Find the Lightning, page 8
She clung to Jay as he rose over her, hot tears stinging her eyes at the thought of never seeing him again, never again knowing the joy of his kisses, the wonder of his body melding with hers…
Later, sated and complete, her cheeks damp with tears, she fell asleep in his arms.
* * *
Moving carefully and quietly, Jay eased out of her arms and walked a short distance away. Naked, his body still sheened with perspiration, he raised his arms toward heaven. “Wakan Tanka, hear my cry. The woman in my vision has stolen my heart. You brought her to me and she has shown me a love I never thought to find. If she must go back to her own time, please let this warrior go with her.”
He stood there for a long time, listening, but heard only the wind.
* * *
They arrived at the ranch late the following afternoon. After unsaddling the bay and the palomino, Jay turned the buckskin stallion loose in the corral, then led the other two horses into the barn.
Rusty glanced around. Nothing had changed. Chickens still scratched in the yard. A few cattle grazed on the hillside.
Leaving Jay to feed the animals, she went into the house. It, too, looked the same, she thought as she went into the kitchen, intending to heat some water for a bath.
She came to an abrupt halt when she saw the back door standing open and a man with a scraggly beard and blond hair staring back at her.
“Well, well,” he drawled, resting one hand on the gun at his side. “Ain’t this a sweet surprise.”
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“Lost my horse a few miles back yesterday,” he said, crossing the threshold into the kitchen. “Come across this place. Thought it had been abandoned.”
“Well, it isn’t, so go away.”
“Now, that ain’t very friendly, little lady.”
“We are not friends. And I am not your little lady.”
“No?” He leered at her. “I think you’re gonna be.”
Rusty took a step back, her eyes widening when she saw Jay ghost up behind the stranger.
The man grinned as he lunged forward and caught her arm. “This is gonna be fun.”
“Get your hands off my woman.” Jay’s voice, though quiet, was edged with menace.
The stranger paused, his hand inching toward his gun, his finger curling around the trigger as he eased the Colt from the holster. He was smiling confidently when he spun around to fire.
Only Jay fired first.
Rusty clapped a hand to her mouth as the man dropped to the floor.
And then Jay was there, holding her close, his hand stroking her back. “It’s all right,” he murmured. “No one will hurt you while I’m here.”
* * *
Jay buried the stranger in the woods behind the barn. They spoke no words over the body, left no marker to remind them of his presence.
Subdued, they walked hand-in-hand back to the house.
That night, Rusty dreamed of Relámpago. The stallion appeared out of a gray mist. When he knelt down, bowing like she had seen horses do on TV, she knew he had come to take her home. Only she didn’t want to go. With a shake of her head, she turned her back on the stallion and ran back to Jay’s house. But when she went inside, the place was dark and empty and he was gone.
She woke in a cold sweat, wondering what it meant.
* * *
She was on edge the next few days, almost afraid to go outside for fear she would find the stallion waiting to take her back to her own time where she belonged.
Jay made love to her every night, holding her close, murmuring that he loved her, would always love her, no matter what the future held.
They had been home for a week the evening they went for a walk by the lake. The light of the moon turned the leaves to silver and was reflected on the still surface of the water.
Rusty glanced around, thinking it looked almost otherworldly, a fairy land plucked from the pages of a book she’d read.
“Beautiful night,” Jay remarked, slipping his arm around her.
She uttered a soft sound of agreement as she leaned into him.
“But not as beautiful as you.”
“Flatterer.”
“Rusty…?”
“Yes?”
“Will you marry me?”
Before she could answer, a thick gray mist rose off the water and gathered around them.
She felt an icy chill slither down her spine as Relámpago materialized out of the mist, looking more like a ghost horse than ever. Lowering his head, he went down on one knee.
“Jay!” She threw her arms around him. “I don’t want to leave you. Don’t let him take me!”
He folded her into his arms as his mother’s voice whispered through the back of his mind. You must be careful which path you choose. Once the decision is made, there is no going back.
Red Star hadn’t been talking about a literal path, Jay knew, but making a choice that, once made, was irrevocable.
His life flashed through his mind—his empty house, his empty life. And then he gazed into Rusty’s eyes and in their tear-damp depths he saw everything he had ever wanted.
Jay lifted her onto Relámpago’s back, then swung up behind her, his arms sliding around her waist.
The stallion rose with a shake of his head.
Rusty clung to the stallion’s mane as Relámpago broke into a trot. Heart pounding with trepidation, she closed her eyes. What if Jay couldn’t travel forward into the future?
She let out a cry as Relámpago broke into a gallop. The mist grew thicker, darker. And then everything went black.
* * *
When reality returned, she was lying in the dirt. The first thing she heard was the whinny of a horse. Opening her eyes a crack, she saw Sugar munching on a patch of grass a few feet away.
Brow furrowed, Rusty sat up, a sudden ache deep within her heart and soul. It had all been a dream. There was no white stallion. The time she had spent in the past with Jay had never happened. He didn’t exist except in her imagination.
Tears burned her eyes as she climbed to her feet. How could it have been a dream when it had seemed so real?
She was reaching for Sugar’s reins when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. No doubt one of the men from Fenton’s stable had come looking for her.
Resigned, she turned to tell whoever it was that she was all right, felt her jaw drop when she saw Jay walking toward her.
With a wordless cry, she threw herself into his arms, laughing and crying as he lifted her off her feet and twirled her around and around.
“You’re here!” she exclaimed, when he set her down. “It wasn’t a dream!”
“So it would seem.”
Unable to stop smiling, she said, “I can’t wait to show you my world.”
“And I can’t wait to see it. But there’s just one thing,” he said, his brow furrowed.
“What?” She stared up at him, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“You said you’d marry me in my world.” His searching gaze moved over her. “Is your answer still—”
“Yes! Oh, yes! Here or there or anywhere!”
A slow smiled curved his lips as he wrapped her in his arms.
Rusty’s eyelids fluttered down, a sense of peace flooding her soul as Jay kissed her—because this time it was forever.
Epilogue
Two Years Later
Rusty sat on the front porch, smiling as she watched Jay put a two-year-old mustang through its paces. Man and beast moved like one being as the horse circled the arena, changing leads, changing gaits, the horse’s movements as smooth as silk.
Knowing Jay wouldn’t be happy in the city, and having gained an appreciation for the beauty of the Big Sky Country, she had put her condo up for sale and quit her job. Two months later, they moved to a small town in Montana where Jay had found a job working as a cowhand on a nearby ranch. In no time at all, word had spread that he could break the rankest bronc. Soon, ranchers far and wide were bringing him their horses.
She grinned as Jay unsaddled the mustang and turned it loose in the corral, felt her heart skip a beat as he sauntered toward her, thumbs hooked in his belt.
“Good job, cowboy,” she said.
He swaggered up the stairs and brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Why, thank you, ma’am,” he drawled. “How’s our little cowgirl?”
“Perfect.” Rusty gazed at her three-month-old daughter, Lorena Star, sleeping peacefully in the portable bassinet beside her chair. She supposed all mothers thought their baby the most beautiful, but they were wrong, because Jay’s daughter held that title.
“As is her mother.”
“No regrets?” Rusty asked.
“Regrets?” He frowned at her, then shook his head. He was sorry he’d had to leave his mother behind, but he knew she understood. Red Star had come to him in a vision the night before he married Rusty, assuring him that she was well, and that he was where he was meant to be.
Taking Rusty’s hand in his, he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “I have everything I ever wanted right here. Right now.”
So do I, Rusty thought as Jay claimed her lips with his. So do I.
~finis~
About the Author
Madeline is one of those rare birds—a California native. She’s lived in Southern California her whole life and loves it (except for the earthquakes). She and her husband share a home with a fluffy Pomeranian named Lady, a mischievous cat named Trouble, and a tortoise named Buddy.
Madeline and her alter ego, Amanda Ashley, have written over 90 books and short stories, many of which have appeared on various bestseller lists, including the New York Times Bestseller List, the Waldenbooks Bestseller list, and the USA Today list. Not bad for someone who started writing just for the fun of it.
Madeline loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her at darkwritr@aol.com.
For a list of all her books, including covers and chapter previews, visit her website at www.madelinebaker.net
About the Publisher
This book is published on behalf of the author by the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.
https://ethanellenberg.com
Email: agent@ethanellenberg.com
Madeline Baker, Find the Lightning
