Scrunching his eyes tightly closed, Reno tried to stop the flow of useless thought. He didn’t want to be reminded of what he was walking away from; he couldn’t afford to give in to the pain he was feeling. He was a man with obligations that were more important than his own happiness. If he had no responsibilities other than to himself, Reno would have jumped at the chance to experience everything this new world had to offer. Especially the woman who seemed to care for him unconditionally. But he couldn’t. What had happened to him wasn’t meant to be, it was imperative that he get back to his own time.
Traveler kept up the pace and soon Reno found himself at the entrance to the box canyon. He tried to recreate in his mind how he’d felt when he was last here. What he’d seen. He’d been so intent on leading the men away from the children, he hadn’t taken note of his surroundings. Now, he remained still. Alert. His eyes moving over the walls of rock. First, he rode slowly through the canyon, observing the rock formations and the slabs of granite jutting up from the ground. The farther he went, the narrower the canyon became. When he reached the end, there was simply nowhere else to go. Reno dismounted to get closer, climbing up past boulders and crevices. If he hadn’t escaped through the mysterious opening, there were places where he could’ve found cover to defend himself from Kinsella and his raiders.
But that wasn’t what happened. There had been a passageway. An opening. Big enough for a horse and rider. Yet, only he and Traveler had come through. Why hadn’t the others followed? Climbing higher, he pressed his palms to the wall, testing for any weakness. He found none. Reno repeated this process in several areas, even using the toe of his boot to move rocks aside for closer examination. “Well, Traveler, I just don’t know.” The horse gave an answering whinny. “Maybe we should try a – what did Journey call it? A reenactment.” At the mention of her name from his own lips, he felt his heart tug in a poignant, uncomfortable way. “Dammit.”
Returning to the saddle, he rode out of the canyon and closed his eyes, feeling a faint breeze whisper across his skin. “All right. Let’s do this.” He tugged the reins to turn the horse, allowing his mind to call up the heated emotion of being chased. Bullets being fired at him. The desperation he felt to succeed. “Giddy-up.” He whistled and whipped the reins from one side of the stallion’s flanks to the other. “Go!” Traveler obeyed and took off through the canyon at a fast clip. He stared straight ahead at the wall, willing it to disappear. Mentally demanding that the rock open and allow him to ride through. Aiming straight for the end of the box canyon, he urged Traveler to keep the pace. Closer. Closer. Only seconds before impact, he allowed the horse to follow its instinct and rear up. “Sorry, boy. It was worth a try.” He let the stallion sidestep in place while he stared at the impenetrable granite. “What did I expect? Another miracle?” Lifting his hand, he examined it front and back. Yes, he was real. This world was real. Only time was playing tricks with him.
Unwilling to give up so soon, he dismounted once more to sit on a granite ledge near a patch of grass so Traveler could have a bite to eat if he chose to do so. Reno kept his eyes on the back wall of the box canyon. He didn’t know whether waiting would make a difference, but it was worth a shot. If anything happened, he’d be here to witness it.
…At the ranch house, Journey felt sick at heart. She kept walking to the window overlooking the park and wondering if Reno was out there somewhere or if he was lost to her forever. With no one there to witness her pain, she gave in to the tears. Not even the comical dogs could get her mind off the hours she’d spent with Reno Black.
As the seconds ticked by, she relived every detail of the time they’d spent together. She recalled every word he’d said. How he’d handled those perverts who’d chased her through the park. How he reacted to the skyscrapers and jets. How he’d looked sitting at the kitchen table dressed only in a towel. All of that had been real, hadn’t it?
She hurried to the bathroom just to stare at herself in the mirror. Could her mind be playing tricks? “Did I spend the day with a man from the past or am I losing it?” When her reflection gave Journey no assurances, she hurried through the house searching for something – anything – that would prove to her he’d really been here. Was there no trace? Nothing? Finally, she came to the guest room where he’d slept. The bed was unmade, the covers thrown back. There was an indention on the pillow where he’d laid his head.
With a gasp of pain, she crawled into the bed and buried her face in the pillow, breathing in his scent. She tried to force her mind to calm down, her body to stop trembling. Journey needed to put this whole thing in perspective. After years of aching for Reno, she’d finally gotten her wish. Magically, he’d come to her; she’d been blessed to spend a few precious hours in his presence. In spite of her dreaming, no part of Journey ever really expected this marvel to come to pass. Time travel was supposed to be impossible. So, how could this happen?
Could it happen again?
Journey tamped down the hope in her heart. She couldn’t expect him to go back and forth from the 19th century like
