She rolled over and stuck her tongue out at the closed door, then swiped at her half-lidded eyes. “What time is it?” she groaned.
“It’s six-thirty. We don’t want to wait until the hottest part of the day.” He cracked the door open and peeked around it. I don’t know if you’ve found it yet, but Mariah keeps a split skirt in the armoire, and make sure to wear boots.”
Taylor sighed. “Frank, I don’t even know how to ride a horse. The only time I’ve ever been around one was when we went to town in the buggy.”
“It’s easy. There’s nothin’ to it. You’ll enjoy it. So get up and get dressed! I’ve got coffee ready downstairs.”
Begrudgingly, she threw back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. She took a deep breath and pursed her lips into a pout. “I don’t want to go horseback riding.”
Downstairs, Frank called her name.
“Oh, for God’s sake. Give me a minute,” she muttered.
She rummaged through the armoire and found Mariah’s skirt. It was brown suede with fringe along the sides.
Gee, this looks charming. I shudder to imagine what I’m supposed to wear on the top. She searched again until she found a plain, white blouse, and felt satisfied. At least it wasn’t as horrid as what she expected to find.
* * * *
Taylor descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen. “Well, here I am. Annie friggin’ Oakley.”
Frank poured a cup of coffee and handed it to her. “You look very nice.”
“Well, I do have to admit it’s more like what I’m used to. Certainly better than those period costumes I’ve been forced to wear. Did you know, I actually tried on your jeans one day? If they had fit, I’d have worn them everyday. I’m a jeans-and-tee-shirt kind of girl on the weekend. I dress for power the rest of the week.”
He finished a sip of his own coffee. “I have no idea what you just said… bout that dressin’ for power, but I had a hard time getting Mariah to even try a split skirt. I saw them in the catalog and wanted her to buy one. She thought it downright immoral for a woman to wear pants. But that was a while back. Now, she’s glad now she has them. It sure makes ridin’ easier.”
He isn’t giving up. “Do we really have to do this?”
“C’mon, finish your coffee. I packed a little snack. We’ll ride out to a place I know and have a bite to eat.” He grabbed his hat off the rack and pushed it firmly down on his head.
She slumped along behind him, scuffing her toes in the dust. “I don’t even like horses,” she mumbled. “They smell bad and are way too big.”
It was apparent nothing she said affected him. He had two saddled horses waiting in the barn. She wasn’t at all pleased when he pointed out the one she was to ride. It seemed much taller and wider than Gert, and Taylor remembered the ominous look she’d gotten from the old mare on the day of the social. Suddenly, Taylor felt very intimidated, something she not at all used to.
Frank untied the reins of his own horse. “Watch me. I’ll give you a little lesson.”
She rolled her eyes. “Great.”
He held the saddle horn with his left hand and put his left foot in the stirrup. Pulling himself up, he threw his right leg over the horse’s back. Once in the saddle, he picked up the reins and peered down at her. “See how easy?”
“Easy for you.”
“You can do it, too. Once you’re in the saddle, use the reins to tell the horse what you want her to do.”
“I can tell her from here. I want someone else to go on this silly ride.” She looked up and smiled sweetly.
He ignored her sarcasm. “Whatever way you pull the reins, that’s the direction the horse will go. If you want to move, just nudge her sides with your feet, and when you want to stop, pull back!” He dismounted. “Okay. Now, you try.”
“If I must.” She exhaled a loud breath.
Frank untied her horse and positioned it next to her. “Now, just like I showed you. Left hand on the saddle horn, foot in the stirrup.”
Taylor firmly grasped the horn. She hoisted her leg, trying to fit her boot into the stirrup. She looked over her shoulder at Frank. “That last time I had my foot in a stirrup, I had a pap smear. This looks like its going to be about as much fun.”
Frank gave her a quizzical look but said nothing.
She tried to pull herself up, but fell backwards.
“That’s okay. Try it again,” he reassured.
After the fifth try, Frank apparently realized she lacked the necessary skills. While she held the saddle horn, he put her foot in the stirrup, then placed his palms under her buttocks and hefted her into the saddle. She clutched the horn tightly and adjusted her position. Searching for the other stirrup, she managed to fit her boot snugly inside then picked up the reins. “Thanks…I think.” Her heart thudded. “Okay, now what?” She dreaded the answer.
Frank mounted his black stallion and headed it toward the door. “Just follow me and relax.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding. You do that in a bed or a chair, but here?” She gave the reins a tug to the left. The horse turned its head and stared at her, but didn’t move. She felt certain she saw anger, or at least a bad attitude. “Frank,” she called in a lowered voice. “I don’t think this horse likes me.”
“Taylor, calm down. Powder is a gentle mare my daughter rides all the time. Don’t be scared. You just have to show her you’re the boss.”
“Okay, horsey. I’m the boss. Let’s not forget that.” Taylor closed her eyes and yanked hard on the reins, not feeling in control at all. Sensing movement, she opened her eyes to discover the mare had turned and followed Frank’s stallion. Taylor shifted her rear end from side to side, trying to find a comfort zone with the plodding movement. She flexed her knees, lifted out of the saddle then sat back down. She dared not speak for fear of scaring the horse.
As the exited the barn, Frank glanced around. “How are you doing?”
“F-fine,” she whispered.
Outside, he stopped and waited until she caught up. “We’ll take it slow. There’s no hurry. All you have to do is let her have her head and she’ll do the work.”
“Have her head? What in the hel...ah, heck does that mean?”
“That means leave slack in the reins. You only need to guide her when you want to go left, right, or stop.”
“So, she knows where we’re going and I don’t?”
“She’ll just walk alongside ol’ Rebel here and go wherever he goes. I think Powder likes him.”
“Swell.”
* * * *
Taylor started to relax and developed a rhythm with the horse. She smiled over at Frank. “This isn’t as awful as I thought would be.”
“See, I told you you’d like it,” he said.
“I didn’t say I like it. I said it isn’t quite as bad as I expected.”
“Well, let’s hope we don’t run into any more rain.”
Rain!
The word stirred a memory. “How could I have forgotten? You just reminded me of something important. When we talked about the lightning strike that happened the day of Mariah’s accident, I didn’t connect it to myself. But yesterday, when I was drying off after my bath, I remembered. Static electricity! Lightning is a sort of static, isn’t it?”
“I don’t reckon I even know the meaning of that word. But what does drying off have to do with lightning?”
“I remembered back to when I was driving to work, it started to rain pretty hard, and there must have been a lot of static in the air because it kept interfering with my radio.”
He rolled his eyes. “I have to ask. What’s a radio?”
“I’ll explain another time. The important thing is that something to do with electricity happened the day of my accident, too. Do you think there could be a connection?”
“I wish I knew. I don’t know much about electricity, or lightning for that fact. But it sure makes you wonder. If this is a clue, what do we do with it?”
She shook her head. “
I don’t know. I was hoping you would.”
Frank didn’t say anything, just leaned back in the saddle. He pushed his hat higher on his head and allowed a dark curl to fall forward. Taylor fought the urge to reach across and push it aside. For a fleeting moment, looking at his handsome profile, she envied Mariah.
* * * *
Taylor reined the mare to a halt next to the corral. Just as she had when they stopped to eat, she removed her right foot from the stirrup, pulled it up and back over the saddle. She wasn’t very graceful, but she did manage to clear leather and land standing up this time. “Boy, am I glad that adventure is over.”
Frank had already dismounted and stooped to pick up her reins where she’d dropped them. “Are you gonna tell me you didn’t have a good time?”
She laughed. “All right, so I did enjoy myself. And it wasn’t as scary as I thought, although I still don’t like the way Powder looks at me. From the way my thighs and butt feel, I imagine this is something you have to get used to.” She rubbed her backside with both hands.
He grinned. “I guess I should have told you it might cause some irritation.”
“At least, now I know I’m not the only pain in the butt around here.” She laughed and waddled back toward the house.
Chapter Thirty-two
Denver, Colorado—2002
Mariah and David sat at the breakfast table. They ate in silence until he dropped his fork into his empty plate and scooted back from the table, dabbing his lips with a napkin. “Mariah, I’m going back to work on Monday. I have to. We can’t afford for me to be off any longer, especially since you aren’t working… I mean since Taylor isn’t working. Today’s Saturday and we still have two days until I get back in the trenches, so while you were in the shower, I called and arranged something fun for us to do today.”
She clucked her tongue against the back of teeth. “I knew you’d eventually have to return to whatever it is you do, but I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m going to be all alone for the first time.” She decided not to dwell on something she couldn’t change. “So, just what fun thing have you arranged?”
“A friend I work with knows a guy who runs a small tourist enterprise. I’ve never met Garrett personally, but...”
She shrugged and flashed him a confused look. “Tourist enterprise? What exactly is that?”
“People pay him to fly...”
Before he finished his sentence, she realized where he was leading. Her eyes bulged in disbelief. “Fly? As in an airplane? Don’t tell me you expect me to get in one of those… those flying contraptions.”
“Come on. People fly every day. It’ll be fun. Trust me.”
“Where I’m from people do not fly. Birds do.”
“Where’s your pioneer spirit? I thought people from 1872 had grit. If everyone felt like you do, we wouldn’t be flying today.”
His inference insulted her. She straightened in her chair. “I do have grit! You have no idea how easy you have it today. You wouldn’t last a month in 1872. You and your TV, your recliner, your swimming pool, your dishwasher, your garage door opener. You have no idea what grit is.”
He nodded. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe grit wasn’t the word I was looking for. How about ‘adventuresome spirit’? Don’t you trust me?”
“What has trust got to do with anything?”
“I wouldn’t plan anything that would harm you. I’ve flown thousands of time. Just think about what you’ll have to tell your kids when you get home.”
Mariah turned solemn; her shoulders sagged. “If I ever get home.”
* * * *
As they walked toward the ‘jet’ David jabbered. Mariah wondered how she let herself get talked into flying. Her heart hammered as if trying to beat its way right through her chest. The closer they came, the more the urge to turn and run appealed to her. It was as if David sensed her thoughts and held her hand a little tighter. As they neared, her stomach twisted and turned. She needed reassurance. “David, are you sure this safe? I realize we haven’t figured out how I’m going to get home, but I would at least like to stay alive to try.”
He chuckled. “Haven’t we already had this discussion? You’re perfectly safe. Garrett is a licensed pilot. He flies all the time. People pay him to fly them to wherever they need to go. It’s what he does.”
“Well, I’ve already survived riding in a car, and none of those new-fangled gadgets in your house have killed me, so I’ll go, but I don’t have to like it.”
“Well, if you don’t like it, I won’t ever make you go again. I’m going to be right beside you, so it’s not like you’re going alone.”
“That would assure me, but Frank was beside me the day I ended up here.”
They walked the rest of the way in silence.
Garrett was already inside the ‘plane’ and smiled out the window at them. At first glimpse, the slivers of gray marking his brown hair made him appear older than David. His gentle eyes and kind smile quelled her fears momentarily. She surveyed the strange configuration of the airplane. It seemed much larger than it appeared from a distance.
David stood next to the door and motioned for her to enter, but her feet were frozen to the ground. She understood why Frank’s old mare dug in her heels when he buckled her to the plow. She didn’t any part of what was planned for her.
“Go ahead, Mariah, get in.” David coaxed.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to put one foot in front of the other and ducked inside. Visions of confinement in the elevator ran through her mind, and she took a deep breath.
Next to Garrett a seat was vacant, and four more empty ones sat behind him. Mariah moved directly across and sat. Garrett turned and smiled at her again. She tried to mask her fear and smiled back at him.
David stooped to enter, closed the door and sat next to her. “Fasten your seat belt.”
She heard his click. Securing her own belt, she swallowed hard.
He reached out and touched her arm. “Are you okay?”
She nodded because a lump choked off her words.
He made introductions. “Garrett, this is Mariah. Mariah, this is Garrett.”
Again Garrett smiled and nodded, but quickly turned his attention to the numerous knobs and dials in front of him. A roaring noise caused Mariah to jump. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the arms of her seat. Compared to the car, the plane sounded deafening. She covered her ears. “Why is it so loud?” she yelled over the din.
He leaned closer. “It’s noisier at the beginning. He has to test the jets and make sure everything is okay. It won’t be this loud all the time.”
Just as he finished his sentence, the racket lessened. She folded her hands in her lap, grasping her fingers, and managed a quick grin. “That’s much better.”
When the plane started moving, Mariah tensed and leaned back against her seat. She grabbed David’s hand. Faster, faster the plane maneuvered along the narrow strip until the wheels left the ground. The force exerted against her body held her prisoner against the seat.
Finally, she peered out the window, still clutching David’s hand. She watched the distance between the airplane and the ground increase as the aircraft climbed higher. Holding her breath, she forced herself to look forward, her head firmly planted against the headrest. Through the windshield, she glimpsed only blue sky.
She turned to find David smiling at her. “Can I have my hand back now? My fingers are numb.”
Mariah realized she needed to breathe. She released her pent-up breath and released his hand. “Sorry!”
“See, that wasn’t so bad. Garrett is leveling off now so you can just sit back and take in the sights.”
She swallowed and turned to look out the window. Craning her neck to peek over the edge, she looked down. “Oh, heavenly days.”
The landscape resembled the patchwork quilt on her bed at home. Colors of the rainbow seemed to have fallen to earth. For as far as she could see, the backdrop was nothing but blue sky and white clo
uds. It was no wonder birds chose to fly. Amazement replaced her fear.
She pressed closer to the window and gazed down. “What are those little things moving down there?”
David leaned across and looked. “Those are cars on the interstate.”
“They look more like ants.” She giggled.
The immensity of space dwarfed the tall buildings that had once awed her, and the distant mountain peaks, still covered with an icing of snow, appeared close enough to touch. She was speechless at the beauty that lay before her. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think she would fly.
Chapter Thirty-three
Colorado Territory—1872
Frank spent more and more time working out on the range. With a ranch to run, he couldn’t continue to ignore his responsibilities. Taylor almost wished the kids were around so she’d have some company. This morning, she almost asked if she could go with him, but chose solitude over horseback riding again.
Being alone gave her too much time to think about David and how much she missed him. She and Frank had already discussed the possibility that Mariah had assumed her role in modern-day Denver, so Taylor tried to picture how David would get along with the meek and mild woman Frank often described. Now that she’d been assured by men from two different centuries she wasn’t the easiest person to live with, her confidence waned. She slammed the iron cover down on the stove. “What if he likes her better? What if….”
The sound of horses in the yard interrupted her ranting. The sun was already setting, and she welcomed the sound of Frank’s voice calling goodnight to his men. She’d managed to prepare dinner because she knew he’d be tired, and had fried up a slice of ham and boiled some potatoes. It was something she’d watched him do, so it wasn’t that difficult. This time, she tasted everything beforehand.
She turned from the stove when he walked in, and greeted him with a smile. “I thought you’d never get home. You must be exhausted.”
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