Anywhere You Are

by Constance O'Day-Flannery

  He gazed at her and smiled slowly. "I know how it is to feel out of place, Mairie. I never felt so alone as during that time. I was surrounded by people who seemed crazed by a blood thirst I never felt. Took me almost five years to make it back here." He looked out to the desert and set his jaw. "This is my home now. I shall remain here."

  There it was… Jack Delaney lived and breathed this desert of 1877, and she had to return to her brother and her life. This was his home. Hers awaited at one o'clock this afternoon. She again wanted to take him to her breasts and feel his body next to hers, to actually tell him that she was falling in love with him and didn't know how to leave him.

  Hell. She was no longer falling. She loved him. What was most remarkable to her was that this incredible man thought she might be his gift. His answer. The more she knew of the man, the more her heart opened. And now she was in love… with a man who could never return it, who she would never again see in her lifetime.

  She felt so drawn to him that she was actually now fighting the irresistible urge to run her fingers over his lips, to taste them again, to memorize every detail of his face, to give in finally to what had been torturing her for days. Complete mutual surrender.

  He must have sensed her need, for he turned his head and stared at her mouth, her eyes. Slowly, Mairie leaned forward and reached out her hand. Her fingers lightly traced his bottom lip ever so gently. She didn't care any longer. If they could unite right here, right now, under the fading stars and moon… if they could physically become one, for just this night…

  She began to offer herself to him, when her attention was distracted by a tiny, wavering red light on Jack's chest. Puzzled, she stared at it for an instant before something, some shock of memory, screamed at her to remember and she instinctively shoved Jack on his back.

  "Get down!" she yelled, just as she heard the bullet ricochet on the boulder, right where Jack had been leaning only a second before.

  "Mairie! What the hell was that? It sounded like a bullet hitting the rock." He scrambled to his feet, pulling her with him, and crouched down behind the large boulder.

  "It's Harmon," she whispered, fighting the most fear she had ever experienced. "Dear God, he may have traveled into the past to get me, but he came with twenty-first-century weapons. It's a laser rifle with night vision, or something equally powerful. I've seen this stuff in the movies. We can't escape this, Jack… not here."

  "A gun? Why didn't we hear the sound of powder when it fired?" He was confused, but even more, he was angry. "Damn it. I can't get to my rifle. The horses are too far. We need to get within the cover of the mountain. Sun's coming up… we stayed too long."

  "Oh, Jack…" Sorrow crept into her throat. "It is getting lighter. He'll see us no matter where we move." It couldn't end like this. It simply couldn't. Not here and not now. She prayed for some help, from somewhere.

  It seemed futile.

  "He can't shoot and chase us at the same time, Mar, he must stop to aim… we need a diversion… hand me that stick from over there." She whipped around, instantly doing what he directed. She must now place her life in his hands. He had the expertise of war and survival methods she didn't. She handed him the stick as he placed his hat on one end.

  This is the survival of war technique he had in mind? What was he thinking? There was no time to explain, nor would Jack understand that Harmon had advanced weaponry to see in the dark and at close range. A scope on his rifle. Night vision binoculars. Who knows what else? Harmon had the advantage. He had the future on his side.

  They had the hat-on-a-stick trick.

  Talk about trust. She had no other alternative but to listen to his plan.

  He continued, "Mairie, I must ask you to stay here, at best out of harm's way, behind this boulder and hold my hat above it with the stick. I'll break for our horses and head for that ravine. If he fires at my hat, then sees me with the horses, you'll have only a few seconds to get to the ravine while he aims again at me. Understand?"

  "Got it… I think." This shit only happens in the movies, she cursed under her breath.

  "Oh, and try not to forget my hat… ready? Now!" He darted around the boulder as she raised his hat into view, waving it like a flag. His hat spun around and off the stick a few feet away from her. Harmon had fired again. Scrambling for his hat, she grabbed it and ran toward Jack with the horses in the ravine.

  It worked. Not even a second shot fired. She couldn't believe it as she mounted her horse. There was a great deal to be said about simplicity, she marveled, as they began their ascent in the shadow and protection of the ravine.

  "We've only got a little lead now, Mairie. This path is hard and steep. Lean forward often and your horse will instinctively follow mine. We should be at the cave in less than two hours."

  The horses gingerly stepped over crevices, rocks, and brush, zigzagging their way up the narrow trail. Breaking the lull of their slow climb, she added, "We may have more of a lead than you think, Jack. He could be miles away… which still isn't to our advantage with his weapons, but he's got to come up this mountain the same way and—"

  "That's impossible." He interrupted. "No gun could shoot from that far away… but you're right, unless he's got an air-plane as you have suggested, there's no other way up this mountain."

  "I can't explain now. Just trust me. I understand Harmon and now you're dealing with my century…" Her voice fell off as the horses lumbered on. Explaining anything right now would be useless. Her life was at stake. Maybe Jack's. Harmon was, obviously, insane in his mission and wanted her, perhaps both of them, eliminated now.

  At least an hour had passed without further incident from Harmon. Where could that madman be? she wondered anxiously. Jack must have been thinking the same thing.

  "Do you suppose Harmon is still a few miles behind us?"

  "I can't tell. I've been looking back as often as I can, but there are too many shadows on the mountain to distinguish anything." She twisted back around. "Hopefully he's having the same problem."

  Suddenly, a whirling sound preceded the huge fire ball explosion that hit the trail just yards above them. Rock, sand, and debris flew everywhere, embedding in their flesh. The horses, which immediately panicked and reared, were hit with shrapnel, too. Stunned, Mairie watched Jack restraining his steed with all his strength. Her horse turned sharply and began galloping off around the side of the mountain as she struggled to stay balanced.

  Holding the mane as tightly as she could, she pulled back on the animal, while they rose up one side of a ravine, and down another and another. "Whoa!" She pleaded. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" She couldn't turn to look for Jack or to see if Harmon was behind her. She was hanging on for dear life as the poor terrorized animal instinctively ran for survival.

  A sharp whistle broke Mairie's horse from its run. It began to slow to a canter, then walk, snorting rapidly through its nostrils. Mairie remembered the last time she experienced this exact situation and was relieved to find this horse had the good sense to slow down rather than stop dead.

  "Mairie, pull back on the reins now!" Jack shouted from a short distance behind her.

  He came alongside her and grabbed the bridle. "Whoa…" He said deeply. The horses and riders came to a halt, all heaving.

  "Are you all right, Mar?" He swallowed.

  "I don't know yet. I think so. Except for a few cuts and bruises, I'll live." She exhaled with a forced smile. "And thanks."

  "The horses have been injured. Yours has a deep cut in its right haunch. I'll need to treat it, and us, too, as soon as possible." He scanned the horizon to assure their safety. "Fortunately, your horse darted off in a good direction to reach the cave where we spent your first night here."

  He couldn't help himself now. He was caught up in the drama, the moment, and this woman, Mairie Callahan. Her life, her love, her gift to him. His mind went back to their first night together. Had he known then all he knew now… how differently everything would have played out.

  He shoo
k the thoughts from his head and turned back to Mairie. "What in the hell was that blast back there, anyway? Is he so close he could throw a stick of dynamite, or has he got a cannon? How would he get a cannon all the way out here?" He stared at her in disbelief waiting for some explanation if she could offer it.

  "Well, I don't know, maybe a rocket or a grenade … a cannon, of sorts … Jack, it's just one more thing I can't explain in a lot of detail. But it was intended to kill us. Both of us. This man will stop at nothing now. I know it. He sees me as a threat to the history of the future and you're my accomplice. We'll never get off this mountain alive." Her voice sounded defeated.

  "Listen, Mar. I know this terrain better than any white man… in my time. I'll get us off this mountain safely and back where you need to be." Looking at the blood trickling from Mairie's horse, he muttered. "Damn, more time we don't have… we've got to hurry if we're going to be able to hide the jar and get off this mountain… past Harmon. Let's get to the cave and figure our damages."

  He picked up the reins and slowly began to lead her horse closely behind his as she had never released her clutch of the mane.

  After what seemed like hours, for the trauma they'd endured, they reached the cliff and cave. Mairie held the bridle of her horse, steadying its head, as Jack used his knife to dig the shrapnel from its leg. "You have to listen to me, Jack," she said, struggling to keep the horse from pulling away. "Oh … I am so sorry," she whispered to the animal, not wanting to look into its eyes to see the pain and fright. "Jack, Harmon could be a mile or more away and still know where we are and how to stop us. You have been… terrific… in this time. The hat on a stick worked, and your timing has been perfect, but you can't compete against twenty-first-century weapons. For over a century, billions of dollars have gone into the art of killing people, and Harmon is carrying the results. He's got the advantage and he's not going to let either one of us live now."

  "Have faith, Mairie… balance," he whispered, concentrating, as he gently removed the piece of metal from the horse's leg and held it in his bloodied fingers. Flicking it behind him, he inhaled and sighed. "I didn't come all this way to admit defeat now." He poked his knife around in the small fire he had lit earlier and withdrew it when the tip glowed.

  Mairie winced and looked away as he cauterized the wound. She held tighter as the horse threw its head and jolted back in pain.

  "Whoa, big fellow," he said lowly, and wiped the knife on the side of his pants. He stroked the animal to calm it and looked to the sun. "Nearly midday. I'll bury the herb inside the cave and then we must descend. We're going to be cutting it close as it is."

  She knew time was of the essence now; tending the wounds had been an unexpected delay. "Do you think we can make it… really? It isn't just getting off the mountain now to the desert floor. It's getting off without being killed by Harmon."

  He looked down the path they had traveled earlier. She watched him studying the terrain and then he wiped his forehead with his shirt sleeve and muttered, "If we have to get to that exact spot, then so does he. He should be heading there, instead of hurling explosives at us. He's not going to make it on time either if he doesn't abandon this mission of his." Shaking his head, he muttered, "Who the hell is this guy?"

  In that moment, Mairie had a flash of insight that was so great, it was almost comical.

  "Jack! I think I've got it!"

  When she'd heard Jack's last question, two scenes from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid went through her mind. She had always loved that movie, and could actually remember Paul Newman's character muttering the same question during a chase. The other great scene was Butch and Sundance jumping off the cliff together.

  Dropping the reins, she said excitedly, "I know how we can get off this mountain and beat Harmon to the landing spot."

  He looked over at her. "How?"

  "We can jump."

  There was a prolonged pause before he repeated, "Jump? Jump off this mountain?"

  It was comical. Mairie saw he had that expression of disbelief back on his face. She would have laughed, had she the time to indulge in that release. "Listen," she began in earnest. "We can use the parachute. All we need is 5,000 feet to jump and we're almost twice that altitude now. If I pull the chord immediately, we can do it, Jack."

  "We can do it?" He began shaking his head and walked over to his horse. Unbuckling his saddlebag, he removed the earthen jar and started heading toward the cave. "I am not about to jump off this mountain. If I'm going to die, I'll die here, fighting for our lives, not throwing them away by jumping off a damn cliff."

  She hurried around to face him and grabbed his arms. "Wait… listen. We won't die. You saw me do it. You saw I landed safely—well, except for my ankle, and that was because I landed so hard. But listen to me, Jack… this can be done. You can jump with me."

  Pulling away from her he turned to look for a sharp flat stone to dig. "Mairie, you can jump, if you feel that is the only way you can return, but—"

  "Jack, look at me!"

  It was the first time she had used that tone of voice with him. Even in the beginning she was trying to pacify him, but now she didn't have the time. Now she needed him to really hear her.

  Clutching the jar in his hand, he crossed his arms over his chest. "What?"

  "The parachute can hold us both. I'll pull the chord immediately to open the chute. We'll come down faster because of our combined weight, but it will hold us. I promise."

  She ran back to her horse and grabbed the satchel holding the parachute. Frantically, she pulled it out, cursing herself for just stuffing it inside instead of folding it, as she had been instructed. "Here," she said, holding up one of the handles attached. "See this? There's two of them and they control everything. What direction, slowing down… everything. That's all I have to do. Pull on the left to go left, the right to go right… like the reins of a horse. And when I want to slow down to land, I'll pull them both really, really hard, down between my legs. That will narrow the chute, like slowly closing an. umbrella and trapping the wind inside. It's simple, and it's our only way off this mountain now."

  "Simple?" He said shaking his head again as if he were crazy for even listening to her explanation. "Throwing myself off this cliff is simple? I'm burying the herb. You can make up your mind how you want to get down."

  He turned and left her staring after him.

  Mairie sighed with defeat. How could she make him understand jumping was safer than dealing with Harmon? She had been so obsessed with saving her brother that she put both their lives in such jeopardy. So… it was now up to her to correct it. Determined, Mairie looked at the rumpled silky material she was clenching and figured it was time to take charge. This partnership must go both ways. Jack had used his intelligence and skill to get them to the cave and successfully hide the jar. Now she must use hers to get them out of this. Somehow, someway, she would make him see it was their only alternative.

  Looking at the short distance to the rocks with etchings of the ancient ones, Mairie knew there was no place to go beyond it. This was it. The top floor. They couldn't climb or hide anymore. Harmon was waiting below them. There was no other choice.

  They had to jump.

  Gathering up the parachute in her arms, she walked into the shade of huge red rocks and began laying it out on the ground. She had to remember everything she had been taught about packing the chute. There couldn't be one misfold, one mistake.

  Both their lives depended on it.

  Chapter 10

  Beads of sweat dripped from Jack's brow and onto the flat rock he'd laid over the spot where the earthen jar was buried. He couldn't believe Mairie actually thought he might jump off a mountain and trust it wasn't absolute insanity. Even though he had seen her do it, he remembered she'd been in this… air-plane, whatever that was. What she was describing was too uncertain. And yet a part of him wondered if there was enough time to get Mairie to the place she needed to be by one o'clock, and still avoid the ever-pr
esent Harmon.

  Picking up his rifle, he walked out of the cave and saw her carefully folding that… that chute back into the satchel. "So, you've made your decision, Mairie?"

  She looked up, and he swore there were tears in her eyes.

  Nodding, she said, "There's no other way, Jack. Even you have to admit now there's no hope we can be back on the desert floor by one. Neither of us counted on Harmon relentlessly chasing us and having the power to stop us from such a distance. We've lost too much time. I'll completely miss my chance to get back if we try to ride down this mountain, but this way… this way, at least there's a possibility."

  "A good possibility of being killed." He ran both hands through his hair with frustration. "This… this is crazy!"

  She stopped packing the satchel and stared at him. "Wait a minute… staying here, trying to reason with Harmon isn't crazy? Jack, you're not even going to see him. You won't be able to get a shot off before he kills you."

  She slipped her arms into the straps and brought the ones dangling at her sides in between her legs. Buckling them tight, she walked over to her horse to untie that strange hat she had been wearing when he'd found her.

  "What if Harmon has already turned back? What if he's there to meet you when you land? You may be killed anyway."

  "I'll have to take that chance, and besides… only a man like Harmon would sacrifice his own life to stop me from hiding a plant. He can't think beyond what he's been told to do. You must have seen men like him in the war. Men who blindly follow orders without question." She shook her head. "I don't think he's turned back. He's so automated now, he'll miss returning to his own time just to stop us."

  He had to admit he'd known men as she described. That kind of thinking had made him turn his back and walk away years ago. But still… there had to be another way, just not jumping off a damn mountain into oblivion!