Ride The Wild Wind (Time Travel Historical Romance)

by Ivey , Kimberly

  “You have been terribly hurt in the past.”

  “Who hasn’t?”

  He moved closer, skimmed his palms down her bare arms. “I know you want to believe Elena cared about you, but trust me, she cares for no one but herself.”

  “You weren’t there, Antonio. You don’t know how it really was. I was with her all the time.”

  He gritted his teeth. Damn her for being so stubborn. He almost told her about Elena being Franklin Cole’s lover, but he hadn’t the desire to dredge up the past—Elena’s deceptions—the lies he believed for fifteen years. Besides, Halle was not ready to accept the truth. Elena was probably the first person who had extended any kindness to her in a long while and she, along with the other women in her employ had been like family to Halle. But he also knew how beguiling his former mistress was.

  He took Halle by the shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Listen to me.” His voice was calm. “We cannot return to Albuquerque. If Elena suspects we are lovers, there will be hell to pay. You don’t know her as I do. She is ruthless.”

  “I’m not afraid of her.”

  He needed for Halle to fear Elena, and to give up her insane desire to return to Albuquerque. “What must I do to convince you that Elena is not your friend and never was?”

  “Okay, forget Elena for now. I have to tell you something more important, and I know this sounds weird but…I had a dream. You know, kind of like a vision. We all have to go there. Me, you, and the kids.”

  What the hell? “A dream? You are a prophet now?”

  “Okay. So it wasn’t a dream. My spirit guide, Stella, came to me the other night at the fort and told me that you and I must take the children to Albuquerque.”

  Antonio backed away and threw up his hands. He’d heard all the nonsense he intended to listen to. “No more stories, Halle. Not one word.”

  She grasped his hand. “Antonio, please don’t shut me out. I know this is hard for you to understand, and believe me, sometimes I still can’t believe this happened. But I am not making this up. What I’m about to tell you is probably going to come as a shock.”

  He stared. Shock? What else could she say to shock him more? Was she insane? Or was this a nightmare from which he could not awaken?

  She blew out a breath. “Okay. Here goes. Ready?”

  No.

  “I came from the future.”

  Antonio went numb all over. Had she endured too much abuse these past few days? Perhaps the ordeal of being captured and the mistreatment caused psychosis to set in.

  She nodded. “It’s true.I was driving one night in my car. It’s kind of like a horse and wagon but without the horse. I encountered a man on horseback in the middle of the road. It was you. Then something freaky happened. I rounded the curve in the highway and seconds later was back at the same spot. You were there again, too. Kinda like déjà vu. Your horse went crazy when my car’s headlights struck him and I swerved to avoid hitting you. When I came to rest at the bottom of the ravine, I was trapped between the present and the past.”

  He had to silence her before someone overheard. “Enough. No more talk.”

  “Please believe me, Antonio. You know what I’m saying is true. You were there that night. You must have seen the car’s lights, too, because you looked directly at me.”

  True, he’d seen the flash of light, but not her. He looked around, making certain no one had happened upon them, then urged her to continue.

  “I met a woman named Stella before I crossed over to the past, although she’s not really a human anymore but my spirit guide. I suppose she’s like an angel, but she doesn’t have a halo or wings. She said I was being sent to your time period to bring justice for Hope Brannigan, the woman Frank Cole had murdered, although I still don’t exactly know how I’m going to do that.”

  A sick feeling washed over him as it all began to make sense. His dreams of her before her arrival. The violent storm when he’d sensed her presence. The eerie white light he encountered on the road. All the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together now. Yes, it was an insane story, but oddly, he did believe her. “You must remain silent. Everything you have said to me today must never be spoken again. Your ramblings could cause a stir that might get you hurt or killed.”

  “Antonio, I’m not making this up. It’s the truth. You have to believe me!”

  Apparently his hard glare silenced her. “You tread on dangerous ground, woman. Do you not realize the others might be frightened to hear such talk? If you profess to travel across time they might think you are a witch. You could be killed.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, her eyes narrowing on him. “You seem more upset the others might think I’m a witch than my bizarre story about time travel. Why is that?”

  A nerve twitched in his jaw. “We will speak of this no more. You will remain silent.” He watched the awareness dawn in her eyes as a smile tilted the corner of her lips.

  “Oh my God! You do believe my wild story, don’t you?”

  “You have been through an ordeal. Perhaps after sufficient rest and a proper diet you will be able to think rationally again.”

  “I am thinking clearly, Antonio. We have to take these children to Albuquerque.”

  “I will listen to no more talk of going to Albuquerque. We head north today and into the foothills of the mountains where we will remain until after the spring thaw.”

  “We won’t be safe there. Eventually, we’ll be starved out. The army has enlisted the Utes as trackers. They’re going to raid the Navajo camps and take prisoners.”

  “Someone at the fort told you this?”

  “No. It’s in the history books—from my time specifically. Your uncle, Chief Manuelito, will hold off as long as he can—two or three years at the most—but he is eventually going to surrender. The People will spend four long years in the detention camp in Bosque Redondo before being allowed back to claim only a portion of their homelands. Thousands will die. Is that the life you want for your son? For Tani and Diego?”

  “Every muscle in Antonio’s body trembled. He saw the truth in her eyes, felt it to the depths of his soul. Only he and Sonny suspected the Ute’s involvement. They’d told no one else. He swiped a hand down his face as the dry ache of fear constricted his throat. Their situation was worse than he previously believed. He pointed a finger at her. “I forbid you to speak one word of this to anyone, do you understand? People will panic and scatter.” Guilt washed over him as he watched tears mist her eyes. He wished he did not have to be harsh.

  “But you believe I’m telling the truth, don’t you?”

  He did, but for her safety he needed to silence her. “You also must understand, Halle, I have a mission to fulfill, a promise to keep to these people. It does not matter anymore what I believe. But if you do not comply with my request for silence on this matter, I will tie and gag you for your own safety. Do you understand?”

  * * * * *

  Halle fumed as she watched him pull on his boots. He was the most stubborn and prideful man she’d ever known! Damn him! Didn’t he realize his antics could get him killed? Somehow, she had to break through his defensive wall. He might get pissed off but she was damned well going to give it her best shot. It was now or never.

  “How can you say it doesn’t matter what you believe? You’re an intelligent man. You know if we stay here, if you continue running guns to the Navajo, we’re all going to die.”

  “If we must all die, then it is better to die with dignity than to suffer like starving dogs in a pen.”

  She gaped in disbelief. “So there’s nothing I can say to change your mind? You’re not going to give up this insane fight for freedom are you?”

  “I can’t. What you ask is impossible. I am no coward. I will not run in the face of danger, nor will I turn my back on my heritage—my blood.”

  Halle snorted. Blood had nothing to do with this. At least not anymore. In the beginning, Antonio might have believed he was fighting for the Na
vajo’s freedom, but the game plan changed long ago. This was about Antonio’s struggle to redeem himself in his son’s eyes.

  Halle moved in closer, feeling her throat tighten as the words bubbled forth. “You can’t change what happened to your wife, or Mariposa or Lukachukai. It wasn’t your fault your son lost his hand, but it seems you’ve made his disability your cross to bear.”

  His face turned dark with rage. “Do not speak of my family again.”

  Desperate to break through, she moved closer. If he wouldn’t listen to reason, she’d use stronger tactics. “Oh poor me. I was such a bad father. I let my kids down when they needed me. So now I’ll die with honor and be a freaking martyr. Blah, blah, blah. Puleeeez, Antonio. Spare me the crap. You’re fighting out of vengeance.” Halle noted the tremble of his hands and realized she’d angered him to the flash point. Well, too bad. She wasn’t through yet, and this mule-headed man was about to get another ear full.

  He strapped on his guns. “You know nothing about me or of my life before we met. How are you in a position to pass judgment?” While his voice was eerily calm, the fury in his gray eyes frightened her. Still, she wouldn’t back off. She had to reach him, for his sake, and for all of their sakes.

  “I know all I need to know, Antonio. You’ve lost your wife and daughter and your son has lost his father.”

  He hesitated, then barked out a cool, “Finish getting dressed.”

  It was now or never. She made her move. “Lukachukai won’t speak to anyone and hasn’t since the attack. I know you are struggling to get back to one another, but you’re moving in opposite directions.”

  He gave a snort of disgust. “Now you sound like Sonny and his nonsense. Precisely where do you get your information? Oh, yes of course…your spirit person…”

  “Guide,” she corrected. “Actually, my story is rather complicated, but as I said a moment ago Stella who checks in with me when she’s not on vacation,” she said loudly, as if Stella might hear. She wrapped the woven sash around her waist and tied it. “Seriously, dying for a lost cause isn’t going to help your son, and it won’t bring your baby daughter back.” A flicker of pain touched his eyes, and she softened her voice. “If you’d just listen to me for once, I think I know how we can help Lukachukai…and others like him”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “What are you suggesting?”

  Halle swallowed hard. “I can make Lukachukai a hand, one that is semi-functional with jointed fingers, but I’m going to need your medical expertise.”

  He gave her an incredulous look, then shook his head as if to loosen any cobwebs. “A prosthetic limb? You?”

  She nodded. “I used to build all sots of props for movie and theatrical sets when I lived in the future. We might not have all the materials we need, but we can improvise. What if you and I worked as a designer team? We could use plaster to make a mold for his hand. From there, we’ll use materials that are easily obtainable. I can paint the limb to look realistic. No one could ever tell.”

  He stared, his face giving nothing away.

  Not the reaction she hoped for. “Okay. Let me explain a bit more. Where I come from, there have been unbelievable strides in medicine—take robotics, for instance. I know that kind of technology is long way in the future, but there’s still so much we can do right now. We can give him a hand, Antonio. He can be a normal little boy again. We can give him back his life. And if this works, just think of what we could do for other people all over the world.”

  She watched a nerve in his jaw twitch. “Leave my son alone. He has suffered enough without being constantly reminded of his loss. Besides, you have no say in my child’s life.You are not his mother.”

  Despite the frigid temperature, heat suffused her cheeks. No, she wasn’t Lukachukai’s mother, but she knew the child needed healing. “You know what, Antonio? Because of your stubborn pride, Lukachukai is going to be the real loser in your stupid game of hero. While you’re off fighting your lost causes, trying to save the world from monsters, your child is the one who will ultimately suffer. He’s going be a little boy who lost not only his baby sister, but both his parents. He’ll never get that prosthetic hand you were sketching, and you’ll be to blame for his lifetime of misery. This is your moment in time to do great things, but you’re going about it all wrong.”

  “I will be gone a day and a night. Go back to camp and look after the children in my absence.”

  She would never understand him. A moment ago he’d pointed out she wasn’t their mother, yet he always entrusted them into their care. Not that she wouldn’t care for the children anyway. She loved them as if they were her own flesh and blood. As Stella said, they were her family now. “Where are you going?”

  He didn’t answer, but only turned and walked away without ever looking back.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  A month had passed since her rescue from Fort Dennison and still Antonio barely acknowledged her existence. He hadn’t yet moved out of their shared hogan, but he barely looked at her now, let alone engaged in conversation. Sex was also nonexistent. They hadn’t made love since the morning she told him she had come from the future. But why should his behavior surprise her? He probably thought she was insane, that her looniness might rub off.

  Halle’d learned that simply cohabitating with Antonio didn’t mean they were married according to Navajo custom. While she realized the elders—particularly her adoptive parents frowned upon this behavior—Sonny told her that a wider latitude was extended to Antonio since he was only half Navajo, and had acquired “white man” customs while away from The People.

  Not that she cared if anyone thought less of her. Absolutely nothing was happening between them. When Antonio bedded down beside her at night, he always placed his back to her. They never spoke, never touched. She knew he needed her, that it was hell for them both lying so close and not making love. Her imagination began to take over and she imagined he might have taken another lover, perhaps one who appeared saner and didn’t talk about having visions of the future.

  Stella also had deserted her in her time of need. She’d tried summoning her again to see if there was a grace period and she and Max could still opt for a trip back to the future, but it appeared her spirit guide was on vacation or plain ignoring her. She wondered if there was a complaint department for derelict spirit guides.

  Lukachukai, who’d fallen in love with Max, had come to live with them. Tani visited everyday and it seemed she was her only friend now, other than Max.

  One day Antonio surprised them all in the middle of the afternoon while Tani and the boys were getting their hair spiked and colored. By Halle’s estimation it was late October, and she explained the custom of trick or treating to Tani , Diego and Lukachukai. Well, most of it anyway. Aware of the Navajo’s fear of ghosts and the death taboo, she’d purposely omitted that part about Halloween and concentrated instead on costumes. The children spread the word throughout camp and tonight, children and adults alike would go hogan to hogan in search of goodies.

  The camp was bustling with activity as people scrambled to sew last minute costumes and prepare special treats. For the occasion, Halle’d temporarily dyed and spiked Tani and Lukachukai’s hair in a luscious shade of fuschia. She’d also snipped months of red outgrowth from her own hair and scrunched the short dark layers with shiny agave cactus gel, twisting it into a chic, but messy style. She and Tani fashioned a Max a long wig from horsehair. For Halloween, they were dressing as the punk rock band, The Casualties.

  Antonio lifted the woven door covering, interrupting their costuming session. He froze. “What is going on?”

  Halle deftly touched a short, stiff spike on her cropped hair. “Like my new ’do? We’re going trick or treating tonight. We’re The Casualties.”

  He stared opened mouthed at her a moment, shock etched clearly on his face. “You cut your hair.”

  “Just the red parts. Like it?”

  “No.”

  She wrinkled her
nose. “I should have known you’d have this reaction”

  His gaze fell upon Diego and he grimaced.

  “We’re going as a punk rock band,” Halle added for clarification, knowing fully well the meaning would be lost on the nineteenth century man. “You know. Spiked hair, loud music, anarchy and all that jazz.” She waved him off. “Never mind.”

  His eyes swung to Tani’s tall spiked colored locks. Halle saw him flinch. “What the—”

  Halle moved next to Tani, who simply stared at the ground. “I thought a few spikes on the top of Tani’s head would add some height to her petite frame,” she offered, touching them to test their stiffness. “Cool, isn’t it? I never knew you could make sculpting gel from cactus snot.”

  Antonio muttered an expletive—a crude word she’d never heard him use. His jaw clenched. His hands balled into fists, then relaxed. “Both of you ...” His voice remained eerily calm as his gaze darted back and forth between Tani and Halle. “Wash your hair, Tani.”

  Lukachukai sprang from a darkened corner. “I’m a Casualty! ” He danced around, laughing with the bewigged Max in his arms.

  Antonio stared, open mouthed. Everyone did.

  Lukachukai had spoken.

  “Shiye?” Antonio took a step toward Lukachukai, then froze. So did the boy. Man and child only stared at one another.

  “What has happened to these children?” His gaze slowly swung to Max. “The dog, too?”

  Halle, in her effort to suppress a laugh snorted instead.

  A giggle escaped Tani. “Is Max not the funniest thing you have ever seen?”

  “Have you all gone mad? My niece looks like a...a peacock and….” He shoved a hand through his long tousled locks. “I don’t know what in the hell my son looks like but I do not approve.”

  Halle rolled her eyes. She should have known he wouldn’t like it. “Relax, Antonio. These are costumes for Halloween night. The hair color is temporary.”

  Diego, always the shy one, slunk into the shadows.

  “We’re going trick or treating,” she explained. “Everyone in camp is dressing up for the occasion—everyone except old fuddy-duddy you. Haven’t you noticed all the excitement?”