Erin's Rebel (28 page)

He pulled away, gazing into her eyes. “I love you, too. I just didn’t realize it until I thought I’d lost you for the second time.”

Erin searched his eyes. He made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman on Earth. “I thought I’d lost you, too. I’ve been gone for six months.”

“Pardon me?”

“I went back to the twenty-first century.” She ran her fingers through the thick hair at the nape of his neck. “And the whole time I was there, all I could think of was how I could get back to you.”

“But you
did
come back.” He kissed her again and drew her lower lip into his mouth, sending a delightful shiver through her.

When he released her, she asked, “Do you believe me?”

“Of course I do.”

“You do?”

“You’re an amazing woman. I should have known from the start that you didn’t belong here.”

“But my story sounded so far-fetched. It’s no wonder you didn’t buy it.”

“Buy it?”

“It’s just an expression from my time. It means you didn’t believe what I’d told you.” She shifted in his arms. A white-hot shaft of pain shot through her arm and shoulder, making her wince.

“I think I’d best take a look at that arm.”

He left her sitting amidst the hay while he went through his pack. As she waited, she couldn’t help but glance in Jake’s direction. Blood coated the hay beneath him. She didn’t see any movement and was afraid to examine him closely. She’d take Will’s word that the man was dead.

Will returned and gently unhooked her bodice, then slid her dress and chemise off her shoulder to get to the wound. While he worked, she was unable to take her eyes off his face. The face she’d feared to never see again.

After examining her wound, he determined the bullet had gone through soft tissue. “I don’t believe it’s done any major damage. I’ll clean it the best I can, then bind it up until we can get you to a doctor.”

Erin loved the way he took charge and cared for her. If she had to stay in this century, she believed she could endure it as long as he was by her side.

After he cleaned the wound with water from Jake’s canteen, he stuffed it with lint, then wrapped it in muslin he’d gotten from his pack. Using a larger square of fabric, he fashioned her a sling. He ordered her to sit still while he saw to the horses and prepared their packs for departure. He didn’t want to stay any longer than necessary.

“What about Jake?” she asked.

“Reckon we’ll have to leave him.”

“Just lying there like that?” She found it hard to stomach. No telling how long it might be before someone found him.

“We have no choice. We need to skedaddle before someone finds us.”

She nodded. He was right.

“We’ll take his mare for now,” Will said. “And I’ll go through his pack to see if there’s anything we can use.”

He obviously expected to leave on horseback. “Will,” she said, “there’s something you need to know.”

Turning back to face her, he said, “What is it, darlin’?”

“I can’t ride a horse.”

“Because of your arm?”

“No. I’ve
never
ridden a horse before.”

He frowned, then nodded. “He brought you in the wagon.”

“We could ride back in that.”

He shook his head. “Horses would be faster and easier to maneuver around obstacles. We need to keep off the roads.”

“I’m too scared to get on a horse,” she admitted. “If Jake hadn’t taken me in the wagon, I’d have died of fright.”

“My poor darlin’.” Will glanced at Jake’s inert form. “The man deserved what he got.”

“Damn straight,” Erin agreed.

Will shook his head. “Should I even ask what that means?”

“It means, I agree with you.”

His lips curved up at the corners. “Reckon that’s more of your future-talk.”

“Reckon so.”

“You’ll have to teach me those words and their meanings.”

“I’d love to tell you all about the twenty-first century.”

“Well, for now,” he said, “you’ll have to ride with me. We’ll bring Wagner’s mount along for our gear and switch when mine gets tired.”

“But where will we go? Back to camp?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid we can’t do that. Wagner’s cast suspicions on you, and I deserted when I came to look for you.”

“But where else...?”

“I thought we’d head north for now.”

“But you’ll be captured,” she protested.

“Right now, we’ve got to get you to a doctor.”

Erin opened her mouth to make another objection, but he shushed her.

“You rest while I get things ready.” He busied himself preparing for their departure.

She settled back against the hay and imagined riding with Will. When he’d told her he loved her, she’d thought her heart would melt. Warmth rushed through her when she realized he’d actually deserted the army for her.

What were they going to do now?

Chapter Thirty

They made their way north through the back roads of rural Virginia. Will recounted how relieved he’d been to find Erin alive and unharmed. And now the threat of Wagner was gone.

Since Erin had never ridden before, he’d hoisted her onto his gelding and mounted behind her. This way he could hold onto her and protect her arm and shoulder. The sergeant’s mare cantered beside them, carrying their packs.

Every mile or so, they stopped to provide Erin rest. He checked her wound and cleaned it. The last thing he wanted was to lose her to an infection.

Along the way, when she wasn’t dozing, she’d been entertaining him with stories about the future.

“People in my time still ride horses, but not as a form of transportation,” she told him. “We ride in cars.”

“Railcars?”

“No. These cars, called automobiles, are self-propelled. They’re powered by gasoline and have a steering wheel and gas pedal, so the driver can control where and how fast the car goes.”

He tried to puzzle out what she described. “Are these
cars
like carriages?”

“Sort of. But they have pneumatic rubber tires, and they go much faster than carriages.”

“How fast?”

“Fifty or sixty miles an hour.”

He whistled. “Why is everyone in such an all-fired hurry in the future?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s just the way we are.”

“So, you all travel by car.”

“No. We also have trains and planes.”

“Planes?”

“Airplanes. They fly in the sky.”

“Like birds?” This future world sounded amazing.

“They’re machines, like cars. They’re powered by fuel, and a pilot controls them.”

“Do
you
fly?”

She laughed. “As a pilot? No. But I have flown as a passenger.”

“And what’s that like?”

“Sometimes it’s a hassle, but when you’re in the air looking below from so high up, it’s all worth it.”

Will shook his head. “I think I’d like to see this fantastic world you come from.”

She settled back against his chest. “I wish I could take you there.”

****

Most of the journey was uneventful. They encountered nothing but wildlife along the way. On the afternoon of the second day, the sound of hoof beats behind them put Will on alert. He couldn’t afford to be seen by either Confederate or Yankee patrols. Even the locals could present a problem. They had to get off the road.

“Someone’s coming up the road behind us,” he told Erin. “I have to find us someplace to hide.” He dismounted, then moved both their packs onto his gelding behind her. Slapping Wagner’s mare on her rump, he sent her down the road, while he led his gelding with Erin still astride into the woods.

After they’d gone several yards, the hoof beats grew louder. Men’s voices echoed around them. Will hurried his gelding along trying to avoid noise that might alert the riders. At the same time, they had to hurry. This last day of November, there wasn’t much foliage to hide them. They would certainly be seen from the road when the men passed.

“Look,” Erin said.

Will swiveled his head to glance up at her. His gaze followed her outstretched arm. They approached a series of hills. Several openings in the rocky hillside suggested caves.

“Maybe we can hide in there,” she said.

He smiled. “You must be an angel from the future, because you’ve just performed a miracle.”

Fortunately, one of the caves was large enough for them and the horse. He couldn’t afford to lose their last means of transportation. He just hoped he could keep the animal quiet, until the riders passed.

He used piles of fallen leaves and blankets from his pack to make Erin comfortable, then examined and cleaned her shoulder, using the last of the muslin he carried for a fresh bandage. He had to get her to a doctor. Surrendering to a Yankee patrol might be an option. At least she would get help. A Confederate patrol, however, would spell trouble for both of them. And since they were still in Confederate territory, that was most likely the identity of the men on the road behind them.

After tending to his gelding, he returned to Erin. Although wrapped in several blankets, her teeth chattered. He knelt, enclosing her in his arms, trying to warm her.

“Once that patrol passes, I’ll start a fire to keep us warm for a spell.”

She nodded. He warmed her ice-cold hands between his.

“You take such good care of me,” she murmured against his shoulder.

“You saved my life, darlin’. Just like an avenging angel from the Good Book. What ever did I do to deserve such a guardian angel?”

“You’re the man I love,” she said.

He felt her eyes on him in the dim light.

“The man I always loved.”

Cupping her cold cheeks in his hands, he moved his mouth to her face warming her with kisses. When he reached her lips, she responded, opening to him, sending shivers through his body. If it weren’t for the danger of being discovered, he’d likely lie down beside her. But he had to stay on guard. And more importantly, he had to find her a doctor.

****

Erin woke alone in the cave. She patted the still warm blankets beside her where he’d lain during the night. The fire he’d built was now nothing but smoldering embers. Sitting up, she winced. Her arm and shoulder were still sore, but the sharp pain had subsided. She hoped that meant her wound was healing.