Untying the beaded sash, she laid it in a basket with loving care. Removing the necklace, she held it in her hands and admired the intricate work. How many hours had someone persevered to create such beauty? Placing it on top of the sash, Mairie smiled at herself while remembering how she grew up with the notion that "store-bought" was somehow better than handmade. How curious to now appreciate the art and mastery of the individual craftsman. So many things, so many lessons, she was learning. Even though she missed her brother terribly, even though she knew he was worried about her, perhaps this incredible detour was actually serving her?
She didn't feel like the same woman who had been pushed out of that plane.
"I'm sorry. I thought you would be sleeping."
Startled, Mairie jumped at the sound of his voice. He stood at the entrance to the lodge with a questioning look on his face. A sigh almost escaped her lips when she thought about the sleeping arrangements, for Jack Delaney was just too handsome to be spending the night with her again. Especially this night… this night when she felt so open to the unexpected.
"I was… thinking," she muttered, as she turned around and sat down on the rug of rabbit fur. Better not to stare at his deep blue eyes, or the way his trousers fit snug over his hips… or the fact that he wore only a vest and his tanned muscled arms were gleaming in the firelight. Suddenly, her plan seemed to backfire on her.
Yup… this was going to be another long night.
"And what were you thinking?" he asked, coming into the lodge and sitting down on the rug opposite her.
Startled by his nonchalant actions, Mairie cleared her throat. "I was wondering… well, if both of us are sleeping here, where is the elder going to sleep? This is his lodge, after all."
Jack grinned, as if he knew what was racing through her mind. "He is spending the night with his brother and his family. It's an honor to give over his lodging to a visitor from the heavens."
She shook her head. "That really is ridiculous. You know that. I am not from heaven. I'm from Pennsylvania. I just didn't have the heart to disappoint everyone tonight. They seemed… no, they deserved some message of hope, at least for future generations."
He smiled. A real smile again, and Mairie felt like warm honey was running through the inside of her chest and down her body.
"Thank you for that. It was a good message. But you forget, Mairie Callahan, I saw you. fall from heaven, so I know that much of it is true. I can't decide who or what you are after tonight." His smile was gentle and seductive.
Staring at his lips, Mairie attempted to bring herself back to the discussion. "It's simple, Jack. I'm a woman who is lost, and I'm seeking to get back to my own people… even my own time it appears." There. That sounded relatively intelligent, which surprised her, considering she was still wondering what his lips would taste like.
"Where in Pennsylvania do you live?"
She was slightly surprised that he switched the conversation and really had to focus. "Yardley. Not far from Philadelphia. It's a small town and I can commute easily by train into the city for work."
"You work?"
He seemed amazed, and Mairie couldn't stop a tiny giggle from escaping. "Of course I work, or at least, I used to before my brother became sick. I'm a computer sales rep. I don't suppose you know what computers are…"
He merely stared at her, and she found that she didn't have the energy to explain, nor to argue. "Forget it. It was just a way to make a living and keep the lights on."
"Keep the lights on? You mean, to buy provisions? Candles and such?"
Oh, brother… they were back to this again. "Jack, will you take me to the ranch tomorrow after I receive that plant from the petroglyphs?"
There. She finally asked the question.
Jack stared into her eyes and tried to fight the growing attraction. "Yes, Mairie. I will take you," he answered. "I was hoping that you would want to spend another day with the Paiutes. They would be honored." He wondered if he were really asking for his brothers, or for himself.
She shook her head and looked determined. "I must reach my brother. Especially after hearing what I did tonight. I'm on… I guess a mission. A mission of love. You see, I quit my job right after finding out that my brother had this disease. We had … adventures, Bryan and me, traveling to different countries… swimming with sharks in Australia, kayaking alongside whales in Alaska, climbing mountains in Peru. I never really wanted to do any of these things, but Bryan did… so I went with him. He's all I have left. He's my only family. I'm sorry, Jack, I have to leave and reunite with him."
He nodded, feeling the love she had within her for her brother. "I understand. Tomorrow I will take you to O. D. Gass's place and you can wait there for transportation west. It shouldn't be more than a week or two."
Her jaw dropped. "A week or two? You can't be serious. What kind of transportation are you talking about?"
Why was she so surprised? "Wagon trains going west on the Los Angeles-Salt Lake Emigrant Trail. It's right in front of Gass's ranch, and everyone stops there coming out of the desert whether they're going east or west. I just assumed you'd be going west. You aren't thinking about going back to Pennsylvania, are you?"
"I can't go back without my brother. I have to find him." She ran her fingers over her forehead and sighed deeply. "God, I hope the same thing didn't happen to him." Her eyes suddenly appeared frightened. "What if he's lost, too? What if he's wandering around in the desert? Why didn't I think of this before? That would explain why no one is looking for me."
He wanted to reach across the small space and touch her, calm her, yet he kept his distance out of respect. Plus, he remembered her temper and didn't want to see it flare up again. Still, the urge was nearly irresistible. "Mairie… didn't you say you were supposed to be met by someone when you landed?"
She stared at him for a few seconds and relief flooded over her features. "Of course, you're right. Someone from the diving school. Yes… even if we're both lost, someone would have notified the authorities. But why hasn't there been anyone looking for me? It doesn't make sense."
He didn't want to tell her that nothing she was saying made sense. A diving school? What authorities? There was nothing out here except O.D. Gass's limited power as justice of the peace. "You'll find your answers tomorrow when you get to the ranch," he said with encouragement, though he had no idea what answers she would actually find.
She appeared thoughtful, as if wondering the same thing. How could she deny what she'd witnessed tonight? How could she still think she was a hundred and twenty-two years into the future? Surely by now she must realize that no one from the sky was going to come looking for her? He knew he should be thankful that by this time tomorrow she would be in the hands of Gass and his wife and be their problem, yet something, some tiny nagging instinct, was telling him it wouldn't be that simple. Besides, after tonight, after watching her, listening to her, he didn't exactly want to walk away.
It was that last thought that shook him the most.
Mairie Callahan, woman of mystery, was capturing his mind.
"I'll leave for a few minutes and you can change," he offered, wanting to create some space between them. Suddenly, the lodge seemed far too small for them both. She moved, as though to make room for him to rise, and they brushed each others' arms in the process. Jack froze, feeling the silkiness of her skin, and stifled a groan.
She looked up at him and whispered, "I think I'm supposed to sleep in this shift." She touched the thin material and grinned. "The women were so nice to me. I'm… well, I guess this might come as a surprise, but I'm actually grateful to you for bringing me here. It was quite an experience tonight, Jack. Thank you."
The last words were said so softly he had to strain to hear them. Her expression was sincere, her smile was almost shy. Was she doing it again? Was she initiating a flirtation?
All he had to do was move a few inches to kiss her, to capture her mouth and taste what he had been desiring all day and night. Damn
… he must have been too long away from white women to recognize the coy, subtle moves in the mating dance. Or he could be delusional himself. Considering their interactions, the latter was most likely.
"So, tell me of your life, Mairie Callahan," he said, in an attempt at composure. "You have worked and secured your own income. What else? You have never married? No children? No family, other than your brother?"
"Who said I was never married?"
Surprised, Jack shrugged. "I assumed you made your home with your brother."
She toyed with one of the beads in her hair. "My brother and I didn't live together. I was only traveling with him since he was diagnosed as terminal. Right now he's in remission, but the outlook isn't hopeful."
"What is remission? I don't understand."
"Remission…" She crossed her legs before her and sighed. "Seems like false hope where my brother is concerned. It's when the white cell count lowers. He was feeling so much better, he decided to do all the things he's always wanted to do… while he still had time. I was just his sidekick. I didn't want him to do them alone."
"He is fortunate to have you for his sister," he said. "You do love him."
"Yes…" she murmured, while looking into the dying flames. "I do love him."
She seemed so sad suddenly that he again wanted to reach across and touch her, to let her know that he understood loss. "What was it like to see whales?" he asked, trying to change the subject and take away her pain.
Immediately, she smiled. "Oh, Jack… it was spectacular. Imagine, being in such a small boat and this… this magnificent creature is swimming less than thirty feet away. I mean, I was terrified at first, sure we were going to capsize. And then there was this… peace. I guess that's the best way to describe it. A noble peace. Far better than swimming with sharks."
She giggled, a wonderful childlike giggle, and Jack felt any resistance melting with it. For just a moment, she seemed so natural, so real. There wasn't any defensiveness about her. She wasn't striving to make a point or understand his. She was… earthy and genuine. And he found himself on dangerous ground. He didn't need this, this feeling of connectedness, not now and not with her. How laughable, that he had gone on his vision quest to find hope and he'd found Mairie Callahan, a mysterious and quite possibly mad woman.
The gods must love laughter.
"Tell me of your husband. Is he not concerned that you have been gone with your brother?" He asked the question to stop the strange feelings from growing within him. Better that he should remember this woman was not his hope. She belonged to another.
She shoulders stiffened and her chin lifted. He recognized that expression coming over her face and took a deep breath to brace himself for her answer.
"My husband," she began, emphasizing the last word, "is no longer my concern. We are not married any longer."
"I'm sorry." He said the words, yet something inside him was oddly relieved by her answer. Why should he even care?
"I'm not." Shrugging, she added, "I respect the institution of marriage. I'm just extremely grateful to be out of an institution."
"You were in an institution?" He had been afraid of that.
Her jaw dropped. "I'm talking about the institution of marriage. Marriage… that most respected state of matrimony where almost no one is happy. What did you think I meant? You still think I'm crazy?"
"No." Even though he said it, he really wasn't sure of her sanity, or his own at this point.
"Let me tell you something. Being married to that man could have made me crazy. Men! You all think alike."
She said the word men as if it were a curse.
"I'm sorry if I offended you. I was confused. You said, you were married." He knew he was stepping on thin ice and tried to be careful.
"What is it with you guys? This is exactly what I'm talking about. I said, 'Who said I was never married?’“
He could only stare at her, wondering if she was slipping into incoherence again. Was she married or not? How could a simple question have turned into this debate?
"Look, I'm almost to the point of believing that men and women will never communicate successfully. I've read all the books. I know that men are from Mars. It would just be nice to meet up with an earthling for a change."
He merely stared at her. One moment she seemed quite sane, and in the next she began speaking in riddles. "Mairie, perhaps you should rest now. The evening appears to have wearied you."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously and he realized that somehow, no matter how carefully chosen, his words were about to set her off again.
"That's right, I am tired. Tired of trying to justify to you who I am and where I come from and that I am not crazy, and tomorrow when we get to that ranch, I will prove it. There must be a road that leads to modern civilization. I'll hitchhike if I have to, but I am getting out of this and finding my brother. I appreciate all you have done and everything, but enough is enough." She slid down onto the rug and turned her back to him. "Goodnight."
He continued to stare at her and felt certain that tomorrow she would be even more troubled by what she found. Jack wanted to stroke her hair, to soothe her, yet he knew he couldn't help her anymore. He could only lead her where she wanted to go and bid her good-bye. Better to put her out of his mind than allow her to seize possession of it.
Maybe she really was a witch after all.
An earthling? Now, what the hell did she mean by that?
They came off the mountain slowly. Mairie rode the horse and Jack led by foot. She felt guilty, seeing that it was Jack's horse but he insisted that the horse would need its strength to get through the desert. The plant was wrapped in a damp cloth and in a saddlebag on the side of the horse, along with Jack's filled canteen and another container of water that Mairie swore was the bladder from some animal. Little did she realize that before the morning was over, she would be grateful to drink from it.
When they finally left the mountain, Mairie stared out before her. There was a long green patch in the middle of the valley, yet it seemed so very far away. How would they ever make it there? To reach it, they followed a crooked trail that wound through dry washes. Her throat burned from the dry heat. Her face stung from the blazing sun. Her spirits plummeted from the lack of anything modern in sight. This was not the country she had left two days ago.
She and Jack didn't speak, for it seemed a mutual agreement to save their energy for movement. He rode behind her when they left the mountain for a short period in order to cover more ground, and then dismounted to give the horse a break. Her guilt deepened every time he took off his hat and wiped his forehead on his sleeve, yet he refused to tax his horse with two riders for any long period. Realizing the water was for the horse, Mairie stopped herself from asking for more. Jack insisted she ride for her injured foot. Still, it bothered her that he would push himself so hard under the desert sun.
"You need to rest," she called out. "Let's stop and take a break."
He shook his head. "Soon. There's a spring at the west end of the trail. We'll stop there."
They must have traveled over twenty miles; at least, it felt like that to her. The desert seemed to go on forever, while the green oasis tantalized her like a mirage that always appeared further away. Her mind felt like it had closed down. Even thinking took too much energy. Her gratitude toward the man before her increased when she realized that without him finding her, without his assistance, she might have died a horrible death in the desert. For no one… no one had come looking for her. Her mind couldn't put any of it together any longer. She closed her eyes to the glare of the sun and envisioned this spring… somewhere out there in the merciless land.
"Mairie…" The sound of her name was almost breathless and she seemed to come out of a comatose state. Her lids opened slowly, as if dreading the assault of blinding light.
What she saw lifted her spirits.
The oasis of green no longer beckoned from an endless distance. It was before them, within reach. Shelter, wa
ter… sustenance. Dear God, they had made it. They would live.
Neither spoke as they closed the remaining short distance. Even the horse sensed that the torturous journey was nearing its end and a renewed vitality entered its step. Mairie sensed it spring into the muscles of the animal, propelling it onward with determination.
They stopped beside a tree-shaded spring and, as Jack reached up to help Mairie down, their gaze connected for a brief moment. No words were necessary. They each understood the other and Mairie felt a bonding occur. They had banded together and survived an ordeal.
As he gently placed her on the ground, she looked into his eyes and whispered, "Thank you."
He appeared exhausted, depleted. His skin seemed covered with a fine dusting of salt. Her heart expanded with compassion. He merely smiled and nodded before leading the horse to the water.
She stood for a moment, watching him, ignoring her thirst, her desire to throw herself into the creek, seeing him as the man he was. Why was she thinking of him as a knight, chivalrous, brave, honorable, in service? Surely it was lack of water.
She shook the thought from her mind and hobbled to the water's edge. Too weary to throw herself into the small running creek, she removed her jumpsuit and slowly walked in until the water reached her thighs. Then, instinctively, she fell to her knees, gratefully, humbly, in complete surrender to the power of nature. She felt her body temperature lower immediately as the water enveloped her in its coolness, and without thought she lowered her face and began drinking. How precious this gift. Tears she had been holding at bay sprang forth. No longer did she know what was happening to her, why she was on this incredible detour, and she was beyond rationalization. She only knew that something within her was altering, something was happening … some tightness in her that she had been carrying around like a boulder upon her chest was lifting. She felt tiny, vulnerable… losing her preconceived notions of the way she thought her world worked. This detour seemed necessary now for some unknown reason. She had no idea where it was leading her, what she was going to find… yet she knew she was bound to follow it through. Not for Bryan. Incredibly, not for her brother.
Anywhere You Are Page 9
