by James, Sandy
It came as no surprise when she stomped her foot like a two-year-old having a fit. “You want her, don’t you? Well, that’s just too damn bad. She’s going with Daniel Miller. Abigail and I helped make her dress. She’s going to marry Daniel, you know. That’s what Hank told me. Daniel already proposed. She’s s’posed to agree tonight. Might even tie the knot with him right after the dance.”
Not entirely sure he could believe her, James shook his head. “Even if he asked her, she won’t marry Daniel.” As if saying it would make it true.
“We’ll just see about that.” In a blur of satin and prissy ringlet curls like some life-sized Shirley Temple doll, Caroline turned on her heel and stalked out of the kitchen.
James put his empty mug in the sink. Feeling the need to be close to Susan, he wandered up to her room. The door was ajar, so he took it as an inferred invitation to go on in.
Had he not known whose room it was, he would have quickly seen her touches on the décor. Neat as a pin. Her few dresses hung on a row of hooks. The steamer trunk Li’l Jim had given her rested at the foot of the bed next to the small one Daniel had brought.
That damned gold dress lay spread over the colorful quilt that covered her bed. She’d done a beautiful job on that dress, and the color would be perfect to highlight her brown eyes. She’d wear it tonight as she danced with Daniel. Half the town’s men would probably give her a spin on the dance floor.
Jealousy thrummed through him, a feeling he knew he’d always have whenever he thought of any other man being with his Susan.
Caroline’s words haunted him. She’s going to marry Daniel, you know.
If not Daniel, she’d surely answer with a “yes” to one of the other dozens of proposals. If she remained in River Bend, she’d have to make a new life for herself, and Susan wasn’t the type of person who should be alone. Single women didn’t stay single long in this era.
This era. This era that wasn’t his own.
After weeks of living this new life as if it was some vacation that left him suspended in time, James finally acknowledged their weird time-traveling journey. Good God, he was really living in the Wild West in 1880, just as he’d constantly fantasized as a child. Dreams really could come true if you found the right rock in the right museum.
Was there a way home? And if he was offered the choice, would he go back to the twenty-first century? Back to his suburban home and his job and the toil of his life?
Would Susan want to return?
While he had a hard time deciding his own future, he had no doubt what Susan would do. If given a way back to her children, she would go. No questions. No regrets. No looking back. She’d return to the Windy City in a heartbeat.
Where did that leave their marriage?
Picking up the dress, James held it close to his face. The material had that clean smell of the soap she’d been using here in River Bend. He loved that scent as much as he’d always liked the White Shoulders perfume she used to wear.
Did Daniel recognize her smell? Did he like to hold her against him to feel her soft curves? Did he enjoy her kisses as much as James always had?
“She won’t marry Daniel,” he whispered to the empty room. “Because she’s already married to me.”
In that moment, James answered his own dilemma. What would he do if given the choice to remain in River Bend or return to Chicago? He’d follow Susan, no matter what she did, where she went, or which time she chose. She was his wife, the only wife he ever wanted.
The time had come to reclaim her.
* * * *
Reining Tobacco to a stop, Susan sat back and relished the sunshine on her face. The run had done them both good. As they’d galloped along the long stretches of grass, the horse and rider moved as one. She savored the freedom, both physical and from her troubling thoughts. For a short, wonderful time, her world had been reduced to the wind in her face, the smell of fresh air, and the feel of the sun warming her skin.
Glancing around, she gasped when she saw it. How damned ironic. The first time she’d gone out with no intention of searching for the rock and it finally showed itself.
Susan squealed when she first recognized it, that enormous, meddling rock with its ancient symbols scrawled over the surface. She climbed off Tobacco’s back and led him to the closest tree. Wrapping his reins around a sturdy branch, she approached the destiny stone as one would approach the altar of a quiet cathedral. Slowly. Steadily. Reverently.
The stupid thing wasn’t humming now, but it still called to her in a way she didn’t understand. Finding herself standing a mere arm’s length away, she fought an internal battle. Should she just go ahead and touch it and get back to Lynne and John? Back to her old life? All she would have to do is reach out and press her palm to the surface. Just a quick reach, and she might be home.
She sure didn’t relish the idea of being sucked into that dizzying void again. The trip had been rocky and rough and had left her nauseous and disoriented, but she’d do it again gladly if that journey took her back to her own time.
But no matter how hard she tried to encourage herself, Susan couldn’t make the choice. She couldn’t make herself put her palm against the smooth surface. She couldn’t leave yet. There remained too much still to resolve. Nor could she leave James behind without at least offering him what could be his only chance to go back to the twenty-first century.
Plopping down on the grass, Susan crossed her legs in front of her and stared at the rock, hoping it would provide some inspiration. In that moment of reflection, one thought hit her so hard she felt the adrenaline dump into her system, setting her heart to pounding. After all was said and done, the rock had yet to fulfill its purpose, the reason it had sent her on this odyssey through time.
She’d yet to find her destiny. She wasn’t any closer to knowing what to do than she’d been from the moment she and James had landed in the middle of the Circle M.
It didn’t come as a surprise when Harry suddenly appeared by her side. He leaned down to squeeze her shoulder before awkwardly sitting his old body down in the grass next to her. “You finally understand.”
Susan nodded. “The rock’s here. That means I’m supposed to go back.”
The perturbed look he shot her was probably the same one she threw at students when they couldn’t answer a question she was sure they should know the answer to. “No, no, no. Now, you’re jumping to conclusions again. The rock being here only means one thing.”
“That I have to touch it sometime soon and get back to the twenty-first century.”
His sigh lasted long enough to let her know he was getting frustrated with her again. “No one ever said touching the rock would send you back. You could just as easily touch it and realize you’re where and when you’re meant to be.”
“Hadn’t thought about that.” That was par for the course for her, always trying to control everything. Always trying to be one step ahead. “Then I’m supposed to marry Daniel? I figured your…boss would want me to stay married to my first husband.”
His shrug pushed her buttons.
“Why can’t you tell me anything?”
“Susan, you know you have to find the answers all by yourself. Destiny will have its way.”
“Can’t destiny at least give me a stinking hint?”
His gaze darted around as if looking for an eavesdropper. Then he leaned in closer. She mimicked his action, hoping he was about to reveal some much needed yet horribly secret information that destiny didn’t wish to provide. In a whispered voice, he said, “You’ll know when the time is right.”
Leaning back, Susan crossed her arms over her breasts. “Oh, for God’s sake—”
“Why, yes, it certainly is for His sake.”
Could she get in trouble for smacking a spiritual guide upside the head?
“All right,” Harry said with a nod.
“All right what?”
“All right. I’ll answer one question.” He held up his index finger as if to emph
asize his point.
That hardly seemed fair because she had at least a thousand. And that was just for starters. She settled on one she hoped would give her the best chance of knowing which path she’d travel. “Should I touch the stone tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Yes? When tonight?”
He answered with a shake of his head. “One question, Susan. But you’ll know when the time is right.”
Why did he always have to talk in such ridiculous riddles? She closed her eyes and prayed for patience.
A warm hand covered hers. “Trust me. You’ll know. Just as soon as the choice is clear as a spring morning after a soft rain, you’ll know. There won’t be a single doubt in your heart. And when you feel that certainty that tells you you’ve found your destiny, take that destiny by the hand and come here.” He gave the rock a nod. “It will know what to do.”
Did that mean she was supposed to be with James or Daniel, that she was supposed to lead one of them to the blasted rock? Or did that mean she was supposed to come back here by herself? Did that mean she would live in the nineteenth or twenty-first century? Harry’s expression didn’t even offer a flicker of a hint. The man had the perfect poker face.
Susan pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest. Closing her eyes, she lost herself in thought. One at a time, she considered her choices.
She could pursue James, try to patch up her destroyed marriage. She’d have to fight Caroline for him, and she wasn’t sure she had the right ammunition anymore. When she was younger, she always thought her looks were passable. Nothing special. Average. Just like every other aspect of her. All she was and all she’d ever be. Average.
How could she possibly compete with someone as young and beautiful as Caroline?
And then there was Daniel Miller. The man had been so kind, a friend when she’d desperately needed one. He wanted to marry her. She didn’t love him, but she also knew he was the kind of man she could learn to love. Her body responded to his touch.
Could she take a new lover? A new husband?
Shit, was she even married anymore? Had she ever been married?
About to ask Harry several of the questions swirling in her mind and hoping against hope he’d answer at least one more, she opened her eyes.
“God, I get tired of you doing that! Can’t you at least stick around long enough to say good-bye?” she shouted at the empty woods.
Her guardian angel needed to learn some flippin’ manners.
The dance was fast approaching, and Susan felt no closer to finding any answers. Standing up, she brushed the leaves and grass off her ass and decided to start the evening with Daniel. She’d try to enjoy herself at the dance, and she’d find enough time alone with him to see if the spark of interest he’d created had the potential to build to a full-blown fire.
She’d also find some time with James and would, for the first time in a long time, try to talk to him openly and honestly about the past and about the potential for them to share a future.
Tossing a nasty glare at the ominous rock, Susan grabbed Tobacco’s reins, threw herself into the saddle, and set out for River Bend.
Chapter 18
Slamming the swinging doors open, James walked outside for the tenth time, stomping hard on the wooden planks of the boardwalk to work out his frustration. Susan still wasn’t back, and his imagination had gone into overdrive.
The lanky boy from the livery had burst into the saloon, claiming Susan had stolen Tobacco. James needed to calm the frantic kid down and get him to stop talking about having to hang Susan for being a horse thief before he could get the whole story. After he assured the teen that she hadn’t pilfered Tobacco, James sent him back to the livery. Then the worry had set in.
He didn’t doubt her skill. Susan knew how to ride. She loved horses and could handle even temperamental animals. Yet all James could do was fret that she might have some sort of accident riding all by herself. What if she got lost? What if Tobacco threw her? What if she was lying in some ditch someplace with a broken leg or a fractured skull?
Imagining her hurt was bad enough. Imagining her with Daniel was almost worse.
Where in the hell was she?
Looking first up and then down the long, main road, he was about to go back inside the saloon and worry some more when he saw the horse and rider approaching from the distance. A few moments later, he exhaled a relieved sigh as recognition dawned. Susan and Tobacco were back. About damn time. His heart pounded so hard, it echoed in his ears, drowning out the noisy bustle of the busy street.
As Susan drew closer, James marched several steps out onto the dirt road to scowl at her until she got within hearing range. Then he would blister both her ears for making him worry so much. He set his hands on his hips and tried to look stern, adopting that “teacher stance” he’d seen her take since it usually worked quite well for her.
She must have seen him too, because she waved his direction, although the wave looked more like a “move it” gesture. Well, waving him off wouldn’t work. She was going to get a talking to whether she wanted one or not. Served her right for disappearing like that. All of a sudden, she leaned forward, gave Tobacco a hard kick, and started barreling right at him.
What the hell?
Then James heard Susan’s shout. “Grab on!”
Acting on instinct and the fear in her voice, he clasped her outstretched hand as horse and rider passed close to his side. She tugged him along like an anchor toward the buildings. His feet dragged helplessly behind him, and all he could do was hold on for dear life. Susan towed him to the side of the road just as a driverless wagon being pulled by two frantic, lathered horses passed right over the spot where he’d been standing. Two men on horseback chased close behind.
When James regained his footing, Susan didn’t seem to want to let him go. Her pitbull grip was cutting off the circulation in his hand. “You can let go now, Suz.”
“You’re okay?”
He nodded.
“You’re really okay?”
The concern he heard in her voice hit him hard. She still cared. Maybe winning her back wouldn’t be as difficult as he’d expected. “I’m fine.”
The anxiety left her features, quickly replaced by anger. “Are you insane? Why didn’t you move when I yelled at you?”
“Because I didn’t hear you.”
“How could you not hear me? I was screaming like a banshee.”
Townsfolk had begun to gather around the couple, but James tried to focus on soothing her anger. He couldn’t help but smile at her worry, and she didn’t take his amusement well.
“I can’t believe you’re laughing about this! You could have died!”
“But you saved me.” He put his arm around her shoulder to give her a squeeze. “You’re my hero.”
Susan could only stare at James and wonder when exactly the man had lost his mind. Maybe time travel had rendered him senseless. What else could possibly explain the cavalier way he was taking his near death experience? A shudder ripped through her as her mind’s eye pictured what those runaway horses could have done to him.
“I mean it, Suz. You’re my hero, er…heroine. You saved my life.”
Damn right, he could have died. About time he started realizing it too. She could have lost him. But she had saved his…
She suddenly couldn’t breathe. Her thoughts wound around her mind like tendrils of smoke. Slowly an idea formed, a strange yet ridiculously simple idea that gave her hope.
Everything finally made sense in a surreal way. She’d saved his life because she was the heroine, the heroine of this ridiculous romance novel that had become the story of her life. And those novels always followed the same path.
But who was her hero?
Step one. Boy meets girl.
Sure, one boy met this girl twenty-some years ago. And they’d been married, definitely unusual in the world of romance. But once that rock, that miraculous rock, had hurled them back in time, the story had a
new beginning, a new prologue.
Or had she traveled back in time to meet her new hero? Daniel had been her savior, her protector when she desperately needed one. He had become the champion James never seemed to want to be. Was this journey to the Old West her story’s prologue?
Step two. Obstacles keep boy and girl apart.
Obstacles? How about insurmountable odds? Yet as she thought more about it, most of the trouble in her marriage had been brought on by stubborn pride. Sweet Lord, she and James had to be the two most obstinate people on the face of the planet. But wasn’t that always the case in romances? Misunderstandings and false assumptions? They often made for very satisfying stories when the characters worked out their problems.
What obstacles did she face with Daniel? Her tarnished reputation in the town. Her fear of beginning a new relationship only to be hurt again. Her love for James. Definitely enough conflict to make an interesting novel.
Step three. Boy and girl change and grow as they push aside the obstacles one by one.
Caroline remained the biggest problem where James was concerned, and Susan’s own wounded ego needed to suck it up and get past her envy and jealousy. Caroline might be young and pretty, but Susan knew James, probably better than he knew himself. The man had substance. He might be lured by a young siren, but he would ultimately go with quality.
Daniel wouldn’t let the gossip surrounding Susan hold him back. He’d make sure people in River Bend accepted her. She’d find a place for herself in this new world as the wife of a rancher, and she would continue to grow, to evolve into a woman she could admire.
Now, Susan finally felt like she was quality. Being in River Bend had changed her for the better. She’d reached deep down to find confidence she didn’t know she had inside her.
Step four. Boy gets girl back.
Susan wanted her happily ever after, and come hell or high water, she was going to get it.
If she only knew which man was her hero…
A warm hand against her cheek brought her back from her reverie. “Suz?”