one side. “For… getting urine samples… from men?”

Jeff laughed as he picked it up, bringing the spout toward his mouth and nose. “It’s a kind of inhaler. Fill it with water and something aromatic to open up passageways, bring it to a boil, and you’ve got a vaporizer.”

“Actually, pretty clever.”

Jeff set it down and moved toward the door. “We have two exam rooms and one for surgery.”

“Surgery? Really? Right here in your clinic?”

“Nothing major,” Jeff promised. “Tonsillectomies, simple skin cancers, ingrown toenails, and the like.” He opened the door to a room with both a chair similar to a dentist’s chair and a white metal table. “Although Tate and I did Sadie’s surgery in the clinic he used to have in his house. He’d done appendectomies and gall bladder surgeries there, as well.” He shrugged. “You do what you can with what you’ve got.”

Cory looked around then back to Jeff. “What’s it like working with your father-in-law?”

“It’s been mostly good. We’ve clashed a couple of times, but Tate’s a very progressive thinker.” He smiled. “He’d have to be with Lita around. She’s a force all her own.”

Cory shook his head. “I have to admit, I don’t know if I’d be able to do this—give up a hundred years of technology. Don’t you find yourself constantly wishing for something you don’t have?”

Jeff turned toward the door. “Every damn day.”

He went back out into the hall and opened a door to a room crammed with two desks and walked to one, picking up a framed picture. It was of him, Nellie, and Sadie on their wedding day. “When I get especially frustrated, I look at this until I’ve got my head on straight again. If I went back to the future where I could have whatever medical equipment and meds I wanted, I wouldn’t have these two.”

Cory nodded, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets. “You do what you can with what you’ve got.”

Jeff nodded, and the two went back out and through the tiny lobby. While Jeff locked the door, Cory probed further. “So Nellie never wants to jump again.”

“No,” Jeff said unequivocally as they walked down the few steps and across the sidewalk to his car. “Her jump to 2015 really cemented the idea in her that moving around in time just leads to trouble and sorrow for those left behind.”

Jeff went to the front to crank the vehicle while Cory got in the passenger side. “She’s not wrong,” Cory affirmed as Jeff got in and adjusted the choke on the noisy thing before pulling away from the curb. “And unfortunately, there are a lot of bad players now, causing mischief all through time. Ash and I hope to make a difference, but it’s kind of like catching water with a sieve.”

Jeff shook his head. “I still have trouble picturing Ashley doing the time-agent stuff.” He glanced to Cory with wide eyes. “When I was dating her, I obviously didn’t know her at all.”

“People change. I know I did.”

Jeff looked at him again with a crooked smile. “Yeah. I’m glad to see it.” He’d been there through all of Cory’s crazy phases.

Cory laughed. “Okay, thanks.” They were both silent as Jeff drove the next block, then Cory came back to the topic. “It’s largely due to Ashley.” He looked to Jeff. “That change.” He grinned. “She’s good for me.”

Jeff hoped it was true. He’d also said the same thing about Jeff’s kid sister, Rachel. But in reality, they had both been running from real life at 100 mph until Rachel died in a motorcycle crash. Was this time-agent thing really very different? Wasn’t it just another adrenaline rush that could get them both killed?

He didn’t want to rain on Cory’s parade, however, especially since they’d come to get married. “I wish you all the best, man,” he said, as he turned onto his street, hoping his fears were completely unfounded.

***

“By staying in the past, you actually changed history,” Ashley said to Nellie’s step-mother as she passed the mashed potatoes to Cory. Cory glanced up to see if Lita might be offended by that, but she didn’t seem to be.

Lita nodded, buttering a roll. “I suppose that’s true. For better or for worse, though, who’s to say?”

Her husband, Tate, smiled. “She definitely made our lives better.”

Cory was still processing seeing this friend of his sister. Before disappearing in 2015, Lita and Nonnie were close to the same age. The last time he’d seen his sister, she was five years older, but Lita had aged seventeen years in her new home in the past. When he was in high school, he hadn’t paid much attention to his sister’s friends, but he did remember Lita, although she went by Lalita then. She was hard to forget with her dark eyes and Native American features.

Also joining them for supper was their son Jackson, who was the spitting image of Tate with the same brown eyes and thick brown hair. He looked a bit younger and a whole lot healthier to Cory than the last time they’d seen him at Trace Research, which had really been a time trap in disguise. He, of course, didn’t remember them or anything about that place, as it was in what is called “a reset time line.” Nellie had returned to a time before he jumped forward to find her. Therefore, he would never go, and he wouldn’t get caught in the same trap that she was held prisoner in 2015.

“She made my life better by sending Nellie forward to find help for Sadie,” Jeff proclaimed, “and yours too.” He lifted his glass toward Ashley and Cory across the table. “All that business got you two in the same space.”

That “space” had been a rocky beginning for him and Ashley, with Cory trying his usual moves on her, just hoping for a romp in bed. He hadn’t expected the instant connection he’d felt when kissing her, though, which had scared the hell out of the playboy he’d become.

His confusing rejection had earned him a slap, but the four-hour drive to rescue Jeff in the Colorado National Forest, plus the actual rescue itself and running for their lives, had been a bonding experience. They’d been a couple ever since—even navigating through a rough patch when time agent Lynisa Venus had done her best to break them up while they tried to find their feet in the 24^th century.

“When am I going to get a lightning mark?” Jackson asked, reaching for another roll.

Cory was surprised he didn’t have a mark already. He looked between Nellie and Jeff, wondering if they’d told Jack what they knew of his future jumping ability. If he jumped at age sixteen, it wouldn’t be long. Though most had to be vaccinated to receive the small jagged red line that marked them as Lightning Riders, the DNA-altering nature of the vaccine meant that it could be passed on genetically.

Nellie seemed suddenly on edge. “It’s nothing to wish for, Jack. It’s just a nuisance.”

“Says the one who got to do it!” Jack sassed back.

Cory realized that they hadn’t told him much.

Nellie cut her roast with vigor. “And I wouldn’t do it again for a million dollars. Even though I found Jeff, it just caused you all at home a lot of pain.”

Sadie, next to her in a high chair, patted her arm. “Mommy. Tatoes.”

Nellie scooped some onto a spoon, but hesitated. “What do we say?”

“PWEEEEAAASE?”

Nellie accommodated the little cherub with “tatoes” on her plate, but Jack didn’t seem to want to let go of the subject of time jumping.

“If you go back, though, and not forward,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “you avoid all that.”

“What time would you like to go to, Jack?” his father asked, as he gently pushed the teen’s chair legs back to the floor.

He shrugged as they touched down. “I don’t know. What about when the pyramids were being built? Or how about ancient Greece or Rome.” He looked to his mom. “You’re always telling me how great it is to study history. When I get my mark, why don’t we go see some?”

Jeff waved a fork toward Cory and Ashley. “Well, time agents, what do you think about Jack’s idea of studying history by visiting history?”

Cory looked to Ashley. She’d thought about the ethics of “mucking about in time” more than anyone he knew.

“Well, Jack,” she began, “one of the Time Agent Academy’s concerns is that there are so many people jumping around in time already that history is being changed.” She looked to Lita. “And not always in a good way.”

Jack leaned to see Ashley around Cory. “So why are you guys here then? Aren’t you afraid of changing history?”

Ashley gave a little laugh. “Actually, I am. But we are at least trained—even though it was the accelerated program—to leave a light footprint. For example, we won’t be getting married in a church with a crowd. We do not want to make the news.”

Jack’s eyes went wide— “No Reverend Niemeyer?” –then he grinned. “The man won’t like that.”

“That’s why we won’t be telling him, Jack,” Jeff emphasized.

“Our vows are really just a formality,” Cory explained. “Our union has already been sanctioned by the Viceroy and Vicerine —your mom, Nellie— and we have an official statement to that effect, although it’s not quite like the marriage licenses of our time.”

“So when, where, and how will this ‘formality’ take place?” Lita wanted to know.

“I still need a dress,” Ashley said, “so maybe we could buy one tomorrow and throw something simple together the day after. Here would be fine; this house is lovely.”

Lita looked to Nellie. “Surely we can do better than that.”

Nellie nodded, and Jack laughed. “Now you’ve done it! Nellie and Mom won’t let you get by with ‘simple,’ and she’ll never let you buy a dress. She’ll have to make it herself!”

“Oh, Jack, that’s not true,” his mother insisted. “Even I can’t make a wedding dress in a day. We’ll just spruce up a store-bought dress a bit.”

“We’ll have to bake a cake,” Nellie pointed out.

“And do some decorating,” Lita added.

Cory smiled. “We’ve only been granted a two-week vacation, ladies.”

“If anyone can pull it all together with great speed,“ Tate said, taking a toothpick from the holder on the table, “it’s these two.” He placed it between his teeth and pushed back from the table. “But there’s a reason men are left out of most wedding plans. Gentlemen, I suggest we retire to the front porch while this plotting takes place.”

Cory and Jeff both moved to join him. The women barely noticed as they jumped straight into dress styles, cake recipes, and floral bouquets.

Chapter 3

Dateline: June 10, 1909

“One could kind of fall in love with this place in this time.” Ashley took in the mountain view as she strolled with Cory hand in hand through the shops.

Manitou Springs was a small town contained in a tight valley with only a couple ways in or out. The green foothills, exposed red rock, and quaint old buildings had always made it a special place, but to be there when the old was new felt different. It felt fresher. Less spoiled.

“I’ve always liked Manitou Springs,” Cory said, tipping his hat to a passing woman with a baby stroller.

“Me, too, but in our time, traffic is a huge issue, with practically nowhere to park. It’s not a tourist town in this time. Just a sleepy mountain town with a lot of character.”

“It’s kind of weird that so many of these buildings are still there in 2015.” They stopped to look in a dress shop window that was showcasing a bridal gown and accessories. “Did you get this one?”

“I wouldn’t tell you if I did. It’s supposed to be a surprise, you know.”

He shook his head as they moved on. “Most guys wouldn’t remember anyway. And it will look totally different on my favorite blonde.”

“I may be a 24th century time agent,” she whispered his direction, “but I’m still kind of a traditional girl. Since we came all this way to have a wedding, we may as well do it right.”

He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Whatever you say, dear.”

“You haven’t said much about Jeff and your trip to the medical clinic,” Ashley said as they continued their walk. “How is he handling this time?”

“I think it’s been kind of rough. And it’s not just the modern technology he’s missing; it’s modern attitudes as well. Minorities are still second-class citizens. If it weren’t for Tate, I doubt Lalita would be so readily accepted, even if she’s not a full Native American.” They stopped at the corner and waited for a passing vehicle. “According to Jeff, Tate has a half-Cheyenne father, but genetics favored him with his mother’s looks. Otherwise, most wouldn’t trust him as a doctor.”

Ashley pointed ahead. “Oh my gosh, Cory, there’s the clock! I admired that clock every time I went to Manitou.” They continued toward the triangular green space that contained the four-sided clock atop a thick ornate base. They paused a moment to gaze up at the Greek goddess on the very top, holding a lamp. “I wonder if they imagined it would stand here for more than a hundred years.”

“If I’m remembering correctly, Cliff House is up this street.” Cory pointed to the right at the fork in the road. “And it will stand over a hundred years as well.”

“It was nice of Jeff to set us up there for our wedding night, but do you really think it’s a good idea?” Ashley asked as they continued up the street. “It’s not like we really _need_ a wedding night, and it will mean more people will see us here.”

Cory looked at her with wide eyes. “What do you mean we don’t need a wedding night?”

Ashley was surprised. “It’s not like we’ve been ‘saving ourselves’ for marriage.”

He looked ahead. “How do you know what I’ve been saving? And if you’re concerned about not being seen, we should probably not be out strolling all over town.”

She supposed he was right, and it would be a treat to stay in such a historic place when it was still a fairly new building. They walked on, but as they reached the next corner, Ashley couldn’t resist an earlier topic. “So you’ve got something ‘saved,’ huh? Some new moves you’ve not shown me yet?”

He gave her a roguish smile and pulled her around the corner and into his arms. “It’ll take years to show you all of my moves.”

She laughed. “Is that right?”

He nodded and tilted his head for a kiss, but their hats collided, sending his to the ground. “So this is the real reason hats fell out of favor,” he said, picking it up. “If a guy can’t kiss his girl—”

“He won’t be jailed for a lewd public display,” a male voice interrupted.

Both Ashley and Cory turned to find a shortish policeman glowering their way, his hands on his belt drawing their eyes to the gun at his side.

Cory put his hat back on his head, his smile gone. “No need to be concerned, officer.” He looked around. “You seem to be the only ‘public’ here at the moment.”

Ashley saw the man’s eyes narrow, and she took Cory’s arm. “We’ll just be on our way.”

“Not so fast.” The man stepped toward them, and Ashley felt panic rising up. Maybe they shouldn’t have ventured out. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you two.”

“We’re just visiting,” Cory said pleasantly, although Ashley detected an edge to his voice.

“We’ll be gone before you know it,” she added brightly, but the man only glared at them.

“Don’t be bringing your big city notions to our little town. Lewdness will not be tolerated.”

Ashley could feel Cory tense. Before he said something they’d both regret, she jumped in. “Thank you, officer, for the reminder.” She tugged on Cory’s arm, and the two moved up the side street only to realize that they were heading toward an undeveloped part of town. They slowed. “Dang it, now what?” Ashley risked a peek back to see the policeman still standing there, watching them. “What’s his problem?”

Cory’s lips went tight. “He’s an asshole. That’s what his problem is.”

She blinked. “And what’s yours? Do you want us to spend our time checking out an early 20^th century jail? Don’t provoke that guy.”

He blew out a breath. “Sorry. He just reminds me of someone I got sideways with more than once.”

“Oh? Who was that?”

He pulled her toward the curb. “My dad. Let’s just cross the street and go on with our window shopping. He can’t throw us in jail for that.”

As they neared the corner on the other side of the street, Ashley could sense the policeman’s eyes following them. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief when a Model T pulled up to the curb, and Jeff stepped out.

He took in the policeman on the opposite corner and tipped his hat as he came around the vehicle. “Deputy.” He opened his side passenger doors, shifting his attention to her and Cory. They picked up their pace, only to have the deputy jog across the street as if he were on a mission.

“Dr. Marshall,” he said, as she got in the front, and Cory, the back. “I should have known these two were your guests. They seem to lack the same understanding of decorum as you.”

Jeff straightened and lifted his chin, emphasizing his height, but he only laughed. “Sorry, Lloyd, but ‘decorum’ is a rather unsettled thing, don’t you think? Times are changing. We can either change with them or get left behind.”

The man snorted. “Well, as long as I’m deputy, you better mind your P’s and Q’s.”

Jeff tipped his hat again. “Noted, deputy.” He started around his still-running car. “Have a nice day.”

Once they pulled away from the curb, Cory let fly with, “What a jerk! I take it you’ve had run-ins with that guy before.”

Jeff smirked over his shoulder. “Lloyd Jenkins is extreme, but this time is a lot more restrictive.” He turned at the next corner to head back to his place. “We’re barely out of the Victorian age.”

“So did you come looking for us?” Ashley asked. “Nellie didn’t seem to think we’d get into trouble taking a stroll around town.”

“Yeah, well, Nellie didn’t know how badly Jenkins and Cory would hit it off, should they meet.”

“And how did you know that?”

He looked over his shoulder to Cory once again with eyebrows raised.

“Because Jeff knew my dad and how I got along with my dad,” Cory explained. He blew out a breath and swept the hat off his head, setting it on the seat beside him. “And somehow, Jeff could ignore his B.S., while I was always tempted to punch the guy.”

“Wow,” Ashley breathed out, looking to Jeff. “Your past gave you training you could put to use in your future in the past.”

Jeff smiled her way. “Very paradoxical. You’re catching on to this time-travel thing.” Ashley shook her head, wondering if she would ever really catch on to this “time-travel thing.”

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