hat on the ground. “Stop saying this stuff. I’ve only had one cup of coffee this morning!”
“Her name is Journey and she’s related to Saul and the kids. Saul is her great-great…something great grandfather. You won’t believe it, but she fell in love with that picture Fancy had the photographer make of me. You know, the one who visited here a few months back. Journey slept with that picture under her pillow every night. And when I came through the portal, I was at the right moment and place to save her from these men who were about to attack her. It was meant to be. While I was there, I figured out how to save Cole. And I learned how to stop these supposed Indian attacks.”
“Slow down. What about the Indian attacks? There was another one just yesterday. Our neighbor to the east was burned out. If the Cavalry doesn’t put a stop to this, they’ll be attacking King’s Ransom next.”
Reno grabbed Clay’s arm. “It’s not Indians, its white raiders disguised as Indians. I think John Taylor is behind it. Remember him?”
“Yea. Why would you think that?”
“I read it in a history book.”
“In 2019.” Clay nodded his head. “Right.” He picked his hat up on the floor. “I wouldn’t put something like that past Taylor, but…” He stopped talking. Obviously, he didn’t know what to say.
“Look, I know I’ve come at you out of the blue with all of this. And I know it sounds incredible. But you’re my best friend and I need you to believe me. Like I said, over the next month, I’ll explain everything. I’m going to need your help though.”
Clay looked over his shoulder. “I wouldn’t tell everybody what you’ve told me.”
“I don’t intend to. Just King and Gentry. I’m going to need their help too.”
“I don’t know. You’ve officially warped my sensibilities.”
“Ela will explain it all. She knew this was going to happen. She gave me this medicine bag to carry with me. Turns out, it helped me go through the portal safely. Her descendant in 2019, he knew all about this. He helped me get back.”
Clay looked stricken. “About Ela…”
“Right, about Ela. I went by the cave. She wasn’t there. Do you know where she is?”
“Reno, I hate to be the one to tell you…but Ela’s dead. I went to check on her about a week after you left and found her dead on the path outside of her cave.”
Reno felt like the bottom had just fallen out of his world. “No. No. That can’t be.” He shook his head slowly. Back and forth. Back and forth. She was supposed to help him get back to Journey. “This isn’t true.”
“It is. Somebody killed her. Domino said she died of head injuries. I’m sorry.”
I’ll wait as long as the Great Spirit allows.
Her words still echoed in his mind. The Great Spirit didn’t allow her to wait for long.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Reno put on a brave face. His reunion with the rest of his friends lacked the joy he’d first experienced with Clay. Finding out Ela was dead had devastated him. Not only because he loved and respected her, but because she’d been his lifeline back to Journey. What in the world was he going to do now?
“I just can’t believe you’re back.” Fancy hugged him as tightly as she could. “When the lawyer never heard from you, we knew something was wrong.”
“Yea, I made the trip on the stagecoach, just to follow the route you would’ve taken. They told us you never bought a ticket, but I was afraid to trust their records.” Gentry appeared thoughtful. “Truthfully, we didn’t know what happened to you.”
“Yes, we did,” Jericho chimed in. “We knew you were dead.” He looked a bit confused. “I mean we thought you were dead. What I’m trying to say is that we were certain if you were alive, there was no way in hell you wouldn’t let us know. Those kids of yours…” He motioned to the hall door. “They grieved their hearts out over you. Fancy moved them to the house from the bunkhouse because they cried every night.”
“I’m so sorry. I would’ve contacted all of you if I could have. Believe me,” Reno spoke sincerely. “The circumstances were such that I didn’t have a chance to contact anyone until today.”
Jericho didn’t look convinced, but he let it go. “Everybody’s glad you’re home, Reno. Those kids are going to be over the moon.”
Reno nodded. The looks he was getting from his friends