Once in a Blue Moon

by Diane Darcy

  Jessica had never looked like anyone in the family. Melissa had always assumed she took after Melissa’s father’s side. But Jessica sure as heck looked a lot like the widow.

  Could...? Melissa shook her head. She was being ridiculous. It was impossible. But--

  Sudden insight washed through Melissa. What if the widow had been pregnant when she’d come to this little town all those years ago? Sully had sent Jane to his wife. Melissa put a hand to her mouth as everything suddenly became crystal clear. Sully and the widow had had a child together. That child had been raised by Louisa and Sully.

  Wide-eyed, Melissa considered the implications. That would mean that, in addition to Richard and the kids being descended from Sully, they were also related to the widow.

  Melissa automatically shook her head. No way. She was up in the night.

  But the widow had been very interested in Sully’s son. And it would also explain the widow’s sudden interest in Jessica, as well as the way Sully protected the widow.

  Perhaps it was time to pay Sully another visit. And this time she wasn’t leaving without answers.

  * * *

  Melissa switched the heavy cloth bag to her right shoulder, and, with a clang of metal, the contents banged against her backside as she shifted the burden to make it more comfortable.

  The bag contained old horseshoes, a belt buckle, a horse-bit with reins attached, and a couple of Time-Life books one of the Cowboy Wives didn’t want anymore. Some advertisements, utensils, a bowie knife, a newspaper, and a letter Melissa had written completed the stash.

  The combined weight bit to her shoulder and after walking with it for a couple of miles, the load was starting to weigh her down. The weather was mild, but sweat trickled its way down her back and she felt like a pack mule.

  Richard had better appreciate this. She was going to bury the junk on Sully’s property and give Richard the stuff when they got home. Maybe all at once, or perhaps as Christmas and birthday gifts. She hadn’t decided yet.

  Melissa tried to concentrate on the ache in her back rather than the conversation to come, but didn’t have much luck. She wanted to know the truth. Had the widow been pregnant? Did Sully and the widow have a child together? A child Sully had kept? Raised? Talked his wife into raising?

  Were Richard and the children related to both Sully and the widow? For some reason, the answers seemed important, but she wasn’t sure how she was going to broach the subject with Sully. As she topped the rise, Sully’s dog ran over, jumped up and slobbered on her neck. Melissa shoved him off and patted his head as she scanned the area.

  The usual assortment of animals roamed the yard: chickens, the goat, a few ducks and a cat. She spotted Sully using a pitchfork to throw hay into the horse corral and decided she might as well get the conversation over with.

  She marched down the slight rise, over to the corral, and dropped her bag on the ground with a loud clank--barely missing a chicken--and plunked both hands on her hips.

  She took a deep breath. “You had a child with Jane Taggert.”

  Mid-turn, Sully’s mouth fell open as he stared at her dumb-founded. “What?”

  “I said, you had a--”

  Sully started to laugh, his gray beard trembling as he threw back his head. “I heard you. I just couldn’t believe your words. My wife would have killed me dead if I’d have so much as breathed on Janie.”

  Melissa’s gaze dropped to the ground and she tried to gather her thoughts. Had she gotten everything wrong? Was the resemblance between the widow and Jessica pure coincidence? Or would Sully’s determination to protect the widow make him lie? Probably.

  She tried again. “I already know all about the widow. How she was pregnant and you sent her out here to Louisa.”

  In the process of throwing more hay over the fence, Sully stilled. Slowly, he turned to look at her. “Jane tell you all that?”

  Feeling guilty about reading Sully’s private letter to Louisa, Melissa only nodded.

  Sully sighed and set the hay down. “Then why didn’t she tell you I’m not the father of her child?”

  “The subject didn’t come up.” He still hadn’t confirmed anything and she wasn’t leaving until she knew the truth. Deciding to press her luck, she stated, “You raised the child and I simply assumed you were the father.”

  Sully grimaced in disgust. “Women folk don’t know when to keep their blasted mouths shut.” He started pitching hay over the fence again.

  She was correct. She knew it. Following her instincts, Melissa simply waited.

  After a moment, Sully stopped throwing hay, leaned on his pitchfork and met her gaze. “Colonel Carleton, my commanding officer, did not behave like a gentleman toward Janie. When Janie’s husband came home, he about killed her. The first time I met her she was staggering toward the fort with a battered face, a broken nose, cracked ribs and eyes swollen shut. She was about seven months along.”

  A tingle worked its way up the back of Melissa’s neck. The widow did have a baby. But it wasn’t Sully’s?

  Sully looked at the ground. “She was still in danger from her husband, so I sent her home to my wife for care. I didn’t even know if she’d survive the trip.” Sully stared off into the distance.

  Not wanting to distract him in any way, Melissa didn’t move.

  “There was a big to-do back at the fort. No one knew where she’d gone and her husband went wild and got himself killed in a saloon fight.” Sully focused on Melissa’s face once more. “Colonel Carleton did the killing.”

  He shook his head. “After the baby came, Janie was unable to support the child. We’d never had any children of our own, and Louisa was about forty-one by that time, so we weren’t really expecting to ever have any.”

  Sully used the back of his hand to wipe his forehead. “But my wife wanted the baby, and Janie couldn’t take care of the child, but wanted to know the babe was safe, so they reached an agreement. Louisa took in the child and Janie left. When I got home from the war, I had me a son. We raised him as our own.”

  “You adopted the widow’s son? But why did the widow give him up? She obviously loved him.”

  “I told you. She couldn’t take care of him then. Janie disappeared for a while, and about five years later, tracked us down even thought we’d moved on by that time. After a while, she married up with old man MacPherson. It made Louisa crazy. Those two women hated each other from the moment Janie laid eyes on our five-year-old boy.”

  Sully gripped the pole of the pitchfork. “About ten years later, Janie’s husband died, and not too long after, so did Louisa. Janie never did have another child, and once Louisa was gone she told the boy the truth. He didn’t take it too well; disappeared.”

  Sully turned away to scrape at the edges of the hay pile with the prongs of the pitchfork. “I suspect he’s dead now.” Sully’s voice cracked on the last word.

  Sully had loved his adopted son. Loved him still, after all this time. Unexpectedly, overpowering jealousy swamped Melissa. She wished even one of her parents had loved her the way Sully loved his child.

  Melissa willed back the tears in her eyes. She might be pitiable, but Sully didn’t need to be. “Sully, your son isn’t dead. He’s living in Europe right now.”

  Sully turned to face her. He looked at her like she was crazy. “What? How could you know that?” Anger crumpled his face. “Did Janie say something? Does she know something and hasn’t told me?”

  Melissa shook her head and took a deep breath. “Sully, do you remember the day we arrived?”

  His brows drew together. “Sure I do.”

  “We traveled through time to get here; from the future. We were outside during a blue moon and were sent here to this time. That’s why we showed up with no clothes other than what we were wearing. That’s why we had no possessions with us. We were on your property, because in the future, that’s where we live.”

  Sully stared at her blankly.

  “We’re related to you through your son. H
e’ll come back here to settle by 1890 with his wife and children.” Melissa suddenly realized that Sully wasn’t blood related to her family. Inexplicably, that fact made her sad.

  Sully’s mouth worked as he seemed to struggle for words.

  “Are you feeling poorly?”

  Melissa shook her head. “He ends up settling in town and starting a business. He paints as a hobby. He inherits this land from you and it gets passed down for a few generations until we build a home on it.”

  Melissa paused for a moment, then inhaled. “The next blue moon is at the end of this month. My family is going back home, to our own time.”

  Disbelief etched Sully’s face.

  Melissa paused. “Jessica looks like the widow. Does she also resemble your son?”

  Sully’s eyes widened and his expression wavered, flashing between joy to doubt and back. Finally, face screwed up and voice cracking, he asked, “Andy is coming home?”

  Melissa nodded at him. “In about two and a half years.”

  Sully turned and walked away, his shoulders shaking.

  Melissa suddenly realized that the widow had cried for the same reason; because her son was still alive.

  Melissa looked at the dirty, kind man, crying for his son; a son that wasn’t even his own flesh and blood. Her face screwed up and, finally, her own tears fell. For the father she’d never had.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  A moment later, a semi-clean handkerchief was thrust into her face.

  “Now, now,” said Sully. “That’s enough of that. What’s this you’ve brought with you, Missy? Somethin’ for me?”

  Melissa took the handkerchief, wiped her eyes and nose, and followed Sully’s gaze to the bag of junk on the ground.

  They stared at it, trying to act cool and casual, as if they hadn’t both just lost it emotionally.

  Zeke whimpered and pushed his muzzle into her stomach and Melissa rubbed the dumb mutt’s head. “I want to bury a few things for Richard. I’m hoping you have a box or something. He collects old objects, and he’ll want this, um,” she tried to think of another word for junk, “stuff.”

  “For when you go back?” Sully whispered the words and his eyes took on a shine of excitement.

  Melissa grinned. Well, there was something magical about the whole thing.

  Sully rubbed his chin and studied the bag for a moment. He shook his finger. “I have just the thing. Come with me.”

  Melissa followed Sully into his cabin and watched as he climbed the ladder to the loft. He tugged a good-sized, metal box to the edge of the upper room, climbed down a few steps, and lowered the heavy burden to the wood floor.

  He opened it, pulled out a bunch of quilts stored inside, and set them on the table. “Will this work?”

  Melissa studied the sturdy metal box. “Perfect.” Then unable to resist, ran a hand over the meticulous stitchery on the quilts. Off-white blocks with green holly, red berries and rosebuds on one, an indigo and white cotton with a bow border on another, and a third with multicolored blocks and a blue calico back. “These are so beautiful.”

  A furrow creased Sully’s brow. “Do you think Andy’s wife will want them?”

  She glanced at him and smiled. “Yes, I do. She’ll treasure them, Sully. So will Andy.”

  Sully nodded, obviously pleased at the thought. He pulled out a bundle of papers, wrapped in ribbon, from the bottom of the box. “I still have these old quilt patterns and such. Would you like to have them?”

  Melissa took the patterns, covered in flowery handwriting. “Richard’s mother quilts and I know she’d cherish these. Perhaps we could even do some together. Thank you, Sully.”

  Color suffused Sully’s face and he nodded once, then bent over to drag the box outside.

  Melissa followed, a slight breeze blowing her hair into her eyes, and gathered up the bag of junk. As she set the bag in the box, she realized that the box itself would be a valuable antique.

  Sully glanced around. “Now, where shall we bury it?”

  Melissa looked left, then right, then circled around. “I don’t want anyone digging it up before I do. And I don’t want it to get flooded.” She pointed to a grove of trees. “Behind the cabin? In front of those trees?”

  “That’s a likely place. Do you want to bury it today? Or wait until you’re ready to leave?” Again, his eyes shone bright. “We probably should wait. I might find some more things I want to add.”

  “That sounds fine. I’ll just keep this here and then help you bury it before you go. We can wrap the lot in oilskins to protect everything.”

  Sully opened the bag and looked inside. He pulled out a rusted horseshoe, then dug through and pulled out the bridle and reins. Finally he held up a fork and threw her an incredulous look. “You sure he’ll want these? Seems like a lot of trouble for useless...er...stuff.”

  “In the future, they’re antiques. I promise, Richard will be thrilled.”

  Sully’s expression said he didn’t believe her. He shook his head and got up. “Maybe I have a few things.” He headed back into the cabin, mumbling about silly women all the way, and soon came back with a bundle wrapped in an old blanket.

  He carefully set the load on the ground, and holding the blanket so she couldn’t see, Sully lifted up a mason jar full of marbles. “For Jeremy. Do you think he’d like these to remember me by?”

  Melissa’s mouth parted. “Thank you, Sully. He’ll love them.”

  Next, Sully held up a beautiful antique mirror, made of silver and decorated with rosebuds, leaves, and fancy scripting. “For Jessica.”

  Melissa put a hand to her chest. “Oh, it’s beautiful. Are you sure? You’ll have other grandchildren nearby soon.”

  Sully grinned. “And I have other things to give them. Make sure you tell Jessica it was her grandma’s. Louisa would like that. She always wanted to be someone’s grandma.”

  Sully next held up an animal pelt. “Killed this cougar in Arizona.”

  Then an old pocket watch, “This was my daddy’s.”

  Next came a box of fishing lures. “Made all these my own self.”

  Melissa ruefully shook her head. “It’s too much.”

  “And best of all,” Sully held up an old pistol. “I used this during the war.”

  Melissa put a hand to her mouth. She remembered how much Richard had wanted a gun, but they hadn’t been able to afford one. “Oh, Sully. Richard will die! He will absolutely die!”

  Sully grinned. “Well, don’t shoot him with it.”

  Melissa grinned back. “I shouldn’t accept, but it will mean so much to Richard because it belonged to you.”

  Sully ducked his head. “Then I’m glad he’ll have it. He’s a good boy.”

  “Sully, do you think you could write your family history? And include that in here? Things like that are so important to Richard and his mother. And, well, I’d like to have it too.”

  Sully nodded. “I could do that. And I have some diary pages that Louisa wrote. What about those?”

  “Wonderful!”

  Melissa realized how much she admired this man. He was loving, generous to a fault, and nothing seemed to get him down. He was so easy to be with because he was always happy. It didn’t seem to matter that he’d been in a horrible war, his wife had died, his child had left home or that he had no family. “Sully, why are you always so happy?”

  Sully lifted a shoulder. “Better’n bein’ sad all the time.”

  Melissa raised her brows. She wished it were that easy for her.

  Sully carefully lined the oilskin in the metal box and started placing items inside. “Tell me what happens in the future. Is Captain Kirk there? Do people fly around in ships and explore other planets?”

  Melissa grinned. Maybe she should say yes–-he’d never know the difference--but she quickly decided against it. There was no need to mess with the guy’s mind. “Sorry, but no. That’s just a fictional story.” And while she was at it, she’d keep NASA’s exploits out if it too.r />
  He reached for the mirror and wrapped it in cloth. “Tell me about your life.”

  Of course he’d be interested, but what to tell? “In the future, we have a large, beautiful home on the other side of this hill. The oak tree is old and huge in our time. We have neighbors on either side of us, but not too close. Your cabin is still there.”

  Sully nodded. “I’m glad. What do you do all day? What is your life like?”

  “Richard goes to work every day. He’s a restorations expert. I also go to work every day. I’m a fashion designer; a seamstress,” she clarified. “And I create beautiful clothing. The kids go to school.”

  Sully smiled, obviously happy. “You’re building your life here, just like me. In the same place as me. I’m glad. Glad my family line has continued. That you’re here. Living and loving here.”

  Melissa pictured the way her life had been two and a half months ago. Quite horrible, actually. She’d worked too much, didn’t spend time with her husband or children, wasn’t nice to anyone, had no friends, and was on the verge of divorce. It wasn’t what he thought. “I probably work too much. I don’t see my family as much as I should.”

  “Work is good for a body.”

  “But things are different in our time. Life is so busy.”

  “Your life sounds wonderful. Just as it should be.”

  “You don’t understand--”

  ”What?”

  Melissa looked into his innocent, expressive, happy face. He wouldn’t see it. Wouldn’t see that their lives weren’t wonderful. Tenderness for this unselfish man made her smile. It was the same way that he refused to see how bad his own life was. He wouldn’t see that her life was anything but good either.

  Just as it should be.

  As it would be.

  Melissa shook her head. “Nothing. You’re right Sully. Our lives are wonderful.”

  * * *

  Later that night, Melissa couldn’t wait to get Richard alone. Couldn’t wait to share her news with him and see his surprise! She kissed Jeremy on the cheek, then Jessica. “You kids go right to sleep.”