“I told you that I remember a vibration in the air. Can you, like them, learn how to take advantage of those frequencies?”
“Who the hell knows? The Anasazi seers studied this phenomenon for centuries. You gave me three weeks.”
Reno hated to say it, but he couldn’t help himself. “You said you were watching for the journeyman. Didn’t you consider being prepared when the time came?”
Kota gave him a very pointed stare. “You are an impudent half-breed.” Then, his face broke out into a smile. “Sure, I did. I’m prepared. Generations of my ancestors, from me all the way back to Ela have been preparing just in case they were the lucky one to deal with you.” He spun one finger in the air. “Lucky me.”
Reno ignored his sarcasm. “How did you prepare?”
“I’ll reveal more as time grows closer. Right now, just know that a wiser person than you will be taking care of the details.”
Relief washed over Reno like water from a cool spring. “If you’re prepared, why did you send Lou off to buy those items?”
He went back to braiding the rope. “She needed something to do. Needed to feel important. I am considering taking her under my wing. She’s smart. For a white girl.”
“You do enjoy playing with people’s emotions, don’t you?”
His dry chuckle rattled in his throat. “Hey, I’m old. I have to get my jollies where I can.”
* * *
The rest of the day was spent getting ready for their trip. Reno spent a couple of hours on the computer searching for places he wanted to visit. Before ending up in Knoxville, Tennessee, their route would take them through Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, and Nashville. While he had fun planning their itinerary, Journey did their packing.
As she folded his shirts and jeans, the miracle of their relationship dawned anew. She sank to the bed, holding one of his shirts to her chest as she cried.
“What’s wrong?” Myra stood at the door, alarmed to see her great niece sobbing uncontrollably. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” She choked back another sob. “I’m just overwhelmed. My life used to be pretty humdrum. Now, look at it. I’m about to leave on a mini vacation with my romantic obsession from another century. And soon, if I’m lucky, I’ll be joining him on his return trip to 1869.” She wiped tears from her cheek. “Nothing to get emotional about.”
“Oh, honey,” Myra came to sit next to her on the bed. “This is what you wanted. There’s nothing else in this universe that could’ve made you this happy. You may be crying, but you can’t tell me they aren’t tears of joy.”
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”
“The only thing I don’t like is that you’re about to go gallivanting off and leave me here all by myself.”
Journey knew Myra understood Reno’s need to visit the place of his birth and Sojourner’s resting place, but she still lamented the time they would be apart. “We won’t be gone long. Two or three days at the most.”
“I ought to just go with you,” she threatened, then waved off the idea. “No, I’ll stay here and cook. And clean. This house is a disaster.” Myra looked around the room critically.
“I’m sorry if we messed things up for you.”
“Pshaw. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just being a grumpy old lady. Houses are meant to be lived in.”
At Myra’s mention of a house, Journey couldn’t resist sharing something with her aunt. “Reno is going to build a cabin for me. Before we leave, I’m going to download some house plans just to get ideas. Isn’t that exciting?”
“I just hate that I won’t be able to share any of this with you. You’ll have a new home. Children. I’ll miss it all.”
Her sadness worried Journey. “There has to be some way.” She thought for a moment. “We have all of these records from the past. What if I leave a diary and some pictures for you to find? We can pick out a location together, a place where you can go and dig them up.”
Myra frowned. “But how? The past is already the past. It would have to be already buried…”
Journey shook her head. “I know it’s confusing, but I think it’s possible. Just let me be gone for a week or two, then go check. I promise to send you enough information and pictures that you’ll feel you were there for it all.”
“Oh, my Journey, I do love you so.”
While Myra held her and cried, Journey filed away the memory to be cherished at a later date.
* * *
As they began their journey, Reno was all smiles. “The last time I made the trip from Knoxville to Texas was in 1865. Memories of the war were so fresh that every night when I went to sleep, I’d dream of cannon fire. I rode a horse partway and walked the rest. The whole country was raw and unsettled. People didn’t really know who to trust. I mean, just because two men signed a peace treaty in Appomattox, didn’t mean everyone else could forget they’d been at odds just weeks before. Everything was scarce – food, livestock, money – the temperament of people reminded me of a powder keg about to blow.”
“I can imagine. Myra said her mother called anyone who lived north of Oklahoma a damn Yankee. And that was just a little more than fifty years ago.”
He nodded, his arm resting on the bottom of the passenger window. “I’m looking forward to seeing how things have changed, especially around the area I grew up.”
“We’ll visit
