her. Journey thought he might even care for her a bit. But he was scared. If he were to go, Reno was afraid of leaving part of himself behind. “That’s okay,” she whispered as he took his leave. “For now, I can love enough for both us.”
…Reno went through the motions without thinking. He saddled Traveler, heading him through the gate and down a trail familiar to them both. The horse required no direction, by now he knew what was expected of him.
For the next few hours, Reno tried to force time to bend to his will. To no avail.
At some point after midnight, he admitted defeat and set the stallion on the path toward home. With every moment that passed, his head churned with chaos. He felt as if he were sitting in a lifeboat next to a sinking ship. If he could just get the attention of those on board, he could help them. But the louder he cried, the more he begged, the quicker the vessel sank beneath the waves. No matter that he held the necessary life preservers in his hand, he couldn’t reach them to save their lives.
“Today is April 22nd in 2019 and in 1869.” In a little over a month from now many innocent people would be needlessly slaughtered unless he could be there to convince his friends and neighbors that someone else was responsible for those raids. And in a little over two months, his only brother would stand before a firing squad and be executed for a crime he didn’t commit, unless Reno could find a way home in time to prove him innocent.
Once he’d tended to his horse, Reno returned to the ranch house. The door was unlocked and there was a light on in the kitchen, but Journey was nowhere in sight. He figured she’d given up on him and gone to bed. Feeling parched, he filled a glass with water from the sink and stood staring out the window. To his amazement, Enchanted Rock glowed with an unearthly light. He knew many believed there to be some scientific explanation for what he witnessed, but he also remembered Ela Blue telling him about the mysterious power and the spirits who dwelled there. For her, the mountain was a refuge. He sincerely hoped she remained safe in her sanctuary. “I’m sorry I’m not there to check on you,” he whispered to someone who could not hear him. Or maybe she could, the woman was a spiritual force in her own right.
Placing the empty glass in the sink, he went to bed. Tonight, he didn’t read. All he wanted to do was sleep and forget about his troubles for a few blessed hours.
…When he did awaken, Reno was upset to learn he’d overslept. At some point, he figured out the red digits showing on the box next to the bed reflected the time of day. This morning, they read 8:30. He rose from the bed to prepare himself for whatever lay ahead.
To his surprise, the kitchen was empty save for the two dogs who lay satisfied by their empty bowls. They seemed to have accepted him, no longer growling and barking at him at every opportunity. He looked around for Journey, but she wasn’t in the house. There was no breakfast waiting for him either. This didn’t upset him; he was used to fending for himself. He rummaged through the lower cabinets until he found a skillet, then he fried up some eggs and bacon. Once he’d eaten, he cleaned up his mess, remembering to put the dishes into what Journey had called ‘the dishwasher’.
Fully expecting to find his friend outside taking a walk or tending to her aunt’s garden, Reno was a bit concerned when he realized her car was missing. Where could she have gone and why didn’t she wake him up to go with her? He reentered the house to search for a note explaining her absence, but there was none that he could see. With nothing else to do, he saddled up his horse and returned to Enchanted Rock like a homing pigeon returning to its roost. “Maybe the damn mountain will just get so tired of me, it’ll throw me back where I came from.”
… “Thanks so much for meeting me. I do appreciate all the trouble you’ve gone to.”
Apple Blackhawk patted the large pasteboard box sitting on the table between them. “I honestly don’t know what all is in here. Benjen’s mother was a packrat