A Window in Time

by Carolyn Lampman

  “Blasted snow was so thick I couldn’t tell which way it was running. Finally thought of my lariat. I tossed the end in the river and watched which way it went, then rode the opposite direction.”

  Lucas glanced Brianna’s way as he poured hot coffee into a cup. “See what I mean about the company being picky about their riders? They only hire the best.”

  “Or the dumbest,” Billy said, curling his hands around the cup. “Only an idiot would ride in weather like this.”

  By supper time, Billy was almost back to normal and the storm had blown itself out. Unfortunately, Brianna had been right about the cold that would follow. Without a thermometer, it was impossible to tell how cold it was, but temperatures as low as twenty below were common after a blizzard. Brianna knew she should be grateful she didn’t have to use the chamber pot in a roomful of men any more, but the bitterly cold trip to the outhouse was almost worse.

  Even though the storm was over, there was no question of Ian and Billy sleeping in the barn. As Brianna prepared to crawl into bed with Lucas again she suddenly realized tomorrow was Christmas Eve. It wasn’t right somehow. They should have spent the day popping popcorn, decorating the tree and drinking eggnog. Instead they’d fought to save the life of a boy who would still be in high school in her time.

  Worst of all, this was only December. The coldest weather was yet to come. That meant she’d probably be sharing Lucas’s bed far more than just two nights.

  Oh, the joy she had to look forward to in the next few months; living with a chicken, worrying constantly about Seth and Billy, having erotic dreams of Lucas, and trying to stay warm in a cabin that was approximately the same temperature as a refrigerator.

  It was going to be a long winter.

  CHAPTER 32

  (February 1861)

  “Again?” Billy threw down his cards in disgust. “Blast it, Brianna, that’s the third time in a row!”

  Lucas chuckled. “You’re the one who didn’t want to play Spades or checkers anymore and suggested Five Card Stud.”

  “I thought we’d play for money.”

  Ian grinned. “Do you want to change the stakes again?”

  “Are you crazy? Playing for buffalo chips is bad enough. God only knows what she’ll switch to next time.”

  “You didn’t want to play for buckets of water anymore,” Brianna reminded him. “Besides there’s all kinds of buffalo chips outside and most of the snow is blown off so they’re easy to find.”

  “Yeah, and nearly all of them are frozen down,” he muttered.

  Brianna nonchalantly studied her nails as Ian shuffled the cards. “That’s why I suggested it. I’m tired of gathering them all myself. You only owe me fifty. What time is it, Lucas?”

  He looked at his watch. “Eleven-fifteen.”

  “Already? I’d better finish getting lunch. “

  “You’re not going to give us a chance to win our chips back?” Billy demanded indignantly.

  “Do you want lunch?”

  “We could always play for who cooks,” Lucas suggested.

  “No!” the other three said in unison. Lucas had lost even more consistently than Billy.

  “I guess I’d better get started paying off my debt,” Billy grumbled. “Seven buckets of water and fifty buffalo chips, I’ll be busy all afternoon.”

  “You ought to know better than to bet on a pair of twos,” Ian said with a grin as he stood and stretched. “Brianna taught you a valuable lesson, and it didn’t cost you a dime.”

  Lucas put on his coat. “May as well bring the water barrel, Billy. Ian and I have to take the sled down to the river anyway.” He glanced at Brianna. “Have we got time to bring another load of water up for the horses?”

  “You should. Lunch won’t be ready for an hour or so.” Brianna frowned. Lucas was rubbing his arm again. The splint was gone but it still bothered him. She worried about it, but there was nothing she could do. There wouldn’t be an X-ray around for a hundred years or so. Just like everything else that was worthwhile.

  Brianna sighed as the door shut behind the men. She knew what her problem was. Cabin fever. The winter had been even worse than she had imagined. The intense cold had continued almost unabated for a full month before it rose above zero. Even then it wasn’t exactly warm. Little things she’d never even thought of before were a constant irritant, like having to break the ice on the water bucket every morning, or never being able to ride Oz for more than a few minutes at a time. By far the worst was going to the bathroom. She either had to use the far too public chamber pot behind the curtain or freeze her posterior in the outhouse.

  She hated it all; the boredom, the constant worry about four men who seemed determined to put themselves in danger at every opportunity, a coat and mittens that were completely inadequate, wind that whistled through the cracks in the walls, the smell of burning buffalo dung…the list was endless.

  But most of all she hated sleeping with Lucas. Every second was sheer torture. There was only so much arousal a person could stand before it became unpleasant. She was far beyond that point. Thank heavens Lucas seemed unaffected. If he so much as nibbled her neck she’d probably rip his clothes off and make a total fool of herself.

  The one night Ian and Billy had tried to sleep in the barn, Brianna had been ecstatic. Her own bed at last, a good night’s sleep, no erotic dreams, no lustful longings. But it hadn’t been wonderful at all. She’d been so cold she had almost crawled back in with Lucas on her own. The only reason she hadn’t was she was afraid of what might happen without a chaperone in the cabin with them. Nobody had been happier than Brianna when Ian and Billy froze out and came back to the cabin. At least when she shared Lucas’s bed she got warm once a day.

  She didn’t even look forward to the riders changing or the stagecoach coming any more for she knew one day the news would be that war had broken out. And underneath it all was the fear that Tom had given up trying to reach her. The blue mist hadn’t appeared since the first part of November. It was beginning to look like she’d be stuck in this century for the rest of her life.

  “Here’s your water,” Billy said as he and Ian came in carrying the water barrel. “It’s my seven buckets and Ian’s five, plus a whole lot more. Does that get me a reduced sentence?”

  Brianna felt a sharp stab of guilt. He had carried water for her since the beginning. She knew he disliked the unpleasant task of collecting buffalo chips to supplement the wood supply even more than she did. Like many cowboys, he hated to walk. “All right, I’ll tell you what. If you’ll go cut me a deer roast, and fill the wood box, I’ll let you off the hook for only ten

  buffalo chips.”

  “What about the rest?”

  “Lucas and Ian still owe me some.”

  “It’s a deal. How big a roast do you want?”

  “Oh, about like this,” she said indicating the size with her hands. “I’ll fix it for supper.”

  Ian cocked an eyebrow. “Seems to me I deserve some special consideration too. Billy didn’t get that water by himself.”

  “Hmm, that’s true. Maybe—”

  “Hello in the house.”

  The three inside exchanged a startled glance. There hadn’t been any visitors other than the stage for three months. Brianna walked over and opened the door.

  “Mr. Bromley! This is a surprise.”

  “Good morning, Mrs. Daniels. Didn’t know I’d be coming so soon or I’d have sent word.”

  “You’re always welcome,” she said with a smile as she stepped aside. “Come on in. You must be half frozen.”

  “Close to it. Good morning, MacTavish, Fry.” Mr. Bromley glanced back at Brianna. “Is your husband around?”

  “He took the sled to the barn,” Billy said. “We were just headed out to help him unload the water for the horses. Do you need him right now?”

  “Actually, I need to talk to all three of you, but there’s no real hurry.”

  Brianna took his hat. “They’ll be in for lunch i
n about twenty minutes. Would you like to sit by the fire and warm yourself until then?”

  “If I wouldn’t be in your way.”

  “Heavens, no. I’d be glad of the company.”

  “Just don’t play poker with her,” Billy muttered walking out the door.

  Ian grinned as Bromley raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Sore loser.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Billy doesn’t like to lose at cards.”

  As Ian put on his hat and followed Billy outside, Brianna wondered uneasily how many of her twentieth-first century idioms were now firmly entrenched in the speech patterns of the men she lived with. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Yes, thank you.” James Bromley settled back in the chair she set by the fireplace for him. “Been fleecing my men at cards have you?”

  Brianna blushed slightly. “Not intentionally. Billy just has a hard time backing down. He bet fifty chips this morning on a pair of twos when I had a full house. He hasn’t forgiven me yet.”

  “Can’t say as I blame him. You won half a month’s pay.”

  “Oh no, we don’t play for money.”

  “Then what did he lose?”

  “Fifty buffalo chips.” Brianna admitted reluctantly. It sounded so stupid. James Bromley was looking at her as though she’d gone crazy. “We use them to supplement our wood supply, only I got tired of gathering them ...so I thought....”

  She didn’t get a chance to finish. Bromley’s laughter cut her off mid-sentence.

  “So he has to go out and find fifty buffalo chips?”

  “No, only ten. There’s a frozen deer carcass hanging in Lucas’s lab. Billy’s going to cut me off a roast for supper. That and the barrel of water over there will make us even.”

  Bromley chuckled again. “You are a most resourceful woman, Mrs. Daniels. Now then, tell me about this wild horse you wanted to keep.”

  James Bromley seemed content to drink coffee and chat with her about Oz, the weather, even Gertrude. After twenty minutes Brianna still didn’t have a clue what the purpose of this surprise visit was, but she had the feeling it was important.

  It wasn’t until halfway through the meal that he broached the subject that had brought him to Split Rock.

  “Gentlemen, the Pony Express is in trouble,” he said. “We’re on the verge of bankruptcy, and the telegraph is advancing across the country from the East and West both. Once that line is finished, our speed will no longer be needed.”

  Billy frowned. “Does that mean we don’t have jobs anymore?”

  “Not yet. Even with the telegraph there will still be a need for mail to go back and forth across the country.”

  “The government mail contract belongs to the Butterfield Express,” Lucas said.

  “There is a bill in Congress right now to give that contract to our company. It passed the House but looks like it may die in the Senate. We don’t have President Buchanan’s support.”

  “But the choice is obvious,” Ian protested. “The Butterfield Express takes twenty days to get mail to California. We do it in half that.”

  “Our route is also much shorter and less susceptible to attack from the South if it does come to war. We need to prove that the Central Overland and Pikes Peak Express can carry the mail safer and faster than any other.”

  “But we already do,” Billy pointed out.

  “True, but we need to remind everyone of that.”

  Lucas sat back and crossed his arms. “Something tells me the company has come up with a dramatic way to do just that.”

  “As a matter of fact, they have. On March fourth, Abraham Lincoln will take office. The entire country will be watching and waiting to see what he intends to do about the states that have seceded. What he says in his inaugural address may well decide whether we go to war or not. It will take three weeks to get the news to California on the Butterfield line. We intend to get it there in one.”

  “One!” All three men were stunned.

  “That’s eighteen hundred miles in seven days,” Bromley said. “A full three days less than we’ve ever done it before.”

  “And the world will never forget,” Brianna murmured in awe.

  “Exactly. Even though Buchanan isn’t supporting us, Lincoln may, especially if we can get his message to California quickly.”

  Lucas nodded. “It makes sense, but how are you going to speed it up? We’re already going as fast as we can.”

  “We’re going to add more riders, for one thing.”

  Billy set his jaw. “Are you going to cut my route?”

  “No.” Bromley smiled. “The stretch from Platte River Bridge to Green River is one of the fastest on the trail anyway. Putting another rider between you and Seth would only slow us down. But it won’t be easy. We’re going to try to average fifteen miles an hour. There will be some places we get up to twenty.”

  “That’s asking an awful lot,” Ian said warningly. “You’re going to lose horses if you push them that hard.”

  Bromley sighed. “I know, but it can’t be helped. If we don’t get that mail contract the whole line is doomed.”

  Fingers of apprehension ran down Brianna’s spine. If the Pony Express failed, there would be no reason for anyone to live at the Split Rock station, and Bart Kelly wouldn’t come through with supplies. For all she knew, the stage might not even stop there anymore. If she left she would lose any chance of getting home again, but if she stayed, she’d be all alone in the middle of nowhere. In short, nobody sitting at that table had more to lose if the Pony Express failed than Brianna Daniels.

  CHAPTER 33

  (Present day)

  “Tom, are you sure it was Brianna we just saw?” Scott asked, watching the last of the blue mist from his first attempt to switch the two women disappear.

  “Pretty sure. It looked like her.”

  “It was Brianna,” Anna said positively. “She was wearing my clothes.”

  “It works!” Scott jumped out of his chair in his excitement. “Did you see how it zeroed right in on her? It actually works.”

  “Of course it does,” Anna said calmly. “I never had any doubt.”

  “It was absolutely incredible, Scott” Tom said in a stunned voice. “She looked like she was standing right outside.”

  “That’s the fiber optics. It’s kind of like looking through a window to the past. “Hey,” he said glancing out the window at the yard. “That gives me an idea. I’ll be right back.”

  Tom hardly noticed when Scott left the room. “A window in time,” he whispered in awe. For the first time he began to think they might succeed, that Scott might actually accomplish the impossible. A surge of emotion, an odd mixture of euphoria and grief, shot through him. Everything would be the way it should be, but Anna would be gone forever.

  “Tom?” Anna said softly.

  He suddenly became aware that he was crushing her fingers in his grip and relaxed his hold. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.”

  “It’s all right,” she said, rubbing his knuckles with her free hand. “I feel the same way. We just have to remember it’s a gift, a stolen moment that shouldn’t have happened.”

  “And we have to return everyone where they should be or risk changing the present. I know all that, but it doesn’t make losing you any easier.”

  She gave him a sad little smile. “I’m glad. I wouldn’t want it to be easy.”

  “You don’t have to worry about... What the hell?” A loud squawking could be heard outside. “He’s got one of the chickens!” Tom said, looking through the big picture window. “What do you suppose he’s up to now?”

  They didn’t have long to wait. Scott came in with the chicken in a cage and a triumphant grin on his face.

  “We’ll use a hen!” Scott said, beaming at them.

  “For dinner?” Anna asked uncertainly. “It’s getting kind of late to get it plucked, dressed, and cooled out in time, but if you have a hatchet I can—”

  “No, we’re not goin
g to eat it. We’re going to use it to test the time machine.”

  Anna and Tom exchanged a bewildered look.

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said, Tom, and you’re right. We really should make sure it’s safe, only I couldn’t figure out how to do it.”

  “Oh, I get it,” Tom said suddenly. “You’ll send the chicken.”

  Scott nodded eagerly. “Right. It’s big enough to track once it goes through the time warp. Even if I can only keep the portal open a few seconds, we’ll be able to see what happens.”

  It took fifteen minutes to get set up again. The hen complained loudly the whole time, but no one took the time to set the cage back outside. When the blue mist began to form, Tom pushed Anna away with sudden urgency. “Stay clear until we’re ready. You were pulled in once. I don’t want to take the chance of it happening again.”

  “He’s right,” Scott agreed. “The computer is programmed to transfer you. I don’t know how powerful the magnetic field is, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

  Anna nodded and moved to the other side of the room. Once she was far enough away, Tom removed the chicken and held it ready.

  “OK, Tom,” Scott said as the blue mist began to swirl. “Get ready...and...now!”

  Tom thrust the hen into the mist. His hands started to tingle uncomfortably as he dropped the chicken through the portal. The sight that met his eyes when he looked up was not what he expected.

  Brianna was running toward them as fast as she could with a look of steely determination on her face. Though no sound came through the time warp, all three watchers saw the silent scream as the chicken burst through the blue mist, flew over her head, and ran across the prairie flapping its wings. The last image they saw before the picture faded was Brianna Daniels standing in the middle of nowhere staring after the hen in total bewilderment.

  “Oh, poor Brianna,” Anna said, trying to keep a straight face. “Can you imagine what she must be thinking?”

  “That somebody on this side of the blue mist is crazy.”