Rustlers and Ribbons

by Kirsten Osbourne

Sherri tilted her head. Her eyes narrowed a bit, and the smile vanished. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Her voice had taken on a slightly husky tone.

  He had been staring, unable to find the right words to tell her he was drawn to her. Alexander took a step closer, when a frantic cry for help pierced the air. He instantly tensed and rushed to the river’s edge.

  “Oh no, it’s Maude. She must have fallen in the river.” Sherri was right beside him. She unbuttoned the bodice of her dress as quickly as he stripped off his belt and shirt.

  “Stay here,” he ordered. She wasn’t really thinking of jumping in the water after the little girl?

  Alexander dove into the water. He shook his head when it broke through the surface, and then pulled himself through the current. It became stronger in the middle of the river and aided him in reaching the little girl. She continued to scream and flail her arms. At times, he lost sight of her when her head went under. From somewhere behind him, Sherri was yelling.

  “Hold on, Maude. We’re coming.”

  He had no time to contemplate that Sherri hadn’t listened to him and might also be in the water. He continued to swim until he finally caught hold of the little girl’s arm and dragged her toward him. She clawed and clung to him, coughing and crying, and nearly making him go under.

  “Climb on my back,” he called. Struggling with her in his arms, he pushed his way back toward shore. Sherri splashed in the water, submersed nearly all the way, and tossed something at him.

  “Grab hold, Alexander.”

  He caught sight of his rope and clamped his hand around it. The little girl continued to squirm and grip him around his neck, pushing his head underwater. If only she’d stay still, he could get them to shore.

  Gripping the rope, he gave a slight tug. Almost instantly, he was pulled upstream toward shore. Panting and out of breath, he stumbled onto the bank of the river.

  “I’ve got you, Maude.” Sherri peeled the girl off him, and thankfully she let go, clinging to Sherri instead.

  Alexander caught his breath. He eyed his horse and the rope that was tied to his saddle. The other end dangled in the river. Sherri’s quick thinking had saved him a lengthy struggle to get to shore. With the little girl frantically clinging to his neck and pushing him under water, he’d still be working his way to the riverbank.

  “Maude? Where are you? Oh, my heavens.”

  Mary Shepherd came running toward them at that moment, looking white as a sheet. Sherri handed the little girl to her mother.

  “She’s okay. She’s just cold and scared.”

  Mary held her daughter in a tight embrace, her eyes going from Sherri to Alexander. “Thank you, both of you.”

  “Best take her back to camp, Mrs. Shepherd. She’ll need to get warmed up.”

  Mary Shepherd nodded. She hesitated. “You two come along, as well. I’ll get a fire going and some hot water for coffee. It’ll warm you up.”

  She shot a quick glance at Sherri before she turned and rushed her sobbing child back to camp.

  Alexander ran his hand through his wet hair. Water dripped from his forehead down his shoulders and chest. He watched the woman disappear, then turned to face Sherri.

  “You’re cold.”

  She stood in front of him, shivering.

  “I left my dress upstream where you went into the water.” Her teeth chattered, and she hugged her arms around herself. Good thing for that. The white material of her underclothes didn’t hide much as the wet fabric clung to her curves.

  “We’d both better get dressed.”

  Alexander reached for her before he had time to think. He drew her into an embrace to shield her from the cold. Instantly, she wrapped her arms around him and melted against him. A low groan escaped his throat as sensations he’d never known with Cordelia made his limbs go weak. Sherri fit so perfectly in his arms, as if she’d been made for him. Would he be able to ride away when they reached Laramie?

  He leaned back slightly to gaze down at her. “I misjudged you, Sherri Stucki. You are nothing like what I pegged you to be when I first saw you in Independence.”

  She smiled while her lips quivered. “And what did you peg me as?”

  “A rich socialite with an uppity attitude, looking down her nose at everyone else.”

  Her smile faltered slightly, and a sad look passed through her eyes. “And now you don’t think I’m like that?”

  He shook his head. “No. Not like that at all.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “I believe so, yes. How did you know to toss me that rope and tie the other end to my saddle?”

  She laughed quietly. “My mother loves to watch old movies set in the old west. I guess I paid attention a few times. I wasn’t sure if it would work.”

  Her eyes widened instantly when she spoke the words, as if she’d revealed some dark secret. If it was a secret, it had been spoken in code, for he didn’t understand any of what she’d said. He had no time to ponder her strange words. In the next instant, she reached her hands up to him and clasped his face, then pressed her lips to his.

  Despite the chill in the air from being wet, Alexander’s insides heated as her lips touched his. Before he could fully enjoy the kiss, she pulled back and stared at him with wide eyes. Her pupils had turned a shade darker, revealing the feelings neither one of them had voiced.

  “I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  Alexander chuckled. He tugged her back fully into his arms. “No need to be sorry. I was thinking of doing the same thing.”

  “What if someone sees us? Wouldn’t that be highly inappropriate?” Her sudden shyness made him smile.

  “Would that bother you?”

  Sherri wrapped her arms around his neck. “Not at all.”

  Alexander’s heart burst with sudden happiness. All his thoughts of never looking for love again evaporated at that moment. Without a doubt, his future was staring up at him. He lowered his head, and brought his lips down on hers.

  Chapter 10

  Sherri, in recent weeks, I’ve thought of little else but you.” Alexander reached for her hand. Sherri looked up at him, offering a weak smile. The day she’d dreaded for weeks had finally arrived. Her heart beat painfully in her chest, and a sick feeling came over her. Today, her journey ended, and she had to fulfill her agreement with the reverend.

  “For over a year, I made plans to head back into the mountains where I was born and raised, and live a life of solitude,” Alexander continued. “When I first saw you at the train station, arguing with the conductor, something grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go. My feelings for you have grown stronger ever since we left Independence, and no matter how much I fought against it and tried to stay away from you, I can’t deny what I feel in my heart for you. I know you have feelings for me, too.”

  They stood together a short distance away from camp, which had been set up outside the outlying buildings of Laramie. The wagons had arrived a short while ago, and the families had set up camp and eagerly gone into town to stock up on supplies. They would camp here for a couple of days, then move on to Idaho where they planned to make their permanent homes.

  Sherri turned away from Alexander, whose simple touch of his hand against her arm made her long for something she couldn’t have. Not in this time. Falling in love hadn’t been part of the reverend’s bargain. The deal was that she had to get married, and when she was done helping her short-term husband turn his life around, she’d get to go home to her century, and things would be the way she’d always wanted.

  The trouble was, she’d already found everything she’d always wanted right here, standing next to her. While she’d missed her modern comforts initially, those meaningless items had soon been replaced with unseen things of greater value. She’d discovered the value of true friendship where nothing was based on material possessions, but all about helping people without expecting something in return.

  The less belongings and comfor
ts she had, the less she missed them. Daily life had been trying and difficult, most definitely the most difficult thing she’d ever done, but she was a stronger and better person for it.

  She’d certainly never expected to find a man and fall completely in love. If it hadn’t been for Alexander, she probably wouldn’t have even made it this far. He’d been the first person in her life to tell her she had to do things for herself and take complete responsibility for herself.

  There had been no room for excuses or begging someone to take care of her. Although it was difficult not to simply roll over and give up, she’d been determined to win Alexander’s respect, probably because she was already attracted to him from the beginning. It had turned into so much more, and now she had to do the most difficult thing of all and break his heart, as well as her own.

  The last couple of weeks, ever since the day little Maude had fallen into the river, her heart had been in turmoil. What had started as a simple infatuation with Alexander Walker had turned into so much more. She was in love with him. For the first time in her life, she was truly, deeply, and without a doubt, in love with someone.

  He was perfect, with the exception of one not-so-minor detail. She lived in the future, and his place was in the past. Sherri raised her gaze to his with a sad smile on her face and the tears threatening behind her eyes.

  “We come from two different worlds, Alexander. I don’t know how –”

  He silenced her by leaning forward and touching his lips to hers. His calloused hand caressed her cheek and slid to the back of her neck. When he ended the kiss, her knees trembled, and her insides quivered. Her hands gripped his shoulders for support, or she might simply melt into a shapeless mass on the ground.

  “Two worlds can blend together,” he murmured against her cheek.

  Sherri shook her head. “It’s not that simple. What happened between us should have never happened. I came here to fulfill an agreement I made with Reverend Johnson.”

  Alexander’s dark eyes roamed over her face. He cradled her cheek in his hand, stroking her with his thumb. Sherri closed her eyes and savored the gentle touch from this rugged woodsman.

  “Is your agreement binding? Talk to him, and explain to him that you are no longer willing to enter this marriage.”

  With great difficulty, Sherri stepped out of his embrace to create some distance between them. She blinked back the tears that began to roll down her face. “I can’t break the agreement. If I don’t go through with it, I won’t have the life I always wanted.”

  Alexander instantly tensed at her words. The muscles along his cheeks tightened, and he turned away.

  “You’re so sure a man you’ve never met can give you the kind of life you want? You don’t even know him.” He faced her again, his expression hard and cold, and his eyes clouded with pain and disappointment. “But then I forget. He’s a wealthy rancher from what you’ve told me. Of course, you will have the life you desire. He’ll shower you with lavish things and make sure you’ll never want for anything. I can’t provide those things for you.”

  Sherri shook her head at his cold words. How wrong he was. Material possessions didn’t matter. She’d found all the wealth she could ever want in Alexander’s arms, but she could never be with him, because she was going back to the future.

  “You wouldn’t understand my reasons,” she whispered.

  “Maybe I didn’t misjudge you, after all.” His eyes blazed with anger and hurt. “You’re no different from Cordelia when it comes to giving up a life of luxury.”

  Sherri squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn’t have to see what he thought of her. She sucked in a deep breath and opened her eyes again, ready to defend herself in a small way. She stepped up to Alexander and placed her hand on his arm.

  “What about you? When I kissed you for the first time by the river, I knew it was a mistake. You led me to believe that you have a wife. I felt terrible, because I know what it feels like to be cheated on, and –”

  “She was my wife,” he said forcefully, emphasizing the past tense. “I explained that she isn’t any longer, and holds no part of my heart. She has nothing to do with us.”

  “You said I reminded you of your wife,” Sherri shot back. Getting angry was the only emotion that could combat her breaking heart.

  “Our marriage was annulled. It didn’t last more than a few months. She decided she didn’t like living away from her fancy home and the comforts of the city. I suppose these things are difficult to give up, even for someone you love.”

  Sherri stared into his accusing eyes. He thought she was no better than the woman who had caused him a lot of heartache. Was she any different? He was right. She was doing the exact same thing to him.

  The difference was that she didn’t have a choice. What if she simply didn’t marry the man she was supposed to meet in Laramie? She would return to her time, and nothing would change in her life if she failed in the task the reverend had given her.

  Alexander’s features softened slightly. He stepped up to her and wrapped his hands around her upper arms. His touch sent a jolt of longing through her.

  “I see it in the way you look at me that you have feelings for me, yet you try and deny it and say you’d be happier with someone else. What hold does this reverend have on you that you can’t back out of your word? Did someone threaten you and force you to do this?”

  Sherri shook her head. The genuine concern in his eyes and voice was overpowering. Alexander truly cared about her, and now he was worried that she was in some kind of trouble and being forced into a situation she didn’t want to be in. In a way, that was true.

  “I’m not supposed to tell you.” She scoffed. “Besides, you wouldn’t believe me if I did.”

  “I can believe a lot of things, Sherri. What I can’t believe is that you would throw away your feelings for me. I let my former wife go, because I knew she cared little about anyone but herself. I was blind to it at first. With you, it’s different. You give freely of yourself, you care about others, and you have the kind of strength to live the life I lead.”

  Sherri narrowed her eyes. Maybe it was better to come out and say it. Then he would finally be angry enough with her that he would walk away. It was best this way. She straightened and raised her chin.

  “Fine. You want the truth? Well, here it is. I come from a time exactly 133 years in the future. I was brought here for a chance to make my life better in my time. In order to do that, I have to marry a man that I’m supposed to help. Then I can go home and have the kind of life I always wanted.”

  Alexander stared as if seeing her for the first time. The disbelief in his eyes was as vivid as if he’d called her a liar to her face. She held her breath while the silence hung over them. Finally, he shifted weight from one foot to the other, and ran a hand through his hair.

  “I see you’ve gone to great lengths to put distance between us. I won’t bother you anymore.”

  With those words, he turned and headed for his horse. Sherri stood rooted to the spot. Tears flowed freely down her face, and her vision blurred. Every last cell in her screamed to go after him, but she couldn’t.

  Only after he’d ridden off, and was no longer visible, did she turn to walk back to the wagon. Her limbs were numb and so was her mind. It no longer mattered what happened. What good would it do to go home to the kind of life she wanted when all she wanted had just disappeared in a cloud of dust?

  She reached the Shepherd wagon. Everything in camp was quiet. Everyone had gone into town. It’s where she needed to go, too. She stepped around the wagon to climb in and wallow in her misery on the mattress for a few minutes before she left to find the man she was supposed to marry. The letter that Harriett Long had given her had been lost with her luggage, and she couldn’t even remember the guy’s name. She hadn’t paid any attention to it when she’d read the letter the first time.

  “I see you’ve arrived safely, Miss Stucki.”

  Sherri gasped. She spun around to come face to
face with Reverend Johnson. He walked up to her with that familiar soft and calming smile on his face. His startling blue eyes were even more noticeable in the brightness of the day. Sherri’s heart rate returned to a normal pace, but the growing anger increased.

  “How could you leave me stranded in Independence, Reverend? Do you know the ordeal you put me through?”

  The reverend stopped in front of her. “What ordeal, Miss Stucki?”

  Her eyes narrowed as renewed tears of anger and heartache flowed down her cheeks. “It’s bad enough you brought me to this time, but you left me with nothing. I didn’t know what to do when my bag with everything you gave me to bring was gone. How could you simply abandon me like that?”

  “But you weren’t abandoned, were you? You found help, and you’re here now, and you appear unhurt.”

  “Unhurt?” she spat, her voice shrill. “You have no idea how much I’m hurting right now. I’ve never been this heartbroken.”

  The reverend frowned and shook his head. “Heartbroken from what, Miss Stucki? There’s no reason for you to be heartbroken. The life you’ve craved awaits you.”

  Every muscle in her body quivered with a combination of rage and helplessness.

  “I learned a lot about myself on this journey to get here so that I could uphold my end of the bargain, Reverend. I also met the most wonderful man in the world, and now I’ve lost him, so you see, the life I crave no longer matters to me.”

  “Why didn’t you go with him?”

  Sherri stared. “Because you told me I had to come here and marry the man you set me up with, or else I would get sent back and nothing would change.”

  She spun around and started pacing in front of the wagon. “Not that it matters anymore,” she whispered. “I finally met someone who is exactly what I’ve always dreamed about.” She stopped and faced the old man. “He pays attention to me, cares about me, and loves me. He never gave me anything of material value, but made me fend for myself and taught me the value of working together.”

  The reverend placed a hand on her arm. “So, you’re telling me, you’ve already found the kind of life that you’ve always dreamed of, right here, in this time?”