A Chance In Time

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  As soon as they reached the outhouse, she waited by the door while he did his business. It felt strange to do something this familiar with someone she hardly knew. And what did she know about him? Nothing really. Though she suspected she could trust him. Something in his expression told her that deep down, he had a good heart.

  The door to the outhouse opened. “Can I get dressed?” he asked.

  “Of course. I’ll help you back to the house and then you can get your clothes. Then I’ll make you some soup.”

  “Will you take me to town? I need to get on a train to Fargo.”

  Oh. So he had some place to go. Well, of course, he had some place to go. He wasn’t seeking her house out as he walked across the prairie. “I’ll take you but I need you to rest up first. You’re in no shape to travel for two days.”

  “Two days?”

  “That’s how long it takes me to get to town. That’s why I don’t make the trip very often.”

  He sighed, looking disappointed.

  She didn’t know what else to say, so she let him wrap his arm around her shoulders and helped him back to the house where he got dressed. He spent the rest of the day in bed and let his body heal.

  Chapter Three

  Cole watched Penelope as she cut up potatoes for the soup. He wondered what she thought of the time travel device. She saw it. That was the only explanation for it ending up in the drawer. He had slipped it into his pocket while he dressed. Thankfully, she allowed him privacy to do that. But she had returned before he had a chance to check the location of the missing chip. Without it, he was stuck back in this time.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.

  She glanced over her shoulder. Stray strands of her blond hair fell over her blue eyes.

  He had the urge to go up to her and brush them away but didn’t dare.

  “You need to rest. You’re still not well,” she said in a soft voice that he likened to an angel. “You’ll need your strength before you’re up to doing anything.”

  She was right, of course, but he didn’t like feeling helpless. He wanted to contribute something. “I think I’ll walk around for a bit. I need to stretch my legs.”

  Even as he said the words, he wondered if his body was up for the task. As it was, he was doing good to stand. But he couldn’t rest until he checked that location of the chip. Was it still in Fargo? If he didn’t get the chip, he’d never get back to the 21st century where he belonged.

  “Alright,” she replied, “but I’m going to get you something first.” She put her knife down and went out the door.

  He wondered what she had in mind. Considering the fact that she saved him from an early grave, he knew she wouldn’t do him any harm. His gaze drifted to the open window and he saw her enter the barn. That meant he just bought some time. Well, he wasn’t about to waste this opportunity. He quickly dug the time machine out of his pocket and flipped it open. The energy signature revealed that the chip was still in Fargo. Breathing a sigh of relief, he closed it. Good. It hadn’t budged. That had to mean that no one else had it. If someone was in possession of it, then it would be changing locations.

  His body felt weak as he limped forward. He sat in one of the two kitchen chairs and wiped his forehead. He couldn’t believe the simple walk across the room made him break into a sweat. Yes, he was bad off.

  She returned a minute later with a tall branch that reached up to her nose. “This might help you. If you get weak, you can lean on this.”

  His heart warmed at her thoughtfulness. “I’ve decided you’re right. I’m not up for it yet.”

  She nodded and placed it next to the table. “If you need it, it’s here.”

  He considered his next words with great care. He didn’t wish to upset her, but he wanted to know why a lone woman out in the middle of nowhere would dare nurse a stranger back to health. For all she knew, he could be a cold blooded killer. But are you that much better? You are a thief. The time machine isn’t yours. He shoved the self-accusation aside. He’d deal with his sin later.

  “May I ask why you brought me here?” he finally asked.

  She didn’t make eye contact as she returned to the small table by the cook stove and resumed her work on the potatoes. “I saw you and knew that you’d die if I didn’t help. There’s nothing close by, and I couldn’t risk the journey to town.”

  What could he say to that? She didn’t know his past. Here she was, a good Samaritan, someone who saw someone in need and didn’t hesitate to help. He decided against telling her that she would have been better off leaving him for dead. Instead, he said, “Thank you.”

  She smiled in his direction, and he sensed that, in some way, she was actually glad he was there. “My name is Penelope.”

  “Cole.”

  He couldn’t help but be struck by her beauty. Women in his day didn’t usually pull their hair back into buns like she did, but even so, she was much more pleasing to look at. He looked away from her, ashamed that such thoughts would come to him. Surely, she’d be better off with a more respectable man, one who didn’t lie and steal to get what he wanted.

  “So,” he began, wishing to break the awkward silence that hung between them, “you’ve lived here all by yourself for how long?”

  “About a year now.”

  “You mentioned that you had a husband. What happened to him?”

  “He got sick. It was a hard winter, and neither of us were prepared for it.”

  But she’d survived and carried on in this place. “It must get lonely out here.”

  She simply nodded as she stirred the potatoes in the pot.

  “Are you able to keep track of the days?”

  “I have a calendar. At the end of each day, I make a mark on the day.”

  “What is today?”

  “June 2.”

  He slowly exhaled. It had been April 23 when he went back into the past, and he was no closer to returning to the future than when he started searching for that missing chip. Time. Time wasted running from Blake, time wasted arguing with lawyers over alimony checks, time wasted with a woman who made him miserable, time wasted in believing that tomorrow would be better than today. He shook of his mental check through his past. Or his future...depending on how one decided to look at it.

  “Do you make it to town often?” he asked, recalling that she mentioned it being a two day journey.

  “I go about twice a year.”

  “By yourself?”

  Her lips curved in amusement. “Who else would accompany me?”

  He returned her smile. “Of course. But you must know someone in town, someone you can visit while there.”

  “There is my husband’s sister. I don’t know her very well though. As soon as I came off the train, he married me and took me out here.”

  His ears perked up. “There’s a train station in town?”

  “Yes. New Rockford is a good-sized place. At least, it is compared to here.”

  New Rockford? He’d never heard of that place before. He wondered how far it was from Fargo.

  “You don’t have much money,” she said. “You’ll need new clothes. The ones you have on are torn.”

  He glanced at his ripped jeans and shirt. “You’re right.” Clothes were the least of his concerns, but he couldn’t tell her that.

  “I have some money saved. You can use that to purchase some.”

  He blinked in surprise. Why in the world would she do that? “That’s not necessary.”

  “I know. But I want to do it.” Before he could reply, she motioned to the large trunk in the corner of the cabin. “My husband’s clothes are in there. You can wear those for the time being.”

  In a way, it felt odd to be granted a dead man’s clothes, but he could see her logic. They weren’t doing her husband any good. “Thank you.” Again.

  It seemed the list of things to thank her for was a mile long, but he’d find a way to repay her for her kindness.

  “Are you hungry?” s
he asked as she added salt to the soup.

  “A little but not much. Actually, I’m more thirsty than anything else.”

  She set the ladle aside and grabbed a cup from the shelf. She picked up a pitcher and poured water into the cup.

  “I could have done that,” he told her. He hadn’t expected her to run to fetch him some water. He’d just been making conversation.

  “You need to rest up. When you feel like you can move around without getting dizzy, then I won’t baby you so much.”

  “If that’s the case, I may be dizzy for a long time,” he joked. It wasn’t every day a man got treated like royalty.

  “Well, if I catch on that you’re fibbing, then I’ll have to stop.”

  He liked the twinkle in her eye as she handed him his cup. “Thanks. Yet again.”

  She sighed. “I should thank you.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “And what have I done?”

  “You gave me someone to talk to other than myself.” And with that, she turned back to the soup, signaling that this particular conversation was at an end.

  Chapter Four

  Two days later Penelope was in the barn feeding the two horses when it started to rain. She had just finished filling the trough when something wet hit her arm. Glancing up, she was rewarded with two fat raindrops that nearly hit her eyes. She quickly backed up so she could get a good view of the hole in the roof. It wasn’t a big one, but it could become a problem if she didn’t do something about it right away.

  She hastened to the nearest wall and retrieved the ladder that her husband had left there. She feared that Randy had rushed through building this barn, and now she was proven right. Never mind that he hadn’t listened to her. She was a woman. What did she know? Rolling her eyes at his joke, she strode out of the building. As much as she had loved him, she had to admit the man wasn’t perfect. But then, what man was? Men, after all, were human.

  Sighing, she examined the structure and estimated where the hole was on the roof. The rain came down harder. It was as if someone had dumped a bucket of water on her. Had she been alone out here, she’d take this opportunity to actually bathe. She did that when it rained like this. It was easier than dragging water from the well and heating it up for the tub. But she didn’t dare bathe this time. Not with Cole in the cabin, resting up after nearly passing out that morning.

  She found the right spot along the edge of the barn and set the ladder against it. Testing it to make sure it was sturdy, she decided it would work. She hurried back into the barn and found the material her husband had used to make the roof. She dug out some nails and a hammer. Fortunately, she had taken the time to watch him. As she headed out the door, she noticed the growing puddle on the floor. If she didn’t take care of this roof immediately, there’d be further damage, and who knew if she could handle that much repair?

  After she put her supplies in a bag, she swung it over her shoulder and made her way to the ladder. She was halfway up when someone called out to her.

  “What are you doing?” Cole demanded.

  She stopped and looked down at where he stood at the foot of the ladder. “There’s a leak in the roof. I have to fix it.”

  He looked appalled. “You’ll do no such thing. Get down here. I’ll take care of it.”

  She hesitated. Fixing it wasn’t something she wanted to do, and if he could...If he knew how...

  “I use to work in construction when I went to college,” he informed her, as if he could read her mind. “I know how to do this.”

  His offer was tempting. She wouldn’t lie. But...“But you’re still sick.”

  “It’s better for me to be sick than for you to be dead. Now, please get down before you fall and break your neck or something.”

  Relieved, she obeyed. She didn’t realize her body was shaking until her feet landed safely on the ground and she handed him the bag. “Everything you need is in here.”

  “Good. Go to the house and dry up. There’s no sense in both of us being sick.”

  “Alright. And I’ll make some coffee so you can warm up when you’re done.”

  He nodded and didn’t look back as he climbed the ladder.

  She waited until she was back in the cabin before she peered out the window to see what progress he was making. He was already on the roof, looking as if it was perfectly natural for a person to climb up on a roof and start patching it up.

  “I hope he doesn’t get worse,” she whispered.

  She shrugged off her wet clothes and dumped them in the corner of the room. She’d wash those later. Right now she had other matters to tend to. She went to the dresser and pulled out dry clothes. At one time her yellow dress had been vibrant and decorated in finely sewn flowers. Now it was faded and some of the flowers had fallen off. It was slightly tattered along the hemline. She realized it was proof of how different her life was on the prairie. Back in Rhode Island, she’d never put on anything so shabby.

  She finished buttoning the top button of her dress and stood still for a moment, wondering if she should entertain foolish notions of looking attractive for a man she hardly knew. Her husband got to see her at her best when he met her at the train station. She’d worn a brand new pink dress and had her hair nicely done for him. That dress had since become rags.

  Her hand settled on the knob on the drawer next to her undergarments. It’d been a long time since she gave any concern to her appearance. She slowly opened the drawer and studied her brush, hand mirror, ribbons, barrettes, and her two necklaces. Diamond necklaces. They were expensive. They had no use out here. She realized she could sell them but hated the thought of giving up a part of her past. The gold and diamonds would last her a lifetime of memories while the clothes wouldn’t. She needed something tangible to connect with the person she once was. Had her parents not threatened to marry her to that awful Don Fergeson, she wouldn’t have become a mail-order bride.

  Closing her eyes, she recalled the morning she told her parents the news:

  Her father bolted from the breakfast table, nearly upsetting the orange juice. “You what?”

  “I answered an ad to be a mail-order bride. I can’t marry Don,” she replied in a shaky voice. “He keeps a mistress. I don’t want to be married to a man like that.”

  Her mother sighed and settled back in her chair. “It’s common. Your father has had several over the course of our marriage.”

  “And that doesn’t bother you?” she demanded, appalled to find this out...and like this!

  Her mother shrugged. “It is the way it is. Marriage is a contract binding wealth. Don’s financial standing will make you one of the richest women in the country.”

  “I don’t want to be rich. I want to be happy.”

  Her father laughed. “Happy? You think struggling to make ends meet will make you happy? You’re nothing but a dreamer, Penelope. Dreams were fine when you were a little girl, but now it’s time to be a woman. You are marrying Don and that is that.”

  “No. I’ve already packed. I’m leaving today.”

  He stopped laughing and stormed over to her. “You ungrateful brat. Your mother and I have raised you in the best schools and given you everything you’ve ever wanted. And this is how you repay us?”

  Her mother quickly stood up and ran over to them. “Penelope, don’t go,” she pleaded. “If you wish for love, then find a lover. Just be discreet about it.”

  Penelope took a step back. She blinked back the tears from her eyes. “That sounds like a miserable existence.”

  “Do we look miserable?” her mother asked.

  She took a good look at them. Her mother offered her usual charming smile. Her father glared at her. It suddenly occurred to her that her mother’s smiles had been faked. Her laughter had an undertone of sorrow to it. Her father was perpetually angry. Yes, she decided. They looked like the most miserable people she’d ever seen, and if she married Don, she’d end up the same way.

  “I’m sorry but I can’t marry him,” she softly repl
ied. She turned around and stiffly made her way to her luggage.

  Randy warned her not to bring more than one bag. He’d warned her that life out west was completely different from what she was used to. In fact, he’d tried to talk her out of going when he found out she came from money and would have to give it all up to be with him. But she loved the way he wrote and thought they would do well together. At least his plan of being out on the prairie involved no one but her. He’d be too far from town to take a mistress. And that appealed to her more than anything else he’d said.

  She picked her travel bag, wondering just how different her life was about to become. She took one more look at her parents. “I love you both.”

  Her mother pressed a hand to her mouth to hold back a sob.

  Her father’s face grew bright red. “If you walk out that door, don’t you dare come back.”

  She almost tripped as she crossed the threshold. Tears stung her eyes and her body trembled. Never did she think the day would come when she’d have to leave everything she ever knew behind. Deep in her heart, she knew she was doing the right thing. There was a peace that she couldn’t explain.

  The last thing she heard her father yell as she walked down the porch steps was, “Don’t come back!”

  She opened her eyes, her body slightly shaking from the memory of that day over two years ago. There was no going back. But she didn’t want to return either. She learned to love the prairie, even if it did come with its moments of loneliness.

  Her fingers brushed her wedding ring. The small gold band was not as fancy as her necklaces, but it was the best he could afford. Randy had been a good husband to her. She didn’t regret coming out here to meet him. She’d loved him and he’d loved her in return.

  And now for the first time, she was beginning to care for someone else. It’s foolishness, Penelope. You don’t know Cole. But you didn’t know Randy either and look how that turned out. She finally closed the drawer. Maybe another day she’d worry about how she looked. For now, she’d take it one day at a time and see what happened.