Addy checked his pulse. Still nothing. “Again.” She ordered. “Use more.”
“But, it could harm him if I…”
She cut off Cade’s concern. “What could possibly be more harmful than not breathing? Just trust me and do it, again!”
Cade nodded and zapped his little brother, again. Jake’s pulse stayed silent. “Again.” Addy ordered, crying now. “It should work. I know it should. Hospitals in my time use electricity to save lives.”
But, there was nothing, nothing, nothing.
The ground continued to quake. A thick mist from the geyser covered them as they huddled over Jake.
Deke dropped his head into his hands. “He’s gone.” He said hollowly. “Cade, he’s gone. Not even Addy can get him back.”
“He’s not gone. I won’t let him be gone.” Cade zapped him for a fourth time. “Jake, you fucking wake up!”
The power he used charged the air around them, causing the small hairs on Addy’s arms to stand up. For a fraction of a second, she saw purple sparks race along Jake’s skin, Cade’s energy passing through every part of him.
…And she knew it finally worked.
Jake jolted as the electricity slammed into him, his eyes snapping open like a Frankenstein movie. “Holy shit!” He gasped, panting for breath. “Are you people trying to kill me?!”
The ground went still again, but Addy didn’t notice. She sat back, sobbing in relief. “Damn it, Cade. Don’t you ever tell me your powers are a stain on the world, again.” She got out. “Figure out what else they can do, so you can keep saving this idiot family. I can’t lose you guys.”
Cade glanced at her and gave a luminous smile. “Okay.”
Jake batted his brothers away, as they inspected him for injuries. “Quit poking me, will you? God, you guys are just a bunch of old women.” He tried to get to his feet.
Deke muscled him back down, still searching for mortal wounds. “Shut up and stay still. Addy’s right. We aren’t losing you, again.”
“You didn’t lose me. I’m fine.”
Cade helped Deke hold him down. “You were hit with a sal-gun. You were dead, Jake.”
“I wasn’t dead. I was just resting for a second, after I heroically saved your ass from…” Jacobi trailed off mid-word, his gaze locked on something behind them. His jaw sagged, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing through the waning mist.
Addy turned and found herself face-to-face with Mount Rushmore.
A much, much younger Mount Rushmore, with no red ivy growing on the granite or presidents with missing noses. Addy got to her feet. It worked! The geyser had really done it. They’d somehow been transported back to South Dakota and into the past. The question was: When were they exactly? Hopefully, they’d hit the right year.
“Holy shit.” Cade murmured, his lips barely moving.
“Now you know how I felt when I woke-up in Shadow-of-the-Gods.” Addy said softly.
The smoke was nearly all gone now and she spotted a road in front of them. She’d never been so happy to see discarded food wrappers and plastic bottles by a highway. Stooping down, Addy picked up a crumpled convenience store receipt from a new pile of garbage, smiling when she saw the familiar date.
She was home, exactly when she’d left.
Jake escaped his brothers’ aggressive care and staggered to his feet. “We’re in the past.” He gave his hands an excited clap. “Hell yeah! Look at the Four Gods up there! We actually did it! I cannot wait to meet Dr. Quinn!”
Addy quickly grabbed hold of his sleeve when Jake would’ve stepped right onto the asphalt. “No, don’t walk in…”
All three Westins jolted as a minivan roared by, doing fifty. Cade and Deke aimed their guns at it. Jake stumbled back, cursing loudly. It zoomed by them and three sets of eyes flashed over to Addy in astonishment.
“…in the road.” She finished, smiling at their disbelief. “That was a car. It’s okay. You’ll get used to them.”
“Get used to metal monsters?” Deke scowled down at Addy, like she was to blame for all of automotive history. “Bullshit. We should kill them.”
“That would be very hard, considering they aren’t alive.”
“I can kill anything.” He assured her. “Now, I don’t know what the hell is happening, but I didn’t agree to come to the past. However you brought us here, you should’ve fucking asked first.”
Cade flashed his brother a glare. “Don’t be an ass.”
“He can’t help it. It’s part of the Westins’ DNA.” Addy arched a brow and humored his lunacy. “Deke, do you want to come to the past with the rest of the family?”
He considered that, like he actually had a choice. “Yeah, fine.” He finally muttered. “Got nothing else to do.” He looked around and picked a direction. “Which way do we go? This way, right?”
“I don’t know…” Addy began but he’d already started walking, Jacobi hot on his heels. Hopefully, they were headed towards a hospital, because she planned to check Jake in and make was really alright. She looked over at Cade, who was examining a beer can on the ground like he’d discovered the Ark of the Covenant. “You okay?” She asked softly.
“Yes.” He cleared his throat and glanced at her, looking uncertain. “I just… Now, that I’m here, I wonder how I will fit.”
“You fit fine, cowboy.” Addy wrapped her arms around him. “See? Right where you belong.”
Cade smiled at that, his expression clearing. “Nynan.” He agreed, hugging her tight. “And, you know, I have a feeling about our future.”
“You have a feeling?”
“Yeah, a strong one. I don’t think we should ignore it.” He leaned down to kiss her. “It’s telling me I need to marry you, before you slip away from me. Without you, I wouldn’t want to go on, no matter the century.” He rested his forehead against hers. “So, I’m asking you, lady. Be my wife? Please?”
Addy grinned up at him, happier than she’d ever been. “Well, since you said ‘please’…”
Epilogue
We hope you’ve had an amazing time on your all-inclusive tour, Glamper!
As you wrap up your stay with us and mosey into the sunset,
know that you’ll always have a home here in the great American West!
Brown’s Glampling Tours Official Pocket Guide
Five Months Later
“Why did I ever let him watch Knight Rider? Dr. Quinn was way less stressful.” Addy scowled at the trail of dust Jacobi’s jet black sports car left on the road and sat back down on the porch swing with a “humph.” “I swear, I should let Deke hunt automobiles down and save myself the gray hair. Why does Jake need a car like that in Wyoming? It’s just impractical.”
“Then, you shouldn’t have bought it for him, instead of the SUV.” Cade told her, not looking up from his sandpapering. “And since when do you care about practicality?”
“Since I became pregnant and married and not at all a scatterbrain.”
“You were never a scatterbrain.” He shot her a look through his lashes. “But, you will never be practical. It’s one of the million things I sort of love about you.”
She smiled at him. “You’re such a flirt.” She settled back, her palm on her rounded stomach. “And anyway, I didn’t buy Jake that dumb car. I just helped him order it from the dealer.” There were no more shirtless overall debacles, but the Westins were still terrible at shopping. Thank God she was there to lend her expertise.
“You helped him earn the money for it, Adeline.”
“No, I just showed him how to use the internet. He was the one who memorized every damn thing Maria Del Sol said and decided to invest in all the companies who made all that stupid future stuff. And you’re the one who encouraged him to do it.”
“It was a good idea, that’s already paying off.” Cade argued. “Jake doesn’t think he’s a screw up anymore and the kid’s gambling skills are finally being put to use. You preferred it when he was playing cards?”
“I�
��d prefer him to make less money and to not have to worry about hosing him off the gravel.” Addy shook her head. “I’m going to get him a chauffeur. At least until he’s thirty.”
“I don’t think he’ll give up that car. Not even for you.”
“I’m going to get him a female chauffeur until he’s thirty.”
“Oh. Well, that’ll work.” Cade stepped back to examine his work. “You’re the inventor in the family. Do you think paint or stain?”
Addy looked over at the part cradle/part rocking chair/part something he’d built and hide her grin. Her husband was many things, but a carpenter wasn’t among them. She lived in fear of the day he discovered power tools. “I think paint.” She said seriously. “A lot of paint. Maybe purple.”
Cade considered that, in deep, artistic thought. “Green.” He finally decided. “I can see the baby’s aura, now --It glows inside of yours-- and it’s the purest, brightest, most vibrant shade of green you can imagine. It’s beautiful.” He met her gaze and smiled. “Like your eyes.”
Jesus, he was getting good at romance. “Paint it green.” She agreed, loving the guy.
No one could adjust to living sixteen hundred years in the past better than Cade did. He’d adapted to her world far better than Addy had ever fit into his. He loved classic rock. And barbequed potato chips. And using his powers to turn lights on and off without hitting the switch. And God did he love coffee. One sip and he’d admitted that Addy had been completely right to complain about missing it.
He even liked Dirty Dancing.
Despite his new interests, though, he was still indisputably Cade. The essential core of him would never change, no matter what century he lived in. Cade needed a sense of purpose and a place to belong. He was never going to be content playing golf in Scottsdale. It hadn’t taken Addy long to realize that he would be happiest doing the same things he’d enjoyed doing back in the future.
…And horses were the thing he liked most.
The man had such a gift with them. Buying a ranch had been a no-brainer, although Addy hadn’t mentioned the actual cost of ten thousand pristine acres near Jackson Hole for fear he’d have a heart attack. The Westins had some difficulty understanding “paper” money, so Addy could write checks with all sorts of zeroes without them comprehending just how much she’d spent. It was kind of cute.
Cade worried about her bankrolling the new family business, though, which was silly. Addy had plenty cash in her trust fund, and all she’d planned to spend it on was designer handbags and comfortable bras. Wyoming real estate was a way better investment.
Besides, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and some of the Outlanders’ horses had landed in the past with them, which provided the business with some very unique stock. Their distinctive pink and blue spots were already putting Shadow-of-the-Gods Ranch on the map. Thanks to Addy’s marketing skills, people from all over the world were contacting them, wanting their own horse of a different color. Addy had no doubt that Cade was going to make even more money breeding horses than Jake did with his stock market schemes. Hopefully, her husband wouldn’t start driving a shiny death-machine, too.
More important than the success of the business, though, the secluded property gave the Westins a place in this world. Since the three of them were her place in the world, Addy found the ranch the perfect place to relax and grow her baby. She was already picturing a little girl with red hair and lavender eyes. …And maybe some superpowers.
Addy rocked back in her swing, soaking in the tranquility of their home. Off in the distance, she could see Deke walking in the high grass with one of his dogs. The goofy Labrador loped beside him, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Deke liked coffee and Dirty Dancing, too, but dogs were definitely his favorite part of the past. So far, he’d adopted four of the scraggliest, mangiest, ugliest mutts imaginable, lavishing them with attention. Any homeless, hungry creature who needed a home found one with Deke… and it was filled with tennis balls and Milk Bones. Under the grouchy exterior, the guy really was a soft touch for lost souls.
Caring for his pets was helping Deke heal the last of his wounds from the Wilderness War. Every day, Addy could see him improving. He was bathing and talking. She’d even caught him laughing a few times. She’d give him another couple months for self-healing and then she’d find him a nice girlfriend to finish off the touch-up work. Some strategic postings on dating sites should do the trick. “Handsome, brooding, war hero with mysterious past and cowboy skills” seemed like one hell of an online profile. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind, she could get him married off within the year. Addy wasn’t going to be satisfied until everyone was as blissfully in love as she was.
Twisting her wedding ring around her finger, she glanced over at her husband. There was one thing she still had to take care of, though. “You know, you do owe me a honeymoon.”
“What’s a honeymoon?”
“It’s a trip, where we go somewhere pretty and have exotic sex in exotic ways.”
Cade’s head snapped up. “You’re kidding me. That’s a real thing? Really?”
“Of course.” Addy arched a brow. “Want to see Devils Tower in the twenty-first century? I can get us the honeymoon suite at a really nice lodge, with a view of the monument. Or we could take a cruise. Fly to Paris. Go on safari.” She gave a meaningful pause. “Or we could visit Yellowstone.”
“No.” He shook his head, knowing where this was headed. “I told you, I do not ever wish to return to that place. It isn’t safe. What if you’re swept into the future, again?”
“Then, you’ll save me.” If she was lost, Cade would find her. Addy knew that straight down to her soul. “But I think a better idea is for you to come with me.”
Cade grunted, unconvinced. “I will always come for you.” He agreed. “But, I’d rather not have to. I am happy right where I am, with you safe and sound beside me.”
She smiled at that, briefly distracted. “I’m glad. I’ve worried that you might not like it here.”
“I would be happy anywhere you are.” He headed over to crouch down in front of her swing, his eyes serious. “But I am very happy in this time. Happier than I’ve ever been. My brothers are content and prospering. You and our baby are more than I ever dreamed of having. There are lots of horses for me to work with every day.” He glanced over his shoulder at the multimillion dollar view. “Gods only know how much all of this actually cost…”
“I told you, it was about the same as the sixty gold coins I promised you for the room. You wanted me to pay my back rent, didn’t you?”
Cade flashed her a skeptical look and kept going. “…but, I know you bought the ranch to please me and to make my brothers feel at home. It’s difficult to be exasperated with you for blatantly deceiving me about the price, when I know it comes from you caring so much.”
“You helped me when I was stranded in your world, Cade. Of course, I’ll help you find your way here.” She lifted a palm to touch his cheek. “Please don’t worry about the money. I love this house. I love being here with you and Deke and Jake. I bought the ranch to please me. This is where I click and that’s a rare thing to find.” She grinned. “Besides, you have mentioned that you like horses.”
“And I will pay for them. The actual cost.”
She rolled her eyes. “Half. This is my home, too. My family lives here.”
Cade hesitated.
“Please?”
As usual, the “please” won her the argument. Cade always gave in when she played that card. He smoothed back her hair. “You are where I click, lady. I like you, even when you drive me crazy.” He hesitated. “Do you know what else I like about this time?”
“Star Trek reruns that remind you of your home planet?”
“I like that nobody here cares that I’m a Voltyn. In town, I can walk into any shop I wish. People talk to me without insults. You wear my ring and carry my child, and I don’t have to kill anyone to keep you.” He shrugged. “Which I would, but I like that I don’t ha
ve to fight every day for the right to exist. I like that I can live here with you in peace.” He nodded like that really was a miracle. “So, yes. This time is far, far better than the one I left behind.”
“At least for five hundred years or so, until there’s that pesky nuclear holocaust.” That weighed on Addy’s mind. Even though it was so far off, she’d seen the devastation it left firsthand. Even Quel could’ve been saved if he’d been born into a different world. “If there’s a way to stop the flash, we need to do it, Cade.” There was still time to save the future.
Cade groaned. “Will you never give up on this idea?”
“No. And our grandchildren’s grandchildren’s grandchildren will thank us for my stubbornness. That’s why I’m thinking we should go back to Yellowstone. Maybe if we travel through that geyser again, we’ll wind up in a different time. Earlier. Before the flash. Maybe we can fix things.”
“Addy…”
“Think of how proud you’ll feel when you save the world.” The more Addy thought about it, the more she knew that was why she’d been sent back, in the first place. So she could find Cade and they could work together to rewrite history. “This is going to work, Cade. Trust me. Sometimes, I have strong feelings about stuff.”
“I know. And I have strong feelings that you can accomplish anything, Adeline Westin. If you set your mind to changing the future, I am sure you can do it. And I’m sure you’ll beguile me into helping.” He placed one of his glowing hands on her stomach. “Later. Right now, all I want to do is be with you and our child. Can’t this ‘honeymoon’ trip wait for a while?”
Addy’s heart melted. She was very, very happy too, so she was willing to compromise on the schedule. The great thing about time travel was that the future wasn’t going anywhere. “Well, since I do sort of love you a lot, I suppose you could convince me to have some fun here at home. I’m a reasonable lady, after all.”
Cade slowly smiled. “Fun in the shower?” He suggested eagerly.
Cowboy from the Future Page 27
