Shadows Through Time

by Madeline Baker

  “You had your picture taken with Wyatt Earp?”

  “I brought my camera with me on one trip. Mary couldn’t doubt me when I took the photo myself.”

  “I can’t believe you never told me! You always knew a lot about the Old West. Now I know why. You’ve been seeing it firsthand!”

  “Enough about me,” her grandfather said. His gaze moved over her. “So, how are you making out, Kels? And what the hell are you doing in a saloon?”

  “Working.”

  His brows shot up. “Doing what, exactly?”

  “Not what you’re thinking, you dirty old man,” she said with a grin. “I just serve drinks, but I’m going to open a coffee shop soon.”

  “A coffee shop? Where?”

  “I bought the Williams place. We’ve already started renovating it.”

  “We?”

  As quickly as possible, she told him about Reese and Angelina and how Reese had loaned her the money to buy the Williams house.

  “So, when do I get to meet this guy?” Papa Joe asked.

  “Here he comes now,” Kelsey said, smiling as Reese approached their table.

  “Mind if I join you?” he asked.

  “Not at all. Reese, this is my grandfather, Joseph St. James. Papa Joe, this is T. K. Reese.”

  The two men shook hands, then Reese took the chair next to Kelsey’s.

  “So,” Papa Joe said, leaning back in his chair, “you’re the man who saved my granddaughter’s life.”

  “Yes, sir, but she saved mine, too, so I reckon we’re even.” Reese shook his head. It was unbelievable that Kelsey and her grandfather had both come here from the future. Did the old man know how to get back to his own time? If so, Kelsey would undoubtedly go back with him. The mere idea filled Reese with a sense of loss, as if Kelsey was already out of his reach.

  “So, Papa Joe,” Kelsey said brightly, “where are you staying?”

  “Over at the hotel. You?”

  “I have a room there, too, but as soon as the house is fixed up, Angie and I will stay there. Reaching across the table, she squeezed his hand. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

  “It’s good to see you, too, honey.”

  “We’ll talk more later,” Kelsey said. “Right now I’d better get back to work.”

  It wasn’t until that night, lying in bed on the brink of sleep, that she wondered how her grandfather had managed to earn a living while he was here.

  * * * * *

  The next three days passed swiftly. Kelsey spent every free minute working on the house. With Papa Joe, Angelina and Reese pitching in to help, the work went quickly and by Friday afternoon, they had accomplished practically everything that had to be done. All that was left was painting the bedrooms and the kitchen, which she planned to do next week. Mr. Osgood had helped her order wallpaper from Boston for the tea room. She had thought she would have to order furniture from back east, but Reese had told her she could probably find what she was looking for in Bitter Ridge, which was a large town about twenty miles east of Grant’s Crossing. Being the sweetheart that he was, he had offered to hire a wagon and drive her to Bitter Ridge whenever she was ready to go. Papa Joe had promised to keep an eye on Angelina while they were gone, although Angie declared emphatically that she wasn’t a baby and didn’t need watching. Knowing it was just for show, Kelsey ignored the girl’s outburst. Angie and Papa Joe got along just fine.

  Kelsey decided to make the trip to Bitter Ridge on Monday, since the dance Angelina was so excited about was tomorrow night; the next day was Sunday and the stores would be closed.

  The Square Deal was hopping on Friday night. It seemed to Kelsey that every man over the age of eighteen had decided to stop in to have a drink or two or to test his luck at one of the card tables. By eight o’clock, the place was packed. The air was pungent with the smell of tobacco smoke and booze and too many unwashed bodies squeezed under one roof. The piano player was in rare good form, pounding out one tune after another.

  Reese and Papa Joe sat at Reese’s usual table in the back corner. Kelsey passed by there every chance she got, surprised to see that Papa Joe had almost as much money stacked in front of him as did Reese. It seemed her grandfather was full of surprises, she mused as she picked up a drink order.

  By midnight, she was more than ready for her shift to end. She bid good night to Pete, then stopped at Reese’s table to see if he was ready to leave. It had become his habit to walk her to the hotel.

  He looked up at her and winked, then tossed a dollar into the pot.

  “Looks like you’re on a hot streak,” Kelsey remarked.

  “Reckon so.”

  “Well, I’m going home,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Reese frowned. “Hang on a minute and I’ll go with you.”

  “No, that’s okay.”

  Papa Joe scooped up his winnings. “I’ll walk her home,” he told Reese. “I was gonna call it a night anyway.”

  Reese nodded. Catching Kelsey’s hand, he drew her down and kissed her. “Sweet dreams,” he murmured.

  She smiled at him. “Same to you.”

  Papa Joe held the door for her and they stepped out onto the boardwalk. The town was quiet as they walked toward the hotel.

  “I’ve been wondering,” Kelsey said.

  “Wondering what?”

  “How you managed to earn a living while you’ve been here.”

  “Oh, that.” He cleared his throat. “Doing odd jobs, mostly,” he said with a shrug. “It doesn’t cost much to live here, you know. I moved around a lot, got to see a lot of the country.”

  “What kind of odd jobs?”

  “Oh, mostly menial stuff, sweeping out saloons, currying horses and the like.” He cleared his throat again. “My last job was doing some work for a widow woman.”

  “Here, in Grant’s Crossing?”

  “No, over in Greer.”

  Kelsey studied Papa Joe’s profile as they crossed the street and entered the hotel lobby. Was it her imagination, or did she detect a note of guilt in his voice?

  “Let’s sit here a minute,” she said, taking a seat on one of the sofas in the lobby.

  Papa Joe sat beside her, his hands resting on his knees. He didn’t meet her gaze.

  “So, who was this widow woman?” Kelsey asked. “How did you meet?”

  Papa Joe blew out a breath. “I met her in town. She’d come in to shop. I was working in the mercantile, sweeping up, and offered to help her load her wagon. And then, well, I drove her home. She’d been a widow about a year and her place needed some fixing up. She said she couldn’t pay much, but that I could sleep in the barn and she’d do my laundry and fix my meals…”

  Kelsey nodded, wondering if she wanted to hear the rest.

  “I stayed there about three months, I guess.” He dragged a hand across his jaw. “One night she came out to the barn after I’d gone to bed and…” He slid a glance at Kelsey. “She let me know, without saying a word, that if I wanted to sleep up at the house, it would be okay with her.”

  Kelsey stared at her grandfather. “Did you…?” She couldn’t say the words. Good grief, Papa Joe was over sixty and a married man. Surely any relationship he had with a woman would have been purely platonic.

  A deep red flush crept up his neck. “No, I didn’t. I’ll admit I was tempted. She was a fine-looking woman and I’d been away from Mary for a long time, but…” He shook his head. “Even though I knew I might never get back home again, I couldn’t betray my wedding vows.”

  Kelsey breathed a sigh of relief. She had always respected and admired her grandfather.

  “Anyway, I left her place the next morning and headed back here.” Smiling, he met her gaze. “And a good thing I did, too.”

  Kelsey returned his smile. “Well, you’ll be working for me now,” she said. “That should keep you out of trouble.”

  * * * * *

  Angelina was a mass of nerves as they got ready for the dance Saturday night. She stood
in front of the mirror, fussing with her hair, putting it up, then down, then up again.

  “Relax,” Kelsey admonished with a smile. “It’s just a dance.”

  “But it’s the first time I’ve gone out with Danny,” Angie said, “and I want everything to be perfect.”

  “Well, you look beautiful.”

  And indeed she did. Angie’s dress was a light blue print with a narrow white sash, fine white lace edged the square neckline and the puffed sleeves. The color went perfectly with her blonde hair and blue eyes.

  “So do you,” Angelina said graciously.

  Looking over Angelina’s shoulder, Kelsey glanced at herself in the mirror. Would Reese think she was beautiful? Her dress was dark green, with a round neck and a full skirt that was gathered up on one side, revealing rows of white ruffles. She had opted to leave her hair down.

  “Oh!” Angelina exclaimed. “I can’t decide what to do with my hair!”

  “Here,” Kelsey said, taking the brush from the girl’s hand, “let me fix it.” Kelsey ran the brush though Angie’s hair, then pulled the sides back into a pony tail with a white ribbon, leaving the rest of the girl’s hair to fall down her back in soft golden waves. “How’s that?”

  Angie looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. “Thank you!”

  Dropping the brush on the dresser, Kelsey picked up the small handbag she had bought at Irma’s Millinery. “Let’s go!”

  They met Papa Joe and Reese in the lobby. Her grandfather looked rather dignified in a dark brown suit and cravat. His brown hat sat atop his head at a cocky angle, giving him a roguish look.

  Reese looked ruggedly handsome in a pair of black whipcord breeches, white shirt and a buckskin jacket. “Evenin’, ladies,” he drawled. “You’re both lookin’ mighty fine this evenin’.”

  “Thank you, kind sir,” Kelsey replied.

  Reese put his arm around Kelsey’s waist, Papa Joe took Angie’s hand and they left the hotel.

  The dance was being held at the Grange Hall at the end of town. Even before they reached it, they could hear the lively sound of a fiddle.

  Kelsey glanced around as they stepped inside. Colorful paper streams and bunting decorated the hall. Long tables held baked goods and mulled apple cider. It looked to Kelsey like the whole town was there.

  They had no sooner entered the hall than Danny Hamilton appeared. He was a handsome young man, tall and slim, with dark brown hair and guileless brown eyes. It was evident from the smile on Angie’s face and the flush in her cheeks that she was fond of young Hamilton. And equally obvious that he cared for her. Introductions were quickly made, then Danny took Angie by the hand and led her onto the dance floor.

  “They make a cute couple, don’t they?” Kelsey remarked.

  Papa Joe snorted softly. “He’d better treat her right, or he’ll have me to answer to!”

  Grinning, Reese took Kelsey by the hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”

  “I never figured you for a dancing man,” Kelsey teased as he swept her around the floor.

  “I’m not, but it gives me a chance to hold you in my arms and maybe steal a kiss when nobody’s lookin’.”

  “You don’t have to steal it,” Kelsey said. “Take as many as you want.”

  “Don’t ask me twice,” he replied, and drawing her closer, he kissed her long and hard.

  The touch of his lips on hers blotted everything else from her mind. When she came up for air, she noticed several couples were staring at them, but she didn’t care. Let them talk, she thought, a kiss like that was worth a little gossip.

  The music slowed as the fiddler played a waltz. Kelsey settled into Reese’s arms, amazed that they moved in such harmony even though they had never danced together before. He moved smoothly around the floor, carrying her with him, his gaze resting on her face, his eyes delivering a silent message that made her stomach curl with pleasure. It was a message that was old, yet ever new, the need of one man for one special woman. She wondered how much longer she could hold out against his need and her own desire. Would it be so wrong to give in to what they both wanted? Would she regret it if they made love? Would she regret it if they didn’t?

  “Kelsey?”

  His voice drew her from her internal battle. “What?”

  “You look troubled. Is anything wrong?”

  “No, nothing,” she lied.

  He didn’t look convinced. He twirled her around the floor until they came to a side door, then led her out into the night, away from the lights and the music. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, honest.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “I don’t know,” she said with forced lightness. “Why don’t you?”

  He drew her into his arms. “You can tell me,” he said quietly. “Maybe I can help.”

  “I doubt it.” That would be like a hen asking a hungry fox for help, she thought, grinning inwardly.

  “Have I done somethin’ to upset you?” he asked.

  “No, it’s nothing like that.”

  “Dammit, woman, how can I help if you won’t tell me what’s wrong?”

  “I love you.”

  Her soft reply squashed his rising exasperation. “I know. I love you, too.”

  “That’s the problem,” she said. “I love you.”

  He knew exactly what she meant. She wanted him but she was afraid of the complications involved, afraid that the day would come when she would go back to her own time. He had contemplated the same thing any number of times, wondering how he would let her go when the time came, knowing that, if they made love and she left him, it would haunt him the rest of his life. He had thought about ending their relationship entirely, leaving town, but he couldn’t go. He wanted to be with her every minute that he could, for as long as he could, even though he knew making love to her would only complicate matters more, make their eventual parting that much more painful. Being a man, it was a risk he was willing to take, but he couldn’t let Kelsey take that risk, because the consequences weren’t the same. For Kelsey, making love carried the additional risk of pregnancy and that was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. If she went back to her own time, it would break his heart, losing both her and a baby would shatter his soul.

  She rested her cheek against his chest and he felt the damp heat of her tears soak his shirt.

  “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he murmured.

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  He drew her closer, his hand stroking her back, her hair, his thoughts tumbling through his mind like dice in a cup. He loved her. He wanted her, for now or forever, he wanted her.

  He brushed his lips across her cheeks and when he spoke, his words were little more than a whisper. “We could get married.”

  “Married!” she exclaimed. “Do you mean it?”

  He nodded. “Will you marry me, Kelsey?”

  “But…”

  “I know, it’s a crazy idea, but it’s the only one that makes sense.”

  “But, Reese, I don’t belong here.”

  “But you’re here now.”

  “But I can’t stay…”

  “It doesn’t matter. I love you. You love me. Let’s not waste whatever time we have together.”

  She stared up at him. Maybe he was right. There were no guarantees in life. She might never make it back to her own time. He could be killed in an accident. But they were together now.

  “Will you marry me, Kelsey?”

  “Yes, oh, yes!” She knew it was the right decision the moment she spoke the words, knew it in every fiber of her being.

  “How about tomorrow?” he asked. “We can get married here in the morning and spend our honeymoon in Bitter Ridge, just the two of us.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  He nodded.

  “Yes,” she said, blinking back tears of happiness. “Tomorrow.”

  Kelsey broke the news to Papa Joe and Angelina that night on their way back to the hotel.

  “Doesn’t
surprise me,” Angelina said with a knowing grin.

  Papa Joe shook his head. “Have the two of you thought this through?” He looked at Reese. “What will you do when Kelsey goes home?” he asked. “And you,” he said, turning his gaze toward his granddaughter, “have you thought about it? Really thought about it? What if there’s a child?”

  Kelsey held tight to Reese’s hand. “Of course I’ve thought about it. But I love him, Papa.”

  “I think it’s a mistake you’ll regret,” Papa Joe said.

  “But you’ll be there to give me away, won’t you?” Kelsey asked.

  “Are you kidding?” Papa Joe said. He kissed Kelsey on the cheek, then shook Reese’s hand. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Kelsey was amazed by how quickly their wedding arrangements were made. At noon on Sunday, she and Reese stood in front of a preacher and exchanged their wedding vows. She wore the same dress she had worn to the dance, as did Angelina. Reese wore black trousers and a black leather jacket. Her grandfather wore his brown suit and cravat.

  It wasn’t the lavish kind of wedding most girls dreamed of, but as Kelsey looked into Reese’s eyes and repeated the words that made her his wife, it didn’t matter that her parents and her brothers and Nana Mary weren’t there, or that she wasn’t wearing a designer gown and veil or going to Hawaii on her honeymoon. The only thing that mattered was that she was marrying Reese.

  Warmth spread through her as the preacher pronounced them man and wife and then Reese, her brand new husband, drew her into his arms and kissed her. She leaned into him, wanting to imprint this moment forever on her mind.

  She was breathless, her legs like wet spaghetti, when he took his mouth from hers.

  A rush of heat flooded her cheeks when his gaze met hers, his eyes hot, his smile filled with a promise of more and better things to come when they were alone.

  Reese paid the preacher, then took Kelsey’s hand and they left the church.

  Outside, Papa Joe hugged Kelsey tight. “Be happy, sweetheart.”

  “I am happy.”

  Papa Joe slapped Reese on the back. “You take good care of my girl,” he warned, “or I’ll know the reason why!”

  “Yes, sir.”