As he looked around the property, it hit him. For a brief second or two, he’d forgotten where he was. At this very moment, a hundred and fifty years in the future, his Journey occupied this same small slice of land. He stood still, holding his hands out, palm up. Reno longed to sense anything that might indicate her presence. “Journey? Can you hear me? Are you here?”
Of course, she couldn’t hear him. She hadn’t been born yet.
Still…he recalled how Lou told him that time was flat. The present, the past, and the future all existed at the same time. This was no longer conjecture, as far as he was concerned. He existed in 1869 and he knew Journey existed in 2019.
Reno knew this because he’d left her side only minutes before.
Closing his eyes, he let the wind caress his face. Was this same wind blowing where she was? He didn’t know, but if there was any way she could hear him, he would send her his love.
“Journey, my beautiful wife. This is Reno. I love you.”
… “When do you have to leave?” Journey asked Lou as they walked down the paddock fence. They’d just returned from the canyon where they’d said goodbye to Reno. Kota had graciously sent his grandson to see to their horses. He knew Journey wouldn’t feel up to the task.
“Honey, that’s up to you. I brought some of my work with me. I can stay for a couple of days or if I’m getting on your nerves, I can leave now. It’s up to you.”
“Stay with me. Please?” Journey leaned against Lou as they slowly made their way through the yard to the house.
“I’d love to. I love it out here.”
“I don’t know if I should go home, to Austin, I mean.” She held her breath as they neared the rose garden where their wedding ceremony took place only two days before, Journey couldn’t stop staring at the spot where they’d stood to take their vows.
“Watch your step, honey.” Lou made a grab for Journey as she almost tripped over a root.
“Sorry.” She touched her cheek. “The breeze felt funny for a moment, almost like someone touched my face.”
“You probably need to eat something. Why don’t we go inside? I bet your aunt has something good on the table.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat for the baby. Remember?”
“If you’re gonna nag me, woman, you can just head east,” Journey grumbled, then playfully nudged her friend. “I’ll eat something.”
The sound of the kitchen door opening and closing drew their attention. To Journey’s surprise, Myra was coming down the steps pulling her luggage behind her. She knew without being told what had happened. “Is it Uncle Myles?”
“He just passed.” Myra gave her niece a hug. “I’m so sorry to leave you like this, but I have to go.”
Journey pushed aside her grief. “If you can wait, I’ll go with you. It’s too late for you to be driving by yourself.” She gave Lou a pleading look. “Lou will housesit for a couple of days, won’t you?”
“You bet,” she agreed. “Kota promised to give me some of his time and I’d like to write up my notes on…” She stopped talking.
“It’s okay. I know what you’re going to say.” Journey touched her arm. “I’m not so fragile that I can’t be reminded of what’s happened.”
“Well, if you’re going to go, Journey, you’ll have to hurry. We have a long drive ahead of us,” Myra reminded her.
Lou took Myra’s case. “You sit in the swing and I’ll put this in your trunk, then I’ll help Journey pack.”
Needing a moment to herself, Journey was already climbing the back steps. Driving to Wichita Falls at this time of night wasn’t ideal, but it would give her something to think about other than how lonely she was without Reno.
* * *
The call of a night bird caused Reno to pull up on Traveler’s reins. He listened, making sure it was a bird and not a signal. All he needed was to tangle with Kinsella and his gang on his first night back. He couldn’t let anything jeopardize what he’d come here to do. Hearing nothing more, he continued up the gradual incline to the mouth of the cave where Ela lived.
As he neared, Reno was surprised to see no glow of her campfire. As far as he could tell, the place was pitch black. Could she have let her fire die down? This would be unusual. She kept it going for light and to keep predators at bay. Of course, she might’ve taken ill.
“Ela! Ela! It’s Reno!”
Bounding from the saddle, he climbed the path to the cave. When he breached the entrance, he found the cavern to be dark and deserted. There were a few pieces of pottery lying around, but all the things she kept so neat and orderly were gone. A chill ran over his body. Where could she be? Perhaps she’d gone to stay with her daughter. This was the only explanation he could think of. After making one more pass around the cave, he took his leave. Surely someone at the ranch would know her whereabouts.
Climbing into the saddle, Reno set out for King’s Ransom. The trip would
