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But he couldn’t let the band down. Their fame and glory was ahead of them. He’d had his but he couldn’t ruin the band’s by changing today—by changing the past.

He pulled his thoughts to the present and looked ahead as he strode along the side of the narrow brook. No one else was around now that it was light and he finally approached the place where he’d left Megan fast asleep. He fought the anticipation curling in his stomach at seeing her again. Hopefully, she was awake and dressed.

But she was gone. No sign of her.

Fuck. He was sure he was in the right place.

Ten minutes later, he’d walked the path twice but there was no sign of her. He paused and looked down. The grass was flattened where he’d lain with her. He closed his eyes, fighting the fresh surge of desire that pumped through his blood.

Running his fingers through his hair in frustration, he walked back to the field where the main tent was set up.

The dawn light stole over Glastonbury Tor. They’d missed the perfect time for going through the gate, and now they’d have to go at midday. David slammed his fist onto his palm as he stood and turned slowly, searching the fields. A nagging fear settled in him and grew with each step he took.

I have to find her.

The early morning sunlight shone across the fields and the crowd had grown overnight. Small tents and tepees had sprung up all over the fields between the cottages and the stages. Throngs of people were massed around each of the performance areas and the air was alive with music and the appreciative calls of the festival goers.

Where the fuck did she go?

Maybe she’d tried to walk back home? Maybe she was in the crowd somewhere? If she did know about the gate, maybe she’d gone back through already?

Wherever she was he had to find her, and quickly. Making a snap decision and trying to forestall the worst thing that she could do, he turned to cross the field back to the cottages. If she wasn’t there, he’d backtrack and come back to the festival. There was plenty of time before their ten o’clock set. If she’d gone back to the cottage and come across Alice McLaren, she’d think she was crazy. Maybe Jules’s ghost story would come in handy after all.

The low murmur of voices drifted across to him, and the sweet smell of dope pervaded the morning air as the smells and the bright morning light filled him with a buzz. Blood pumped through his legs and his muscles tightened as he strode out. Megan’s scent stayed with him and he could still feel her fingers gripping his shoulders. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before he set out for the cottage.

Forget her. Get her home safely and leave her alone.

Keeping to the edge of the field and staying well away from the stone markers, David reached the back gate of his cottage in less than thirty minutes. A wisp of smoke curled from the chimney at Violet Cottage and he groaned.

With any luck, she had come back and gone to bed and not noticed anything was different.

Who was he kidding? It was 1971 and Alice was in Violet Cottage.

The whole flaming garden was different and as he crossed the porch, the lack of roses and the back porch with no furniture stood out like a beacon.

Christ, all it needed was a sign saying “welcome to 1971” and it couldn’t be more bleeding obvious that it was a different time.

David stepped to the door as the sound of a woman singing softly drifted out through the window.

He raised his hand to knock but the door opened before his fingers touched the wood.

“Holy shit.” David closed his eyes and groaned.

Chapter Fourteen

Megan’s stomach grumbled as the aroma of cooking meat wafted over to her. The second band to play after the Bowie cover had just finished its set and she hadn’t heard of either of them. There must have been last-minute dropouts because none of the artists she’d been expecting to see had made an appearance. They must be playing later in the day. There was no sign of David and she bit her lip.

She had no idea what the deal was. Had he gotten what he’d been looking for the night before and now he’d taken off?

Stay here, Megan. I’m going to see the guys. Yeah, sure.

It might have been the most mind-blowing sex she’d ever had, but she was going to chalk that up to the music and the strange state she’d been in ever since she’d passed out in the field. After her Greg experience, she thought she’d learned her lesson. But one look at David and she’d lost control completely. Damn it, what came over me?

The only reason she was here was because she’d been worried about him when he’d disappeared behind the stone monument thing. And now, thanks to him, she had no shoes and no money.

David had told her to wait, but there was no way she was going to hang around for him to come back.

If he did.