He stopped and eased his horse to the outside of a wide area in the trail to let her come up beside him.
“Can you imagine,” he said, “I was following you right about here just yesterday in 2016? And we hadn’t met yet.”
She shook her head, smiling at him. “I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the fact that this entire trip, all this time, this entire last year in the past, will only take just over two minutes in our timeline.”
He laughed. “I find it amazing that it has only been a day since we met.”
“Longest damn day I have ever spent,” she said.
“I hope that’s in a good way.”
She laughed. “Jury is still out on that.”
Then she eased her horse forward, moving on along the trail ahead of him. So once again he was following her into Whale Port, Oregon.
Could history repeat itself when the repeating came over a hundred years before the first event? Sometimes this time travel stuff just gave him a headache.
If he and Kelli had done their investigation correctly, John Simon Bushnell would be arriving in the small town overland sometime in the next two days. They wanted to be there to see him and follow him on to Roosevelt, Idaho.
Jesse stayed a few horse lengths behind Kelli along the trail as it turned inland away from the ocean and widened slightly. He vaguely remembered the future highway in 2016 doing the same thing at this point.
The day that Duster and Bonnie had shown them the mine had really been something. Even though they had taken him out into a snowstorm on the first jump into the past, Jesse just couldn’t imagine actually going and living in the past.
Then, after April and Ryan arrived at the cavern and were introduced around, they all started to work to pack. Bonnie helped Jesse and Kelli make sure they had what they would need. And Duster showed them both the stash of gold and money and got them both situated with enough money to survive in style in the past.
Duster had promised them both that later on he would teach them how to make money by going into the past. But he hadn’t done that yet in this first year.
Then, with all eight of them in the crystal cavern, which was even more mind-numbing the second time, Duster and Madison and Dawn and April and Ryan had all touched the box and vanished.
That had stunned Jesse down to his core. It was not every day you saw five people just vanish in front of you.
Kelli had just grabbed his hand for comfort.
With a glove on, Bonnie quickly adjusted the time on the machine and at the count of three, they all touched the wooden box with a bare hand, jumping into the past and into the same timeline as the other five had gone into less than fifteen seconds behind the others.
Again, the movement into the other timeline had been no event as far as Jesse was concerned. It felt like nothing had happened.
But supposedly the other five had gone back in the timeline to the spring of 1899 to build homes in Boise and get ready to build the big Lodge starting the summer of 1900. They planned on building the lodge and having it open by the spring of 1902.
In 1903 they were also going to build a home in Roosevelt down the valley from the lodge that they could all use at different times while there.
Kelli’s research on the Season Medals and Bushnell didn’t start until 1907, so they had decided that going back to the summer of 1906 would be enough time ahead for them.
Jesse couldn’t imagine that Duster and the others had lived for almost seven years at that point, but when Duster had greeted Bonnie and him and Kelli in the supply cavern, it was clear he had. He looked older and a little more worn.
And he was very happy to see Bonnie.
For him it had been seven years since he had seen his wife, but only fifteen seconds had passed for Jesse and Bonnie and Kelli.
Duster had brought them horses and supplies and they all headed slowly toward Boise.
It had taken both Jesse and Kelli some days to finally totally believe they were actually in 1906. And it took them those same days to get used to riding horses again. They had done a lot of walking early on.
Jesse and Kelli had spent that summer in a number of places. Sometimes they had been up at the wonderful Monumental Summit Lodge, enjoying the crystal clear air and night skies full of so many stars, it was hard to imagine. They had also spent a week down in the mining boomtown of Roosevelt to get used to the town. Then they had gone into Boise as the late summer weather started to change.
Jesse and Kelli then had spent the winter of 1906/1907 in Boise in Bonnie and Duster’s wonderful mansion there, in two guest rooms, mostly just learning how to be comfortable with living in the past and also planning the investigation the next year.
They had spent some time in the Boise library and in the archives of the Idaho Statesman pouring over past papers to find more information.
On about the sixth day in the past, while sitting on the deck overlooking the Monumental Valley, Jesse and Kelli had both acknowledged to each other their growing attraction and desire to have a relationship with each other. But they had both decided to just wait until the time was right to take it any farther.
At that point they both felt very out of place living in 1906 and any complication just seemed like too much.
Living in Bonnie and Duster’s home did not allow that time to be right at any point over the winter either. The flirting between the two of them had reached wonderful levels as far as Jesse was concerned. And they had spent many an evening walking hand-in-hand along the Boise River talking and getting to know each other better.
And they had talked about many different possible investigations they could do together. He loved the idea of using his investigative skills to unearth historical crimes and solve them and Kelli loved his help.
It had been a fantastic year.
And now they were finally on the Season Medals trail. As Kelli had said, “They were finally on the case.”
If they could actually discover what happened to Bushnell and what happened to the Season Medals he had acquired from the Native Americans, Kelli could write a fantastic book.
And if they did manage to figure out what happened to the medals and then recover them in 2016, they planned on giving them to museums and back to their tribes. Since neither of them needed money, that seemed like the best idea. Jesse flat loved that idea.
When they had told Bonnie and Duster about that idea over dinner one night, the two of them had just beamed. It seemed the idea of doing something like that was one of the reasons they helped historians.
Now, less than one actual real-time day since they had met, but a year in past time, they were again approaching Whale Port, Oregon.
But now, instead of in modern cars, they were on horseback.
And for Jesse, after a year in the past, that now just seemed natural.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
July 9th, 1906
Oregon Coast
AHEAD THROUGH THE trees, Kelli could see the small coast fishing village of Whale Port.
She glanced over her shoulder at Jesse. “Following me again?”
“I am,” he said, smiling at her with that wonderful smile she had grown to love. “And with pleasure.”
He had to be the most handsome man she had ever met. And smart and kind and gentle.
“Twice could be considered stalking you know,” she said.
“Not sure if that term is even used that way in this time period,” he said, laughing.
She got her horse down and through a stream coming off the side of the hill and headed toward the town. From what she could see, Whale Port hadn’t changed much in the hundred-plus years. The hotel sat majestically on a slight bluff looking out over the ocean. Unlike in 2016, no other buildings had yet been built next to it.
Painted bright white, the hotel had two round towers on the two front corners that made it seem larger and taller than its three stories. She hoped like hell she would see the view from those towers shortly.
She c
ould also see the restaurant where she and Jesse had met. It still looked the same, only without a paved parking lot. A wooden boardwalk that ran about two blocks connected the shops and restaurant and hotel. Horse ties lined the boardwalk.
There were very few horses tied up at any point along the boardwalk.
The main road, that in the future would become the coast highway, was just a mud wagon road. The new cars that dotted Boise in 1906, and startled horses, had not made it over here yet. She doubted there was any way to get a car over the coast range and here.
There was also a general store, and on the side of town closest to where they were coming in was a stable. On the far side of town and out of sight, she knew a wide wagon road ran down to docks on the small inlet.
A wagon road also led up into the hills and eventually to Portland. But from here it was a lot easier to take a ship out and into the Columbia River and up to Portland.
She and Jesse had decided to take the longer route to get here. They had taken a train from Boise to Portland and then down the Willamette Valley to Salem. The ride had been wonderful, but very bumpy, and they both had berths so small one person could barely turn around in it. So they had spent most of their time in the dining car, eating and drinking coffee and enjoying the time talking.
In Salem, they had bought two horses and headed for the coast. The ride from Salem over the Coastal Mountain Range to a small town called Taft had taken them two days, stopping in the small town of Grand Ronde on the first night.
From there they had gone north up the coast, sometimes having to wait for low tide to use the beach as a trail, other times following a wagon road through the trees inland. The ride up the coast had taken three more days, stopping in two small hotels along the way.
She glanced back at the handsome man behind her again, but he seemed to be looking out over the ocean at the spectacular blue waters and light waves.
Even though they had known each other for less than a day in their real timeline, they had been in the past for a year and still hadn’t slept together. It seemed that finding privacy in 1906 was not an easy thing to do, especially when not officially a couple and living in the home of two close friends all winter. Plus Boise was a town that valued propriety of its wealthy.
Something about screaming and moaning just down the hallway in Bonnie and Duster’s home would be too embarrassing to talk about at breakfast. And she had a hunch that once she and Jesse got started, there would be a lot of both screaming in pleasure and moaning in delight.
Even without the Humpty Dumpty sex, she had really enjoyed her time with Jesse, the walks along the river, the wonderful planning sessions. But if she didn’t jump his body pretty soon, there was going to be hell to pay.
So tonight she was going to change up how they traveled. Instead of traveling together as two people of means, she wanted Jesse to sign them in as a married couple and get the largest suite in the hotel if it was available.
They had met here, why not take their relationship to the next level here?
Besides, they planned on staying here for some time, waiting for Bushnell to show up. So why not make the best of the time.
And sex with a handsome, smart man, seemed like a damn good use of her time.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
July 9th, 1906
Oregon Coast
IT DIDN’T TAKE them long to get the horses into the stable and start down the boardwalk with their saddlebags over their shoulders. Kelli also carried a carpetbag in her hand and he carried two small satchel-like bags, one hers, one his.
“Let’s change this up,” she said, smiling at him as they walked toward the diner and the white hotel beyond. The sounds of the ocean below the town seemed to almost pause for a moment as she stared at him.
He frowned. What in the world was she talking about?
She pulled a gold band from her pocket and held it up. “Bonnie lent this to me.”
His heart skipped a beat he was sure. Either that or the world just stopped for a moment.
She stopped, put her bag down on the sidewalk, and as he watched, she slipped the gold band on her wedding finger and held her hand up. “How about we sign up as a married couple and take this relationship up a step?”
Damn he liked that idea. He had been thinking about that very thing himself.
“But we’ve only known each other for less than a day,” he said, smiling at her.
“I’ve had quicker,” she said, smiling back as she picked up her bag and they kept heading for the hotel.
“That sounds like a fun story for later,” he said, grinning at her. “So am I Mr. Rae or are you Mrs. Parks?”
“Since this is 1906,” she said, “lets be traditional. But we can switch off as we go along.”
“Kinky, Mrs. Parks,” he said.
She laughed and at that moment the smell of fresh baking bread hit them both.
They both turned like someone had pulled their strings and stared at the restaurant. It didn’t look like it had any customers at all.
“Feels to me like we have flashed back to 2016,” she said, taking a deep breath of the thick-smelling air.
Jesse was almost sure he could taste the bread and how it would melt in his mouth.
“I think I’m going to be hungry sooner than later,” he said. “Amazing.”
They somehow kept on going down the boardwalk past the front of the restaurant, even though doing that felt difficult at best for Jesse.
But Duster and Bonnie had trained them well. A person of means in this time would get checked into their room first, then freshen up, change clothes, and go out for dinner. Even in a small town on the Oregon Coast they needed to maintain their image.
The four stone steps in front of the hotel led up from the boardwalk and through two open large wooden doors. Inside, the lobby had high ceilings with a large crystal chandelier hanging down in the very middle.
A massive smooth-rock fireplace dominated one wall of the lobby and the windows were a good fifteen feet tall, letting in a lot of the afternoon light.
The floors were polished pine and area carpets were under some dark brown overstuffed couches and chairs to one side. One wall near the fireplace was filled with books on what looked like dark cedar shelving.
“Those look interesting,” Kelli whispered, nodding toward the shelves of books.
“Are you saying with all the sex you’ll have time to read?” he whispered back.
“God, I hope not,” she said, laughing.
There was no one in the lobby at all except for a man behind the main wooden desk at the far wall, but Jesse had a hunch that on rainy days, this large room would serve as a gathering place for town locals to sit, read the papers, and talk around the fire.
Jesse immediately felt at home here. He wasn’t sure why, but he could feel himself relax a little as he moved across the lobby, placed the bags beside a large wooden column and moved toward the front desk.
“This is really nice,” he heard Kelli say behind him.
The man in a suit and tie and vest nodded and bowed slightly. “Welcome.”
The guy looked almost out of place in the suit. His face was weathered and tanned dark from far too much time in the sun and weather. Clearly before taking this job he must have been on a fishing boat, or he had worked as a logger.
“Jesse Parks,” Jesse said, reaching out his hand.
The man took it and shook it and again bowed slightly. Clearly that man knew he was facing a couple of means.
“My wife and I,” Jesse said, glancing back at Kelli who smiled, “would like your best suite for upwards of a week.”
“We have that available,” the man said, nodding and turning for the key to the room.
He slid the key to Jesse, then asked him to sign the big black register book that was open on the counter.
Jesse signed Mr. and Mrs. Parks, which felt very strange. He didn’t mind it. It just felt strange.
Then he noticed the name two above
his own, and also dated today.
John Simon Bushnell.
Bushnell was already here.
Their research had been off just slightly. Nothing to worry about. At least Bushnell was here.
Jesse slid the man behind the desk enough money to cover the room for the week. “Please put any extra on the account and we can settle at the end of our stay.”
“As you wish, sir,” the man said, opening a drawer and putting the cash away quickly. “I will leave a receipt in your letter box.”
“That would be fine,” Jesse said, nodding.
“Would you like me to help with your luggage?” the man asked.
“Thank you, but no,” Jesse said. “We are traveling light this trip to the coast, so I think we will be fine.”
“The suite is on the third floor,” the man said, nodding. “Simply turn right at the top of the stairs. First door on the right. The room is named Shipside.”
“We’ll find it fine,” Jesse said. Then he slipped the man a decent tip and turned for the luggage.
With Kelli leading up the wide, white-painted staircase with a dark maroon carpet runner down the middle, they headed to their suite.
On the third floor he handed Kelli the key.
“Aren’t you supposed to carry me across the threshold?” she asked, smiling at him.
“I’ll get you over more than enough thresholds later,” he said, smiling.
“Damn that sounds wonderful,” she said, pretending to fan herself before turning and opening the door to the suite.
And it did sound wonderful. He just hoped Bushnell’s early arrival wouldn’t mess things up.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
July 9th, 1906
Oregon Coast
KELLI WAS STUNNED as she opened the suite door and walked in. The place felt very, very familiar in a way she couldn’t quickly place.
The massive tall windows looked out over the Pacific Ocean and gave the room a feeling as if the room were built on a patio. A stone fireplace dominated the wall to the left going all the way up to the tall ceilings and the corner of the room extended out into the round tower.
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