ceremony took place only two days before, Journey couldn’t stop staring at the spot where they’d stood to take their vows.
“Watch your step, honey.” Lou made a grab for Journey as she almost tripped over a root.
“Sorry.” She touched her cheek. “The breeze felt funny for a moment, almost like someone touched my face.”
“You probably need to eat something. Why don’t we go inside? I bet your aunt has something good on the table.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat for the baby. Remember?”
“If you’re gonna nag me, woman, you can just head east,” Journey grumbled, then playfully nudged her friend. “I’ll eat something.”
The sound of the kitchen door opening and closing drew their attention. To Journey’s surprise, Myra was coming down the steps pulling her luggage behind her. She knew without being told what had happened. “Is it Uncle Myles?”
“He just passed.” Myra gave her niece a hug. “I’m so sorry to leave you like this, but I have to go.”
Journey pushed aside her grief. “If you can wait, I’ll go with you. It’s too late for you to be driving by yourself.” She gave Lou a pleading look. “Lou will housesit for a couple of days, won’t you?”
“You bet,” she agreed. “Kota promised to give me some of his time and I’d like to write up my notes on…” She stopped talking.
“It’s okay. I know what you’re going to say.” Journey touched her arm. “I’m not so fragile that I can’t be reminded of what’s happened.”
“Well, if you’re going to go, Journey, you’ll have to hurry. We have a long drive ahead of us,” Myra reminded her.
Lou took Myra’s case. “You sit in the swing and I’ll put this in your trunk, then I’ll help Journey pack.”
Needing a moment to herself, Journey was already climbing the back steps. Driving to Wichita Falls at this time of night wasn’t ideal, but it would give her something to think about other than how lonely she was without Reno.
* * *
The call of a night bird caused Reno to pull up on Traveler’s reins. He listened, making sure it was a bird and not a signal. All he needed was to tangle with Kinsella and his gang on his first night back. He couldn’t let anything jeopardize what he’d come here to do. Hearing nothing more, he continued up the gradual incline to the mouth of the cave where Ela lived.
As he neared, Reno was surprised to see no glow of her campfire. As far as he could tell, the place was pitch black. Could she have let her fire die down? This would be unusual. She kept it going for light and to keep predators at bay. Of course, she might’ve taken ill.
“Ela! Ela! It’s Reno!”
Bounding from the saddle, he climbed the path to the cave. When he breached the entrance, he found the cavern to be dark and deserted. There were a few pieces of pottery lying around, but all the things she kept so neat and orderly were gone. A chill ran over his body. Where could she be? Perhaps she’d gone to stay with her daughter. This was the only explanation he could think of. After making one more pass around the cave, he took his leave. Surely someone at the ranch would know her whereabouts.
Climbing into the saddle, Reno set out for King’s Ransom. The trip would take the remainder of the night. As he rode, he checked his pocket watch. “One minute until ten. Just in time.” Pulling up on the reins, he gazed at the moon. “I see the moon, Journey. I know you are looking at it too. God bless you, my love.”
…Journey stood on the side of the road and gazed up at the moon. Being full, it was as big and bright as she’d ever seen it. Lifting her hand, it seemed she could almost touch it. “I’m here, Reno. I see the moon. I love you so much. Take care, my love.”
Reluctantly, she returned to the car to continue their journey.
“Did you need to use the bathroom?” Aunt Myra asked.
“No. I just needed a bit of fresh air.”
“That’s pregnancy for you.”
Journey didn’t dispute her point. Instead, she turned the radio on low, just for the noise. Seeing a sign ahead, she put her blinker on to turn east on Highway 29 toward Burnet. “Go straight, sweetie, through San Saba. We can take Highway 16 almost all the way.”
“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I don’t even have the GPS turned on.” She