She had no idea how long she sat there. The sun was beginning to go down and Lori had no idea how to get back to the cabin. Once she thought about trying to ride back to the cabin but thought better of it. She knew if she went the wrong way it was possible no one would ever find her. What if she would be trapped in this world forever? It was so hard to live in this time. As she sat, she heard horses and voices several times but was afraid to see who it was- afraid it might be the Indians again. She was trying to remember which way she had come when she heard the sound of another horse. “Oh God,” she thought to herself. “The Indians have come back to get me.” She sat still as the horse hooves became louder and louder and Lori closed her eyes.
Suddenly she heard someone calling her name. “Lori, where are you?”
It was Jessie.
“I’m here Jessie, I’m here,” she was crying again, relieved Jessie had found her. She stood up and could see Jessie in front of her.
“Are you alright? Why did you ride off like that? Are you sure you’re okay? Is the baby alright?” Jessie was off his horse and walking toward her.
Lori was so glad to see him she ran into his arms, tears running down her cheeks. After a minute she pulled away.
“I’m sorry Jessie,” she wiped the tears from her face. “I was so scared. I saw the Indians but they didn’t see me and I thought they were coming back.”
“It’s alright,” he didn’t sound drunk now even though she could still smell the whiskey on him. “I should have never let you go off by yourself. I should never have drunk so much. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay Jessie. Can we go back to the cabin now?”
Jessie reached out and wiped a tear from her face and she caught his hand and held it. “We can,” he said. “Can you ride?”
“Of course I can ride,” Lori moved away and climbed onto her horse.
Jessie moved his horse close to hers after mounting it and together they rode back to the cabin. Just before they arrived at the cabin, Lori asked, “Where is Missy’s father?”
“He’s still at the cabin. He’s going to bed down in the barn tonight and will leave for home first thing in the morning.”
“It doesn’t matter to me. I just want to go to bed after I have a bath.”
“Okay. I’ll fetch you some water for the bath,” Jessie smiled. He somehow felt he had Missy back. He could see so much of her in Lori. Even though they had never met, there were things Lori did and said that made him think of Missy.
Back at the cabin, Jessie carried the water and put it on to heat for Lori as she sat beside the stove to warm. Frank had milked the cows and fed and bedded down the animals. He had churned some more fresh butter and there was plenty of fresh milk cooling in the little spring house Jessie had made.
“You know,” Jessie told Lori. “You can take some milk, butter, and eggs into town tomorrow and sell it for whatever you need.”
“Good idea,” Lori said. She had forgotten there was little money in these times.
Once the water was hot for Lori’s bath, Jessie poured it into the big round tub he had bought for bathing. Then he went out to the barn to make sure Frank would be warm enough while Lori bathed. She wished she could take a shower and she missed Bo. She hoped Trace wasn’t causing him too much trouble and they had not found any more dead animals. She was lying warmly in the feather bed when Jessie returned to the cabin and spread out his bedding onto the floor. By the time he was ready for bed, he knew Lori was already fast asleep.
The next time Lori opened her eyes, Jessie was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Wake up Lori, we have to go into town. You get dressed and put on some coffee. I’ll take care of the animals. Oh, please wear a dress.”
Lori sat up on the edge of the bed. “Is Missy’s father gone? What time is it?”
“It’s around five. I’ll be back in a while. If you need me, I’ll be in the barn. Yes, Missy’s father left about an hour ago.”
Lori put coffee on the stove and slipped into a dress. She fixed herself and Jessie some eggs and heated some of the bread from yesterday. When Jessie returned, they ate and around six they were in the buckboard and headed for town.
Town was a whole different thing for Lori. She was tired from riding in the buckboard and she couldn’t figure out how to keep her dress down. If Jessie hadn’t been there to catch her, she would have fallen when she was getting out. She was amazed at the general store they entered. Jessie gave the man milk, butter, and eggs for a few things they needed on the ranch. He turned to Lori asking if she needed anything.
“Yes,” she replied. “A pair of jeans. I mean britches for riding.”
“She always wears britches when she rides.” Jessie said covering for her.
She found some jeans. She didn’t like them, and they were rough, and didn’t fit well at all. She was thinking, “God, it’s so much better back home. I have to find a way back.”
Jessie took her to the saloon for dinner telling her she would not have to cook when they arrived back at the cabin. She didn’t really like the food either. It was plain and dry but she was hungry and ate it.
It was around one before they arrived back at the cabin. Lori was tired and laid down on the bed. She began to wonder about Bo and her ranch. She had to get back. She began going over things in her mind about coming into this time. Suddenly she jumped up, almost tripping over the dress she had on. Jessie was sitting at the table.
“Do you have a pencil and some paper,” Lori asked as she sat down beside him.
“Yeah, I’ll find you something.” He stood and dug through a drawer until he found some old mail and a stubby pencil. The paper was yellowed and wrinkled but he handed it to Lori.
She did her best to straighten it before she gave up.
“Okay,” she said. “Just before we jumped time, we were here where this cabin was. Then we were racing. Wait, when you jumped the first time, weren’t you running or racing?”
“I was running away from the Indians,” Jessie told her.
“Alright, look Jessie,” she had written down on the paper horses racing or running. “Now, what else did the two times have in common?”
Jessie thought a minute. “The thunder and lightning.”
“Yes,” Lori sounded excited as she wrote down thunder and lightning. “What else?”
“My watch the first time and the tree the second.” He spoke as if he wasn’t sure.
“Do you remember anything about your watch the second time. I’m sure it has some part to play in all this,” Lori said.
“I can’t remember anything.”
“Okay,” she shoved the paper in the pocket of her dress. “Let’s go for a ride.”
The two of them saddled two horses and Jessie asked, “Which way are we going?”
“Back to where we were when we found ourselves here,” Lori told him.
They rode slowly over the land and Lori could see some of the same things.
Here, as on her land, it looked new and fresh. It was different, yet the same. As they rode out across the land, Lori was amazed at the beauty of it. Jessie stopped and climbed off his horse.
“Come see,” he said to Lori.
Lori got down. This time she did well with the long dress she wore but she was now wishing she had put on jeans before she left the cabin. She came over to where he stood. Jessie pointed down below them and Lori caught her breath. In the canyon where she now kept some of her horses, there was a small Indian village. She could see the tepees and the Indians walking around. The women were cooking over an open fire. Some of the braves were thumping on a makeshift drum. She moved closer to Jessie.
“Jessie, this is amazing. I have my horses in that canyon. I never dreamed the Indians ever lived here. How long have you known they were on your land,” Lori asked looking up at him.
“They’ve been here about six months I guess. They ain’t bothering me so I don’t bother them.”
“Are these the ones who chased yo
u?”
“Nope, was another breed. The breed I saw the other day hasn’t been seen in these parts for a long time. Makes me wonder if they weren’t up to something. These don’t cause trouble- not yet anyway,” Jessie told her.
“Do you think they know you live here too?”
“Probably. After this much time, they would have to. They do get out and hunt, so I’m sure they have seen my cabin.”
“I’ll look at this canyon with different eyes from now on. Which reminds me, let’s ride on to where lightning struck the tree. Did the tree come with us?”
“I don’t think so but I know where it is.”
They rode slowly forward and Lori would look at her land with new eyes now. She had no idea which part of the ranch they were on or even where the house and barn would be built later. In some places, the snow from the other day hung on, under the trees, and behind the large rocks.
“Here,” Jessie said. “When I came to, I was here.”
“I was over there,” Lori pointed.
Jessie nodded. “Yes, but the tree nor your horse came through. I wonder why?”
“Maybe the portal isn’t big enough.” Lori got off her horse and as she hit the ground she tripped on the dress tail and muttered under her breath then began to look around. She saw nothing that looked like a portal- then again she didn’t know what a portal looked like. Maybe it was a window or door and it was closed.
“We need to mark this spot, Jessie, between where you were and where I was. It has to be in that area, don’t you think,” Lori asked pointing.
Jessie put sticks around the spot where they were looking. It was a square of about twelve by twelve. They stood looking at it for a minute. Lori sat down in the center of the square and motioned for Jessie to join her. Puzzled, he came and sat beside her. The ground was cold beneath them and they could feel the moisture of the earth seeping through their clothes.
“Jessie, let’s see your watch,” Lori held out her hand for it.
He handed her the watch. She looked at it, studying the track and cars. “I wish I had something to make these cars look larger, a magnifying glass.”
“Like an eye piece,” Jessie asked.
“It’s something like that. It shows everything larger than it really is so you can see it better.”
“Will this work?” Jessie pulled a piece of glass from his coat wrapped in an old cloth yellowed with age. “This was my father’s eye piece,” he told her handing it to her.
Lori took the glass Jessie handed her and looked at it.
“My father broke the other glass and afterwards he used this one and closed one eye.”
“Wasn’t he afraid it would cut him,” Lori asked.
“I don’t know. He never used it much.”
Lori held the glass to the cars then she held it up a few inches and amazingly enough it made them seem larger.
“Okay, it looks as if the cars have moved forward then back, but not quite to where they were.”
“What makes them move,” Jessie asked.
“I’m not sure. Think Jessie. When we jumped, do you remember anything about your watch? It has to be the key.”
“No, I don’t remember. The first time lightning hit my watch I think, but this time I don’t remember anything. I just checked the time a few minutes before the rain came.”
Lori looked closely at the watch. With her fingers she tried to move the cars but to no avail. She opened it and checked the time. It was the right time.
“When did you last wind it Jessie?”
“I don’t have to, it just runs, always has,” Jessie told her.
Lori looked at the watch more closely. As near as she could see, there was no place to wind it. She turned it over. The back was smooth and a little tarnished. She had no way of knowing how old the watch was. She turned it back over and once again looked at it with the glass. She looked closer at the cars on the track. It suddenly seemed as if they were moving forward slowly. She closed her eyes then opened them again. She was right. The cars were moving.
“Jessie. The cars- they are moving forward slowly.
Jessie leaned close to her and became dizzy, the whole world was turning around him. Lori watched as the cars moved forward. Then from out of nowhere, she saw a streak of lightning and the cars moved faster. The world was spinning around her, slowly at first, then faster. She could feel Jessie’s hand on hers and she held it tightly. She closed her eyes once more. She felt as if she were going to be sick if she kept her eyes open. Then after only a few minutes, she could feel sunlight on her face. Jessie’s hand was holding hers tightly as the world spun around in front of them both.
* * * * * * * *
Bo rode slowly back toward the ranch. He knew Lori and Jessie had jumped time together but what if one was in one time and one in another without whatever it was that had helped them jump. Would they be lost forever? He shook his head. He couldn’t think like that. They were all right and they were together wherever they were.
At least he knew that wherever they were, Jessie would do his best to take care of Lori and keep her safe. When he came within sight of the house and barn, everything seemed quiet. The men were doing their jobs. That was good. He took his horse to the barn, leaving it with the stable man, and walked slowly to the house. He entered through the back door and checked on the cooks. All was well. He heard the television on in the living room and went to investigate. What he found was Trace eating a large sandwich and had a few cans of beer sitting on the coffee table.
Bo could tell if he probably had more than the two cans he saw.
“Bo, have you found my sister yet,” Trace asked with slurred speech.
“Lori is out on business. Why do you care,” Bo said.
“She is my little sis, after all. Where is the fellow who was with you and Lori yesterday?”
“You are full of questions, aren’t you Trace?” Bo told him, “He was here for a visit and now he has gone home.”
“You don’t like me much, do you Bo?”
“To be honest, no I don’t. You may be Lori’s older brother but that doesn’t mean I have to like you.”
“At least you are honest, old man,” Trace stumbled out of the room patting Bo on the back as he passed.
Bo followed and watched as Trace made his way to his room in the bunkhouse and closed the door. The older man sighed. Maybe if Trace would fall asleep he wouldn’t bother anyone. Maybe Lori and Jessie would find a way to come home tomorrow.
At dinner, it was quiet. Trace didn’t show and for that Bo was glad. After dinner, he made sure the ranch house, barn, and bunkhouse were all closed up for the night and retired to his room where he showered and watched some television before crawling into bed for the night. His last thought before falling asleep was of Jessie and Lori and hoping they were alright.
Bo’s clock went off at five the next morning. As he opened his eyes and rubbed them, he heard the sound of rain on the roof. He sat up on the edge of the bed and sighed. Would be no work today on the ranch unless something happened. Bo made his way to the bathroom and then went back to bed.
When he woke up again, it was still dark enough to turn on the light. Looking at the clock, he saw it was nine a.m.. He must have been tired and now he was starved. After getting dressed, he opened the door.
It wasn’t raining too hard now, just a mist, as he walked toward the house.
Most of the men had already eaten. They knew it was a free day. One they didn’t get often so they mostly went to town or to see their families. The two men who were still at the table were Adam and one other man.
“Adam,” Bo said. “I thought you would have gone home. Have you seen Trace this morning?”
“No. I think someone said they saw him leave and head toward town about two this morning.” Adam stood up. “Well, I’m going to check everything.”
“If you run into any problems, give me a call,” Bo said.
“Sure will.” Adam walked out of the room followed
by the other ranch hand.
Bo sat and ate breakfast as the maids began to clear the table. After he ate, he went into Lori’s office making sure everything was good, and then he decided to drive into town. He returned about nine that night and checked with Adam to make sure nothing had happened while he was gone and retired to his room once more.
The next morning dawned warm and sunny. It was work as usual on the ranch. All the guys seemed refreshed and happy. Even Trace, who showed up for breakfast, seemed more quiet and nice. Bo wondered where he disappeared to but was glad he had. Later that morning, Bo saddled a horse and rode out toward where the little cabin used to be.
He stopped under the oak tree and looked around, then slowly rode off toward where the tree had fallen. The rain from the day before had washed out the horse hair from the fallen tree and it lay on the grass. Bo rode around to the other side of the fallen tree.
“What on earth are you doing here,” he asked.
chapter 7
Lori could feel sunlight on her arms and hands, one of which Jessie was holding tightly. The world had stopped spinning and now something seemed different. She was afraid to open her eyes, afraid of what she might see or where she might be. One thing was for sure, she didn’t think she was in 1888 anymore.
Suddenly she heard a familiar voice.
“What on earth are you doing here?”
She opened her eyes to see Bo jump off his horse and come toward her. She stood up releasing Jessie’s hand and running to Bo, tripping over her dress she had forgotten she had on.
“Damn,” she muttered under her breath, as she fell to the ground.
Bo reached down to help her up.
“Are you alright Miss Lori? Where have the two of you been?”
Portals of Time Page 12
