The chores appeared to have drained Jesse of his newfound strength and he sat back against a tree as Diamond tossed some salt pork into the frying pan. Once the grease began to pop, she added the fish. The aroma drifting from the frying pan rivaled that of any five-star restaurant, despite the stench of the pork.
“I don’t normally even like fish,” Diamond confessed after gobbling down her portion. Jesse ate a few bites and some color returned to his face.
“Thank you,” he said.
Diamond ran her fingers through the grass, plucking a few strands at random. “I’m not much of a cook.”
“Not for the fish. For what you did yesterday.”
“That was two days ago. We did nothing yesterday but sleep.”
“I’m serious. I figured we had nothing to lose by joining forces, but I didn’t expect to get away. I wouldn’t have made it without your help.”
“You’re welcome.” When she met his serious blue gaze, her cheeks warmed, and she struggled to maintain eye contact.
“Why did you help me?”
Diamond decided she would skip the parts about him being handsome. He didn’t need to know he made her feel all warm and fuzzy. She was more comfortable considering their relationship a business deal than thinking she was some kind of hero, or worse, a fool for love. “We made a deal. I’ve delivered my half, now it’s up to you to help me find Rivers.”
“We haven’t much to go on and I need to rejoin my regiment.”
“We made a deal and your regiment is enjoying the comfort of a Union prison camp.”
“Don’t worry. I keep my promises. Where did you last see this couple?”
“Northwest of the lake, but Anne lived in Ste. Genevieve… at one time. We should look there first.” No need to complicate matters by telling Jesse Anne lived there in the future.
“Then Ste. Genevieve will be our next stop. If we go to my superiors for help, they might refuse and just order me back to duty.”
“The Union controls most of Missouri.”
“We’ll travel as civilians and try to avoid both armies. The North will consider me an enemy and the South a deserter.”
Diamond winced. She was asking a lot of him. “I’m sorry, but I really need your help.”
“I don’t know anyone by the name ‘Rivers,’ but Ste. Genevieve isn’t that big a town. If they’re there, we should be able to find them.”
Diamond suddenly recalled the name Rivers had used to rent the ATV. “He sometimes goes by Bryce Poole.”
Jesse’s eyes widened. “Bryce Poole? You’re looking for Bryce Poole, from Poole Shipping and Mercantile?”
“Maybe?” She was sure Bob/Bryce was a time traveler, but she knew nothing about his life in the nineteenth century.
“He lives in St. Louis, where he runs a successful shipping company and owns some of the finest stores in the city. But I don’t know what he would have been doing wandering around Tennessee. He’s got to be older than my father.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Then it’s not the same guy. The man I’m looking for is in his thirties.”
“Poole has grown children. Maybe he named the eldest after himself.”
Diamond felt like she was on a roller coaster, her emotions going up, down and up again. “That’s possible.”
“Then I say we skip Ste. Genevieve and head straight to St. Louis.”
“Sounds like a plan. Should we leave tomorrow?”
“The day after. One more day of rest will do us good.”
Diamond hated putting it off even a day, but felt more optimistic about being able to find Bryce and Anne than she had since realizing she had traveled through time. It wouldn’t be easy to get to St. Louis, but once they did, she was almost home.
Nine
Chapter 9
It took them almost a week to reach St. Louis. They traveled north, not cutting east until they had walked past the lake. Relieved not to have to make another harrowing swim, Diamond vowed not to complain about the endless walking or scanty meals. Jesse shot some game, and they kept his canteen filled, first by the lake, and then by the Mississippi River. On the second day, they came upon a small farm and Jesse bought some apples, potatoes, cheese, and bread from the farmer’s wife.
“I’m sorry I don’t have any money,” Diamond said.
“It’s just some food.”
“But I won’t be able to help with train fare, either.”
Jesse took her hand. “You saved my life, Diamond. I can never repay you for what you’ve done. I have enough put by for our expenses.”
She stared down at their entwined hands. Jesse’s was strong and calloused, a working man’s hand. Hers had been elegant, but now sported broken nails and chipped polish. Scratches and sunburn covered the back of her hands and she felt like she wouldn’t be able to remove the grime that covered her from head to toe if she scrubbed for a month. But for all the toll living rough had taken on her looks, she’d gained a measure of confidence. She’d caught her own food, cooked over an open fire, and helped Jesse escape capture. She hated to be indebted to someone, but perhaps they were even. “I appreciate what you’re doing for me.”
They caught a ferry across the Mississippi. Diamond gazed at the Missouri shore as the men poled them across the river on a large raft. Other than the dock where the ferry landed, she could see little but trees. A steamboat chugged upriver, but she saw no sign of the ironclad ships she had seen during the battle for Island #10.
“Too bad we didn’t have something as substantial as this to cross Reelfoot,” she whispered to Jesse.
“True, but I prefer my feet on solid ground.”
“I’ve always wanted to take a cruise.”
“A cruise?”
Oops. Guess cruises aren’t a thing yet. “Set sail for somewhere warm and exotic. Just for fun.”
“I’d rather take the train.”
Maybe he gets seasick. She thought he looked a tad pale even crossing the river, but he
