Free Dream Tunnel by Arby Robbins Page B

that he was not Crane. She floored the accelerator and spun the tires, burning rubber as she returned to the highway.
    Conroe reasoned that her chances of finding Crane, convincing him to come back with her in time for the wedding, and doing it all before the time travel computer battery died were slim indeed. She could turn around right now, drive north to get within the perimeter, and then have Geneva bring her back home. That would be the smart, safe thing to do. But she didn’t care about being smart or safe—she just wanted Crane, and her instincts told her to keep driving toward Galveston.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    34
     
    C onroe woke up at 6:00 a.m. to the alarm on her time travel watch. She had fallen asleep across the seat of the pickup in the parking lot of Dave’s Diner. She sat up and saw two customers walk inside. It was twelve hours until her wedding.
    She got out of the truck, went into the restaurant, and stopped the first waitress she saw. “Where’s the owner?”
    “He’s in his office, but you can’t—”
    “Thanks.” Conroe ran to the back and located the office. She knocked on the door and opened it.
    The man behind the desk was apparently the owner, Dave. Crane sat in a chair at the front of the desk.
    “Crane!” she shouted as she ran to him. “I’ve been waiting for you all night. I slept in the parking lot.”
    Dave said, “This must be the crazy girl you’ve been telling me about.”
    Conroe put her hands on her hips. “He said I was crazy? ”
    “What are you doing here?” Crane asked.
    “I guess you know he’s in love with you,” Dave said.
    Conroe smiled. “Is that true, Crane? Are you in love with me?”
    Crane frowned at Dave. “I didn’t say that.”
    Dave cocked his head to the side. “You didn’t have to. It’s obvious.”
    “Well, I came here to get a job, Conroe, and Dave just hired me. Why are you here?”
    “Because I love you, and because I want you to marry me tonight.”
    “You want me to marry you— tonight? Hey, just because you think I’m in love with you, it doesn’t mean I’m gonna run out and marry you.”
    “She is kind of crazy,” Dave said.
    “But, Crane—,” she began.
    “Oh, that’s right—you’ve known me for years,” Crane said. “You watched me grow up. Hey, did you see all the dumb stuff I did as a kid? And I meant to ask you—were you watching me everywhere? Did I have any privacy whatsoever?”
    “I didn’t watch you everywhere . But I watched you playing your guitar every night and writing songs. That’s mostly what made me fall in love with you. Your sad songs made me cry, and the funny ones made me laugh. But the love songs made me want to hold you in my arms and never let you go.”
    “Well, I’m glad you liked my songs. But I didn’t get a chance to watch you grow up. I really don’t know that much about you—especially since you lied to me.”
    “You know more about me than you think you do. Remember the story I told you about the king who had twin daughters, and how his firstborn became queen, and how the queen’s daughter will assume the throne if she’s married before her eighteenth birthday?”
    “I suppose you’re gonna tell me that the story is real, and that you’re the daughter who’s gonna become queen?”
    Conroe smiled and nodded.
    “And that’s why you need to get married tonight?” Crane asked.
    “Yes.”
    “Whoa,” Dave interjected.
    “Look,” Conroe said, “I know I’m asking a lot—expecting you to trust me to know what’s best for you. But I really do know what’s best for you—from listening to your songs. I know what kind of girl you want, and I’m that girl.”
    “Well, I do love you, Conroe, but this is just too much, too fast.”
    “I understand. But why don’t you come with me, and you can decide on the way.”
    Crane shook his head. “You are so bullheaded.”
    “We have to get back within the perimeter.”
    “The perimeter? What’s that?” asked