Smith's Monthly #14

by Smith, Dean Wesley

  Electricity was new at this point in hotels. Only the top and most modern hotels had it and clearly this hotel had planned for it from the start.

  A Queen Anne desk sat in one corner and a large overstuffed cloth couch and three overstuffed armed chairs surrounded a center area in front of a massive stone fireplace. All had a light brown and gold pattern to them that matched the wood and stone tones of the room.

  Area carpets covered parts of the polished dark mahogany floors and thick drapes hung beside each window with smaller privacy drapes on the lower window panels. Since she was on the top floor of the tallest building in Boise, she doubted even the privacy drapes were necessary.

  The morning light was wonderful in the room, giving it a faint tint of orange. She flat hated mornings, but today she was enjoying this one. It seemed her internal clock had shifted to this time, thankfully.

  She could live in this room for years, she had no doubt.

  She had lived in Boise off and on her entire life and had no idea of the glory of this old hotel. Someone a few years back had bought it and restored it. She hoped they did even half of the details she could see here. She would have to check it out when she got home.

  The bedroom was dominated by high windows, another stone fireplace, and a dresser and a nightstand with a large round mirror over it.

  The bathroom was much smaller. It had the large claw-footed tub against one wall and a brand new toilet with the tank halfway up the wall and a long brass pull chain. There was also a cast-iron sink and maple vanity stand.

  The windows didn’t come all the way down the walls, allowing for privacy from the outside while leaving the curtains open.

  Large fluffy brown bath towels were stacked near the sink on a low table, along with a few washcloths and hand towels.

  There was no hot water from the one faucet in the tub, so last night she had had to wait for the staff to bring her up buckets of hot water for her bath. But clearly, for 1902, this bathroom was top of the line. She had no idea what Duster was paying for this suite. At some point she would have to talk with him about money. She had some he had given her in her saddlebag, along with some gold.

  After she finished dressing, she wished she had thought of bringing some sort of watch. She was to meet Bonnie and Duster and Dawn in the dining room just after 6 a.m. for breakfast. She had made a crack about yet another early morning, but at this point she didn’t mind at all. The night’s sleep in that wonderful bed had refreshed her and she was hungry.

  She locked her room and with her sun hat in her hand, headed for the dining room, enjoying every architectural detail of the hotel on the way down the grand staircase.

  She was three steps inside the big, beautiful dining room before she realized Bonnie and Duster and Dawn weren’t there yet.

  Now what was she supposed to do?

  The reality of actually being in the past suddenly hit her.

  Over the past two days Bonnie and Dawn had explained to her what it was like being a woman of means in 1902. Sherri had thought she understood them, both the advantages and the really bad sides of it.

  But now standing here, alone, in this mostly empty dining room, she didn’t know what to do.

  The room looked as if it had just opened for breakfast, so chances are she was just early. She glanced back through the door of the dining room at the grand staircase, but no sign of Bonnie or Duster or Dawn.

  “May I help you?” a waiter with bright eyes and a dark moustache said, bowing slightly.

  “I am to meet three friends here in a moment,” she said, proud that her voice didn’t crack.

  He nodded and led her to a table with a white tablecloth and a red flower in a crystal vase in the center. He held her chair while she sat and she thanked him.

  “May I get a glass of water while I wait?” she asked. “With ice, please.”

  He nodded and smiled. “Certainly.”

  Bonnie had told her that people of means asked for ice, even in the heat of the summer. It was more expensive, but a status thing.

  With that the waiter left, leaving her sitting there alone.

  In 1902.

  What had she gotten herself into?

  She had no idea what to do next. She understood how to eat in this time period, but she didn’t understand if she should take her napkin and place it on her lap or not now, or wait.

  And she had no idea what to do with her hat. Not a clue.

  She forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down.

  As Bonnie had said earlier, her actions in this timeline would have little to no effect unless she did something major. So she could relax.

  Another deep breath and she could feel herself getting comfortable in the wonderful, high-ceilinged room. The ceiling had to be almost twenty feet overhead, with large chandelier light fixtures hanging down about ten feet. They were not turned on since so much natural light was flowing through the huge windows. The room almost felt as if she was eating on a grand patio.

  The tops of the windows had been lowered to allow a breeze in from the cool morning air. The massive rock fireplace that filled one corner of the room didn’t have a fire in it, but she imagined it could keep the room very warm in the winter.

  She glanced at the two men in front of one window and then the older couple sitting against the back wall near the door. Then she glanced at the solo man sitting directly across the room from her.

  She froze and just stared at him.

  Never in her memory had she seen a man so handsome. He had dark hair and was clean-shaven. He wore an expensive dark suit with a vest and silk shirt under it.

  And he had the most amazing green eyes and smile.

  He was smiling at her.

  She was just staring at him and he was smiling at her.

  Oh, no, she was attracted to a guy who had been dead for half a century and he was smiling back at her.

  Now what was she supposed to do?

  She couldn’t pull her gaze away and even in 2017 staring like she was doing would be considered rude. More than likely in this time it was almost a cardinal sin.

  She could feel her cheeks flushing red, but she just couldn’t look away or calm her racing heart.

  What was happening to her?

  He nodded and then with a smile looked down at his newspaper as his breakfast as served.

  She still flat couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She needed to get a grip because she was fairly certain that walking across the dinning room and sitting on his lap would be frowned on.

  Wow, she had had a few crushes on men in the past, but never one at first sight like this and almost always when she had been drinking. Her work had never really allowed her to get too attached to anyone.

  And there sure was no way she could get attached to a man in 1902.

  Could she?

  But she was. Oh, shit.

  “Up early I see,” Bonnie said, smiling as she and Duster approached the table. Duster wore his normal suit and black jeans and had his long oilcloth coat and hat on.

  Duster held the chair for Bonnie and she said, “Well thank you, kind sir.”

  Duster laughed, then turned to give his hat and coat to the waiter.

  “Don’t you just love the past?” Bonnie said, taking her napkin and smoothing it over her lap and indicating Sherri should do the same.

  “My hat?” Sherri asked, showing them her hat.

  Duster offered to take it as Dawn came in and joined them.

  Dawn handed Duster her hat as well and he took both of them to the waiter to hang up.

  When Duster came back and sat down, Sherri allowed herself to glance in the direction of the man across the room. He was reading his newspaper and his face was hidden as he ate.

  She felt a pang of disappointment and shook that off as Bonnie asked her about her suite and the wonderful conversation over breakfast went from there.

  Sherri was about halfway through her wonderful eggs, ham, and fried potatoes when the man acro
ss the way stood, folded his newspaper, put on his hat, and strode toward the door.

  He had to walk fairly close to them, but his gaze seemed to be focused on the door.

  Again her breath caught. He was in even better shape than she had imagined, and his clothes fit him perfectly. He had to be the most alluring man she had ever seen.

  He got even with their table, glanced at her, smiled, tipped his hat, and kept walking.

  Again Sherri could feel her face grow pink as she smiled back and nodded in return.

  Should she have done that?

  Was that too forward for this time period?

  In all her research on people’s lifestyles and how they lived and the homes they lived in, she never once thought to learn about dating or courting, or whatever it was called at this point.

  As the stranger vanished out of the door, she almost jumped to her feet and ran after him. She couldn’t let the one man she had really, really been attracted to in her lifetime just vanish like that.

  “Handsome man, huh?” Duster asked as he kept eating.

  “He is,” Sherri said. “Do you know him?”

  “What did I miss?” Bonnie asked, glancing over her shoulder at the now empty doorway.

  “Yeah,” Dawn said, “What happened?”

  “His name is Carson and he lives around here somewhere,” Duster said, smiling. “I don’t know his last name. I’ve only played a little poker with him this summer, but I’ve seen him at other times in the past from a distance.”

  Sherri nodded and stared at her food, relieved. At least he wasn’t traveling through. She might have a chance to see him again.

  “This is only your third day in 1902 and you’re already hustling men,” Dawn said, smiling. “Wow, cousin, that’s some fast moves.”

  “Never could handle those modern ones,” Sherri said, giving Dawn a wink. “Figured a dead one was safe.”

  “He looked far from dead to me,” Duster said, shaking his head.

  “I agree with that,” Sherri said.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  August 5, 1902

  A mile outside of Boise, Idaho

  Carson managed to not allow himself to walk back into that dining room and sit down with the four of them and tell them who he actually was. He just wasn’t sure if he did that, it would mess up Duster and Bonnie allowing him to use the mine for his research.

  He just didn’t know enough about time travel and timeline travel to understand the repercussions. He was going to need to think it all through.

  But he had no doubt he was going to see them again, since the wonderful woman he was so attracted to was in the process of remodeling his home in 2017. At least they had the same taste in homes.

  Somehow, he managed to get his supplies and get back to his home before it got too hot. He doubted they would come out here today to look around because they had supplies and clothing to get, which meant a day of shopping. None of them would be up for a mile ride out Warm Springs Avenue in the heat after that.

  That gave him a day to try to figure out what he was going to do.

  And he honestly had no idea.

  He got Sandy brushed down and in the stable. Then he made himself a glass of iced tea and went out to his back porch with a notebook to try to get his thoughts together.

  The cottonwood trees shaded the back porch and the Boise River below the bluff flowed lazily past. Birds were still chirping in the trees, not yet settled in for the hot day.

  His back porch was painted white with a thick white railing all the way around between massive mahogany posts that held up the rooms above, the same look as the front porch. Only this porch ran the entire length of the back of the mansion and wrapped slightly around the left side.

  He had one overstuffed chair out here with an end table beside it. He had really never invited anyone to see his home before, so no one had sat out here with him.

  But right now he wanted Sherri Edwards to be sitting here beside him. In all his years he had never felt like that about a woman. Even the women he met and sometimes married in Europe on different trips into the past. The women had all been nice and one named Gwen he had met and married and lived decades with on six different trips before deciding that was enough. He loved her, and sometimes missed her, but he knew she would always be there in any of the timelines.

  But Sherri Edwards from 2017 was different. She was from his own time. That changed everything. No do-overs if he screwed this up.

  That thought just scared the hell out of him.

  He sipped on the cool, unsweetened iced tea and stared out over the river. So was he going to ask them to see his home?

  Was he going to admit to Duster and all of them who he was?

  He sat there, staring out over the river, thinking, until his lack of iced tea and the warming heat drove him back inside for the day without an answer.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  August 5, 1902

  Idanha Hotel, Boise, Idaho

  Sherri kept hoping as they were out shopping, and then at lunch and dinner that she would see the handsome man named Carson, but he was nowhere to be found.

  But she enjoyed the shopping with Dawn and Bonnie and by the time the day was finished, they all had good wardrobes.

  That evening Dawn and Bonnie and Sherri sat in Bonnie’s suite talking, letting the cooling evening breeze in. Duster was downstairs playing poker so they talked about everything just as if they were sitting in a lunch in Boise.

  It felt surreal to Sherri, but Bonnie and Dawn were so comfortable, they made her feel comfortable as well.

  Finally Sherri asked the question she had wanted to ask Bonnie.

  “How long have you lived?”

  Bonnie laughed. “Since we went to school together, I assume you don’t mean in our modern time.”

  “How many times back here?” Sherri asked, almost afraid of the answer.

  “Stopped counting a modern year ago or so,” Bonnie said, “at about a thousand trips back. Some were short, like that first one we took when Duster didn’t show, many other trips I died of old age in the past, usually in San Francisco.”

  “Duster always with you?”

  Bonnie shook her head and laughed. “For the first thousand years or so we stuck together, continuing to work out the math of it all, but after that we now mostly go different directions. He likes playing Marshal up here in the Wild West and I like the luxury of San Francisco living.”

  “For the first thousand years?” Sherri asked, stunned.

  Dawn laughed. “Stunned me as well when I first asked that question, but I’m now past that many years as well.”

  “You don’t look a day over eight hundred,” Sherri said, trying to think of something intelligent to say.

  “Well, thank you, I think,” Dawn said, laughing.

  “How do you even stay sane?” Sherri asked. “Or remember anything.”

  “We have our work,” Bonnie said. “That’s what keeps us sane.”

  Dawn nodded.

  “And because only two minutes and fifteen seconds actually pass,” Bonnie said, “it puts things in perspective quickly. The modern time is what is important. We are just visitors in these timelines.”

  Sherri made herself take a deep breath. “So we can stay here and have families and die of old age and return as normal to the cave?”

  Both Dawn and Bonnie nodded.

  “Thinking of that hot guy from breakfast?” Dawn asked, grinning.

  “Actually, I am,” Sherri said. “How exactly would that work?”

  “Unless all four of us wanted to remain for a long time back here beyond our planned two months, it wouldn’t,” Dawn said.

  “Because all of us came back together?” Sherri asked.

  Bonnie nodded. “As you saw when Duster didn’t show, if the machine gets unplugged, we all return.”

  “So if I came back alone and met him,” Sherri asked.

  “Then you could marry him,” Dawn said, “have kids, grand
kids, grow old, and die.”

  “And when you died,” Bonnie said, “you would end up in the cave just two minutes and fifteen seconds after you left, but with the memories of the full lifetime with him.”

  “And then you could go back again, meet him, and spend another lifetime,” Dawn said.

  “Wow,” Sherri said, sitting back, trying to get her mind around what she had just heard. It all seemed impossible. And she would think it a drunken illusion if she wasn’t actually sitting in 1902.

  “Caution on having children back here,” Bonnie said. “Medical practices are not what you call good.”

  Sherri glanced at Dawn and then Bonnie and didn’t say anything. Clearly that warning was coming from experience.

  “So the kids vanish when you vanish?” Sherri asked.

  “Nope,” Dawn said. “What you do here in this timeline changes it. We are actually in this timeline, remember?”

  “And changing it is bad?”

  Bonnie shook her head. “Nothing is harmed. Our timeline remains the same for the most part. Not always, but for the most part.”

  “There’s a story there, isn’t there?” Sherri asked.

  “We’ll tell you about how we built Monumental Lodge at some point,” Dawn said, smiling.

  Sherri was stunned. That lodge had always been on the edge of the Idaho wilderness. She had heard so much about it, but never had the chance to get up there.

  Bonnie waved her hand. “Far too long and too complex a story and I plan on taking a bath and being in bed before Duster gets back from the poker room.”

  Dawn and Sherri laughed and stood and said goodnight. They planned to meet at six a.m. for breakfast again. Sherri borrowed a small watch from Bonnie and outside Bonnie’s door, Dawn said goodnight and went one way, Sherri the other to their corner suites.

  This time Sherri decided on a cold bath since she had been hot most of the day. She had only been in the past for three full days now and had met the man of her dreams.