by Sable Hunter
As Reno ended the song, he saw Journey pushing her way down the aisle. What was she doing? He gave a quick thank you to Joseph and a grateful wave to the audience as he hurried offstage. Reno needed to find his wife.
He caught up with her as she was leaving through one of the exits. “Journey! Wait!”
She didn’t stop, but she didn’t go far. Just outside the front entrance, she sagged against the stone wall, crying her eyes out.
“Journey. Darling!”
When he gathered her close, she didn’t resist. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he whispered in her ear.
“You were wonderful,” she sobbed. “It’s just…”
“I know. I know. I’m so sorry.”
“I want you to go. I do. I just need for you to come back as quickly as you can.”
“I will. You know I will.”
“Promise me.” She clung to him. “Promise me, please.”
“Listen to me. In a few days, go look in Saul’s journal. I will send you a letter and affix it somehow to the inside of the back cover. I’ll write on it in big letters – DO NOT REMOVE.”
This made her stop crying. “Do you think that will work?” She wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I can try. I’ll write you how I made it, what’s going on, and when you can expect me to return. Okay?”
“All right.” His suggestion made her feel better. Hopeful. “It’s not a phone call, but it’s the best we can do.”
“Yes, it is.” He smiled sadly. “I love you; you know.”
“I know. We’d better go back inside. They may be about to announce the winner.”
Reno laughed heartily. “It’s not like I have a chance…”
…Journey cheered at the top of her voice. “Yes!!!!” Reno had been wrong. He was the new Ultimate Hill Country Cowboy!
“That’s my great nephew!” Myra yelled as Desiree Barron presented Reno with an engraved plaque and a prize.
“He looks a little bumfuzzled.” Lou was enjoying every moment. “What’s the prize?”
“I don’t know. People are making so much noise I can’t hear.”
“Lou!” Cady McCoy motioned for her to come over to where she stood
“Oh, excuse me. Ms. McCoy is about to set me up!”
Journey waved her on. “Have a good time.”
As she waited for things to settle down, Harley LeBlanc came up to her. “Hey, do you have a moment?”
“I do. I’m just waiting for my husband.” She glanced at Reno who was being interviewed on camera by a television reporter.
“When I touched you a few minutes ago, I got a strange vibe from you. Would you like a reading?”
Journey was reluctant. Actually, she was afraid. “Uh…Jewel Blackhawk read my palm a few weeks ago. I doubt things have changed much since then.”
“Oh? Okay.” She didn’t appear to be offended. “That’s all right. Talking to a psychic isn’t for everyone.”
“You’re a psychic?” The question came from Reno as he placed an arm around Journey’s shoulder.
“I am. I also disarm bombs for a living.” She laughed. “Sometimes that helps people’s feelings for some reason.”
It didn’t help Journey’s. “Wow. Look at this.” She took his winning plaque to admire, running her finger over the engraving.
“Oh, congratulations.” Harley offered her hand to Reno. “I’m Harley LeBlanc. Beau is my husband.”
“I met Beau. Nice guy. I’m Reno.” He accepted her offer of a handshake.
Once their fingers touched, Harley jerked her hand back as if his touch burned her. “Oh, my. Now I understand why you won. I knew you had this air of…authenticity about you.”
“Can we talk?” Reno asked her, his voice dropping a level.
“Sure. Love to,” Harley answered, giving Journey an apologetic smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll be right back. I won’t keep him long.”
Reno handed Journey an envelope. “Hold this for me, darling.” He kissed her gently. “Don’t worry. This is something I need to do.”
“All right.” She moved to one side and took a seat, watching as Reno followed Harley out the door.
“Where’s he going?” Aunt Myra asked coming to join her.
“I believe he’s getting read by a psychic.”
“Oooh.” Myra’s eyes bugged out. “Is that wise?”
“I don’t know. I hope so.”
“Journey. Hey!”
She looked up to see Apple Blackhawk approaching. “Reno won! Yay!”
“I know. It’s wonderful.” She held up the plaque and the envelope. “I’m not sure what’s in here, but it has to be good.”
“Gift certificates, I think. You’ll both enjoy them.”
Journey hoped they didn’t expire too soon. “I’m sure we will.” As she spoke, she thought of the information Apple had loaned her. “I’m so sorry I haven’t returned the box of historical papers. I haven’t had a chance to finish going through them yet.”
“No rush. Keep them as long as you need to.” She sat down by Journey. “Hi, Ms. Weiss. Good to see you.”
“Nice to see you, Apple. Are you still working at the veterinarians?”
“I am. Love my job.” She touched Journey’s arm. “Hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Yea? What is it?” Journey kept glancing between Apple and the door Reno had disappeared out of.
“Well, it’s no big deal. I was just wondering if you might like to join our book club. All the members were here tonight, so you’ll recognize most of them. We meet for lunch on Tuesdays to talk plots…and other things.”
“A book club? I’ve never belonged to one before.”
Apple giggled and bent close to whisper. “Well, it’s more of a margarita club, but we like to at least pretend we read books.”
“Well, I…”
Apple waved her hand. “Hey, you’re a newlywed. I understand.”
“No.” Journey hurried to stop her from reneging on the offer. “Actually, Reno is going to be out of town for a few weeks. I could do with some company.” She needed a distraction to take her mind off the fact her husband would be a hundred and fifty years in the past.
“Wonderful! Let me give you the information…”
…Outside, Reno sat on a bench next to Harley.
“And that’s the whole story. You were right about everything.”
Harley looked down at the ground. “This is incredible. Your secret is safe with me, of course.”
“I appreciate your promise. Not that anyone would believe it if you were to tell. There’s just one thing I need to know.”
“What’s that?”
“Will I make it there safely? Will Journey be okay while I’m gone? Will I be successful in my attempt to save Cole and my Indian friends? Will I make it back to her in one piece?”
“That’s a lot more than one thing, Reno.” Harley breathed a heavy sigh and shook her head, light laughter on her lips. “Well, let’s see.” At his hopeful expressions, she took his hand and closed her eyes. “Okay. I can’t tell you as much as you want to know. Much of your future is shrouded in the mists of time, to put it poetically. What I can tell you is that things won’t go as smoothly as you hope. There will be heartache, but there’ll be happiness also.”
“No details?” His heart sank.
“You wanted assurances and I can’t give them to you. I’m sorry. I do see that joy awaits you.”
He nodded. “I’ve heard those words before.”
“I’m sure you have. I’m picking up another woman saying them to you.”
“My mother.”
Harley nodded. “Take heart. Time is on your side. At least you have a chance to right some wrongs. The rest of us don’t have the luxury of traveling to the past to fix things.”
“Believe me, the privilege comes with a mighty high price.”
“Take heart. You seem to have some pretty powerful spirit guides.”
“I’m sure I do.” His mother and Ela came to mind.
“While you’re gone, I will pray things work out for you.”
“Thank you.” Reno rose to escort Harley to her husband. It was time for him to return to his Journey. Tonight, would be their last night together in a long while.
* * *
“So, Lou has a date with Samuel Blackhawk. Isn’t that crazy?”
“The guy I punched?”
“The same one.” Journey laughed, flipping through the gift certificates. “You made a haul. Wine tours. A free pair of handmade cowboy boots. Luxury hotel packages. Golf games. Lots of restaurants certificates. Ah, here’s one for zip lining.”
“What?” He leaned against her to see the colorful brochure she was holding.
“You hook this cable to a harness and swing through the trees.”
“And people pay for that?”
“They do.” She looked at the bouquet of certificates in her hand, then just let them drop. “I’m sorry. I can’t get excited about any of this. I’m just too worried. Too sad.”
“Aw, come here.” He pulled her into his lap as they sat in the middle of the bed. “This will all be over before you know it. I’ll go and I’ll come back. It’ll be like I never left.”
“I hope so.”
“Hey, I know so. And when I do get back, we’re going to have to do whatever we need to for me to have some identification. Ten McCoy has offered me a job. He’s going to hold it until I get back.”
“Oh, really? How wonderful!” Just knowing something concrete like that was in the works made Journey feel so much better. “Where does he think you’re going to be for the next month?”
“I told him I had one more trip I needed to take for my former job. And that’s true, for the most part.”
“What about Harley LeBlanc? You never really said what you talked about. Did she give you a reading?”
He played with the fingers on her left hand, turning her wedding ring round and round. “I guess you could say that. Just one touch and she saw right through me. I didn’t really have to tell her anything. She saw my past like she was watching a movie.”
“What about your future?”
“That’s what I wanted to know. She couldn’t tell me a lot, unfortunately.”
“That’s convenient,” Journey grumbled.
“I was disappointed too. What she did say was that…” Reno hesitated to repeat it. He didn’t want his wife to worry. “Not everything would work out just as planned, but it would all be okay in the end – or something like that.”
“Sounds scripted, but I guess that’s all we have. If everything is going to be okay in the end, that must mean you’re coming back to me.”
“I’d say so. Absolutely.”
“Do you think you can trust her?”
“To not go blabbing it all over the place? Who would believe her?”
“I found out her husband is best friends with Joseph McCoy. She has the whole family’s ear. She could tell your new boss.”
He shrugged. “I don’t think she will. There was something about her. She reminded me of Ela in a lot of ways.”
“Skye is the one who is related to Ela, not Harley.”
“She and Ela share something, a certain knowing, a kind light in their eye. When I talked to Harley, it felt like I was speaking to Ela.”
Journey didn’t understand, but that was okay. “I trust your judgement.”
“Good. Cause you can trust me when I say we have more important things to do.”
“Oh, really. Like what?” She loved that teasing tone in his voice. Oh, how she was going to miss him.
“I want to give you twenty-eight orgasms tonight. One for each day I’ll be gone.”
The thought was enticing, but Journey had her doubts. “Like the old saying goes, I’m sure our spirit is willing, but our flesh might be weak.”
“I can guaran-damn-tee you my flesh isn’t week.” He grabbed her close to nudge his sizeable erection into her thigh.
“Forgive me, I was sadly mistaken, my love.” Journey framed his face with her palms and kissed him tenderly. “How about we have two or three orgasms and you let me hold you for the rest of the night?”
“Sounds like a dream.” He wrapped his hand in her hair and pressed his forehead to hers. “One I never want to wake up from.”
Journey could feel the tension in his body. He wanted her, and she needed him more than air. “Then let the dream begin. Love me now, Reno. I need you,” she whispered. “I need my cowboy.”
Reno began pulling at his clothes and she helped him, their fingers tangling as they undressed one another. For this night, the rest of the world was faraway. This was their time; neither the past nor the future could interfere. Only this wonderful now existed.
“I’m so glad I found you. You’re my miracle.” Reno whispered the words reverently.
“And you’re the fulfillment of my every wish, the answer to my every prayer.” She hugged him tightly. “Sometimes, I just can’t believe you’re mine.”
“I am yours and you are mine. Nothing can ever change that.” He folded the covers down to join her in bed. Journey opened her arms and he came to her, blanketing her body with warmth and passion. In pure adoration, Reno’s fingers and lips feathered over her skin, kissing her throat and teasing her nipples.
Journey relished his attention, her body writhing at his touch. When his lips closed over the tender tip of her breast and he began to suckle, love and devotion welled up inside her like a rising tide. Her legs opened of their own volition, her desire for him so intense she could barely contain it. “I need you, Reno Black. I need you more than life.” She lifted her hips in welcome.
Reno needed no further invitation. He ached to be enveloped in her warm, tight body. Slipping his hand between her thighs, Reno insured her readiness. When he found her creamy and warm, he moaned, “Before this night is over, I’m swear I’m going to kiss every inch of your body. But for now, I can’t wait.” Bracing himself above her, he guided himself inside, his eyelids falling in complete bliss as he felt Journey’s intimate walls tighten around him – welcoming, squeezing, milking him with every undulation of her hips. “This will be the last time I leave you. I promise.” He brought his mouth to hers, drinking deeply from her lips.
“I’ll hold you to that promise, cowboy.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, her hips lifting, meeting his every move. Journey clung to him as he claimed her, his hips pounding, his breathing harsh, his beloved face contorting with rapture. Journey’s eyes ate him up, memorizing everything, reveling in the wonder of his possession and the miracle of his love.
As he claimed her, his back arching, his entire body focused on giving and taking pleasure, Journey felt heat blooming between her thighs. An urgency was mounting, she craved the blissful feeling of completion only Reno could give her. “Faster, Reno, Please…” Her voice might fail her, but he never would. As she held on, he thrust inside of her, pounding, pumping into her over and over again – hard enough to make the headboard bang against the wall, her sensitive nipples rubbing against his hard chest with every stroke.
Journey keened with ecstasy as an unearthly light stole her vision. Gravity’s hold on her seemed to evaporate and she felt herself flying beyond the bounds of earth. Clinging to Reno, she knew in her heart they were created to be together, not even time could keep them apart.
With incredulous love, Reno gazed at her face, feeling her small body tense and shiver against him. His own release was at hand, the love he felt for this woman was about to spill from his aching loins. Wanting to take her to the edge one more time, he tried to hold back, he tried to keep moving.
Journey could tell he was losing his grip on self-control. She could feel the power and strength of his entire body focused on making sure she felt adored. “We’ll be together forever, love. This isn’t the last time we’ll make love. Just let go.” She buried her face in his chest. “We’ll have the rest of our lives
to make one another happy.”
Her touch, her assurance, the way she loved him…it all came together to form the perfect catalyst. Bellowing his pleasure, he gave her his all. “Journey, my Journey,” he whispered against her smile as their hearts beat in sync, a sign he took as a sure promise they’d never part.
Caressing his face, Journey ran the pad of her thumb against the stubble on his cheeks. Beads of exertion dampened his forehead. “You’re the most perfect man in the world.”
“For you, maybe.”
“For me, indeed.” Wrapping her arms around him, she held him close as he could be.
Keeping their bodies joined, Reno took her with him as he rolled to one side. A sigh of longing left his lips as he found her eyes in the moonlight. “Know this, my love. When I leave you tomorrow, the memory of this night will be my strength. And when it’s time for me to return, the light of your love will lead me home.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
On this one day of all days, Journey hated the sunrise. She wanted to pull the curtains shut, and pretend morning never came. Sitting next to Reno, she watched him sleep. A wistful smile came to her lips at the memory of the night they’d shared. He’d loved her to the limit of their ability. The number of orgasms didn’t reach twenty-eight, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. “I’m going to miss you every day,” she spoke softly, not wanting to wake him. He needed his rest. A long journey lay before him.
Rising quietly, she dressed, then made her way through the house. There were no animals to be seen. This made her laugh. She was tempted to go peek into Myra’s room just to see them all piled up together. There would be time for that later – after Reno was gone. Right now, there were some things she could do to help him prepare.
In the sunroom, she began putting together the information he needed to help Cole. She even put the papers in a plastic bag, just in case there was rain. “Whoever finds this is going to be amazed.” She also found his notes on John Taylor and Kinsella, the dates and details he wanted to pass on to the authorities. Lastly, she sat down to write him a note. Something for him to find when he needed it the most. Journey was in such a hurry, all she could find to write it on was the back of the flyer from the company who owned the helicopter they’d chartered to take them for a flight over the city of Austin. “This will have to do.”
