by Sable Hunter
They continued to the box canyon. Journey felt a little apprehensive. She held tightly onto Reno’s arm that was wrapped around her waist. “If you disappear, I want to make sure and go with you.”
“Hold tight.” Keeping the two horses at a slow space, he went a little deeper into the canyon. Nothing had changed about the looks of the place. There were no campers in the area. In fact, there was no noise at all except for the occasional shuffle of the horses. Reno closed his eyes, trying to discern if he could feel any of the vibrations he’d felt before. Part of him questioned his memory. After all, he’d been trying to outrun Kinsella and his raiders, his body had been tensed up like a tuning fork.
He looked all around, reliving the moment when he’d passed from inside the canyon to the open area beyond. Yes, it had happened – but he could scarcely fathom how. Doubt rose in his mind if it could ever happen again. What if he were trapped here? A piercing pain made his chest ache. He’d be sorrowful forever, regretting how he’d let his brother and his friends down. And yet…he couldn’t think of staying in this time as being trapped. What he held in his arms would make his life complete. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Reno.”
“What? Are you all right?”
“Yea.” She pointed ahead. “Let’s go around to the south side of E-Rock. If there’s no one around, I’d like to climb up part way.”
He didn’t hesitate. “We’ll tie up the horses. We don’t want them taking off.”
“No.” She looked ahead of them as they moved along the trail. “I think we’re alone. I don’t see anyone nearby. Have you ever hiked up to the summit?”
“Once or twice.”
“It’s been awhile for me. I just want to look around.”
Reno didn’t mention that he’d been dodging bullets at the time. “We’ll have to be careful. I don’t want you to fall.”
Journey was smiling. “We can take the Loop trail and we don’t have to go far. I just want to find a place where we have a good view of the countryside. I think it’ll be romantic.”
“Ah.” Reno patted his pocket, remembering what he put there. “A romantic tryst. I like the idea.”
After finding the horses a comfortable place to wait and graze, Reno led her to the trail. “This sign marking the way is new.”
“Yea, it’s barely fifty years old.” Journey giggled. “I’m not really sure, but it’s been there as long as I can remember.”
Hand in hand, they climbed up the trail. It wasn’t hard going; the path was fairly wide, and the grade of ascent wasn’t too steep. They just needed to take their time. Thankfully, the moon was still large enough to give ample light. The domed shaped of the rock also helped make the climb pleasant.
After hiking for nearly an hour, Journey’s steps slowed. “This is perfect. Look at the moonlight reflecting off the granite surface.”
“You were right,” he murmured. “This is beautiful. Standing in this spot, I never expected to feel this way. Peaceful.” Reno pulled her to him. “You’re the reason I’m happy. Can you imagine how this ordeal would’ve been for me if I hadn’t found you? Coming to a strange place. Knowing no one. Not understanding how to manage?” He shook his head and enfolded her in his arms. “I don’t like to think about it.”
“I can’t help but think you came for a reason. That it wasn’t random.” She struggled to process her thoughts. “I know Lou says that those portal things open and close according to some magnetic reaction, but this seems…directed.”
“Maybe it was.” He framed her face. “I don’t know why I’m here. The one thing I can say is that I’m thankful to have found you.”
“Yea, so I could take care of you.” She looked up into his eyes, loving him so hard it hurt her heart.
“Not at all. I’m grateful this wild journey led me to my Sojourner. Your name means…”
She finished his sentence. “My name means that I reside temporarily in this place.” Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him softly. “Because my home is with you.”
“I want you.” He stepped back a couple of inches and began to unbutton his shirt.
“What are you doing?” she asked a bit bemused.
“Making you comfortable.” Taking off his shirt, he spread it on one of the smooth surfaces. “I wish I’d brought a blanket.”
“This is fine.” Journey didn’t need comfort, she only needed him. Easing down on the fabric, she began to undo her own clothes. “Oh, no. We left the…”
“No, I brought them. I’ll protect you this time.”
Journey didn’t think about the possibility that it was too late for protection. She’d let fate take its course. If there was a baby, it would be the most welcome baby in her world or his.
While he watched, she completely undressed. When she was naked, she reclined on the rock. Her beautiful breasts were pale in the moonlight. Her feminine curves looked so perfect and smooth; she could’ve been carved from marble. “You’re a goddess, that’s what you are.”
“You’re too far away.” Journey looked up at him and held up her arms.
Kneeling, he came to her, gathering her close to him in a way that she would be protected from the rough surface of the granite. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll always take care of you.”
With near reverence, he kissed every inch of her body. Licking a path down her neck and grazing his teeth on her shoulder. She writhed in his arms as he teased a fiery trail to her breast, lingering to suck on the delicate nipple. “You’re so soft. So perfect.” He eased her down, kissing and licking his way to the apex of her thighs. “Open for me,” he whispered.
When she parted her legs, she could scarcely breathe as his lips and tongue worshiped the delicate folds of her femininity. Journey arched her back, gasping with ecstasy as he took her in his mouth and sucked. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled as an overwhelming flood of sensation washed over her. “Please, Reno. Please.”
Raising up, he took the packet and struggled to open it. After a few frustrating seconds, he managed to get the condom out. But getting it on was another matter.
“Let me help you.”
His hands were shaking when he turned the matter over to her. “Sorry. I can’t imagine you have any experience.”
“I’ve cloaked a banana before.”
“What?” he couldn’t help but laugh. “You did not.”
“I did. Fastest one in my sex education class.” Her hand still shook a bit as she drew the thin material over his hard, throbbing member. “I have to admit this feels different.”
“That’s okay. You’re going to feel good in a moment. I guarantee.”
She took him at his word as he found a place to sit on the rock and brought her over him. “This should work.”
Journey gasped, smiling, as she eased down on top of him. Her eyes glazed over and rolled back as she took him in. “Oh, you feel so good. Now, I know what I’ve been longing for.” As he began to move her on his body, she continued to whisper to him, “I would feel so empty. I ached for you.”
“I’m here, love. I’m here.” He buried his face between her breasts as she rode him. Behind her the moon shone brightly, but its beauty paled in contrast to hers. He groaned; his eyes drifting shut as he reveled in the way she made him feel. “You were truly made for me. No other. You fit me like a glove.”
Journey bit her bottom lip, her hand resting on his chest. Her body moved naturally, the rhythm so sweet. Up and down. Up and down. Then, she moved forward and back – gasping at how good it felt.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” Reno encouraged her, his hands coming up to massage her breasts. He loved how her nipples felt against his palm. He also loved how she moaned and leaned into him. “You like that, don’t you?” She nodded yes and he felt like a king because he could make her feel good.
Soon, their pleasure reached the summit. Their breaths were coming fast as she ground against him, the inner walls of her sex pulsing around him, squeezing. “Oh, god.” He h
eld her tight, his hips bucking up to meet her. “I love you. I love you much.”
Hearing his heated confession was all Journey needed to take the leap into the stars. Sailing through the night sky, her soul carried away on the wings of ecstasy. She held Reno close as he shook, his body quaking as he reached his peak and soared along with her. For long seconds they clung to one another, their body chilled as the evening breeze dried passion’s dew from their skin.
“We’re still here,” she whispered, kissing his shoulder. “I felt like we left the bounds of earth.”
He rubbed his face on the softness of her chest. “All the way to heaven and back.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The next morning, they rose early. Journey was preparing a frittata in the oven using potatoes, eggs, some Pico de Gallo, sausage, and cheese. She was trying to get up the nerve to take the pregnancy test. Reno hadn’t mentioned it yet and she was grateful he’d seemed to put it out of his mind – for a while at least.
“That smells amazing.” He came over to hug her as she rinsed off a few dishes in the sink.
“I think you’ll like it.”
“Boone has made something similar. He told me a Sicilian woman taught him how to make it back in New Orleans. He’ll probably make it for us soon. We won’t tell him yours is better.”
“Okay.”
As he held her, he happened to glance out the window. “Would you mind keeping it warm? I would love to go talk to Kota.”
“No problem.” She handed him a couple of pieces of toast. “Take your time. We’ll make it brunch.”
Journey didn’t mind. She did a few more things in the kitchen, then gathered their dirty clothes and towels to put on a load of laundry. Since Reno was outside, she decided to stake the dogs out on their long lines. There wasn’t much chance a predator coming around when there was so much activity. Dudley and Cleo bounced high at the prospect of getting a chance to run around a bit.
Myra’s plants seemed content, so she put off watering another day. There was a bit of dust accumulating on things, so she planned a cleaning session for the morrow. Just the thought of her aunt showing up and finding her house less than spotless gave Journey chills. In light of Reno’s presence, her aunt’s arrival would be traumatic enough without adding to the trouble with housekeeping issues.
The last chore she knocked out was packing up the last batch of oil orders to mail off. She really needed to check her email to see if any new requests had come in. “You need to stay on the ball with this, Journey. Just because your Prince has come doesn’t mean you can let things go.” She smiled, remembering when she was fifteen or sixteen, how she’d dance around with Reno’s picture singing what she called the Snow-White song, Someday, My Prince Will Come. “Fairytales do come true,” she whispered and smiled at the amazing thought.
To make good on her intentions, she sat down at the laptop and called up her email. Sure enough, there were several orders. “Oh, my…” There was also an answer from the D. C. lawyer. Her finger hovered over the key. She shouldn’t open it without him. Her whole body tensed in excitement – because she didn’t have to open the email to get an inkling of its contents.
For the subject matter line was plain to see.
Sergeant Cole Black declared innocent. His name was cleared.
* * *
“Good man.” Kota slapped Reno on the shoulder. “Now, that you’ve gotten the lawn mower taken apart, put it back together.”
“All right.” Reno looked at the wide array of parts. Little nuts and bolts. Colored wiring. “No one is counting on cutting their grass with this anytime soon, are they?”
The grandson, Brandon, snickered. “Be careful or he’ll have you mowing our lawn.”
“I definitely need the practice,” Reno admitted as he held one part up to another to see if it might fit together. “Journey tells me she shared a meal with one of your relatives.”
“Oh, really?” Kota sat down heavily on a metal chair. “Brandon, turn the horses out into the paddock and give them some nuggets.”
Once the grandson left, Kota folded his hands against his paunch. “I have few kin that I claim. What was this relative’s name?”
“Skye McCoy, I think that’s what Journey said.” Reno didn’t look up to see the old man’s reaction.
“She’s a distant relative. Dog-tail kin, we always called it. Nice girl, though. She had a rough time early on, but she did well for herself.”
“Seems so.” From what little he knew. “She said you shared an interesting ancestor who lived near here during the war of northern aggression and…just after.”
“Ah, do you speak of Ela Blue?”
Reno perked up, stealing a glance at the old man. “Yes, I believe so. What can you tell me about her?”
“What do you want to know? History from that far back is pretty dim in my sight.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m just interested in that time period. What the life was like.”
“I see.”
Reno was having a hard time gauging his elder’s state of mind. “I understand she lived in a cave on the big rock.”
“I believe you’re right.”
“She was a shaman, wasn’t she? A healer?”
“A healer wasn’t a wise thing to be. If an Apache medicine man loses over six people to death, he’s killed and replaced.”
“Ela was known as a wise woman in her tribe.”
“Sounds like you know her better than I do.”
Reno didn’t look up, but he widened his eyes in surprise. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“What would you say if I told you that your saddle has a center fire rigging design? The kind that’s placed closer to the center of the saddle. You don’t see it on western saddles made today. I understand it was used during the 1800’s on the Pony Express saddle.”
“Oh, really? Well, you can be sure I didn’t ride in the Pony Express.”
“They also used in on the McClellan saddle during the Civil War.”
Reno’s hands stilled at what he was doing, and he kept his eyes on the ground.
Kota kept making his matter of fact sounding observations. “Saddles made in the 1800’s used rigging rings made of forged iron. They would rust when exposed to horse sweat. The iron oxide would degrade and rot the leather, which caused the rigging straps that were held by the rings to break.”
“That sounds unfortunate. Makes you feel glad to be alive in this time, doesn’t it?”
“Very true. Of course, saddle makers of that time corrected the problem by covering the metal rings in four to five ounces of medium thickness belly leather. Of course, they started using brass hardware on the rigging around 1915 or so.”
Reno was almost sure the old man could smell a rat – a hundred and fifty-year old rat. Anybody who knew their tack could see that the rings holding his rigging straps were covered in leather. He cleared his throat. “Well…”
“Reno! Reno!”
With a breathed sigh of relief, he rose from where he was kneeling. “I think I’m needed elsewhere.”
Kota Blue gave him a knowing nod, his rheumy eyes alight with knowledge. “We’ll speak again. Good luck with the mower.”
“I’m sure I’ll need it,” he muttered as he stepped out where Journey could see him. “You provided a very timely interruption. Is something wrong?”
“We heard from the lawyer.”
The anticipation on her face caused him to hurry even more. “What did he say?”
“I wouldn’t open the email without you.” As they ran back, Journey almost entangled herself in the dog lines.
“Ready to take them in?” he asked, making sure she didn’t fall.
“Yes, please.”
He unhooked the dachshunds, taking their leads in hand. “They may just be saying they can’t help us.” Reno was afraid to get his hopes up too high.
“From what it says on the subject line, that’s not the case.”
“What does it say?�
�� he asked as he held the door for her and the dogs to go in ahead of him.
“You’ll see.”
He groaned with frustration but followed her to her workstation. When he could see, he read it for himself. “Declared innocent? How can that be? The account the librarian read to us said he was executed for his crimes.”
“Let’s see.” Journey opened the email and they both began to scan the contents. “Okay. Oh. Damn. He was posthumously declared innocent.”
Reno jumped up with such force that the chair he was sitting in fell back and hit the floor. “Christ Almighty.”
She could hear the tears in his voice. “I’m so sorry, Reno.” She kept reading. “Wait. Come back. Look.”
“What’s the use. He’s dead.”
“No. Remember the date. He isn’t dead yet.” She opened an attachment. “Oh, my God. It was Saul.”
“What?” Reno rejoined her. “Saul cleared my brother?” He looked at the date. “Why, he was an older man when he did this.”
She covered his hand with hers. “He loved you so much. He wanted to do what he could to honor you and those you loved.”
“But there was nothing in the journal about it.”
“That journal doesn’t extend this far in time. It ends a lot sooner,” Journey checked the dates again. “This says 1902. Who knows? There may be another journal somewhere that covers this time period.”
“And the book the librarian read was published in the 1880’s wasn’t it?”
“I believe so.” Journey pointed at another attachment. “Look, this file is labeled evidence.”
Reno nudged her to one side and she gladly gave him the chair, moving to the one he’d vacated. He was the one who needed to read this.
“Saul researched the records that the original lawyer had gathered for me. He found the drummer boy alive and well and living in Fairfax. It says here that his name was Jerome Grassley. He gave a sworn affidavit that Cole shared no secrets or strategies with the Confederacy.”
