There wasn’t much that could convince her to move, but a loud growl from her stomach did the trick. She grabbed his dirty clothes from the end of the bed, then eased away to make them breakfast. What the day would bring – she couldn’t hazard a guess.
…The warmth of the sun on his face caused Reno to open his eyes. For a few moments, he couldn’t figure out where in the world he could be. His hand soothed over impossibly soft sheets as he blinked at a box on the bedside table displaying glowing red numbers. Eight. Zero. Five. No, wait. One of the numbers changed. Now, it was eight, zero, six. “Oh, God.” Suddenly, it all came back to him.
Him checking on the children before heading to Waco. Clay joining them. The cabin being set on fire. Him leading Indians who weren’t Indians away from the cabin while Clay fled with the children to safety. Lastly, him riding through a wall of stone from the world he knew to a place he couldn’t begin to explain.
“Yea, that about sums it up.” Throwing his legs over the bed, Reno bowed his head and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to dispel the confusion plaguing him. No luck.
Rising to his feet, he stretched, checking out the tidy bedroom. Nice furniture. Solid wood. He ran a hand over what looked like hard maple. As his eyes scanned the wall, he noted a framed certificate of some kind. Stepping nearer, he read where Sojourner Stanton graduated from Fredericksburg High School on May 9, 2015. “2015.” Ye, Gods. Had one-hundred fifty years really gone by since he rode into that box canyon?
Stepping back, he spied the door to the adjoining bathroom. Last night, Journey had shown him how it all worked. “Indoor plumbing,” he mumbled. “A sink. A shower. And a toilet. An inside outhouse. Unbelievably fancy.” He’d used them last night. When he went it to check today, they were still there. Not a figment of his imagination.
After using the bathroom, he flushed like Journey told him to, staring down into the bottom of the toilet to see the water swirling round and round. The shower was equally fascinating. Time completely got away from him as he enjoyed the luxurious flow of warm water over his skin. When he stepped out to dry off and wrapped the fluffy white towel around him, Reno decided there were some things about this crazy ordeal he enjoyed.
In fact, there were quite a few things to his liking.
Upon finding his clothes missing, Reno donned the towel, and followed his nose to the kitchen. Heavenly smells were wafting down the hall. Pork, if he wasn’t mistaken. And fried eggs. And coffee. Amazing coffee.
When he turned the corner, the scent of the food wasn’t the only thing to make him smile. Dressed in clothes that barely covered all the important parts, his hostess was dancing to music only she could hear.
“Lose Your Blues. Everybody cut footloose.”
Journey was singing to the top of her lungs. When she whirled around, the metal tray she was holding slipped out of her fingers, clanking and bouncing on the Mexican tile floor. “Lord Have Mercy!” She yanked out the blue tooth and almost swallowed her tongue. “I didn’t hear you come in.” The sight of Reno Black standing in front of her wearing only a small white towel was a sight for sore eyes.
“What’s that noise?” he asked with curiosity. “I can barely hear it, but it sounds…” He couldn’t think of a word to describe it.
“Hold on.” She adjusted the player, so the sound filled the room. “Rowdy rock-n-roll. Gotta love it.”
Reno didn’t know about loving the music, but he sure could appreciate how it inspired the pretty girl to move that beautiful body of hers. When he noticed her staring at the towel he was wearing, Reno shrugged. “My clothes were missing.”
That shrug almost dislodged the towel.
Almost. Dammit.
Placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart, Journey nodded. “I washed them. They’re in the dryer.”
“The dryer…” he said slowly.
“Yea, I’ll show you in a bit. Your clothes will be clean and dry. Warm and toasty.” She gave him a beaming smile. “Come eat. I’m starving and I bet you are too.”
Reno didn’t argue. “I am. My last meal was a bowl of Saul’s beef soup.”
“Sounds yummy. Here you go.” Journey handed him a plate full of food. “What do you take in your coffee?”
“Sugar. Three spoons.” He held up his fingers.
“Oh, you like it sweet.”
She winked at him and Reno felt his heart skip a beat. “Yes. I do.” He felt his cheeks grow warm as she leaned over to place a steaming cup of coffee next to his plate. “I uh, like what you’re wearing.” What man wouldn’t?
Journey glanced down at her blue jean shorts and simple red tank top. “Just something I threw on.” She filled her own plate and joined him, sitting in the chair opposite. “How do you feel this morning? Sleep well?”
“Like a log.” He buttered a biscuit, then took a bite. “Um, good.”
“I’m glad. Sorry, they came out of a can.”
“Really?” The thought intrigued him.
“Yea. Hold on.” She jumped up and went to the refrigerator, finding a blue tube can and bringing it to him. “Check this out.”
Reno examined the can, looking at the ends. “How do you open it?”
She showed him how to pull back the paper. “See that seam. Just whack the can on the table right at that seam.”
“All right.” He did so. When the can popped open he jumped,
