Brianna was breathing nearly as hard as the horse by the time she reached St. Mary’s Station, and exchanged the roan for a black and white pinto mare that was much stockier and slower than the other two. Brianna was puzzled by the choice until they started up the Wind River Mountains. The horse was clearly chosen for her endurance.
It was the first time Brianna had gone over South Pass along the Oregon Trail. In her time, the highway took a much different route. The difference was immediately obvious for it was a much gentler slope. Even so, the mare was lathered and her sides heaving by the time they reached the top.
The sun was well up in the sky when she arrived at Rock Creek and jumped off the exhausted horse. Brianna’s hat fell off and dangled from the string around her neck as she sprinted across the ground between the two horses. This time there was no doubt that the men realized they were dealing with a woman. Their mouths fell open. So much for masquerading as a boy. Billy was right when he said she’d never be able to pull it off.
Brianna was breathing as though she were doing the running herself as she covered the distance to the South Pass station. The exertion was beginning to take its toll on her. It wasn’t unexpected, but she was vaguely surprised it was happening so soon. She wasn’t quite halfway to the Green River Station.
A stitch developed in her side between the South Pass and the Pacific Springs stations. She had reached the other side of the mountain and once again found herself riding fast, smooth runners rather than the slower, stockier mountain horses, but her legs were starting to cramp by Dry Sandy.
Her growing fatigue was apparently obvious to the stationmasters and stock tenders along the way, for she received more and more help at each stop. Brianna didn’t know if they were aware she was a woman or not, but she was grateful for the strong hands that boosted her into the saddle.
Big Sandy and Big Bend blurred together in a haze of pain and exhaustion. The only part that stood out in her tired mind was a man’s voice saying, “Hang on. You’re on your last stretch.”
Almost there, almost there, almost there, it was a litany that played over and over in her mind. At long last, Green River station came into sight.
Billy had warned her that the rider at Green River would be expecting her to pass the mochila on the run. There was no way to let him know about a change of plans. Any deviation would cost precious seconds. Though Brianna had done her best, she knew her time was slower than Billy’s would have been.
With a last surge of adrenaline, Brianna stood in the stirrups, pulled the mochila out from underneath her and stretched her arm out toward the other rider. Just when she didn’t think she could hold the heavy mochila a second longer, he grabbed it, and the weight was gone with a sudden jerk.
Brianna didn’t even remember bringing her horse to a stop. One minute she was in the stripped-down saddle, the next she was on the ground with her arm around a stranger’s shoulders as he supported her sagging body.
“Now, who do we have here?”
“Br-Brianna Daniels,” she gasped, as she tried to catch her breath.
“Lucas’s wife?”
She nodded. “Billy...was…sick.”
“You can tell us all about it later. We’d best get you inside. Looks like you’re about done in.”
Brianna just nodded and let them half carry her into the cabin. She was vaguely aware of the smell of leather and coffee, and the rough texture of a wool blanket as they lay her on a bunk. “Thanks,” she murmured gratefully as her eyes drifted closed.
She woke some time later to the sound of distant male laughter. When she opened her eyes, the unfamiliar room momentarily confused her. Then she remembered. With a groan she sat up. “Boy am I out of shape,” she muttered, as she became aware of stiff muscles in every part of her body.
Brianna glanced around the cabin curiously. It was much bigger than the one at Split Rock, but no more luxurious. Russell, Majors and Waddell might pay their employees extremely well, but they weren’t overly worried about the living conditions.
From the half-light that came in through the window, Brianna knew it was either sun-up or sundown, but she had no idea which. Ah well, she’d know when the men came in. Billy had assured her she’d like the six men who inhabited the station.
As she shifted slightly, the side of her hand brushed the good luck talisman Lucas had tucked into the watch pocket of her vest. Curious, Brianna pulled out the small leather pouch, loosened the strings, and emptied the contents into her hand.
Her eyes widened in shock. His parting kiss loomed large in her mind as she stared down at the blue fire in her palm. Lucas had given her his mother’s ring!
CHAPTER 36
“Rider coming in.”
Brianna peered through the darkness searching for the other rider. It had never occurred to her that Billy always left in the wee hours of the morning. Nor had she ever considered that many riders along the eighteen-hundred mile journey rode through the night. The Pony Express didn’t stop for anything. “Neither sleet nor hail nor gloom of night,” she said softly.
“What?” The stationmaster leaned closer to hear what she said.
She smiled. “I just wanted to say thanks. You’ve all been so nice.”
“It was our pleasure, Mrs. Daniels. It’s not often we have a woman around. Doesn’t seem right sending you out by yourself like this.”
“Saint Jo to San Francisco in seven days and seventeen hours!” the other rider called as he handed the mochila off to Brianna.
“Seven days and seventeen hours,” she yelled back. He nodded as she threw the mochila over the horn. It wasn’t without a sense of relief that she vaulted into the saddle and headed down the trail. The men at the Green River station had practically waited on her hand and foot. She’d loved it at first, but it wasn’t long before being treated like a fairy princess began to pall on her.
Within the first day she was bored to tears. By the end of the second, she was close to screaming. They wouldn’t let her do anything even remotely energetic, though she suspected they’d have handed over the housework quickly enough.
The truth was, Brianna missed the four men she’d come to regard as her family, one extremely irritating one in particular. She even missed the hassles and inconveniences she’d come to accept as a daily routine. In short, she was homesick. The irony of the situation didn’t escape her. It also left her with far too much time to think.
Not surprisingly, her thoughts were constantly of Lucas and his ring. Over and over she replayed the scene when he’d mourned his mother. “We Daniels marry for love. This is the ring the oldest son traditionally gives his wife.”
Was he saying he loved her and wanted her to marry him? The thought was frightening. Even worse was the realization of how badly she wanted it to be so. What about Anna? What about the future generations of the Daniels family? But what if she never made it back to her own time? Should she throw away her chance at happiness? Heavens, was she really contemplating marrying her own great-great grandfather?
Then again, maybe he’d just given it to her for a good luck charm and meant nothing else by it. Three days of mulling it over and over in her mind with no resolution had about driven her crazy. It was a relief to concentrate on the trail instead.
The switch at Big Bend went without a hitch. The stationmaster and stock tender cheered when she yelled the message the other rider had given her. Big Sandy was much the same, but by Little Sandy she knew she was in trouble. The Wind Rivers were still miles away, and she was already feeling the strain. Though she had exercised her sore muscles some, it hadn’t been enough. The stitch in her side showed up about halfway to Pacific Springs. By the time she got to the station, her breath was already coming in hard, painful gasps.
As she started up the mountain, she wondered if she’d make it back to Split Rock. Lucas and the others had talked about horses that had been ridden to death on the trail. Was she to become the first rider to meet a similar fate? The trail seemed endless. Wher
e was the South Pass station?
At last it came into sight. Halfway. Thank God, the worst of the trail was behind her. As she drew closer, she saw four men standing by her horse instead of the usual two. Suddenly one of them waved to her and jumped on the horse. What in the world?
Then she realized who it was. Billy! He’d come to meet her. With a surge of relief, she stood up in the stirrups and pulled the mochila free. “Saint Jo to San Francisco in seven days and seventeen hours.”
He repeated the message as he took the mochila. Then he gave her a big grin and a wink. She slowed her horse and stared after him as he headed off down the trail.
“Seven days and seventeen hours. I guess you didn’t slow them down much, after all.”
At the sound of the familiar deep voice, Brianna looked over her shoulder in astonishment. “Lucas! What are you doing here?”
“When Billy realized he was going to have to stay in the same place for a full nine days, he got so fidgety we decided to send him out to meet you. I came along for the ride,” he said as she slid off her horse. “So, how was it?”
“Exhausting.”
“I’ll resist the temptation to say I told you so.”
Brianna was too out of breath to give him the response he deserved, so she settled for making a face at him.
The stationmaster and stock tender were as solicitous as the men at Green River had been, and Brianna soon found herself seated at the table with a huge breakfast set in front of her. Luckily, the stationmaster of South Pass was a much better cook than Lucas. By the time they had finished eating, she had recovered enough to face the ride home with equanimity. Spending the whole day alone with Lucas was another matter.
“I can’t wait for spring,” she said as they skirted a snow drift and headed off across the mountain.
“It’ll be a month or two before it really comes to stay up here. Shouldn’t be long where we are, though. If Bromley was right, the telegraph will be getting to us within a month or two.”
Brianna’s stomach tightened. “Does that mean they’ll be closing the Pony Express stations?”
“The ones that aren’t used as stage stops, they will. Stages stop at every other one.”
“What happens to the people that work there?”
Lucas shrugged. “Some will be reassigned, others won’t have a job.”
“Billy and Seth?”
“Are two of the best riders on the line. Bromley will keep them if there’s any way to do it. Of course, if the transcontinental telegraph actually works when it’s finished, I suppose none of them will have a job. It’s hard to say where any of us will wind up.” He paused. “What about you?”
She carefully avoided looking at him. “I’ll stay at Split Rock.”
“Even if everyone you know is gone?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It’s the only place Anna will know to look for me.”
Lucas frowned. “She’s that important to you?”
Suddenly Brianna wasn’t as sure as she had been. What if Tom couldn’t switch them back? “It’s more important than you can possibly know, Lucas.”
He studied her silently for a moment. “What about us?” he asked softly.
“There is no us.”
“What do you mean there’s no us? Don’t you realize I love you?”
Brianna thought her heart would break. “I was afraid that’s what you meant with the ring,” she said thickly, “and that’s why I can’t accept it. Anna—”
“I don’t give a damn about Anna. She isn’t here, and even if she were I wouldn’t want her.”
“You can’t be sure about that, Lucas.”
“The hell I can’t. I’m in love with you, not her.”
“We look almost exactly alike except she’s shorter and built more the way you like your women built. You’ll p-probably come to love her far more than you do me.” Brianna’s lip quivered slightly as she tried to smile. “She won’t be near as hard to get along with.”
He stared at her. “You think fell in love with your looks? What kind of a man would do a stupid thing like that?”
“One that’s been away from civilization for a long time. Hasn’t it occurred to you I’m the only woman you’ve been around for over a year?”
“Hell yes, I know that. I came out here to get away from women. Falling in love with you was the last thing I wanted to do. That’s why I’m sure it’s real.”
“Y-you’re only looking at it from your own point of view,” she said desperately. “You haven’t even asked how I feel.”
His eyes narrowed. “Do you expect me to believe you don’t care? Your kisses tell me differently. Don’t try to deny it,” he said angrily as she started to shake her head. “It wouldn’t take much to prove you were lying. Shall I pull you off that horse and show you? How many kisses do you think it would take before you were moaning in my arms and begging for more? I could make love to you right here and never hear a whimper of protest.”
It was true. His words and the picture they painted in her mind were almost enough to bring a moan to her lips without him ever laying a hand on her. If he carried out his threat, he’d hear whimpers a plenty, but they wouldn’t be of protest. “Please try to understand, Lucas.”
“How can I understand when I don’t know what the hell is going on?” he snapped.
Brianna could think of nothing to say. Silence fell between them heavy and oppressive all the way to Rock Creek and beyond. The mood lightened when they reached St. Mary’s Station and Brianna discovered Lucas had left Oz there for her. By the time they had lunch at the station, changed horses, and headed out again, the restraint between them lifted somewhat. Lucas even unbent enough to tell the tale of Billy’s and Seth’s first meeting.
“It hadn’t occurred to any of us that they’d never actually met each other face to face. Seth didn’t know Billy had a southern accent.”
“Oh, no. Did they get into an argument about secession?”
Lucas chuckled. “No, to be honest, I don’t think it even occurred to Seth, but Ian and I both figured that’s what was going through his mind. He just stood and looked at Billy for the longest time. You know Billy, the longer Seth stared at him the more belligerent he got. Ian and I thought we were going to have a fight on our hands.”
“What happened?”
“Finally, Seth gave Billy that grin of his and said, ‘Heck, Billy, you sound a lot different on paper!”
Brianna giggled. “Oh, if that isn’t just like him. Did they get along after that?”
“If you call trying to outdo each other at everything getting along. Once Billy got well that’s about all they did. Of course, Ian did say they spent quite a bit of time down at the corral working horses yesterday so it’s hard to say...what the hell?”
“Hmm? Brianna turned to look at what had caught his eye. A line of riders was coming at them from the South.
Lucas shaded his eyes to look. “Indians!”
“Are they friendly?”
“We aren’t going to stick around and find out.” Lucas reached over and grabbed the pistol holster off her saddle before smacking his horse on the rump with his reins and digging his heels in. “Go!”
It only took a few minutes to tell that the horse Lucas was riding could easily outdistance the smaller, younger Oz, and probably the Indians. He didn’t consider leaving Brianna behind, and she knew better than to suggest it. Even if the Three Crossings station were in sight and he knew there was a troop of horse soldiers there, he wouldn’t have left her.
They raced across the prairie side by side, but the Indians began to gain on them immediately. Brianna’s heart hammered in terror. Would they make it to Three Crossings before the Indians got them, or was this where it all ended?
Three Crossings Station was just a dot on the horizon when the Indians caught up with them. Expecting to feel an arrow in her back at any moment, Brianna was surprised when an Indian appeared at her side and leaned over t
o grab Oz’s bridle. The Indians were trying to capture them alive.
Lucas’s rifle gave a loud boom, and a red flower bloomed in the middle of the brave’s forehead. He fell to the ground without a sound though his horse continued to run alongside Brianna for several minutes.
Lucas shot two more with Brianna’s pistol, then another and another. The station still seemed impossibly far away, and they only had one more shot. Only a miracle could save them now.
Brianna turned regretful eyes toward Lucas and encountered a look of intense suffering and grief. With a sudden jolt of horror, Brianna realized why Lucas hadn’t used the last bullet. He was saving it for her. It was then she understood how very much he loved her. They would torture him horribly if they took him alive.
A sudden blast of anger burned through her fear and she reached down into her boot. What a wimp she was. Lucas wasn’t going to die in agony because of her. She gritted her teeth as her hand closed over the smooth handle of her knife. There was no way she could fight them all off, but maybe she could distract them enough so Lucas could get away. Without her holding him back he might even be able to make the station. At the very least she could make them kill her so Lucas wouldn’t have to.
Brianna saw a pair of buckskin leggings out of the corner of her eye and felt a hand on her shoulder. It was now or never. “REMEMBER THE ALAMO!” she yelled and came up slashing.
The startled brave knocked her hat off as he pulled back. Brianna saw his eyes widen when the sharp blade narrowly missed his arm. For an instant, she thought she saw a flash of startled recognition in the dark eyes, then he was yelling something at the top of his lungs as he wheeled his horse away from her. Brianna pulled back on Oz’s reins. Lucas and his horse continued on just as she had planned.
“BRIANNA!”
She ignored his anguished yell as she fell behind, and the Indians turned back to get her. “YEEHA!” Brandishing the knife with wicked intent, Brianna headed Oz toward the biggest concentration of Indians, her lips pulled back from her teeth in a snarl. To her surprise, they seemed to melt away in front of her. No matter which way she turned, they fled. Within minutes she was alone, watching the Indians riding away from her as though the devil were on their heels.
A Window in Time Page 30
