Stealing Time (26 page)

“Yes, he did. They tried to run away
together, but Father found them. He wasn’t going to be outsmarted
again. Rudy was sent to Chicago for a few years, and when he
finally returned Maria had moved on. It wasn’t until Father’s death
that Rudy and Maria spent a few years together. Rudy passed away
suddenly, tragic all around.”

“So what happened to Kathryn?” Drew was
curious.

“Sadly she passed away. She was the apple of
my eye. She was beautiful, intelligent and never had a harsh word
for anyone. Father couldn’t help but love her, although he did his
best to hide it. When she married, he threw the biggest wedding New
York City ever saw. Maria was there with her latest boyfriend.
Father ended up kicking them out of the reception. I admit they
were pretty drunk.” He winked at Drew. “But a fun drunk.”

Kate started piecing the family together. “So
Theresa is Kathryn’s daughter?”

“Yes, so much like her mother and as I said
before, her great-grandmother Ilene.”

“You’ve been the father and the grandfather
in their lives. Freddie, you are so...” Kate was at a loss for
words, searching for the perfect choices. “Magnanimous. Kind.
Wonderful...everything Lilly would be proud of.”

“Thank you.” Freddie stared down at his hands
as if hiding something.

“Is there more? Something you want to tell
us?” Kate was suddenly concerned. His demeanor had quickly
changed.

“No, no, not really...it’s nothing.”

Drew clasped his brother’s arm. “Freddie, I
want to know everything.”

“No, you don’t.” His voice was barely a
whisper. They sat in silence for a few moments, and Kate wondered
who would give in first, Freddie or Drew, when she heard the
unspeakable. “I had to protect her from Father. I took the
beatings...for all of us.”

“What?” Drew took a few steps back. He
quickly looked at Kate to see if he heard him correctly. Their eyes
locked in horror.

“Father grew angrier by the year. At first it
was just words, mental abuse they would call it today. I know he
was trying to control me, keep me in line. He didn’t want me
leaving the family the way you did, Andrew. When Maria came home
from school, she could really push his buttons. The first time he
raised his hand to her I stepped in and took the blow.”

“And Mother?”

“She never knew...was never around during
those encounters. Father was smart about that. In her eyes, he was
always this saint,” Freddie laughed sarcastically.

“How long?” Kate had to know.

“Well, let me see. After Andrew passed, the
house was in mourning for a year. Things were tense during that
time. There was an eerie silence throughout the house. Father made
the decision I would not be going away to boarding school when I
turned twelve. I would stay home and go to a private school in the
city. He used the excuse that Mother couldn’t stand having me far
away. By then, I was ready to go but understood I was needed.
During the year of mourning, the verbal assaults started. I
couldn’t do anything right, even cut my meat the correct way. I
watched Mother flinch every time he yelled, but she saw him as the
head of the household, someone stricken by intense grief and never
intervened.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Drew knelt
down next to his brother.

“How would you? I never blamed you.” Freddie
patted his brother’s face. “You were my rock, what got me through
when times got tough. I would remember how much you loved me.”

“Did my grandmother know about...the abuse?”
Kate felt like someone was squeezing her heart and wouldn’t let
go.

“No, I never told her.”

Kate hoped her grandmother had a sense of
what was going on. She did so much to help Freddie. She had to have
some idea.

“So how often...did he beat you?” Drew could
barely get the words out.

“Oh, a few times a year. He’d say crazy
things like why was I alive when his firstborn son was dead? I
think he took his grief out on me. When Maria was home, he aimed
his anger at her. I couldn’t let him hit her. I had to step in. She
finally put an end to things after the baby was born. She told
Father he’d never see the baby again if he continued to hit me.”
Freddie shook his head. “She promised me she’d find a way to get
him to stop...and she did.” He looked up at Drew with tears in his
eyes. “She was a good sister. She loved me.”

“As I love you.” Drew pulled Freddie close
and kissed the top of his head. “I’m sorry, brother. I would’ve
stepped in and taken those beatings.”

“I know.” Freddie dried his eyes with a fine
linen handkerchief he produced from his pocket. “I want you two to
know, I’ll keep your secret. I’ll go to my grave with the knowledge
my brother’s alive. My sister and her daughter are gone, but I’ve
been given the gift of my brother. Andrew, never leave me
again.”

Now it was Drew’s turn to get choked up.
“Never.”

Freddie rose from his chair and faced his
brother. The two men shook hands that turned into a hug.

Kate stood there exhausted, drained from
everything she just heard. She was now the owner of her father’s
works and a rich woman, but none of that mattered as she watched
the scene in front of her, two brothers coming together again in a
new century.

Chapter
Nineteen

Freddie escorted the couple to the elevator
and joined them for the ride to the first floor. By the time they
reached the lobby, Drew had cajoled Freddie back to his old self.
The atmosphere in the office had grown dark as Freddie told the
unthinkable story of his father and the abuse. Kate didn’t think
she could hate Nicolas anymore than she already did, but this
pushed her over the edge. If only there was something she could do
to prevent it from happening. She wished she had known before the
trip to New York City.

“Mr. Martin?” Ms. Richmond, the receptionist,
called out as they walked past. “I have an important message for
you.”

“Just a minute.” Freddie raised his hand and
smiled at the young woman. “Andrew, Kate, would you mind?” He
pointed to the waiting area and headed back toward the desk.

Kate grabbed Drew’s hand and pulled him
farther away so they could talk without being heard. She turned and
faced him, a pained expression on her face. “Nicolas makes me so
mad! I can’t believe how he treated Freddie. If we had brought our
books, I’d go back in time and give him a piece of my mind! Maybe
it’s a good thing we didn’t bring them because if I had a way to
get there, I’d be on my way.” Kate took a few steps back and threw
out her hands to make the point.

“I wish there was a way...but there isn’t.”
Drew’s smile suddenly changed to one of concern. “Kate, look
out!”

He reached out as she backed into a tall,
slender blue pedestal holding one of the many sculptures around the
room.

“Ooh, sorry big blue box.” Kate grabbed onto
the rectangular base to catch herself. “Wow, this thing’s pretty
sturdy.”

“You better hope so because that sculpture
might have knocked you out.” A slight smile returned to his
face.

“Then thank you.” Kate patted the side of the
stand. “You saved my life.”

“Talking to a blue box, now that’s a first.”
Drew patted the solid pedestal. “I’m just as angry as you are, and
if I was offered a ride back in time, I’d take it. But let’s not
let Freddie see our anger. We’ll talk later.”

Freddie was now headed toward them. He walked
Drew and Kate to the front door and outside into an entirely
different kind of day. The sidewalks were wet, but the sun was
shining, and a pale blue sky covered the city.

“Dinner on me tonight. Just the three of us.
I’d love for you to meet my much younger wife, but what we need to
discuss is not for her ears. Our secrets. Your money. She’s very
protective of the twins and wants to make sure they get what’s
coming to them, not to say they don’t deserve it. They’re good
sons. Sometimes though, Charlotte forgets there are more than four
of us in the family.”

Kate hated to hear Freddie’s second wife
seemed to care more about his money than him. “Freddie...”

He stopped her in midsentence. “I know what
you’re thinking. She’s after my money. Not entirely true. She was
there when I needed someone after my first wife died. She’s loving
and caring. Just young.”

How young can she be? Sixty-five?
Seventy?
Freddie’s idea of young and Kate’s were complete
opposite. “As long as you’re happy.” Kate hugged him tightly.

Freddie smiled at the couple. “I haven’t felt
this great in years. Andrew, give me your cell number. I’ll pick
you up tonight at seven. I guess we have a lot of catching up to
do. Decades in fact.”

Drew’s face suddenly changed to one of shock.
“Me? Decades? Not so much. I skipped over all those decades,
Freddie. You’re the one who lived them. Never thought of it like
that before...what I missed. I just saw you, as an eleven year old
boy, last week. Still adjusting to the time travel, I feel like I’m
living in the future but haven’t missed a day of my life. Does that
make sense?”

“The older you get, the less you question.
I’m going to try to see things through your eyes. So much I want to
know. Delmonico’s alright with you?”

“One of my favorite places as a boy. Hard to
believe it’s still around.”

“Yes, some things have stayed the same. I’ll
get a private dining room.”

Kate and Drew slowly strolled back to the
hotel. It was cool and crisp, and autumn permeated the air. Kate
was exhausted and wanted to rest when they got back, but there was
so much to talk about. “Your family’s in charge of Woods now.
Ironic, isn’t it?”

Drew placed his arm across Kate’s shoulders
as they walked along. “When that elevator door opened and the man
standing there said he was Federico Martin Junior, it was difficult
to stay silent. I could just imagine what was going through your
mind.”

“Mostly shock. I was trying to sort things
out as we followed him. I was positive I’d meet a Woods or two
along the way, but your family has taken over.”

“In a good way this time, I hope.”

“Yes, my grandmother saw something in your
brother. I’m sure she’d be happy to know it all worked out for the
best.”

“Glad to hear you feel that way. I was a
little nervous after meeting Cal and Curt—more Martins. I thought
you might be upset.” Drew opened the door to their room, and they
threw all their things in a heap.

“Not at all. Do you believe I own my father’s
books? He’s not going to like that. I’m the boss of him now.” Kate
giggled and flopped on the bed pulling Drew with her. “Can we rest
and talk at the same time?”

He kissed her lightly on the lips. “Of
course, anything you want. Now how much did you say you’re worth? I
think I can start early retirement.”

Kate rolled on top of Drew, pinning his arms
back like a wrestling hold. “I’m in charge now.” They laughed and
kissed and she slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

“Kate, no,” Drew protested.

“You said I could have anything I want, and I
want you.”

“Just this once.” Drew kissed her cheek and
moved down her neck. “I love you, Mrs. Martin.”

Kate quickly sat up. “Are you calling me that
so you won’t feel guilty?”

“No, absolutely not. I call you that all the
time.”

“This time felt different, like you were
asking for absolution or something.” The mood was gone, and Kate
got out of bed. “Your wish is granted, Mr. Martin. No sex in the
21st century if you have to pretend it’s 1927, and you’re married
to me. Who knows when we’ll get back to the canyon again.”

“Thanksgiving? I’ll make it up to you then.
We’ll leave on Monday and stay right through Thanksgiving.”

“Promise?” Kate began to soften her
stance.

“Yes, I promise. Forgive me?”

Kate couldn’t stay mad at Drew for long. She
knew he was thinking for both of them, and if she wanted things to
be different all she had to do was marry him. That was her choice,
not his. “I love you, you know. Across the miles, across time.
Forever.”

“I’ll never forget.” Drew came up behind her
and wrapped his strong arms around her. He kissed her neck softly
and slid up to her ear, whispering, “I still read those
letters.”

“Oh, Drew, you kept them?” Kate knew she
shouldn’t be that surprised. Drew was a romantic at heart.

“Of course! Did you think I threw them out?”
Drew chuckled and sat down in one of the chairs by the window. “Now
fill me in on all the details of the contract, and leave nothing
out. I trust Freddie, so I’m certain there are no loopholes or
problems. I’ll question him more tonight.”

“Thanks for doing that. When it comes to
legal stuff, I have no clue. The papers are in that folder.” Kate
pointed to the desk and then decided to get ready for dinner. “I
think I’ll wear the new dress I bought in SoHo.”

“And I’ll wear the shirt you picked out for
me.”

Kate showered and dried her hair, spending
the whole time dwelling on the events of the day. She grabbed a
hotel robe and threw it on.

“It’s all yours.” She pointed to the
bathroom. Drew was watching TV, flipping through the channels
aimlessly. “Drew, did you hear me?”

“Yep, just thinking.”

“Oh, I see. Doing two things at once.”

“I was hoping things don’t change.”

“Why would they?”

“You have everything now. Financial freedom
and a business to watch over.”

“It means nothing without you. I’d gladly
give it all away or back to my father if it bothers you.” Kate
learned when Drew spoke like that, he wasn’t being chauvinistic. It
was a reflection of the era he was raised in.

“I’d never ask you to do that, you know.”
Drew put down the remote, looking very serious.

“Yeah, I know. It’s something we just have to
get used to. I want you to help me with everything—manage the
money, telling my father I own his books...” Kate smiled as she
said it.