A Window in Time

by Carolyn Lampman

  She looked down at her hands. “I-I guess so.”

  “If there was a piece of you that belonged to someone else, I’m sure you’d have known immediately,” Tom said comfortingly. “Scott, do you have any idea where Brianna Daniels is?”

  “Only that she’s somewhere in 1860. Even if I knew where they were when they switched, she would have moved by now.”

  “So, we have no way of locating her?”

  “I know where she is,” Anna said suddenly. “She’s at Split Rock Station. There’s no place else for her to go.”

  Tom nodded. “That’s true. In 1860 this was all wilderness. She’d probably stick around pretty close hoping to find a way back.”

  “If I could get some of her DNA, I could program the computer to find her,” Scott said thoughtfully. “In fact, it might help focus the time warp.”

  “Brianna’s windbreaker is in the gondola. Could you get enough off of that?”

  “We probably could if we took it to the state crime lab in Cheyenne. They’ve got all kinds of specialized equipment.”

  Tom sighed. “If we could get anybody to believe us, which I doubt, the whole investigation would be so tied up in red tape we’d die of old age before anything happened.”

  “Yeah, I guess we’re on our own.”

  “Have you decided what you’re going to do about your parents?”

  “No sweat. The whole family is supposed to leave in the morning for a week-long pack trip in the mountains.” Scott flashed them a grin as he opened the door and jumped out of the pickup. “After I get done with the ranch records, my dad will not only leave me home, he’ll probably ground me for six months. Hey, there’s a scorch mark on the side of your basket. I must have dipped into the infrared spectrum when I created the time warp.”

  Anna gave Tom a bewildered look as Scott slammed the door and went to inspect the gondola. “Do you know what he’s talking about?”

  “Not always,” Tom said ruefully as he opened his door. “But I suspect he’s used to that. I don’t imagine many people are smart enough to understand him.”

  “Do you think he can really get me back where I belong?”

  Tom stepped out of the pickup and reached in to help her. “I don’t know, but he’s the only chance we’ve got.”

  Half an hour later, the balloon was nearly ready to load, and Scott and Tom had solidified their plans. The discovery of keys in Brianna’s windbreaker gave Tom the idea of going to her home to look for something that would give Scott the DNA he needed. Anna stood silently staring at the picture on Brianna’s driver’s license.

  “Something wrong?” Tom asked.

  “Not really. It’s just that she looks so much like me.” Anna looked up at Tom. “Scott’s right. Brianna could be my twin.”

  “She’s taller and has a touch of red in her hair.”

  Scott leaned on the gondola. “Probably got better nutrition when she was growing up. On the whole, people are bigger now.”

  “There’s my brother,” Tom said as he spotted the yellow pickup coming down the road. “Looks like they brought two vehicles so the chase crew wouldn’t have to ride in the back.”

  Anna watched the approaching cloud of dust uncertainly. “What are you going to tell your brother?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’m not sure he’ll understand. Chuck doesn’t have much imagination.”

  “Oh.” Anna wasn’t quite sure what that had to do with it, but then she was confused about everything else too.

  Though Chuck Shaffer was short and stocky where his younger brother was tall and slender, he had the same curly red hair and easy smile. Anna liked him on sight.

  The feeling seemed to be mutual, for he tried to include her in the conversation as the chase crew loaded the balloon. It was nearly impossible with Scott’s incessant questions and Tom’s technical answers. At last, Chuck gave her an apologetic wink and admitted she was seeing first-hand why his wife refused to come with them.

  At last the balloon was loaded, and the members of the chase crew split between the two pickups. As Chuck started the yellow pickup, Scott waved cheerfully.

  “Good-bye. See you tomorrow, Tom. Remember, don’t come until after one-thirty or so.”

  “I will. And I’ll find the information you need by then.”

  “Tomorrow?” Chuck draped his wrist over the steering wheel and looked at his brother in surprise. “Tom, we’re scheduled to be in Spearfish by eight-thirty tonight.”

  “I’m not going to South Dakota with you.”

  “What? You’re supposed to fly tomorrow.”

  “Pat can do it.”

  Chuck stared at him. “I don’t get it. You moved mountains so we could spend this summer hitting all the balloon rallies, and suddenly Pat can do it?”

  “Something’s come up.”

  “Something’s come... Christ, Tom, ever since you were a kid all you’ve talked about was flying balloons. While the rest of us were chasing girls and playing computer games, you had your nose stuck in Lucas Daniel’s diary.” Suddenly his eyes widened, and his gaze dropped to the woman between them. “Brianna Daniels. That’s it isn’t it?” He shook his head as he threw the pickup into gear and headed down the road. “I suppose she’s related to him.”

  “His great-great granddaughter.”

  “It figures.”

  Tom squeezed Anna’s hand. “I can’t explain, Chuck, at least not yet.”

  “No, I don’t suppose you can,” Chuck muttered sarcastically. “I’ve never known you to think with your gonads before.”

  “That was uncalled for.” There was a thread of steel in Tom’s quiet voice.

  Chuck glanced at Anna. “Yeah, I guess it was. I’m sorry, Brianna. It has nothing to do with you.”

  The tension between the two brothers eased somewhat during the long drive back to Riverton, but it was obvious Chuck didn’t approve when he dropped them off at the college parking lot. “We’ll be back in one week,” Chuck said as Tom pulled his duffle bag from the back of the pickup. “You damn well better have this resolved by then.”

  “I’m sorry your brother’s mad,” Anna whispered as Chuck drove away.

  “He’ll get over it. Anyway, my brother is the least of our worries right now. Let’s hope that’s Brianna’s car over there.”

  “How will you know?” Anna asked as they approached the only vehicle in the parking lot.

  “I’ll be able to unlock the door…” He pushed the button on Brianna’s fob and the lock clicked open. “Just like that. Now to find her house.”

  Anna said nothing as they climbed into the car and Tom reached over and fastened her seatbelt. It wasn’t until he finished studying the city map he’d pulled from his duffle bag that she spoke.

  “How do you know about Lucas?”

  “I read his journal when I was a kid.” Tom smiled as he reached down and started the engine. “He was one of my heroes.”

  It took less than fifteen minutes to locate Brianna’s house from the address listed on her driver’s license. “This is it,” he said as they pulled up in front of a long, low building on the edge of town.

  “This is her house?” Anna asked skeptically. Even the beds of flowers that bloomed in profusion and the short thick grass were completely unfamiliar.

  “I think so. Good thing she lives alone. We’d have a tough time explaining any of this to a roommate.”

  Brianna’s home was as foreign as everything else in this crazy world. Even Tom’s words made no sense. Suddenly it was all too much. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

  “Hey,” Tom said softly as he reached over and ran a finger gently down her cheek. “It’ll be all right.”

  She turned tearful eyes to him. “Are you sure of that?”

  “Positive. Look, you’re hungry, tired, and completely disoriented. What you need is a nice hot bath, followed by a good meal, and a long nap.” He smiled. “Trust me.”

  It was impossible not to respond to that warm, fri
endly smile. “All right. I’m sorry to be such a coward.”

  “In your position, I’d be scared out of my wits.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “Let’s go inside and see what we can find to eat.”

  Tom went through three keys before he found one that unlocked the door, and they stepped inside.

  Anna looked around in amazement. In spite of its odd appearance outside, it was surprisingly luxurious, with thick carpets on the floor and padded furniture. “Is Brianna rich?”

  Tom dropped his duffle bag and headed forward into the kitchen. “Not if she lives in a modular, though I’ll have to admit this is a pretty nice one. Darn, wouldn’t you know it?” he said, peering into the refrigerator in disgust. “Nothing but skim milk, yogurt, and fruit. Which would you rather have, a banana or a nectarine?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Tom glanced over his shoulder. “Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn’t. Here, have one of each.” He thrust the fruit into her hand then grabbed one for himself. “Tell you what. I’ll get you started on your bath, then go out and get us some real food.”

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Not for very long. Come on, let’s find the bathroom.”

  Tom only opened two doors before he found what he was looking for. That’s when Anna discovered something fully as astounding as vehicles that moved at incredible speeds, Brianna’s bathroom. She thought lights that clicked on and off with the touch of a finger was the most exciting thing she’d ever seen until Tom showed her the faucets that produced hot and cold water instantly. “You mean everybody has this whenever they want?”

  “Pretty much, though some people prefer showers.” He added a small amount of liquid from a brightly colored bottle to the water running into the bathtub. “There, my sister-in-law says a warm bubble bath will cure most of the ills in the world.”

  Still marveling at a bathtub large enough to hold her entire body, Anna didn’t bother telling him she had no idea what the bubbles were for.

  “Brianna’s bedroom is right through that door,” he said pointing to the other side of the bathroom. “You can find clothes in there.”

  Anna hesitated. “Are you sure she won’t mind?”

  “I don’t see that you’ve got much choice. Besides, she’s probably using yours.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Go ahead and take your bath. I should be back fairly soon.”

  Anna fought the urge to run screaming after him when he left, and concentrated instead on how long it had been since she’d had a real bath. Almost a hundred and fifty years, she thought with a wry smile, and darned if she couldn’t feel every grubby second of it.

  She luxuriated in her bubble bath until her skin started to wrinkle. When she heard Tom return, she dried off and went into Brianna’s room. The sheer quantity of clothes astounded her. Anna, who had never had more than three or four dresses at one time, suddenly had an entire closet full of choices. It didn’t take long to discover most of them were too tight.

  At last she found a brightly colored full skirt with some sort of expandable waistline and a simple white blouse. It didn’t quite reach her ankles but wasn’t nearly as scandalous as some of the clothing she’d seen women wearing in town.

  Anna’s own underwear was inappropriate, but Brianna’s was as confusing as everything else had been all day. Though the style was bizarre, she knew what to do with the legless drawers she found. The other garment she found baffled her completely. From the shape it was meant to fit over her breasts somehow, but she couldn’t get all the straps and hooks figured out, at least not so it fit properly. After several minutes of frustration, she gave up and donned her own shift and corset in disgust.

  Anna had just done up the last blouse button and picked up Brianna’s hairbrush when she heard the front door open.

  “Bree?” came an unfamiliar feminine voice. “I stopped to see how your balloon ride went. “Oh...”

  Anna winced when she heard the surprise in the woman’s tone. She must have seen Tom. Heaven only knew what she’d do about a strange man in her friend’s house.

  “Well,” the woman said after a long moment. “Obviously it went just fine. Umm... where’s Brianna?”

  “Taking a bath. Linda, isn’t it?”

  “Right, and you’re Tom. We met last night.” There was an uncomfortable silence, then, “I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to intrude. It didn’t occur to me Brianna might... I mean she never...uh...Look, just tell Brianna I stopped by, will you?”

  “Sure.”

  “She knows I’ll be out of town till next week. I’ll give her a call when I get back.”

  “Ok.”

  Oh...and, Tom?

  “Yes?”

  “Tell her she owes me one.”

  “I think we both do.”

  There was a feminine laugh and the sound of a door closing before Tom’s muttered, “And where ever Brianna is, I’m sure she agrees wholeheartedly.”

  “Who was that?” Anna asked, stepping into the hallway.

  “Brianna’s friend, Linda. Indirectly, she’s the cause of all this. If she hadn’t convinced Brianna to trade places....” His voice trailed off, and he stared at Anna as though he’d never seen her before.

  “Wh-what’s the matter? Do I have something on wrong?”

  Tom felt as though a giant fist had hit him square in the chest. “No, I just wasn’t expecting...You look very nice.” Nice didn’t even begin to describe how she looked. Breathtaking was closer to it. Even with damp hair hanging around her like a curtain, she was beautiful. Suddenly the object in her hand came into sharp focus. Brianna’s hairbrush.

  “Anna, have you used that brush?”

  “Not yet, why?”

  “Because, I think we just found the DNA Scott wanted.”

  Anna stared at the brush blankly. “We did?”

  “He can get what he needs from the hair in her brush.” He smiled at Anna’s skeptical look. “Never mind. We’ll take this out to Scott tomorrow. In the meantime, you can use my brush.”

  “All right.”

  The look she gave him made Tom feel like he’d just handed her the world on a silver platter. “Let’s eat,” he said gruffly.

  Anna wasn’t particularly impressed with the hamburgers Tom had brought back, but the milk shake was an instant hit. The afternoon and evening passed quickly for both of them. In spite of the strange circumstances that had brought them together, there was no constraint between them. They shared the memories of their pasts, and their dreams for the future. By unspoken agreement, they avoided any mention of the man that stood between them.

  At ten o’clock, Tom reluctantly decreed it was time for bed. After settling Anna in Brianna’s bedroom, he retrieved a sheet and blanket from the linen closet and made a bed for himself on the couch. Sleep overcame him quickly, and he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

  Anna’s screams brought him awake instantly two hours later. Heart pounding, he slid into his pants, and raced back to the bedroom. “Anna, what is it?”

  “Tom?” her voice quavered through the darkness.

  Three strides took him to the bed. “I’m here, Anna,” he said, switching on the bedside lamp.

  “Oh, Tom, it was awful.” She shuddered as she covered her face. “The blue mist, and Bart Kelly, and the balloon—”

  “Shhh.” Tom sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms. “It was a dream.”

  “If only it were,” she sobbed. “You don’t know how bad I wanted to wake up in my bedroll under the wagon. Instead, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was that.” She pointed to the lighted dial of Brianna’s digital alarm. “This is worse than my nightmare because it’s real. Tom, I’m scared.”

  He hugged her tighter. “I know, but it will work out.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I’ve read your husband’s diary. You have a long, full life ahead of you.”

  “I’d forgotten that,” Anna said, putting her arms around h
is waist and pressing her face against his naked chest as though she was afraid he’d leave. “Tom?” she asked after a moment. “What did Lucas say about his marriage?”

  The flash of jealousy that knifed through him surprised Tom. Anna and Lucas Daniels had loved each other deeply, he reminded himself. It was only natural she’d wonder. “You probably know the answer to that better than I do.”

  “I’ve never even met Lucas.”

  “What?”

  “It’s all so embarrassing.”

  A feeling of unreality settled over Tom as he listened to Anna’s story. She was an unwanted mail-order bride uncertain of her reception by a man who didn’t even know she was coming. If she stayed in the future, Lucas Daniels would never know the difference. Tom pushed the tempting thought away as soon as it occurred.

  “Lucas may not have sent for you, but he loved you once you got there. That I’m sure of. Don’t worry, we’ll get you back somehow.”

  “Don’t leave me.”

  “No, I won’t,” Tom said, lying down next to her and cushioning her face against his shoulder. “I’ll be here as long as you need me.”

  He lay there with her nestled against him all through the interminable night. He knew it was wrong, but no woman had ever felt so right in his arms before. It was ironic, he’d spent years looking for someone who affected him this way. Now he was in danger of losing his heart to a woman who belonged to a man she’d never met, and a man Tom would never betray.

  CHAPTER 10

  “You didn’t stay at the station very long,” Lucas said as Billy came into the barn. There had barely been time to finish doctoring the injured hoof.

  “Nope. How’s Copernicus?”

  “I pulled this out of his foot.” He held up a long sharp cactus spine. “Must have been on the road somewhere. I may have to put a poultice on it, but he should be all right in a couple of days.”

  “Good.”

  “Your gear’s over there.” Lucas nodded toward the back of the barn as he picked up the currycomb and started brushing the horse. “Seth moved it into the tack room.”

  “Is that where he slept?”

  “Yes.”

  “Jesus. Looks like Bart Kelly was right.”