Indiana Belle (American Journey Book 3) (25 page)

"I hope to find the cave your father explored in 1898," Cameron said. "Candice told me about the mysterious writings he found there. I would like to see for myself if there is anything of interest in the cave and perhaps build on your father's studies."

"You don't believe in all that time-travel nonsense, do you?"

"I'm keeping an open mind, Lawrence. I really am."

Candice giggled.

"Your father did not subscribe to nonsense," Marjorie said to Lawrence. "He did not believe in anything without good reason. If he believed that time travel is possible, then it probably
is
possible. You should show more respect."

"Yes, Mother."

Candice and Lula laughed.

"I think Mr. Coelho should satisfy his curiosity," Marjorie said. "That does not mean I want my unmarried daughter gallivanting across the country with an unmarried man. Even in the interests of research, that is completely unacceptable."

"I'm going, Mother," Candice said. "You're wasting syllables."

Cameron stifled a laugh.

"Does Mr. Grant approve of this silly notion of yours?" Marjorie asked.

"He does," Candice said. "Thad gave me his blessing."

"You've talked to him already?" Lula asked.

Candice nodded.

"I called him this afternoon. He doesn't like the idea of heading into June without his wedding writer, but I convinced him that my volunteers could cover for me."

"I'm surprised he approved your request," Lawrence said. "I wouldn't have."

"I didn't give him a choice," Candice said. "I told him if he didn't give me three weeks off, I would quit my job."

"What did he say to that?"

"He said, 'Have a nice trip.'"

Lula giggled.

"I still don't like it," Marjorie said. She looked at Candice and then at Cameron. "A man and a woman should not take a trip like this together unless they are lawfully married."

Cameron nodded. Even as a progressive twenty-first-century man, he mostly agreed with Marjorie's traditional twentieth-century values. Propriety mattered. So did commitments and appearances. He planned to address all three at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, he had to do what he could to win over a woman who was still his biggest skeptic.

"I understand your concerns, Mrs. Bell. That's why I'll make you a promise," Cameron said. "If Candice decides to join me on this trip, I will do my best to ensure her physical safety and protect her reputation. I will conduct myself as a gentleman at all times."

Candice frowned at the bold declaration. She did not seem to share her traveling companion's enthusiasm for liberty, equality, and chastity.

"I will hold you to that, young man," Marjorie said.

"I would think less of you if you didn't," Cameron said.

Marjorie turned to Candice.

"Then I suppose you may go."

The journalist smiled.

"Thank you, Mother," Candice said. She stepped forward and kissed Marjorie on the head. "I'll try not to soil the family name."

CHAPTER 44: CAMERON

Hays, Kansas – Wednesday, June 10, 1925

On his third trip across the United States in ninety-nine days – or at least ninety-nine days as the crow flies through time – Cameron Coelho did what he did on the first two. He examined letters, pages, and documents like he was a corporate business traveler.

Only this time, he did not dwell on the unknown, consider a multitude of options, or obsess over a woman in a photograph. He knew what he was doing, where he was going, and with
whom
he was going. The woman, the object of his affection, was sitting at his side.

Cameron made himself comfortable in his upholstered train seat, shuffled a few papers on his lap, and handed one to Candice. He pointed to a diary entry at the top of the page.

"That's a passage that grabbed my attention," Cameron said.

"Why?" Candice asked. "Did you like my penmanship?"

Cameron chuckled.

"No. I liked your commitment to your work. You wrote how much you loved your job and the people you worked with," Cameron said. "I don't know anyone who writes that sort of thing in a diary. You had no one to impress but yourself."

Candice smiled wistfully.

"I think it's important to record positive thoughts. Then you have something to refer to when you're not so positive toward a job, the world, or even yourself."

"That makes sense," Cameron said. "Do you still feel that way about your job?"

"I do. Despite the obvious challenges, I do."

"It's pretty clear from that entry that you like working for Thad."

"That also is true," Candice said.

"I'm still surprised he gave you time off."

"I am too."

"That's not what you told your family," Cameron said.

"I know. I just didn't want to weaken my case for joining you," Candice said. "The truth of the matter is that I'm very surprised Thad let me go. Perhaps he wanted a break from my constant pestering. I've been pressuring him for more responsibility."

"I don't know why he doesn't promote you. You're one of the best journalists in Indiana and definitely the most knowledgeable reporter in Evansville."

"I'm also a woman, Mr. Coelho. Surely you've figured out that the opportunities for women in this time are few and far between."

"I have," Cameron said.

"I'm sure they are more numerous in your time."

"They are."

Candice took a breath.

"I can't imagine what your time is like. I'm almost afraid to ask."

"You shouldn't be," Cameron said. "My time is not all that different."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Why?"

"I should think the answer is obvious," Candice said. "The world has changed a lot in just the past ten years. I have to believe it will change even more in the next hundred. The only question, for me, anyway, is how much more.

"Are you angling for information, Miss Bell?"

Candice offered a sheepish smile.

"Yes."

"Then just ask. I'll tell you," Cameron said. "What do you want to know?"

Candice took a breath.

"I want to know a lot of things."

"Can you be more specific?" Cameron asked.

"I guess I mostly want to know the important things, the things that might affect my future or the future of my children. I want to know the big picture."

"Define big picture."

Candice shot him a glance.

"You're not making this easy."

Cameron smiled.

"I'm just trying to be helpful. To be helpful, I have to know what you're thinking."

"OK. I'll tell you. Here's something I've been thinking about for days."

"What's that?"

"Are more wars coming?" Candice asked in a serious voice. "Will we fight more wars like the one we just finished?"

Cameron turned away for a moment as he pondered an answer. How did anyone explain World War II to a person who thought the Great War was as bad as wars got? How did one explain police actions like Korea and Vietnam or smaller but equally complicated conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan? He decided to speak in generalities and save the specifics for another day.

"Yes," Cameron said. "I hate to say it, but yes. More wars are coming. One will be bigger, most will be smaller, and all will be tragic."

"Can you tell me more?" Candice asked.

"I could. I could describe all of the coming wars in great detail, but I would rather not. I don't see the point. I don't want to depress you."

"What about the good things? What about advances in science, medicine, and industry? How will life be better for the average person in a hundred years?"

Cameron again turned away before answering. He wanted to make sure that no one else in the lounge car was listening in. The last thing he needed was unwanted attention.

"I see I should have packed an encyclopedia," Cameron said.

Candice smiled.

"You mean there are still encyclopedias in 2017?"

"Yes. There are. Most are online though."

"What's online?"

Cameron laughed.

"I see I have my work cut out."

Candice stared at him as if annoyed.

"Just give me the broad details."

"I'm sorry," Cameron said. He chuckled. "I forgot you like big pictures."

Candice raised a brow.

"I like
any
picture that helps me understand things I've never seen."

"I understand," Cameron said. "OK then. Let me give you a picture."

"Please."

"Imagine holding a small framed photograph."

"All right," Candice said.

"Imagine changing the picture you see by simply tapping on the glass."

"OK."

"Now imagine retrieving not only another picture but thousands of pictures," Cameron said. "Imagine retrieving just as many movies, books, and newspapers on the same screen. Imagine doing it instantly and without cords or wires. Imagine doing all these things while conducting a phone call with a friend in Africa or Australia or Asia. That's what I mean by online."

Candice took a breath.

"It sounds like change is coming."

"It is," Cameron said. "Before this century is over, we will put a man on the moon, cure many diseases, and build planes that can carry hundreds of people across the oceans in a few hours. We'll build faster cars and trains and even invent something called the television."

"I think I get the picture," Candice said.

Cameron chuckled as he thought of sixty-inch high-definition TVs.

"I hope you do. You wanted a big one."

Candice pinched him.

"You're terrible."

Cameron smiled.

"Do you find the future overwhelming?"

"Yes, Mr. Coelho, I do. I find it very overwhelming."

"You shouldn't."

"Why not? Your world sounds complicated and scary."

Cameron took a breath.

"It is, in a sense. It is technologically sophisticated. People in the future have fancier gadgets and access to a lot more information, but otherwise they are no different than people today. They are mostly the same."

"Are
women
the same?" Candice asked.

Cameron laughed.

"That sounds like a loaded question."

"It is. Since learning where you're from, I've wondered whether I've measured up to your expectations. Surely you're used to better."

"Actually, I'm not."

Candice smiled.

"I find that
really
hard to believe."

"Why?" Cameron asked. "I'm no great shakes."

"You're what?"

"I'm nothing special, Candice. I'm just a regular guy in 2017."

"You're more than regular in my book."

Cameron stifled a laugh.

"I've never been called 'more than regular.' I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. You are the most fascinating man I have ever met. You are also a caring man," Candice said. "I don't think any man has cared for me as much as you do."

Cameron smiled.

"I know that's not true."

"What do you mean?"

The time traveler grinned.

"Let me show you."

"OK."

Cameron opened his satchel and retrieved Henry Bell's diary. He put the journal on his lap, flipped to a dog-eared page, and pointed to a passage he had all but memorized.

"I think this man cared for you too," Cameron said.

Candice smiled wistfully.

"I suppose he did."

Cameron clasped her hand.

"There is no 'suppose' about it. Your father loved you the minute he laid eyes on you. That is one of the many things we have in common."

Candice blushed.

"You like that passage?"

"I love it. I think I've read it a dozen times. It is one of the most beautiful tributes I have ever read. Your father's love for you literally jumps off the page."

"I guess it does."

"Do you think about him a lot?" Cameron asked.

Candice nodded.

"I think about him every day. I wonder what he would have been like as a friend and a mentor. I wonder what he would have thought of
you
."

"Maybe I'm lucky I'll never know."

"What do you mean?"

Cameron smiled.

"I mean I'm having difficulty impressing one parent as it is."

"Mother likes you," Candice said. "She just has a funny way of showing it."

"So it appears."

Cameron gazed out the window and watched farms, fields, and fences roll by. He thought of his last visit to Henry Bell's farm, his last encounter with his widow, and one of the comments she had made on Sunday night. He chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?" Candice asked.

"I was just thinking about something your mother said."

"This can't be good."

"Actually, it is," Cameron said. "Or at least it's not bad."

"Please enlighten me."

"I was just thinking about one of her social observations. She said that a man and a woman shouldn't take a trip like this together unless they are lawfully married."

"Do you think she's wrong?" Candice asked.

"No," Cameron said. "I think she's right. I agree with her completely."

Candice tilted her head.

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm thinking that maybe we should make your mother proud."

Candice put her hands on her hips and smiled.

"Mr. Coelho, is that a marriage proposal?"

Cameron nodded.

"Shall I drop to a knee?"

Candice laughed.

"I wouldn't ask that of any man."

Cameron smiled.

"I'm serious though. We can do it when we arrive. We can find a justice of the peace in Reno and take care of business right there."

Candice shook her head.

"No."

Cameron stared at her with wide eyes.

"No? I thought you loved me."

Candice giggled.

"I adore you. But I
fear
my mother. She would shun me for a year if we did what you propose. She might even disinherit me."

"Are you serious?" Cameron asked.

"Yes. I am," Candice said. She claimed Cameron's hand. "Let's wait until we get back. Let's get married in the church and do it right. It will be better that way."