by S. E. Smith
Even the interior of the house was foreign to him. Aleaha had escorted them into a small room off the foyer earlier and explained that she would get her father. That room hadn’t looked too unusual at first. Small, delicately crocheted doilies sat under several lamps that did not have oil or wick to them. There were two armchairs sitting in front of the window, a floral printed couch sat before the fireplace, and dozens of family portraits big and small covered the walls.
The large picture over the fireplace was unbelievably detailed. Neither he nor Jonathan had ever seen an artist capable of capturing a person on canvas the way the artist, Olin Mills, did. The other paintings were just as detailed. Jacob had paled when he saw a round globe on a stand in the far corner of the room.
The world has changed a lot, Jacob thought as he remembered some the cities and the names of different states and territories.
If that wasn’t enough, the globe had raised indentions showing the line of mountains, both on land and below it. How anyone could know for certain what lay below the oceans, Jacob had no idea.
“This is incredible, Jonathan. The number of cities and the detail on it is unbelievable. How can they make something like this? How can they know?” Jacob muttered under his breath before glancing up at the doorway.
His eyes narrowed on Sam Whitewater as the man stood in the entrance to the small receiving room. Jacob hadn’t known what to expect, but the stately Lakota Indian had not been it. He didn’t know why, it may have been that he had never seen an Indian brave from the future before.
Neither he nor Jonathan questioned the man when he ordered them to follow and turned away. They had come looking for help. Jacob had no doubt in his mind, that Aleaha was correct when she said her father could give it to them.
*.*.*
Later that evening, Jacob sipped on the ice cold drink in his hand before he set it back on the table. He absently followed one of the water drops as it beaded and began to slide down the outside of the glass. His eyes followed the floating cubes of ice in the light brown liquid.
Ice tea, he thought, touching another droplet. Even their drinks are different.
They were finishing up the evening meal and were just sitting around talking. His eyes flickered to where Allie sat in brooding silence. She kept glancing at the clock on the wall behind him, as if she was just waiting for the right time to be able to make her escape. She had come in almost ten minutes late with a swift apology on her lips. She brushed a kiss on her mother’s cheek, before grinning and announcing the two mares had their foals without incident.
He watched as color stained Allie’s cheeks when her mom smiled down the table at her. He could tell she had missed much of the conversation as Sam and Claire told him and Jonathan more about Indy. A frown creased his brow when he saw the sad look in her eyes that she hid, when she looked up at her mother.
“Indy came home at every opportunity. She hated being away. She was born to ranch-life, unlike her brothers who couldn’t wait to leave. Much like our Allie,” Claire said softly.
“Ah mom, they don’t care if I prefer horses and cows to living the high life in some concrete jungle,” Allie snorted as she glanced at Jacob. “Does anyone want something to drink?”
“Would you mind making a pot of coffee, Allie?” Sam asked.
“Sure, Papa,” Allie murmured with an affectionate grin.
“I’ll help you,” Aleaha added, rising out of her chair to follow Allie into the kitchen.
Jacob’s eyes followed Allie’s slender figure as she walked out of the room. He grimaced when Jonathan shot him a questioning look. Shaking his head, he focused back on what Sam was saying.
“Neither one of the girls knows about Spirit Pass. I never took them or our boys up there. I knew what could happen and how dangerous your world is, especially for a half-breed,” Sam explained in a low voice.
“Sam,” Claire protested softly before she looked at him and Jonathan. “We both decided our children did not need to experience the trial of going through the Pass to prove their worth. Many have agreed that it may be too dangerous and the elders have decided to no longer allow it after the last ceremony this past spring.”
He didn’t know why he was surprised to find that Indy and their journey through Spirit Pass were not the only ones to occur. He listened as Sam and Claire Whitewater shared what happened to them when Sam traveled.
“I was twenty-one when I came home from college,” Sam explained in a quiet voice. He glanced at the kitchen where they could hear Allie and Aleaha moving around. “The tribal council was still adamant about the young warriors completing a spiritual journey. Only a handful of warriors actually complete it. My father decided as one of the tribal leaders it was important that he support their decision. I was chosen to journey through Spirit Pass.”
“I’m glad he did,” Claire admitted, squeezing Sam’s hand before she looked at him and Jonathan. “If he hadn’t, my younger brother, William, and I would never have survived.”
“I was young, arrogant, and full of myself,” Sam chuckled. “I was also not prepared for the journey that I suddenly found myself on. After three miserable days in the mountains, I stumbled across a beautiful young white woman named Claire, and her younger brother William,” he said, raising Claire’s hand to his lips where he pressed a kiss to it. “She and William’s parents had died after becoming ill. The wagon train they were traveling with had left her and William behind as fear that the illness that had killed her parents would spread.”
“They had a right to be afraid. Shortly after we were left behind, William became ill as well.” Claire added with a sad smile. “I couldn’t care for William and keep up. I would have lost him if not for Sam’s arrival.”
“I was shocked to find myself in the past,” Sam admitted. “It was not a safe place to be, especially for an Indian from the future who couldn’t truly appreciate the hardships. I should have warned Indiana. I didn’t think about her finding Spirit Pass. If I had, I would have told her to stay far away from it.”
“Yes,” Claire whispered, squeezing Sam’s hand tightly. “But, if anyone can survive back in the past, it would be Indiana or…” Her voice faded and she looked down at her and Sam’s tangled fingers.
Jacob listened as Sam told him about Indy’s grandfather and his fears of what Hayden might do. A reluctant smile curved his lips when Allie returned with a tray of coffee, cups, and saucers.
He watched as her eyes flashed in defiance and her hair swirled as she moved. Each movement was like a cleverly orchestrated assault against his senses. There was something about her that attracted him to her. She was the same height as Indy, but she definitely had more curves. Still, it was more than a physical attraction.
He liked the fire in her eyes. He couldn’t help but wonder if she would be as passionate in his bed as she was about everything else. He imagined that she would be and the need to see was beginning to create a constant, steady ache inside him that was growing more persistent in just the few hours since they had met.
Jacob reached out and wrapped his arm around Allie as she suddenly sank into the chair next to him in shock. His eyes narrowed in concern when he saw her hand tremble as she pushed her shoulder length hair behind her ear. Reaching under the table when her hand fell back to her lap, he threaded his fingers through hers in comfort.
“How could he do that to her? He’s never had a thing to do with her when she was growing up,” Allie argued in a hot, throaty voice filled with horror when her father mentioned that Hayden wouldn’t be above drugging Indy to use her. “You have to help her, Papa!”
“I will, Allie. Or should I say, you will,” Sam said in a grim, determined voice. “Allie will fly you both to Los Angeles.”
*.*.*
Allie listened in grim silence, nodding her head as her father explained what to expect. Her eyes wandered to the clock again. She needed to leave. She was already late and if she was going to be gone, she had to go tonight. Forcing her mind back
on what her father was saying, it took a moment for her to realize that something very warm and strong was holding her hand.
She glanced down at her lap, stunned to see her fingers wrapped protectively inside Jacob’s. Her mind rebelled, but her body didn’t appear to be listening to the alarms going off in her brain. Drawing in a deep breath, she finally pulled her hand out of his and laid it on the table.
A shiver ran through her when Jacob carefully draped his arm over the back of her chair. A sense of panic began to choke her as the overwhelming urge to lean into him suddenly swept through her. She sat stiffly as her mom rose from her seat at the same time as her dad did. Allie looked up at her mom when she paused.
“This world is very different from yours, but in many ways things have not changed,” Claire stated in a quiet, sad voice. “Men are still greedy and the world is still a dangerous place. If… No, when you find Indy just love her with all your heart. I know she would be happier in your world than here.” Claire smiled in reassurance before she turned and left the room.
“What did she mean by ‘your’ world?” Aleaha asked in a puzzled voice as she stood up as well.
Allie rose and turned as Jonathan snapped his fingers for Chester and Tweed. The two dogs, who had been lying in the living room, scrambled to their feet. The loud sounds of their claws against the wood floor did little to muffle Jacob’s reply.
Allie turned and stared at Jacob for a moment in confusion. She rubbed her hand against the soft cotton of her jeans as she imagined him still holding it. She had to get out. She had to leave. Her eyes flew to the clock on the wall. She would still have time if she hurried.
“Let’s show them to their rooms,” Allie said, turning toward the opening leading to the stairs. “I still have a lot to do tonight.”
*.*.*
Jacob followed Allie as she walked down a long hallway. He tried to keep his eyes from roaming her lush figure, but damn if his eyes would listen to him. A slight grin pulled at his lips as he thought back a few minutes ago when he had held her hand.
When he saw Allie’s face pale and her hand tremble, it had drawn a protectiveness from him that had surprised him. The fierce need to comfort her pulled at his consciousness, and he had reacted instinctively when he reached for her. The feel of her warm hand in his, had shocked him.
Jacob felt his body respond to the thought of what it would be like to have her touch him elsewhere. His body definitely liked the idea. Just the thought of her caressing him had blossomed in his mind until he felt like a young boy touching a girl for the first time. His cock swelled to the point it was uncomfortable in his pants and he had to refrain from shifting in his seat.
He jerked back to the present when Allie touched the wall and a bright light lit up the interior of a bedroom. He was still a little nervous about how a room could be lit up as bright as day with just the touch of a switch. When the house had started to darken as the sun sank on the horizon, he wondered how they would be able to light the lamps he had seen earlier. After all, there was no wick or oil in them.
Just before dinner, he had watched as Claire walked around and touched them without a match and they came on. He had been both fascinated and confused. Unable to contain his curiosity, he had reached down inside one of the shades. Sure enough, there was heat, but no flames.
“It’s called electricity,” Claire had murmured when she turned and caught him. “It scared William and me the first time we saw it. It really is a marvelous thing.”
“How does it work?” Jacob asked as he pulled his hand back.
“I really don’t know,” Claire had admitted. “I just know that the wires outside bring it into the house and buildings. There are many things here that I’ve just come to accept without question. William, now he’s different. He was curious about everything and wanted to know how it worked.”
Jacob breathed in a sigh as he focused back on Allie, who was now standing in the middle of the room looking back at him. His gaze swept over the bedroom, pausing on the massive bed centered against the far wall. The interior of the bedroom was done in soft whites, yellows, and blues. He would have thought the colors would have been too feminine, but the combination, along with the dark cherry wood furniture, provided a neutral environment that could go either way.
His eyes swept over the bed again before they moved to Allie. Her face flared with color and her eyes flashed in warning before she turned and walked to the small table next to the bed and picked up a long, black rectangular box. With a flick of her wrist, a larger, flat box on the wall lit up with bright colors and loud noises.
A startled curse escaped him and he twirled. His fingers immediately going for the gun he normally had strapped to his hip. He muttered another expletive under his breath when he remembered that it was hanging under his long coat in Sam’s office.
“Are you okay?” Allie asked with a raised eyebrow. “If it is too loud, you just press this button.”
Jacob swallowed as he straightened. His eyes flickered from the box in Allie’s hand to the bright colored images again. The unease inside him flared stronger than before. Every time he started to feel like being in the future wasn’t so bad, something new happened.
“I’m fine,” he muttered.
“The bathroom is through the door,” Allie said in a slow, I-know-you-are-lying-to-me, voice. “There are fresh towels in the linen closet. If you need more tissue, it is on the bottom shelf. There is soap, shampoo and conditioner, extra toothbrushes and toothpaste, and some disposable razors in the plastic containers on the shelf above the tissue.
“These rooms share the bathroom,” she added as she stepped into another room and turned on the light. “There is a separate tub and shower and, of course, the toilet. If you need anything, just ask.”
“Thanks,” Jacob muttered, gazing around the tiled room.
He bit his tongue in an effort not to ask a million and one questions. He really would love to have a demonstration of most of it. His head turned when Aleaha and Jonathan stepped into the ‘bathroom’. Either his brother wasn’t having the same issues as he was, or Aleaha was just more thorough in her explanations because she actually turned the water on and off in the sink.
Interest burned inside of him as to how she was able to get water without having to pump the lever. He moved to the side when she stepped into the room and walked over to the tub. She was showing Jonathan how to ‘work’ the controls for the jets before she did the same thing in the shower.
“My brothers loved having the body jet shower heads with the thermostatic controls, so mom and dad had all the bathrooms redone,” Aleaha was explaining. “The house is equipped with hot water on demand, so you don’t have to worry about taking a cold shower.”
“Yeah, Papa had that done after Taylor kept leaving cold showers for the rest of us,” Allie snorted. “Taylor is definitely the baby of the family.”
“Well, I need to head out for a while. I’ll be back in a few hours. If you have any questions about where things are or need any additional toiletries, Aleaha, mom, or Papa can help you,” Allie murmured in a low voice, casting a wary glance at Jacob as she said it.
“Allie,” Aleaha started to protest before her voice faded when Allie shot her an intense look. “Just make sure you drive safe,” she said with a shake of her head.
“I will,” Allie promised, turning back into the room with the double sinks in them. “I’ll clean up the kitchen when I get home. Oh, and remind me to tell dad about Boseman in the morning.”
Aleaha chuckled as she, Jonathan, and Jacob followed Allie back into Jacob’s room. “I will, and don’t worry about the kitchen. You do far more work around here than I do. Just… be careful.”
Jacob frowned as Allie quickly walked out of the room. His eyes flickered to the darkness outside. Where was she going now? It was too dark to see outside. Not only that, it wasn’t safe for a woman to be out on her own… Well, at least it wasn’t back home.
He started to turn his
attention back to Aleaha as she began to explain something about washing and drying their clothes, but the sound of the front door opening and closing distracted him. A moment later, bright lights caught his attention as they flashed in the window. He walked over to the bedroom window and looked down at the front driveway. He watched in amazement as Allie’s truck slowly passed below.
The unease he’d been feeling started to grow inside him again. Metal machines that went without horses or oxen, telegraphs without wires that let voices through, gates that opened and closed by themselves, paintings so real it looked like the people could walk off of them, and now lights that turned night into day. These were just a few of the things that had shaken him today.
Jacob shook himself back to the present. He knew they needed to return home as soon as possible. The longer they stayed here, the more chances of something going wrong could occur. He didn’t want to admit that his biggest fear was that they would become trapped in this time period.
Jacob knew he would do whatever he could to help his brother find Indy. Only when he, Jonathan and Indy returned to Spirit Pass and their way back home, he would not be going alone. Images of Allie Whitewater’s flashing eyes and passionate nature pulled a determined smile to his lips.
No, when we go back, she is going with us, Jacob thought as he followed Aleaha and Jonathan back into his bedroom. He could understand now his brother’s intense determination when it had come to Indy after he realized she was a woman. There was just something special about Indy and Allie that made a man realize that if he wasn’t careful, he could lose something very, very special. I plan to marry that woman, even if I have to hog tie her.
*.*.*
Allie nodded and glanced at Jacob one last time before she turned on her heel and walked out of the bedroom. She hurried down the stairs, stopping only long enough to grab her jacket off the hook next to the front door. She flung it over her arm before pulling the keys to her truck out of her back pocket.
This was one of those times when she was thankful that she didn’t carry a purse. It just got in the way. Opening the front door, she quietly stepped outside onto the porch and closed the door behind her. Already, she had pushed the thought of the man upstairs back into the little box that she kept in her mind in case she needed it. That box is where she hid all the things she didn’t want to feel or think about.