herds. And the buffalo herds themselves could be a hazard. Once Reno witnessed a herd that he estimated to be five miles wide and a million strong cross the Colorado. He’d sat in amazement for an hour as they thundered by.
“I rode into Kingsland yesterday to send the telegram to Wallace.”
“Thank you. I wish I’d told you to go ahead and give him the drummer boy’s name and address.”
Gentry scoffed good naturedly. “I didn’t have to be told. I also gave him Jubal’s information and the names of his known associates to be questioned.”
“Good. I should have known you would be ahead of me. I just hope those men are as willing to speak out now as they will be when Saul approached them in 1902.”
“Hearing you speak of the future as if it’s in the past makes my head hurt, Reno. Of course, we won’t know what Wallace thinks of the information or the result of any action he takes until we arrive in Washington.”
He held Traveler’s reins loosely. The stallion could read the trail as well as Reno. “In the future, we could talk to the lawyer as we rode along this path. There would be cell phone towers scattered over the countryside. There’s also a thing called texting and email. You can send a written message to a person with a little black box you can hold in your hand and get an answer immediately.”
“Sounds too good to be true. But if you don’t mind, I’d rather not know any other details about the future.”
This surprised Reno. “Why?”
Gentry took a swig of water from his canteen. “Because I’m endlessly fascinated by all of it. The more I hear, the more I want to experience it for myself. If I don’t curtail my interest, it could become an obsession. I’d be combing the hills, hunting a medicine man to help me cross over.”
“Ela is dead. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go through the portal. Not with any certainty of what I’ll find on the other side.” This was the first time he’d acknowledged the possibility to himself and the horror of what he spoke resonated through his body like a gunshot.
“She has a son, you know.”
“She does have a son.” Reno repeated the fact, hope sparking in his breast. “I haven’t thought of that.” He exhaled a ragged breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “If it were possible, why wouldn’t you want to see the future?”
Gentry met his gaze and Reno realized he was weighing his words. Finally, he spoke. “My heart is here.”
“As my heart is with Journey.” He understood the sentiment only too well. “You’re speaking of a woman. Who?”
“No one.”
Reno could tell the Englishman was lying. “Does no one have a name?”
He tightened his lips as if to prevent the truth from escaping. “She’s too young. Too afraid.”
It didn’t take too much thinking on Reno’s part to arrive at a conclusion. “You mean Amelia.”
“Like I said, she’s too young. Too traumatized.”
“If anyone can help her through this ordeal, it would be you.”
“I’m not so sure of that.”
“I am.” Reno considered the past. “You were the one who pushed to rescue her, and you were the one who pulled it off.”
“With your help.”
“Ela’s help,” he corrected, studying his friends face. “You’ve been drawn to Amelia all along.”
Gentry snorted in disgust. “I’m too old for her. Too jaded. She’s pure and innocent.”
“Well, I’m not sure how pure…” His observation was cut short by a harsh word from his friend.
“Hush! Not another word against her. Do you hear?”
“Loud and clear. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
“I know you didn’t. My outburst was just a visceral reaction.”
“Amelia is a lovely young woman. She is of age, seventeen, I believe.”
“Yes, but she’s been through hell.”
“Have you asked her what she’s been through? Maybe it wasn’t as bad as you think.”
Gentry frowned. “Don’t let the blood running through your veins cloud your judgment.”
Reno didn’t take offense. Instead, he homed in on what he’d noticed before but never mentioned. “There’s more to this than you’re letting on.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You were determined to rescue her. In fact, you were obsessed. You didn’t know Amelia; you’d never seen her – yet you couldn’t rest until you did something about it.”
“Any man worth his salt would’ve felt the same.”
“Salt is cheap, Nelson.” Reno knew he was on to something. “You just seemed to empathize more.”
“Enough. I shall speak no more of this today.” Gentry’s voice was adamant. “We