Shadows Through Time

by Madeline Baker

  Kelsey slid off the back of her horse, grateful for a chance to stretch her legs. The other woman also dismounted. She stood there a moment and then threw back the hood of her cloak.

  Kelsey stared at the woman, who wasn’t a woman at all, but a very pretty teenage girl, with big blue eyes, pale skin and waist-length hair the color of cornsilk.

  A girl who took one look at Reese, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth, making Kelsey suddenly sorry that they hadn’t left her with the Indians.

  Reese put his hands on the girl’s shoulders and held her away from him. “Whoa, now.”

  The girl batted her eyelashes at him. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, widening her eyes. “I just wanted to show my gratitude.”

  “Yea, well, a ‘thank you’ will do well enough.”

  “Oh, not nearly,” she said.

  “Hold on now,” Reese said. “Who are you?”

  “Angelina Ridgeway, but you can call me Angel.”

  “You got kin hereabouts, Angelina?”

  She shook her head, her eyes growing misty. “No. No one.”

  “So, where were you headed?”

  “Grant’s Crossing.” She batted her thick blonde eye lashes at Reese again. “Do you think you could take me there?”

  “As it happens, that’s where we’re headed.”

  Angelina smiled at Reese. “I guess this is my lucky day.”

  “Lucky!” Kelsey exclaimed, thinking of the three dead men the Indians had killed. “I’d hardly call it that.”

  “What else would you call it when you meet a gent as handsome as…” She smiled up at Reese. “What did you say your name was?”

  “Reese.”

  Angelina looked at Reese as if she was a cat and he was a bowl of fresh cream. “He’s quite handsome,” she purred, glancing at Kelsey, “don’t you agree?”

  Reese cleared his throat. “That’s enough, you two. Kelsey, dig some jerky out of my saddlebags. We’ll camp here for the night and get an early start in the morning.”

  Dropping his hands from the girl’s shoulders, Reese went to look after the horses.

  Angelina stared after him a moment, then turned to look at Kelsey, her expression thoughtful. “You’re not married to him or anything, are you?” she asked.

  Kelsey shook her head. “No.”

  “I think he might be just what I’ve been looking for.”

  “Really?” Kelsey retorted. “Well, stop looking.”

  “But you said…”

  Kelsey thrust a chunk of jerky into the girl’s hands. “He’s old enough to be your father.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  A wave of jealousy rose up in Kelsey’s breast, so hot and so unexpected, all she could do was stare at the girl in front of her, speechless.

  Removing her cloak, Angelina spread it on the ground and sat down, her gaze fixed on Reese, who was hobbling the horses a short distance away.

  “Were your parents on the stagecoach?” Kelsey asked, thinking that no mother in her right mind would let her daughter travel in the outfit Angelina was wearing. Or almost wearing. Her white off-the-shoulder blouse was shockingly low-cut for this day and age, her skirt, while ankle length, had a slit up one side that revealed a length of long creamy leg almost to the thigh.

  “What?” Angelina glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, no. I don’t know where they are.”

  “Aren’t you rather young to be traveling by yourself?”

  “I’m almost seventeen.”

  Kelsey didn’t say anything, but she would have bet her new baby blue Mustang that Miss Angelina Ridgeway wasn’t a day over sixteen, if that.

  The girl bit off a piece of jerky, chewed and made a face. “Is this breakfast?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  With a shrug, Angelina went back to watching Reese.

  Kelsey couldn’t blame her. He drew her gaze, as well. There was a latent sensuality in the way he moved. As he stroked the neck of one of the horses, she imagined that big, long-fingered hand stroking her back, her thigh, her…

  With a start, she dragged her thoughts from a road best left untraveled.

  Angelina smiled up at Reese when he drew near. “I’m cold,” she said, “can’t we have a fire?”

  “You got any wood in that cloak?”

  “No,” she said, pouting prettily, “but you could keep me warm.”

  “Turn in and get some sleep,” he said brusquely. “We’ll be lighting out again in a few hours.”

  Turning his back to the girl, Reese grabbed a piece of jerky and then sat down.

  “She’s something, isn’t she?” Kelsey remarked, sitting down beside him.

  He grunted softly. “She’s trouble, is what she is.”

  Kelsey nodded. She had no doubt of that. No doubt at all.

  * * * * *

  Angelina complained all that day. She didn’t like horseback riding, it made her back hurt. She didn’t like the heat. She didn’t like the dust. She didn’t like having nothing but jerky to eat. She wouldn’t touch the pemmican that Hantaywee had provided.

  Kelsey was sorely tempted to smack the girl, but then she reminded herself that Angelina was young and had been through a terrible ordeal. Looking at the expression on Reese’s face, she was sure he was having some of the same thoughts she was, though from time to time he looked like he wanted to put Angelina over his knee and give her the back of his hand.

  They stopped at a waterhole at midday. Angelina slid off her horse with a loud groan.

  Dismounting, Reese gathered the reins and led the horses to the waterhole.

  Angelina followed, mincing along behind as him as though she were wearing a pair of Manolo Blahniks instead of a pair of well-worn half-boots.

  Angelina put her hand on Reese’s arm to get his attention. “How much longer until we get to Grant’s Crossing?”

  “We should get there some time tomorrow night. You got kin waiting for you?”

  She shook her head. “No, no one,” she said in a small voice. “I’m all alone in the world.”

  “Uh huh.”

  She gazed up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Will you take care of me, Reese?”

  “I don’t cotton much to kids.”

  “I’m not a kid!” Angelina fisted her hands on her hips, her left leg thrust out so that the slit in her skirt parted, revealing her leg from ankle to mid-thigh. “I’m a woman.”

  Reese muttered an oath, then jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “If you need to take a…” He cleared his throat. “If you need privacy, go over there, behind that bush. We’re leaving as soon as the horses are watered.”

  With a small humph of pique, Angelina turned and flounced away.

  Shaking his head in exasperation, Reese filled their canteens, then led the horses over to where Kelsey waited in the shade.

  “Angelina seems quite taken with you,” Kelsey remarked. And why wouldn’t she be? Reese was, to say the least, a hunk and a half. In his own time or hers, women would be drawn to his good looks, his sense of chivalry, that air of self-assurance that made a woman feel that he could take care of her, no matter what.

  Reese made a sound of disgust low in his throat. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Ridiculous? She’s practically panting after you.” And it was driving Kelsey crazy. She told herself it was none of her business, that she had no reason to be jealous of Angelina. But she was.

  Reese grinned at her. “Does it bother you, her ‘panting after me’ as you put it?”

  “Of course not!” Kelsey replied hotly. “Why should it?” She had no claim on Reese and didn’t want one. But every time Kelsey saw Angelina flirting with Reese, she wanted to scratch the girl’s eyes out. Kelsey’s reaction shocked and surprised her. She had never succumbed to the green-eyed monster before.

  “Too bad,” Reese drawled, a teasing glint in his eyes. “I was hoping maybe you were a little jealous.”

  Kelsey snorted softly. �
�Now you’re being ridiculous.”

  “Not even a little jealous?” he asked.

  He sounded disappointed. Well, that was just too bad. She refused to stroke his male ego by admitting he was right. She had her pride, after all. Gathering her dignity, she opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t the least bit jealous, then blew out a sigh. She had never been any good at lying.

  “All right,” she confessed, refusing to meet his gaze, “maybe I am a little bit jealous. Are you happy now?”

  He grinned, looking extraordinarily pleased with himself. “You don’t have anything to be jealous of, Kelsey,” he murmured, drawing her into his arms.

  “No? She’s lovely and young and thin and…”

  “I don’t want a skinny little girl, sweetheart, I want a woman.” He looked at her, his dark eyes smoldering. “I want you.”

  The heated look in his eyes, the husky tone of his voice, went straight to Kelsey’s heart and then arrowed downward. Had they been alone, she might have surrendered to the desire she saw in his eyes, to the restless wanting that plagued her.

  But they weren’t alone.

  “Well, well,” Angelina said, smiling archly, “I hope I’m not intruding.”

  Kelsey bit back a sharp retort. She would have pulled away from Reese, but his arm remained firm around her waist. Then, as if Angelina wasn’t standing there watching them avidly, Reese lowered his head and kissed her, not some little peck, but a kiss that made Kelsey’s toes curl with pleasure, made her forget, for the moment, that there was anyone else on the planet.

  She was breathless when Reese lifted his head. “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

  Kelsey stared at him blankly for a moment. Go? And then she remembered where they were. “Yes, of course.”

  He winked at her, then lifted her onto the back of her horse and handed her the reins.

  Reese lifted Angelina onto the back of her horse, dropped the reins into her lap and then swung into the saddle.

  Angelina immediately rode up beside him, but Kelsey hung back a little, her fingertips sliding back and forth over her lips. She felt as if she had been branded by his kiss. It was a good feeling.

  And then she frowned. Had he kissed her because he wanted to, or had he kissed her hoping that Angelina would take the hint and leave him alone?

  Chapter Twelve

  Reese gazed up at the sky, his arms folded behind his head. How the hell had his life gotten so complicated? He had gone from being a loner to being saddled with two females. He grunted softly. Saddled probably wasn’t the right word, at least where Kelsey was concerned.

  He hadn’t wanted to care for her but he couldn’t help it. Somehow, in spite of his resolve to the contrary, she had managed to work her way into his heart. The fact that she had admitted she was jealous of Angelina made him smile. And then he frowned. What in hell was he going to do about Angelina?

  The thought had no sooner crossed his mind than she was there, sliding into his bedroll.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mindful of Kelsey sleeping nearby, he kept his voice low.

  “I was cold. I thought you’d keep me warm.”

  She didn’t feel cold. Her lithe body snuggled against his, her young, firm breasts pressing against his side, her long legs twining all too intimately with his.

  He jackknifed into a sitting position. “Dammit, girl, you can’t sleep here!”

  “Why not?”

  Reese swore. “You know very well why not.”

  She wriggled against him, then laughed softly. “You don’t really want me to go, do you?”

  He moved away from her, cursing his body’s automatic reaction to being in such close proximity to a desirable female, even if that female was little more than a child.

  Rising, he jerked Angelina to her feet, then thrust his blankets into her arms. “Here, you’ll be warm enough now.”

  “But what about you?”

  “Go. Back. To. Bed.” He spit the words through gritted teeth.

  “Oh! Are you always this stubborn and pig-headed?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Keep your old blankets!” she said, throwing them in his face. “I don’t want anything of yours.”

  “Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

  Glaring at him, Angelina turned and stomped back toward her own bedroll, her cheeks burning.

  Oh, but he was the most aggravating man! She smoothed her blankets, then slid underneath the top cover and pulled it over her head. Maybe he didn’t like girls! No other man had ever pushed her away. Old or young, they always leered at her as if they knew what she looked like in her chemise. Not that she had ever let any of them actually touch her. Oh, no, if there was one thing she had learned early, it was that a man quickly lost interest and respect for a woman he could talk into his bed. Her mama had taught her that, if nothing else!

  With a sigh, Angelina flounced over on her stomach, wondering if her mother had missed her yet. Sometimes, if Mama was really busy, she didn’t pay any attention to Angelina for days at a time. The bigger question was, would Mama come looking for her? Or, worse, would she send Mr. Wellington after her? The thought made Angelina shudder with dread. Mama had promised Mr. Wellington that Angelina would spend the night with him if he would pay off Mama’s loan at the bank. Mr. Wellington had readily agreed.

  Five days ago, Mama had informed Angelina that Mr. Wellington would be coming to collect her on the night of her sixteenth birthday and that after Mr. Wellington had had his way with her, Angelina would be serving drinks in the saloon instead of just cleaning up at closing time. Angelina had also learned that after she had entertained Mr. Wellington, she would be expected to “pleasure” certain other customers who were willing to pay the right price.

  Angelina had smiled and nodded and pretended everything was fine, but that night, after Mama was asleep, Angelina had stolen all the cash money Mama kept hidden in the bottom drawer of her dresser and hightailed it out of town like a thief in the night.

  Angelina flopped over onto her back and stared up at the stars. So many stars. She blew out a sigh, wondering how she could convince Mr. Reese to take her to bed and still keep his respect. He seemed like a gentleman. If she could seduce him, he would surely do the right thing and marry her and then she would never have to worry about Mama or old Mr. Wellington ever again. She blinked back the tears that welled in her eyes. She had to find someone to marry her. It was the only way to be free of Mama. Running away from home had seemed like the best solution at the time, but what was she going to do now?

  She chewed on her thumbnail, her brow furrowed in thought. Maybe she could just tell Mr. Reese the truth. But, no, when had the truth ever done her any good? Besides, if he knew she was only fifteen, he might send her back home and she would rather go off with the Indians than go back home.

  Turning onto her stomach again, she closed her eyes. She was safe now, at least until they reached Grant’s Crossing.

  * * * * *

  Kelsey rolled onto her side and tried to relax, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw the way Angelina had looked at Reese and the way Reese had looked at Angelina. Not that she could blame him. Angelina was a beautiful girl. A man would have to be blind in both eyes and dead six months not to notice her!

  Kelsey told herself she was behaving like a love-struck teenager, jealous of her first crush and that no matter how she felt about T. K. Reese, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t in this time period to stay. She was, as it were, just passing through. As soon as she found the door back to her own time, she was outta here! Letting herself fall in love with Reese, or any other man, would be sheer stupidity. The only thing was, she was afraid that no matter how hard she tried to deny her feelings for Reese, it was already too late. She loved the way he looked after her, the way he cared about what happened to her. She loved the sound of his voice and the touch of his hand. She even loved it that he had gone after Angelina when he could just as easily have turned his back on th
e girl and let the Indians have her. But, even more than that, she wanted to comfort him, to wipe away the pain that lingered in his eyes, to banish the demons that haunted him.

  Mostly, she just plain wanted him.

  Unable to sleep, she crept out from under her blankets and walked a little ways away from their campsite. Sitting on a large rock, she propped her elbows on her knees, cupped her chin in her hands and stared into the distance, listening to the quiet.

  Overhead, the stars followed their set patterns, winking down at her as if they knew the answers to all of life’s questions. Large billowy white clouds drifted across the face of the moon. A gentle breeze sang a soft serenade, accompanied by the whisper of the leaves in the trees.

  Nana Mary would be missing her by now. No doubt Nana had called Kelsey’s parents to see if Kelsey was there. Kelsey didn’t know if time in the past moved at the same rate as time in the future, but if it did, she had been gone longer than twenty-four hours. Her parents had probably notified the police.

  She frowned, thinking of the pictures of young women she had seen on the nightly news from time to time, women who just disappeared without a trace. Maybe they weren’t victims of violent crimes, after all. Maybe they hadn’t run away or been abducted, maybe they had just stumbled into the past and couldn’t find their way back home. After all, if it could happen to her and her grandfather, it could happen to anyone!

  Home. She clicked her heels together three times, murmuring, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” And then she laughed. Of course it wouldn’t work, not without the ruby slippers.

  “You shouldn’t be out here alone.” His voice poured over her like molasses warmed by the sun, deep and dark and rich.

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  Grunting softly, he sat beside her. “Something botherin’ you?”

  There was a loaded question if she’d ever heard one. She was debating between the truth and a lie when he said, “I couldn’t sleep either.”

  “Something bothering you?” she asked, a smile in her voice.