time you need studying the documents. Take notes. We don’t subject those books and papers to a copier. They’re very valuable. One day we’ll have them scanned onto a computer…when our budget increases and we have some decent help.”
“Good. One more thing.” Journey picked up a pen and a small notepad lying on the counter and wrote out the name of Cole Black. “Could you see if this name is mentioned in any Civil War records? He fought for the Union in Major General Gouverneur K. Warren’s Fifth Corp.”
Ms. Stanberry looked put out, but an encouraging smile from Reno made all the difference. “Go on up. I’ll see what I can find and if I do, I’ll bring the number up to Miss Winkler for you.”
“Thank you,” Journey told her, then raised her eyebrows to Reno as they started toward the elevator. “She likes you. She likes you.”
Reno ignored her sing-song tease. “What were you saying back there about me getting married?”
“Nothing.” She made sure to keep her voice even and her expression bland. “I just meant that if you stayed in the present…there’s no reason why you might not meet someone, fall in love – you know.” About that time, she came to the elevator door and pressed the button marked UP.
When the doors opened with a whoosh, Reno froze. “What in Sam Hill is this?”
Journey held the door. “This is called an elevator. It will take us upstairs.” She saw someone else coming. “Get in and don’t talk.”
Reno obeyed and they were joined by two college age students, both girls. They seemed extra happy to be sharing the space with Reno. They looked at one another, giggled, then glanced at him and giggled some more. Unfortunately for them, the cowboy was oblivious to their antics. When the elevator began to move, he grabbed onto the rails on either side of him and held on for dear life. Since they were only going from the first floor to the second floor, the ride was over before Journey could offer him any comfort. The two girls didn’t seem to notice Reno’s discomfort or his white knuckled death grip, they were too busy admiring the rest of him.
After their elevator companions stepped off with a sneaky look back at Reno, he grabbed Journey’s arm and held her steady. “Stay.”
“Why?”
He reached over to the control panel and pressed the ‘down’ arrow. “I want to do it again.”
“Oh, please. Really?” She couldn’t believe this.
For the next ten minutes, they rode up and down until Miss Stanberry came over to stand in front of the open doors of the elevator, folded her arms, and tapped her foot on the carpet.
“See what you did,” Journey whispered to him in a hiss as she pressed the ‘up’ button.
“What did I do?” Reno asked innocently as the doors opened on the second floor.
“Never mind. Our next outing will be to the mall to ride an escalator,” she muttered dryly. “You’ll love that.”
Once they gave Miss Winkler the file numbers, they were told to wait at a certain table and the items would be brought out to them.
“What’s an escalator?” Reno whispered; his head bent close to Journey’s.
She pursed her lips and tried to pretend to be annoyed. “Moving stairs. Instead of you climbing them, they just glide up and you step off at the top. If there’s an up escalator, there’s also a down escalator.”
Reno grinned. “You’re making that up. You think I’ll just swallow anything, don’t you?”
She spread her hands out as if she couldn’t help what his beliefs told him. “We’ll see.”
In a few moments, Miss Winkler approached carrying two oversized tomes. “There’s a chapter in each of these concerning the events you wished to research.”
“Thank you.” Journey took one and gave Reno the other.
“If you need any assistance, just let me know.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” This time the gratitude came from Reno. He checked out the title of the book. “Texas Indian Wars.”
Journey did the same. “Mine is Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.”
They both dove in to see what they could find. After about five minutes of searching, Reno elbowed her. “Look.”
He began to read. “As reprisal for a series of raids and attacks on the white settlers by the local Indian tribes, the US Cavalry, assisted by an armed militia of central Texas ranchers, engaged the Indians in a massive battle near Fredericksburg, Texas. The date was June 1869 and the tribes were all but wiped out. Only a few survived