No Diamonds For Christmas: Love Beyond Time, #5

By Barbara Goodwin

Mary Benjamin time travels back to 1956 so she can work in one of the Queen Mary's exclusive restaurants. When she appears on the ship, strong arms rescue her from nearly sliding overboard. She turns to thank the stranger and gasps. His face is covered in a black ski mask. She jerks to get away, but his tender touch along her face causes an unexpected rush of desire to course through her, weaken her.

 

Accomplished British jewel thief Gavin MacAfee will do anything to steal the cursed Resurrection Diamond from the Duke of Pemberton. Yet, everything changes for Gavin when he meets Mary under the brilliant stars on the Queen Mary's deck. A sudden rush of desire and a powerful need for her consumes him.

 

Mary doesn't trust Gavin when she meets him. He's too cocky, too sure of himself. Yet, he is gentle with her. Soon she finds she's falling in with with both a masked thief, who's tender and kind, yet obviously up to no good, and an aloof man who's a bit too self-assured. How can she fall for two men at the same time?

Read Mary and Gavin's story and enjoy the last book in the Love Beyond Time series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barbara Goodwin
• Release date: Nov 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798985392418

Barbara Goodwin

Barbara Goodwin loves television, movies, musical theater and reading. Her sense of adventure started at an early age, so she hopped onto an airplane as a flight attendant with a major international airline and spent many years discovering new stories. She loved writing while her Springer Spaniel snored comfortably on the couch nearby and never took that as a comment on her writing.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

DECEMBER 21, 2025

If Evie could do it then so could I, thought Mary Benjamin. Her younger sister had come home with a husband from the adventure of a lifetime and Mary wanted that too. Not the husband, that is, just the adventure.

Mary glanced around the small, busy restaurant she owned. 1890 served down-home, country-style foods in an old-world environment from the year 1890. A year she’d been living in only two years ago. Mary shook her head at the radical change her life had taken. She monitored the waiters and waitresses who bustled around her restaurant as she thought about another drastic change that could affect her.

One she chose for herself this time.

Noise filled the small room and people lined the sidewalk outside the restaurant’s glass door. The scents of homemade warm crusty bread, bubbling, hearty soups and stews and sinfully sweet apple pie had prompted a recent review which had praised the restaurant. Now flocks of people waited patiently for a table to eat lunch and dinner.

Could she do another time jump? Should she? Mary knew the answer already. She was going. No matter what anyone said, she wanted to see what it took to run a high-class restaurant. And what better way to learn than to go to the best of the best?

Robin, will you meet me in the back room for a minute? Mary asked her manager.

Sure, be right there.

Mary closed the door after the woman entered. "I will be going away for a short vacation, a week or two. I’m leaving the restaurant in your capable hands. I have every faith in you and your ability to run 1890.

What? Robin stood with her mouth gaping, her hands spread in a gesture of shock. You can’t leave me for two weeks.

Mary put a soothing hand on Robin’s arm. The woman had become a dear friend in the last year. I can and I will. If you have any problems call Aunt Addie. She’ll come over and help.

But…

No buts. Now I’m taking the rest of the day off and I’ll get back to you tomorrow. Mary left her speechless manager with a grin on her face. She knew Robin was more than capable of running 1890. Robin came from a family of chefs and restaurant owners.

Mary felt her spirits lift as she drove the short distance to her apartment in Bend, Oregon. She’d been agonizing over her decision and now that she’d made up her mind, she knew it to be the right decision.

You are not going, Shauna stated. The view of the Cascade Mountains glittered with late afternoon snow through the picture window in Shauna Wentworth’s home. It didn’t calm the woman who wasn’t looking at it.

I am. Mary heaved a sigh. Everyone else has traveled and now it’s my turn. I’ve explained why I want to do this. You can’t say no. Mary glared at her friend. Shauna was married to Mike Forrester, son of her Aunt Addie’s husband. Joshua and Aunt Addie had met two years ago when Joshua accidentally picked up Shauna’s iPhone, which was a disguised time travel device. Joshua ended up in 1890, met Adeline Benjamin and fell in love.

Shauna was a scientist from the twenty-second century and had devised a time travel device to look like the most popular cell phone of the day. Now both of Joshua Forrester’s sons, Mike and Scott and her little sister Evie have had time traveled to different centuries. Joshua, Mike, and Scott did it by accident, but they found their mates while they were gone. Her sister, Evie, traveled on purpose, choosing the time she wanted to go to and she ended up meeting the man of her dreams too.

Mary gave Shauna’s hand a light squeeze. Look, I’m older than Evie was when she went to 1940 last year. I know when and where I want to go and I have a darn good reason for going. How am I supposed to find out what an elegant, classy, upscale restaurant is like if I don’t go to the source?

Your Aunt Addie will have a fit. I won’t go through that again. I thought she was going to bite my head off when she realized I’d sent Evie to World War II.

I’m not going into a war, Shauna. And I plan to tell Aunt Addie before I go.

Shauna sighed. You promise me you’ll tell her first? That woman loves you as if you were her biological child.

I promise. She’s the only mother I had after my parents died. I love her too.

Okay. I know I’m going to regret this. With a heavy sigh Shauna said, Tell me the date, time and place.

Two hours later Mary returned to Shauna’s home. She hadn’t called Aunt Addie yet but would from Shauna’s house. She breezed through the door not bothering to take off her coat. Hello! I’m back.

Shauna’s in her lab. What do you two have cooked up? Mike, Shauna’s husband asked.

Oh, nothing. Mary gave Mike a winning smile and fled to the lab. She opened the door and found Shauna bent over a small black square that she held on a table. What’s that?

This is the original style time travel device. I decided that you didn’t need to lug a big iPhone back with you. If you dropped it, the phone would be too obvious. This is much easier to hide.

Great. How does it work?

Shauna explained the buttons on the sides. I set it for what you wanted. You’ll come back two days after you left, no matter how long you’ve been gone. I was going to work on that small problem but I’ve been too busy with my day job to get to it. Oh, it’s set to come back here, to my house. You hit the button on the top left when you want to come back. The button on the bottom right is the one that will take you to…no, don’t touch it yet!

Mary had pushed the button on the bottom right of the device out of curiosity and a tangerine bubble surrounded her that was filled with a high-pitched whine. What happened? she shouted.

Hit the button on the top right! Shauna shouted back. But the whine grew louder.

Mary fiddled with the black square hitting all of the buttons she could see. The whine intensified as Shauna’s husband ran into the room.

Oh, God. Not again, Mike shouted above the noise.

Stop it, Shauna, Mary yelled. I’m not ready to go yet. I haven’t called Aunt Addie.

You haven’t called her? Shauna shouted. Of all the idiotic, hair-brained…

The tangerine color changed to gold. Mary saw Mike shaking his head from side to side. His lips were moving but she couldn’t hear what he said.

The walls began to shimmer and the gold color brightened.

Mary knew from the look on both Shauna’s and Mike’s faces that there wasn’t a way to stop the device at this point. She gave a weak smile and a feeble wave as the whine peaked, the walls shimmered and she disappeared from the room.

CHAPTER 1

The whine wound down as the gold color faded to tangerine, then yellow, then disappeared. Mary glanced around and her heart soared at what she saw. She stood on the empty deck of a ship as it moved through a quiet, dark evening. The normally pristine blue ocean was now black with silver whitecaps curling over small waves. The ocean liner sailed through the water, a white crescent moon hung high in the dark sky filled with stars so bright she could reach out and touch them.

Mary sucked in a deep breath of clean, salty air. She gave a cry of delight and twirled around on the deck in anticipation of her unknown adventure. The ship rolled a bit and she stumbled. Reaching blindly for the railing, she was yanked back just as her hands touched the smooth wood.

Whoa, there. You don’t want to fall overboard. Light puffs of breath sent shivers down Mary’s spine. The man’s British voice was deep and melodic, smooth, and warm, as well as rough and hot.

Mary’s heart raced from fear and an unknown excitement. For a moment she’d thought she would slide over the side. She turned to her rescuer with a smile. But the smile faltered when she looked into the face of a man covered by a black ski mask. Her heart pounded as she tried to pull away from the man, but his hands gripped her arms and he wouldn’t let her leave. Let me go.

Now why would I do that? The man’s eyes gleamed from behind his mask. What an ungrateful maiden you are. Here I’ve gone and rescued you from the depths of an unforgiving ocean and you try to run away without even a thank you.

The man sounded like he was teasing her but Mary knew that a masked man wouldn’t take the time to reassure a stranger in the dark of night. His gloved thumb rubbed her wrist where he held her. Light, soft strokes sent goosebumps racing through her body. The eyes that stared back at her with intensity were light colored, blue, green, or hazel, Mary couldn’t tell in the dark. His rich voice flowed over her like music. Mary stood rooted to the deck with her mouth hanging open.

The masked man leaned forward. Cat got your tongue? he laughed and Mary floated on a cloud of need and instant desire. He smelled clean and fresh, like the wind and ocean. She shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her.

Here, let me get you inside where it’s warm. The man dragged Mary through a door into the ship. He pulled her to the nearest chair and lightly pushed her into it. Sit.

Stunned by her response to a man who was obviously up to no good, Mary sat for a moment then jumped up. Who are you? Why are you wearing that mask? The mask covered his face leaving his eyes, the bottom of his nose and lips bare. She stepped away from him as she realized how big he was. Somewhere near six feet, the man’s broad shoulders strained the black jacket he wore. His dark pants barely concealed thick, muscular thighs.

I’m not going to hurt you, young lady. Why would I have saved you from falling overboard if I intended you harm? The man leaned forward and stroked a finger along Mary’s jaw. You are a beauty, that’s for sure. Where have you been hiding yourself?

Mary didn’t like the predatory light in the man’s eyes. She saw from the light of the lounge that they were green. I haven’t been hiding. She stepped away from him with the intent of escaping to a safer place, one with more people. This lounge was closed and no one walked the deck outside at the moment.

Oh, no you don’t. At least tell me your name before you run off.

Mary’s stomach flipped when the man gave her a lopsided smile. There was no way she was telling this thief her name. No. Thank you for saving me but I really must be going now.

As she turned to leave, he said, It’s not that big a ship, my dear. He lowered his voice to a whisper and his accent came through, stronger, sexier. I’ll find you again and then I’ll know who you are. That’s a promise.

Shivers raced along Mary’s spine as she ran out of the lounge and along the deck. She had no idea where she was going. She didn’t even know if she was going forward or aft but it didn’t matter. All she cared about at the moment was putting as much distance as she could between her and the masked man with the mesmerizing voice.

It wasn’t long before she heard voices and slowed down. Women dressed in gowns with elbow-length gloves and high-heeled shoes strolled the deck with men in tuxedoes and top hats. Waiters wore formal black suits with starched white shirts and black or white bow ties. Waitresses wore white, starched, bleached dresses and black aprons as they mingled through the crowd in the nearby lounge offering appetizers and drinks. Mary knew she wasn’t dressed properly and didn’t want to get caught as she stared with longing at the crowd of people.

Her heart slowed as she caught her breath. The ship rocked a little from a wave and Mary stepped back from the window she’d been peering in.

She turned away from the lounge and realized the wind was blowing her hair off of her face. She must be heading forward toward the bow of the ship. Better find out if you made it to the right time period, she muttered. She suspected she’d made it to the right ship. As she followed the deck forward a woman said, "Thank you for bringing me on the Queen Mary, Bill. This ship is so beautiful." So, she’d made it to the right ship, now she needed to see the date.

Mary went down some stairs. She knew that the crew wouldn’t be wandering among the cabin-class passengers if they weren’t working. She had just jumped the last step to D deck when a woman said, There you are, Mary. Jill and I wondered where you’d gotten to. A perky blonde woman with an inviting smile sidled up to Mary.

Before she could reply another woman said, Oh, good. You found her, Georgia. We need to show the new girl around the ship and it doesn’t do us any good if we lose her on our first try. Both of the girls laughed.

Mary felt at ease with these two ladies. Luckily, they had said their names. One was Georgia and the other Jill. Mary didn’t know how long she’d been on the ship, but if she was the new girl, it couldn’t have been long. "Thank you for showing me around. I’m afraid I got lost. I saw the most beautiful people in the lounge on the Promenade deck.

That would be one of the cabin-class lounges, Georgia said. We’re not allowed on those decks unless we’re serving.

Yes, but don’t worry, Jill laughed. The captain won’t throw you overboard for getting lost on your first day on the ship.

The women were kind and warm and Mary knew she could be friends with them. So we’re all waitresses?

Georgia and Jill stared at Mary for a long minute. We’re waitresses, Georgia said pointing to herself and Jill. You’re a cook. Didn’t they tell you that when you boarded this morning? It was right on your paperwork.

Mary grabbed at the knowledge she’d been handed. "I, uh, didn’t look that far. I was too excited to be on the famous Queen Mary. What a ship! What history."

Yes, well, there is that, Georgia said. Look, it’s late and we should be getting to our cabins. Wouldn’t look good to be late for work tomorrow.

Come on, Mary, Jill said. Well show you the way back to your cabin, i. It’s right next to ours. That way you won’t get turned around again. The girls giggled as they dragged Mary off to their cabins.

The rooms were tiny, with three girls to a cabin. Mary had been given the top bunk and climbed up on it. She had been shown her cook’s uniform hanging in the minuscule closet and two changes of clothes. She didn’t know how the clothes had gotten there but figured that something in the time travel universe was working for her.

There was a packet of papers on the bunk and Mary found the little reading light so she could understand what was expected of her in her new job. She read until midnight then turned out the light. She had to be at work in the kitchen for the cabin-class restaurant on C deck at six in the morning. Mary had done her research and knew that the designation cabin-class was the term Cunard White Star Line used for first class. With a sigh and a happy smile on her face, Mary fell asleep to the swaying of the ship secure in the knowledge that she had found the right place and time for her adventure. After all, the paperwork had said, RMS Queen Mary, December 21, 1956.

The restaurant bustled with activity that morning. Behind the scenes it looked like a frantic version of the Keystone Cops. Mary loved the hectic pace and threw herself into the fray.

After a few hours she felt more comfortable with the routine. No one suspected how she’d boarded the ship. They assumed she’d come on like the rest of them through the employee’s entrance at the dock. She still wondered how the two extra sets of clothes made it onboard, but since the dresses fit and neither of her two roommates claimed them, Mary planned to wear them on her time off. Her starched white cook’s coat was worn over white pants. She had a matching scarf and even wore a tall hat, silly as it looked on her.

Mary had been told that schedules were posted on the back of the employee entrance door each night for the next day’s assignments. When her shift ended, she’d see what she’d been assigned for tomorrow. This morning she helped prepare Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, thick oatmeal, fried potatoes, bérnaise sauce and many other breakfast dishes.

Order up for table twenty-five, a cook yelled. A bell rang and waiters and waitresses rushed around filling orange juice glasses, silver pots of coffee and tea for refills, making toast and other assorted breakfast accompaniments. Mary ducked as a harried waitress yelled coming through, and carried a large round tray laden with dishes out to the dining room.

She worked with the other cooks preparing the food. With a quick dip of a spoon, Mary tasted the light fiery chili sauce she was about to pour over the skewers of cantaloupe and honeydew balls mixed with pears, peaches, and apples. Perfect. It had just the right amount of sugar, lime, and red chilies to make the flavor of the fruit stand out and scream, Delicious. She put the skewers on the grill and turned to prepare more. It amazed her how much preparation was needed to keep a fine restaurant humming.

Lost in the menial tasks building the skewers, Mary thought back to her abrupt departure from her time. She wondered how her manager, Robin, was getting along and smiled. She could just hear her mumbling about Mary’s broken promise to call her the next day. Wait until she told her something more immediate had come up. Mary laughed at the silly thought. She would never explain that she’d time traveled to 1956. No one but her family would believe her. Yet here she stood, working behind the scenes in the large cabin-class restaurant on the famed Queen Mary.

The restaurant was so large it could seat eight hundred people at one sitting. Mary shook her head. She wouldn’t be serving eight hundred people at one time when she opened her next restaurant, but knew she could learn a lot about organization from the head chef. Mary hoped to absorb everything she could about preparing the finest foods. She wanted to learn about different cuts of meat, how to choose fresh fruits and vegetables and how to properly store the produce to preserve freshness.

She liked working breakfast, but