“Looking forward to it.” He forced a smile, then left the kitchen and headed back to the entry to reach the flight of stairs to the second level. He might as well drown his misery under a hot shower. Tom headed him off at the bottom of the stairwell.
“Where’ve you been, Jake?” His brother’s eyes narrowed on him.
“Out riding.” Jake stepped around his brother to reach the stairs.
“Something’s different about you today, and I can’t put my finger on it,” Tom said from behind him. “Nice little act with that blonde. I’m sure I’ll find you rolling in the hay with her in a day or two.”
Jake wheeled around and advanced on Tom. “Let’s get something straight, big brother. I have no interest in her,” he snarled. “I wasn’t hung over when you found me sleeping in the barn, and Rachel is not a plaything.” He stared at his brother with narrowed eyes. “She’s my wife.” Without waiting for a response, he took the stairs two at a time, and slammed the door behind him to the bathroom. With his palms on the granite countertop, Jake leaned forward, his head hung low. His jaw muscles worked furiously to the point of making his teeth hurt. Repeatedly, he slammed his fists on the counter, cursing under his breath.
Mechanically, Jake removed his clothes and stepped into the shower. The water did little to wash away the pain ravaging his body from the inside out. Rummaging for clean clothes from his room across the hall, he headed back down the stairs to face his family. He inhaled a deep breath, and walked into the dining room where his parents and Tom were already seated to eat lunch together. His brother stared at him from across the table when Jake took his seat.
After several minutes of small talk, Jake cleared his throat and washed the last bite of roast beef sandwich down his throat with a glass of water.
“What would you think about adding a new feature to the dude ranch?” he asked slowly, glancing from his father to his mother. His parents looked at him, their eyes filled with surprise. Tom’s eyes narrowed.
“Like what?” his father asked.
“We could invest in a few Conestoga wagons, and offer an Oregon Trail themed campout or something. Maybe teach the guests a little about life on the trail.”
“We’d need to hire an interpreter,” his mother suggested.
“No. I’ll do it.”
“Your book knowledge about the Oregon Trail won’t be enough, Jake,” Tom chimed in.
“I know more about the trail than any modern interpreter, trust me.” Jake shot a challenging look at Tom.
“It’s an interesting idea, son. Why don’t you look into it some more, and tell me what you find out.”
Jake nodded at his father, then left the table and carried his plate to the kitchen.
“Let’s talk,” Tom said from behind him. He motioned with his head for Jake to follow him. They left the house, and stood on the wide veranda, overlooking the barns and corrals.
Tom leaned over him. He turned his head both ways as if checking to make sure that no one was nearby. Then he whispered loudly. “You're married? When did that happen? And where is she?”
Jake sat on the porch swing, and rested his elbows on his knees. Finally, he looked up into his brother’s waiting eyes.
“I’m gonna tell you something, Tom, and I just want you to listen without interrupting. After I’m done, I won’t talk about it again. You can believe me, or not, but I need to get this off my chest.”
Jake waited for Tom to nod in agreement, then inhaled a deep breath. He started at the beginning, with meeting Sandra, leaving the ranch with her, and his troubles in the city. In great detail, he talked about the reverend and his experiences in 1848, and finally about meeting Rachel and how she had changed his life. When he finished, he glared at his brother, who’d apparently been stunned into silence. Without another word, Jake stood from the swing, and headed toward the barns. He didn’t care one way or the other what his brother believed.
* * *
Rachel slowly opened her eyes. Blinking several times, she fought to focus her vision in the dim light. The pungent scent of hay filled her senses, along with other smells she couldn’t identify. Slowly, she raised herself to a sitting position, and rubbed at her eyes. Billy groaned softly next to her, and began to stir. Tommy and David appeared to be sound asleep. With a jolt of adrenaline that ignited her heart to speed up, she wondered if it had happened! Had they traveled through time in their sleep, just like the reverend said they would?
She sat up fully, and drew her legs underneath her, smoothing her dress to cover her ankles. Her stomach churned wildly, and for a moment she thought she might be sick. She had barely managed to keep the liquid down that the reverend had told her to drink the night before. Was it the following morning now? Her mind wandered back to her conversation with the reverend, trying to recall every detail.
“Please, Reverend. You have to bring my husband back.”
Reverend Johnson listened wide-eyed and silently to Rachel’s pleas to reunite her with Jake. Pacing before her, he mumbled how unprecedented her situation was, and finally conceded that he had no choice but to grant her request.
“I have offered second chances to many people who needed to find their way again after wandering lost through life. Never has this happened.” His icy blue eyes had looked on her with sympathy. “This has taught me a great lesson. There are more powerful forces at work than even I can fathom. I’ve discounted the power of human emotions. I have to believe that you and Jake’s destinies are joined. It’s the only explanation. My records have never been wrong before, but there’s always a first time.” He chuckled, shaking his head.
“So, you can bring Jake back?” Rachel’s eyes widened with hope.
The reverend’s face turned serious. He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. “I can’t bring him back. The ability to travel through the centuries won’t work once the cycle is complete. After Jake fulfilled his requirements here, it triggered his return to his time. It can only be done once.”
Rachel’s eyebrows drew together. “Then, will you send me to him?” Her heart sped up anew, and a wave of nausea hit her. She swallowed back her apprehension. Jake had wanted to take her home with him all along. He would have stayed with her, but she’d always known that Oregon was not where he wanted to be.
This will be no different than leaving Ohio to travel to an unknown land. She’d survived a five-month rigorous journey over unforgiving terrain. She would survive a trip into the future.
Reverend Johnson heaved a sigh. His mouth drew together in a firm line. Rachel sensed he was about to say something that he’d rather not say. “I’ll send you to him, Rachel. I’ll even break the rules further. Your nephews need you. They’ll have to go, too.”
Rachel flung her arms around the reverend’s neck. He stood stiffly for a moment, then patted her lightly on the back.
“Thank you, Reverend,” she whispered.
Reverend Johnson held her at arms’ length. “Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?” His eyes bored into her with such intensity, she shivered involuntarily.
“I’ve never been more sure about anything, Reverend.” She held his gaze.
“I can’t return you to this time, Rachel. Because you were not originally chosen for a second chance, I can only send you one way.”
“I want to be with my husband. It doesn’t matter to me where, or when, that is.”
Johnson rubbed his chin. “If Jake reverts back to his old habits, you will be stuck in the future, and things are a lot different, more complicated, there than they are here.”
“Reverend,” Rachel said slowly. “I’ve accused Jake of lying to me on two separate occasions. I was wrong both times. I trust him completely.”
Johnson smiled indulgently. His chest heaved again. “Gather your children, Rachel. Meet me back here at the church at sunset. Then I’ll prepare you for what lies ahead.”
* * *
Billy moaned loudly in the hay next to her, and Rachel focused her attention on
the present. “My head hurts,” Billy cried. He pushed himself to a sitting position.
“It’ll pass,” Rachel assured him, and rubbed at his back.
The building they were in was definitely a barn, but unlike any barn she had ever seen. The walls were not made of wood, but appeared to be crafted from metal. The ceiling was so high, Rachel couldn’t imagine how the roof could have possibly been erected.
Most everything you know, and are familiar with, will be different in the future. The reverend’s warning echoed in her mind. With a determined lift of her chin, she stood to her feet, and shook the straw from her dress. Smoothing her hair from her face, she hoped she looked presentable. Her braid was coiled at the back of her head, and felt neat and tidy to the touch. She felt for her satchel that she’d stuffed inside her dress. She couldn’t lose that. The reverend had given her documents that he said were important for her to have in the future, and that Jake would know what to do with them.
Apprehension and joy flooded her at the same time. She nudged Tommy awake, and lifted David into her arms. The sleepy toddler’s head fell against her shoulder, his thumb in his mouth.
“Time to find Jake,” she said brightly to Billy, trying to sound excited. She hoped it hid her fear and nervousness from the boy. “While you were sleeping all night, we traveled to Montana.”
Rachel knew she couldn’t explain to the boys about time travel. She laughed. She couldn’t explain it to herself. She simply told them that they would meet Jake at his home in Montana, and that they would travel through the night to arrive by morning. She hoped that the new and wondrous things they would encounter in the future could be explained as easily to the boys as the hot springs they had seen along the trail to Oregon.
“Is this where he lives?” Billy asked, looking around the odd barn.
“I believe so, yes. Let's go find him.” With a determined nod of her head that belied the growing churning sensations in her belly, Rachel headed for what appeared to be a normal-sized door to the barn. She couldn’t explain how all the hay could have been brought through this one small opening. In a way, she felt reborn. She would learn about this new world and all of its wonders right alongside her nephews.
Tommy staggered sleepily next to her, rubbing his eyes. “Stay close to me,” Rachel warned both boys, and pushed the odd steel handle on the door, which sprung open easily. Squinting into the bright light, she stepped outside. She tightened her hold on David, as if the boy’s body would prevent her heart from slamming through her chest. She scarcely dared to breathe.
After her eyes adjusted to the sun’s bright rays, she lifted her head to look around.
“Whooooaa,” Billy exclaimed loudly. A gravel path led to several horse corrals in one direction, and another barn that looked vaguely more like what she was accustomed to, even if it was nearly three times as long as even a large barn at the local livery. Beyond the corrals, the road led up a gentle incline to the largest house Rachel had ever seen. How was it possible to construct a log cabin in such an elaborate style? And the windows! Never in her life had she imagined a glass window could be so large. From a distance, she judged several of them to be taller than she was.
For a while, we’ll have to live with my folks, but there’s plenty of room. Rachel’s face flushed. Jake’s words from their wedding night came back to her. Inhaling a deep breath, she headed up the path, hoping her shaky legs would carry her all the way. Reaching the top of the rise, another house came into view several hundred yards away. It didn’t look quite as grand as the main house. Strange looking brightly colored objects on black wheels stood in front of the dwelling. They vaguely resembled some sort of carriage or wagon. She wondered if these were the airplanes Jake had referred to that could travel two-thousand miles in less than a day.
A woman’s laughter reached Rachel’s ears, followed by the deeper chuckles of a man. Rachel’s head whipped around. Coming up behind her, two people strode quickly up the path. Rachel’s gaze settled on the woman, and her mouth dropped.
“Cover your eyes,” she hissed at the boys.
The couple approached, and Rachel’s face flamed. She tried not to stare, but she couldn’t help it. Her chemise covered more than what this woman wore, and she walked around in bright daylight for all to see! A red and white checkered sleeveless shirt was tied in a tight knot just below her breasts, barely covering them. Her mid-section was completely exposed. She wore skin-tight blue britches that couldn’t even qualify as britches. They barely reached past her rear end. Daring a glance at the woman’s face, a jolt of recognition shot through her. She looked almost identical to the laundress at Fort Laramie. This was the woman Jake had told her about. What was she doing here?
Rachel’s heart filled with renewed apprehension. Was this how women dressed in the future? She swallowed back her growing fear. Jake had told her repeatedly that he loved her because she was different from the women he was used to. She would not allow the nagging thoughts in her head deter her. He’d never expect her to wear such scanty clothing.
“How cute,” the woman said to the shorter man next to her, her arm wrapped tightly around his waist. “I love how authentic everything is here. You even have girls and kids dressed up as pioneers.”
The blonde man looked at Rachel with smiling eyes. “You lost, sweetheart?” he asked. His brazen speech reminded her of Jake when she first met him. She raised her chin.
“I’m looking for Jake Owens,” she said firmly, unwilling to be intimidated. The man’s eyebrows shot up. His eyes roamed slowly over her, as if assessing her like some prized heifer at auction.
“Aunt Rachel, why is that lady not wearing any clothes?” Tommy chimed in beside her.
“I told you to cover your eyes,” Rachel scolded between gritted teeth. Her face flamed, and the woman laughed.
“Last I seen him, he rode off to the south pasture earlier,” the man said slowly, still studying her with narrowed eyes.
“And where is that?” Rachel asked. She adjusted David to her other hip. The boy was getting heavier with each minute. Her insides churned with apprehension.
“Is there a problem here?” Another man strode slowly down the path from the direction of the house, a dark scowl on his face. He glared at the blonde woman with a disapproving look. Rachel’s eyes widened. He was an older, taller version of Jake! There was no doubt in her mind that this was Tom, Jake’s brother.
“Hey, you look like Uncle Jake,” Tommy yelled, and the man shot a wide-eyed look of surprise at the boy. In the next instance, his head snapped up to look at Rachel.
“Shorty, don’t you have work to do?” he growled. “Miss Sandra is late for her riding lesson.”
“Already had one,” the blonde purred, and winked at the man called Shorty. The blonde man cleared his throat, then quickly pulled the woman with him up the path.
“You’re Tom Owens?” Rachel ventured a guess, and held her hand out to the man who reminded her so much of her husband.
Slowly, he took her hand in his, and nodded, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Please, I need to find Jake. I –”
“By God,” he said loudly. “He wasn’t pulling my leg.” He continued to stare at her, then at the boys. “You’re Rachel.”
“Yes.” She nodded, holding back the tears in her eyes. Jake had told his family about her?
“He’s down at the south pasture. It’s where he’s been going to be alone.” Wonder filled his eyes.
“I need to see him,” she whispered, and swallowed the lump in her throat.
“If you’ll trust me with these boys, he’s about a mile down that path.” Tom pointed to a narrow trail leading away from the gravel road.
“I’d be much obliged, Mr. Owens.” She lifted David from her shoulder and handed him into Tom’s waiting arms.
“Are you our uncle, too?” Billy asked, looking up at the tall man. He smiled brightly.
“Reckon I am. How about we round us up something good to eat, and you
let your Aunt Rachel find Uncle Jake.”
“Yeah,” both boys agreed loudly.
“Thank you,” Rachel whispered, and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“He’ll be glad to see you.” Tom nodded.
Rachel turned and dashed down the trail.
* * *
Jake sat in the tall grass, his horse grazing contently next to him. A hazy mist rolled over the hills in the distance, the tops of pine trees barely visible. He leaned back on his elbows, and closed his eyes. The humming and chirping of crickets and countless other bugs mixed with the sounds of the metal jingle of the horse’s bit. A slight breeze caressed his face. For a moment, he imagined that he was back on the vast Nebraska prairie.
He inhaled a deep breath, the fragrant aroma of wildflowers filling his senses. He almost regretted that he told his folks and Tom about his idea of adding a pioneer theme to their dude ranch. No doubt it would generate new business, but it would also be a constant reminder of his time in 1848.
Would his heart stop hemorrhaging before he lost his sanity? Rachel was with him wherever he went, whatever he did. This was his second day home. How long before thoughts of her didn’t feel like a knife slicing through his chest? His dreams of her during the night had been so vivid; he reached for her in the dark, only to wake to a lonely bed.
Listening to the wind swoosh through some nearby pines, he almost heard her voice calling to him. The chestnut gelding suddenly raised his head, grass fluttering from its mouth. Jake listened. Someone was calling his name. He sat up, and turned his head in the direction his horse’s ears pointed.
Several hundred yards in the distance, someone was running toward him, a figure in a long dress. Jake bolted to his feet. He blinked to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. His heart slammed against his ribs. It couldn’t be! She called his name again.
“Rachel,” he yelled, and sprinted up the trail. It wasn’t an illusion. Not this time. She was real.
“Jake,” she called again, and seconds later their bodies collided. Jake wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground, afraid that if he let go, she’d vanish again.
Come Home to Me (Second Chances Time Travel Romance Book 1) Page 25
