by S. E. Smith
The stars were brilliant tonight, but Allie’s heart wasn’t seeing the beauty of the land before her. No, it was filled with the weight of where she was heading. The stars had gone out almost a year and a half ago for her. Unlocking her truck, she slid into the driver’s seat and pulled the door shut.
For a moment, she laid her head against the steering wheel and closed her eyes. Frustration ate at her. Thoughts of Jacob were not wanting to stay in the damn box. She didn’t know why her reaction to him was being so difficult to restrain.
“It’s not like I haven’t met other men who I’ve found somewhat attractive,” she muttered in a strained voice. “I could dismiss them without a second thought.”
She gently touched the fingers of her left hand against the palm of her right. She remembered the warmth and strength of his fingers around hers. It had felt good to hold Jacob’s hand. With a muttered curse, she savagely pushed the memory away again.
Allie opened her burning eyes and sat back. Pushing the key into the ignition, she waited until the light on the dash went out before she started it. The low, steady rumble of the diesel engine did little to soothe the pain and confusion coursing through her. Pushing her hair back behind her ear again, she put the truck in drive.
“Just remember, Allie,” she whispered as she pulled away from the house and headed down the long drive to the main highway. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall. No matter how rough and tough they are.”
Chapter 6
Jacob leaned back against the headboard of the bedroom that Allie had shown him to; an intense scowl darkened his face as he pressed a button and a new image came on the box on the wall. Something was bothering her. He could feel it.
He remembered her face flushing when he turned to stare at her. It was almost as if she felt guilty about being in such a hurry. Jacob looked up from the box on the wall as Jonathan walked out of the bathroom that separated the two rooms. An amused grin curved his lips at his brother’s face. It was flushed and his hair was dripping.
“I guess you enjoyed the shower,” Jacob observed with a raised eyebrow. “You spent close to an hour in there.”
Jonathan chuckled as he threw his damp towel down onto the end of Jacob’s bed. “Enjoyed isn’t quite the word I would use,” he replied. “We are building one of these rooms onto the house when we get back. I don’t know how, but we are going to have one.”
Jacob’s smile faded. “This world is too strange. People on the wall, lights without fire, water out of the walls. Why would Indy or anyone else for that matter want to give it up to live back in the past?” He asked, glaring at the images on the screen. “Hell, the women don’t even have to wear clothes if they don’t want to.”
Jonathan turned away from the screen to look at Jacob with a frown. “Would you want to live here?” He asked. “The only thing I’ve found that I think I would miss is the bathroom.”
Jacob pressed the red button on the remote and tossed it on the small table next to him. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he ran his hands through his hair in aggravation. Would he want to live here? Hell, no. But, Allie… what if she wouldn’t want to live anywhere else?
There was a lot to this time period that hadn’t even been dreamed of back in 1867! Hell, they even had words that he didn’t know. Would Allie think he was stupid? Would she think he was just some dumbass cowboy who could barely read and write because he didn’t know what a damn dot com was or how to operate a washer and dryer?
He finally glanced up at Jonathan when he realized that his brother was still waiting for his answer. With a tired sigh, he rose from the bed. He would get a shower and get some rest. At least he knew how to operate one of those. He and Jonathan had spent a good ten minutes in the bathroom exploring it after Aleaha left.
Glancing at Jonathan, he gave him a tired smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I would live here if I had to,” he finally admitted in a low, unhappy voice.
Jonathan folded his arms and leaned back against the door jam. “What's wrong?” He asked, staring intently at Jacob. “You normally would be enjoying an adventure like this, but something is off. I know it isn't just about Indy or all the unusual things we've seen.”
“It’s Allie,” Jacob finally admitted. “I want to get to know her better.”
“Allie?” Jonathan repeated in disbelief.
Jacob stood up in aggravation and went to stand at the window as Jonathan bit out passionately all the reasons they needed to find Indy and get the hell back home. He gripped the edge of the windowsill and bowed his head. Jonathan wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know. Jacob stared out the window at the buildings wondering where Allie had gone to this late at night.
If he wasn’t afraid of seeming stupid in front of her, he would have loved to ask her what the hell everything was and how it worked. Instead, he had to keep his mouth shut and try not to act like he wasn’t scared shitless.
Jonathan was right, he did like an adventure. He just liked having them when he knew the boundaries. Here, here there were too many unknown factors that he wasn’t equipped to deal with. Hell, after watching the women on the colorful picture box for the past hour, he couldn’t understand why any woman would need a man.
“Let's concentrate on getting your wife back. Did you understand what Sam was talking about when he said Allie would 'fly' us to where Indy was? You don't think they can actually fly in this time, do you?” He asked.
*.*.*
Allie turned her blinker on and waited for the intersection to clear before making the left hand turn. She could probably have driven the route in her sleep if she had to. Flipping the lever for the blinker again, she made a right-hand turn into the parking lot.
“At least I won’t have any problems finding a parking space,” she muttered in a tired voice.
Pulling into one right outside the entrance, she turned off the engine and stared up at the sign. Riverdale Convalesce and Rehabilitation Center. Opening the door, she slid out. A shiver ran through her as the cool night air surrounded her. It was always cold inside the building.
Slipping her jacket on, she reached up and pulled her hair out from under the collar when it tugged uncomfortably on it. Once her hair was free, she reached under the seat and pulled out the tattered book she would be reading before shutting the door with her elbow. She pressed the button on the remote to lock the truck as she turned to walk toward the building. The brief thought that her hair was getting longer and she needed to get it cut swept absently through her mind as she stepped through the automatic doors.
“Hey Allie, how are you doing tonight?” Glenda, the receptionist, called out “You’re running a bit late, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I got tied up,” Allie replied, as she walked up to the desk to sign in. “How are you doing? Are you and Jorge still going out?”
Allie listened, nodding and murmuring at the appropriate times as she pulled the guest book out of the tray. She muttered a quick ‘thanks’ as she picked up the pen that Glenda held out. Quickly signing her name and the date, she returned the folder to the sign in tray.
“Have a good read tonight,” Glenda said in a cheerful voice.
“Always,” Allie retorted with a dry laugh.
She waited as Glenda buzzed her in. None of the nurses said anything about the fact that she was there after visiting hours. They understood and appreciated that it wasn’t always easy to come during the posted visiting times. As long as whoever came didn’t disturb the other residents who might be sleeping, they usually looked the other way.
Allie didn’t have to worry about bothering anyone. She nodded to the nurse at the station before turning right. Counting the rooms helped soothe the ache that always built inside her before she entered. Pausing outside the third door on the left, she drew in a deep breath before pushing the door open and entering.
A table lamp in the corner cast a soft glow on the single occupant in the room. Allie’s face softened as she stared a
t the disheveled blonde hair and relaxed face of the man lying peacefully in it. Quietly closing the door behind her, she sighed. She did it more out of respect for the other residents who were sleeping. The man lying in the bed wouldn’t have known or cared if she had slammed it.
“Hey,” Allie murmured in a low voice. “I bet you thought I wasn’t going to make it tonight.”
She walked over to the bed and leaned over to brush a tender kiss across his forehead. Setting the book she had brought down on the table next to the bed, she opened the drawer and pulled out a comb. She carefully lowered the railing and sat on the edge of the bed so she could comb his tangled hair.
“The nurses washed your hair today,” she murmured in a thick voice. “They forgot to comb it out. You look like you’ve just taken your hat off.”
Allie fought back the tears that always threatened to escape the first few minutes she came in. It didn’t matter how often she came, seeing Chris like this always tore her up. She gently ran her hand over his cheek and brushed another kiss against his forehead before she stood back up.
Replacing the comb in the drawer and returning the railing to the up position, she pulled the chair closer to the light so she could see and sat down. Her right hand reached for the book even as her left hand carefully lifted the chain around her neck out so that it hung on the outside of her shirt.
She fingered the small, diamond ring attached to the end before drawing in a deep breath and letting it go. Opening the book, she stared at it for several long seconds before she began to talk again. A wry grin crossed her face as she glanced up.
“I have a new story tonight,” she said. “The Secret Garden. I know it is more of a kid’s book, but it is a classic. I thought it would be nice to have a change.”
It was also easier to read because I know it by heart, she thought as she began.
One part of her read automatically while the other thought of the man lying in the bed. He had been her world for the past two and a half years. They’d had one beautiful year together before it was taken away. A year where she thought everything in the world was going right. Then, in one brief, tragic moment, it was gone. The huge, strong man that could conquer the world was nothing more than a shell now.
She had met Chris Andrews during one of the rodeos her brother, Taylor, rode in. She had immediately been captivated by Chris’s quiet demeanor, good looks, and his sense of humor. The first night they met, they had talked until the early morning hours about anything and everything.
Two months later, what had started out as a friendship had turned to something deeper. They talked several times a day when Chris was on the road and she was busy with the ranch. When he couldn’t come to her, she would fly the small plane her family owned to meet him.
By the third month, they were lovers. Allie knew she loved Chris. He made her laugh, teased her when she lost her temper about something that was going on at the ranch, but most of all he shared her dream of building the ranch.
Allie’s voice faltered as she remembered the one big argument they’d had. It was one that would be repeated over and over until his accident. Closing the book, she stared at his still, thin face.
“I didn’t care that you didn’t have a lot of money,” she said in a quiet voice. “I loved you for you. My family would have accepted you, you know. You shouldn’t have…” She stopped when the tears stuck in her throat. “I miss you so much! I know I can’t change what happened, but I want you to know that I loved you for who you were.”
She bowed her head and closed her eyes. Chris had been a rising star on the rodeo network. He wanted to be able to support her in a way that his dad had never been able to support him and his mom. He felt if he had a few championships under his belt, he could get a sponsorship that would allow them to buy their own ranch. He had asked her to marry him after he won his first one
Her fists clenched the book in her hands as she remembered watching him come out of the chute. She’d known immediately that something was wrong as he fought to stay on the horse he was riding during the Saddled Bronco riding event. In thirty seconds, their lives had changed forever.
The buckle on the saddle had broken. Chris had been kicked in the head as he fell. The blow had caused severe head trauma. The bleeding afterwards had caused brain damage. He would never wake… never speak again.
What scared Allie the most was seeing him slowly deteriorate. In the last month, she could tell that his body was finally beginning to shut down. The nurse had told her that he had probably survived as long as he had because of him being so physically fit. Allie thought it was because he knew she wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“I’ll never really be ready,” Allie whispered as she looked at him. “But, it isn’t fair to want you to stay like this either. You would have hated it, if you knew what was going on. You were always so strong and fierce.”
Guilt washed through Allie as the picture of another strong man flashed through her mind, Jacob Tucker. Clutching the book between her hands, she tried to push both the guilt and Jacob back into the damn box. An exasperated smile pulled at her lips as she looked up at Chris.
“I know what you would tell me,” she whispered. “You’d tell me to pull my big girl panties up and get on with living my life. That it was too short to spend it on things I can’t change. You always knew how to make me stop and think.”
For the first time in a long time, Allie felt the tension lift from her shoulders. He was right. He would hate that she had closed herself off to everything. Her family had been understanding and supportive. Still, she was aware that they were worried about her withdrawal from everything, but work and visiting Chris.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” Allie said in a stronger voice, looking at Chris. “But, on my terms. You still have to suffer through my favorite books. I’m not letting you off just because I’m finally admitting you were right. And, no, you did NOT hear me admit that.”
Allie looked back down at the book. Opening it to where she had paused, she began reading again. The time slipped by as she became engrossed in the tale of Mary Lennox and her extraordinary journey of self-discovery. By the time she stopped, it was well after midnight.
Rising stiffly out of the chair, she stretched before setting the book on the nightstand. Bending over the bed, she brushed a kiss across Chris’s forehead before laying her palm against his cheek.
“Thank you,” Allie whispered in a soft voice. “Thank you for coming into my life and teaching me how beautiful love can be. I’ll be okay, now. You can rest peacefully knowing I’m going to make it.”
Allie slowly straightened and turned. Walking to the door, she paused and glanced over her shoulder. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw a smile on Chris’s lips. Shaking her head, she opened the door and stepped out into the quiet corridor.
“Have a great night, Allie,” Glenda murmured as she walked through the double doors.
“You too, Glenda,” Allie replied.
Allie stepped out into the cool, clear night. She walked over to her truck, pressing the unlock button on the remote. Pausing with her hand on the door latch, she glanced up at the sky. Brilliant stars glittered with an intensity that took her breath away.
For a moment they blurred as tears of relief and sadness clouded her vision. They were back. Life did move on, no matter how hard she tried to make it stop, it kept going. Chris was right. Life was too short to stop living it.
Chapter 7
Jacob lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was very late and Allie still hadn’t returned. Throwing the covers back with a curse, he sat up and ran his hands through his hair.
His eyes flickered to the bright glow of the numbers on the clock by the bed. It was almost one in the morning, if it was correct. Rising, he walked over to the window. The faint flicker of lights coming up the driveway caught his attention.
“About damn time,” Jacob muttered as he watched Allie’s silver truck pull slowly up to the side and the lights tur
ned off.
Turning on his heel, he grabbed his pants and quickly slid them on. He didn’t bother with fastening them as he pulled open the door to his room. He didn’t know what he was going to say, but he needed to know that Allie was alright.
He stepped silently down the stairs, reaching the bottom step as the front door opened. He paused as Allie quietly stepped inside and closed and locked the door behind her. Relief poured through him as she turned to shrug out of her jacket. A low muttered curse drew him forward to help her when her hand became stuck in the sleeve.
“What the...?!” She hissed as she jumped, startled at the feel of another hand.
“Here, let me,” Jacob murmured.
“What are you doing up?” She demanded in a low voice. “It’s late.”
Jacob carefully tugged on the end of her sleeve, pulling it free and holding the back of the jacket as she slipped her other arm out. He wasn’t sure how to answer her question, so he focused on hanging her coat on the coat stand next to the door.
“Well, are you going to answer me?” Allie asked.
“Where were you? Like you said, it's late. Where did you go?” He asked instead, turning to look at her.
His narrow gaze swept over the soft curve of her cheeks before lowering to her lips. He didn’t know what it was about her. All he wanted to do was kiss her, hold her, and see if she fit against him as perfectly as he suspected.
“I went to visit a friend,” Allie responded in a quiet, sad voice.
Jacob reached out and cupped her cheek when he saw her eyes darken with sorrow. He could hear the pain and resignation in her voice as she spoke. His hand slid along her cheek and threaded through her hair. He applied a slight pressure so he could draw her closer.