“It’s over, Charles. It’s over and we’re both alive.”
“For now,” Charles grumbled.
A nervous laugh escaped as wave after wave of gratitude and relief flooded through Daniel. They’d done the impossible and changed their fates—thanks to Meredith, the woman he loved with all his heart.
“It’s been too long,” Meredith said as she began to pace around the cabin’s first floor. “Something must have gone wrong.” Her hands balled into fists and her stomach roiled. Had her journey through time been for nothing?
“Or …” Oliver lifted his gaze from the book he’d been reading. “They’re busy with details, like taking the criminals to town, going through wanted posters, tending the wounded, stuff like that. They’ll also be dealing with all the curious people in town who’ll want to know what happened.” He shrugged. “I never expected they’d return here immediately after the shooting stopped.”
“Shooting? Wounded?” She swallowed the bile rising up her throat. “You think there were shots fired? The posse had the three completely surrounded. They’d be fools to start a gun fight in a ravine. That would be like … like bullets in a pinball machine.”
“Hate to break it to you, Meredith, but this is the wild, wild West. Without a doubt gunshots were fired.” Oliver went back to his reading.
She headed for her bonnet. “I’m heading to town. I can’t stand this … not knowing.”
“Fine,” Oliver huffed. “I’ll go with you. Charles would skin me alive if I allowed you to walk into town alone.”
“Allowed me? Like I need anyone’s permission to do anything or go anywhere?” She tied the bonnet’s ribbons a little too tightly beneath her chin and had to undo them and start over.
“Again. I hate to break it to you, but this is 1854. Women can’t vote. Those who work outside the home have to turn their money over to their husbands. Women have very few rights in this century, and even fewer opportunities for economic advancement.”
He shook his head. “You might as well get used to the idea that you can’t just walk out the door, get in your car, and go off by yourself like you’re used to.” Oliver strode after her, grabbing his wide-brimmed hat from its peg. “Let’s go.”
True, but right now Daniel was all she could think about. She needed to know whether or not he’d survived. She followed Oliver out the door. The day was hot, and the yards of fabric covering her were a nuisance. Meredith unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse and rolled up her sleeves. “Shorts, a tank top, and sandals would be nice about now.”
“I’m sure, but you’d be wearing less than the whores in town.” Oliver’s brow creased as if considering the prostitutes. “Come to think of it, I might have to do a little experiential research and—”
“Catch a sexually transmitted disease while you’re here?” she finished for him. “Charles and Daniel would skin me alive if I allowed you to visit one of the bawdy houses.”
Oliver laughed. “Yeah, I suppose they would. You do realize how exceptional those two are in this time and place, don’t you?”
“I do.” Her heart swelled. Daniel’s moral compass always pointed true, and so did his friend’s. “They have a plan, and they don’t intend to allow vices to distract them from their path.”
“Exactly.”
They continued on in silence until they reached the ravine. The area was empty except for the wagon that belonged to Charles and Daniel. Her hands went clammy as they approached. Meredith studied the wagon and found the front part where the mules would’ve been harnessed was gone, and only the ragged beam where the wood had broken from the metal remained.
“Oh shit. This is not good,” Oliver said.
Meredith whipped around. Oliver had his hand on the side of the wagon. He was leaning over and studying the ground beneath. “What is it?” A shiver slid down her spine, and she knew what Oliver was about to say. She just knew.
“A lot of blood.” Oliver straightened. His eyes took on a haunted look. “Daniel and Charles were going to dive under the wagon once they were held up. That was the plan,” he said, his voice a rasp.
“Oh God.” Meredith wrapped her arms around herself as she began to tremble. “Oh God.” Worst case scenarios played through her mind, and as hot as the day was, icy dread chilled her to the bone.
“Let’s keep going,” Oliver said. “We’ll find Sheriff Ramsey. He’ll know where Dan and Charles are.”
Nodding, she joined him and they continued on toward Garretsville. Her vision blurred with tears, and she stumbled over a protruding stone. Oliver caught her before she fell, and he continued to hold her arm as they went on in silence.
They were almost to Garretsville when they were met by a wagon hitched to a horse heading their way. Meredith cried out. Daniel sat beside Fred Klein, who held the reins. She broke free of Oliver and ran toward Daniel as he climbed down. The came together like opposite poles on two magnets.
“I was so worried,” she cried. “We saw blood on the ground, and I … I was so afraid,” she said, as a sob broke free. She drew back studied him, looking for signs of injury.
“I know. I know, love.” Daniel drew her back into his arms and held her, catching the tears on her cheeks with kisses. “I’m fine,” he murmured, rocking her back and forth as she cried on his shoulder.
“Charles was wounded, but the doc says he’ll recover all right so long as we keep an eye on the wound to make sure it doesn’t fester.
Frederick cleared his throat. “So the rumors about the two of you are true,” he said.
“Aye, the rumors are true,” Daniel confirmed. He released her and stared deeply into her eyes. Cradling her face between his hands, he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.
“Gonna be a
