Spirit Warrior (5 page)

Jacob swallowed as he straightened. His eyes flickered from the box in Allie’s hand to the bright colored images again. The unease inside him flared stronger than before. Every time he started to feel like being in the future wasn’t so bad, something new happened.

“I’m fine,” he muttered.

“The bathroom is through the door,” Allie said in a slow, I-know-you-are-lying-to-me, voice. “There are fresh towels in the linen closet. If you need more tissue, it is on the bottom shelf. There is soap, shampoo and conditioner, extra toothbrushes and toothpaste, and some disposable razors in the plastic containers on the shelf above the tissue.

“These rooms share the bathroom,” she added as she stepped into another room and turned on the light. “There is a separate tub and shower and, of course, the toilet. If you need anything, just ask.”

“Thanks,” Jacob muttered, gazing around the tiled room.

He bit his tongue in an effort not to ask a million and one questions. He really would love to have a demonstration of most of it. His head turned when Aleaha and Jonathan stepped into the ‘bathroom’. Either his brother wasn’t having the same issues as he was, or Aleaha was just more thorough in her explanations because she actually turned the water on and off in the sink.

Interest burned inside of him as to how she was able to get water without having to pump the lever. He moved to the side when she stepped into the room and walked over to the tub. She was showing Jonathan how to ‘work’ the controls for the jets before she did the same thing in the shower.

“My brothers loved having the body jet shower heads with the thermostatic controls, so mom and dad had all the bathrooms redone,” Aleaha was explaining. “The house is equipped with hot water on demand, so you don’t have to worry about taking a cold shower.”

“Yeah, Papa had that done after Taylor kept leaving cold showers for the rest of us,” Allie snorted. “Taylor is definitely the baby of the family.”

“Well, I need to head out for a while. I’ll be back in a few hours. If you have any questions about where things are or need any additional toiletries, Aleaha, mom, or Papa can help you,” Allie murmured in a low voice, casting a wary glance at Jacob as she said it.

“Allie,” Aleaha started to protest before her voice faded when Allie shot her an intense look. “Just make sure you drive safe,” she said with a shake of her head.

“I will,” Allie promised, turning back into the room with the double sinks in them. “I’ll clean up the kitchen when I get home. Oh, and remind me to tell dad about Boseman in the morning.”

Aleaha chuckled as she, Jonathan, and Jacob followed Allie back into Jacob’s room. “I will, and don’t worry about the kitchen. You do far more work around here than I do. Just… be careful.”

Jacob frowned as Allie quickly walked out of the room. His eyes flickered to the darkness outside. Where was she going now? It was too dark to see outside. Not only that, it wasn’t safe for a woman to be out on her own… Well, at least it wasn’t back home.

He started to turn his attention back to Aleaha as she began to explain something about washing and drying their clothes, but the sound of the front door opening and closing distracted him. A moment later, bright lights caught his attention as they flashed in the window. He walked over to the bedroom window and looked down at the front driveway. He watched in amazement as Allie’s truck slowly passed below.

The unease he’d been feeling started to grow inside him again. Metal machines that went without horses or oxen, telegraphs without wires that let voices through, gates that opened and closed by themselves, paintings so real it looked like the people could walk off of them, and now lights that turned night into day. These were just a few of the things that had shaken him today.

Jacob shook himself back to the present. He knew they needed to return home as soon as possible. The longer they stayed here, the more chances of something going wrong could occur. He didn’t want to admit that his biggest fear was that they would become trapped in this time period.

Jacob knew he would do whatever he could to help his brother find Indy. Only when he, Jonathan and Indy returned to Spirit Pass and their way back home, he would not be going alone. Images of Allie Whitewater’s flashing eyes and passionate nature pulled a determined smile to his lips.

No, when we go back, she is going with us,
Jacob thought as he followed Aleaha and Jonathan back into his bedroom. He could understand now his brother’s intense determination when it had come to Indy after he realized she was a woman. There was just something special about Indy and Allie that made a man realize that if he wasn’t careful, he could lose something very, very special.
I plan to marry that woman, even if I have to hog tie her.

*.*.*

Allie nodded and glanced at Jacob one last time before she turned on her heel and walked out of the bedroom. She hurried down the stairs, stopping only long enough to grab her jacket off the hook next to the front door. She flung it over her arm before pulling the keys to her truck out of her back pocket.

This was one of those times when she was thankful that she didn’t carry a purse. It just got in the way. Opening the front door, she quietly stepped outside onto the porch and closed the door behind her. Already, she had pushed the thought of the man upstairs back into the little box that she kept in her mind in case she needed it. That box is where she hid all the things she didn’t want to feel or think about.

The stars were brilliant tonight, but Allie’s heart wasn’t seeing the beauty of the land before her. No, it was filled with the weight of where she was heading. The stars had gone out almost a year and a half ago for her. Unlocking her truck, she slid into the driver’s seat and pulled the door shut.

For a moment, she laid her head against the steering wheel and closed her eyes. Frustration ate at her. Thoughts of Jacob were not wanting to stay in the damn box. She didn’t know why her reaction to him was being so difficult to restrain.

“It’s not like I haven’t met other men who I’ve found somewhat attractive,” she muttered in a strained voice. “I could dismiss them without a second thought.”

She gently touched the fingers of her left hand against the palm of her right. She remembered the warmth and strength of his fingers around hers. It had felt good to hold Jacob’s hand. With a muttered curse, she savagely pushed the memory away again.

Allie opened her burning eyes and sat back. Pushing the key into the ignition, she waited until the light on the dash went out before she started it. The low, steady rumble of the diesel engine did little to soothe the pain and confusion coursing through her. Pushing her hair back behind her ear again, she put the truck in drive.

“Just remember, Allie,” she whispered as she pulled away from the house and headed down the long drive to the main highway. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall. No matter how rough and tough they are.”

Jacob leaned back against the headboard of the bedroom that Allie had shown him to; an intense scowl darkened his face as he pressed a button and a new image came on the box on the wall. Something was bothering her. He could feel it.

He remembered her face flushing when he turned to stare at her. It was almost as if she felt guilty about being in such a hurry. Jacob looked up from the box on the wall as Jonathan walked out of the bathroom that separated the two rooms. An amused grin curved his lips at his brother’s face. It was flushed and his hair was dripping.

“I guess you enjoyed the shower,” Jacob observed with a raised eyebrow. “You spent close to an hour in there.”

Jonathan chuckled as he threw his damp towel down onto the end of Jacob’s bed. “Enjoyed isn’t quite the word I would use,” he replied. “We are building one of these rooms onto the house when we get back. I don’t know how, but we are going to have one.”

Jacob’s smile faded. “This world is too strange. People on the wall, lights without fire, water out of the walls. Why would Indy or anyone else for that matter want to give it up to live back in the past?” He asked, glaring at the images on the screen. “Hell, the women don’t even have to wear clothes if they don’t want to.”

Jonathan turned away from the screen to look at Jacob with a frown. “Would you want to live here?” He asked. “The only thing I’ve found that I think I would miss is the bathroom.”

Jacob pressed the red button on the remote and tossed it on the small table next to him. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he ran his hands through his hair in aggravation. Would he want to live here? Hell, no. But, Allie… what if she wouldn’t want to live anywhere else?

There was a lot to this time period that hadn’t even been dreamed of back in 1867! Hell, they even had words that he didn’t know. Would Allie think he was stupid? Would she think he was just some dumbass cowboy who could barely read and write because he didn’t know what a damn dot com was or how to operate a washer and dryer?

He finally glanced up at Jonathan when he realized that his brother was still waiting for his answer. With a tired sigh, he rose from the bed. He would get a shower and get some rest. At least he knew how to operate one of those. He and Jonathan had spent a good ten minutes in the bathroom exploring it after Aleaha left.

Glancing at Jonathan, he gave him a tired smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I would live here if I had to,” he finally admitted in a low, unhappy voice.

Jonathan folded his arms and leaned back against the door jam. “What's wrong?” He asked, staring intently at Jacob. “You normally would be enjoying an adventure like this, but something is off. I know it isn't just about Indy or all the unusual things we've seen.”

“It’s Allie,” Jacob finally admitted. “I want to get to know her better.”

“Allie?” Jonathan repeated in disbelief.

Jacob stood up in aggravation and went to stand at the window as Jonathan bit out passionately all the reasons they needed to find Indy and get the hell back home. He gripped the edge of the windowsill and bowed his head. Jonathan wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know. Jacob stared out the window at the buildings wondering where Allie had gone to this late at night.

If he wasn’t afraid of seeming stupid in front of her, he would have loved to ask her what the hell everything was and how it worked. Instead, he had to keep his mouth shut and try not to act like he wasn’t scared shitless.

Jonathan was right, he did like an adventure. He just liked having them when he knew the boundaries. Here, here there were too many unknown factors that he wasn’t equipped to deal with. Hell, after watching the women on the colorful picture box for the past hour, he couldn’t understand why any woman would need a man.

“Let's concentrate on getting your wife back. Did you understand what Sam was talking about when he said Allie would 'fly' us to where Indy was? You don't think they can actually fly in this time, do you?” He asked.

*.*.*

Allie turned her blinker on and waited for the intersection to clear before making the left hand turn. She could probably have driven the route in her sleep if she had to. Flipping the lever for the blinker again, she made a right-hand turn into the parking lot.

“At least I won’t have any problems finding a parking space,” she muttered in a tired voice.

Pulling into one right outside the entrance, she turned off the engine and stared up at the sign. Riverdale Convalesce and Rehabilitation Center. Opening the door, she slid out. A shiver ran through her as the cool night air surrounded her. It was always cold inside the building.

Slipping her jacket on, she reached up and pulled her hair out from under the collar when it tugged uncomfortably on it. Once her hair was free, she reached under the seat and pulled out the tattered book she would be reading before shutting the door with her elbow. She pressed the button on the remote to lock the truck as she turned to walk toward the building. The brief thought that her hair was getting longer and she needed to get it cut swept absently through her mind as she stepped through the automatic doors.

“Hey Allie, how are you doing tonight?” Glenda, the receptionist, called out “You’re running a bit late, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I got tied up,” Allie replied, as she walked up to the desk to sign in. “How are you doing? Are you and Jorge still going out?”

Allie listened, nodding and murmuring at the appropriate times as she pulled the guest book out of the tray. She muttered a quick ‘thanks’ as she picked up the pen that Glenda held out. Quickly signing her name and the date, she returned the folder to the sign in tray.

“Have a good read tonight,” Glenda said in a cheerful voice.

“Always,” Allie retorted with a dry laugh.

She waited as Glenda buzzed her in. None of the nurses said anything about the fact that she was there after visiting hours. They understood and appreciated that it wasn’t always easy to come during the posted visiting times. As long as whoever came didn’t disturb the other residents who might be sleeping, they usually looked the other way.

Allie didn’t have to worry about bothering anyone. She nodded to the nurse at the station before turning right. Counting the rooms helped soothe the ache that always built inside her before she entered. Pausing outside the third door on the left, she drew in a deep breath before pushing the door open and entering.

A table lamp in the corner cast a soft glow on the single occupant in the room. Allie’s face softened as she stared at the disheveled blonde hair and relaxed face of the man lying peacefully in it. Quietly closing the door behind her, she sighed. She did it more out of respect for the other residents who were sleeping. The man lying in the bed wouldn’t have known or cared if she had slammed it.

“Hey,” Allie murmured in a low voice. “I bet you thought I wasn’t going to make it tonight.”

She walked over to the bed and leaned over to brush a tender kiss across his forehead. Setting the book she had brought down on the table next to the bed, she opened the drawer and pulled out a comb. She carefully lowered the railing and sat on the edge of the bed so she could comb his tangled hair.

“The nurses washed your hair today,” she murmured in a thick voice. “They forgot to comb it out. You look like you’ve just taken your hat off.”

Allie fought back the tears that always threatened to escape the first few minutes she came in. It didn’t matter how often she came, seeing Chris like this always tore her up. She gently ran her hand over his cheek and brushed another kiss against his forehead before she stood back up.

Replacing the comb in the drawer and returning the railing to the up position, she pulled the chair closer to the light so she could see and sat down. Her right hand reached for the book even as her left hand carefully lifted the chain around her neck out so that it hung on the outside of her shirt.

She fingered the small, diamond ring attached to the end before drawing in a deep breath and letting it go. Opening the book, she stared at it for several long seconds before she began to talk again. A wry grin crossed her face as she glanced up.

“I have a new story tonight,” she said. “The Secret Garden. I know it is more of a kid’s book, but it is a classic. I thought it would be nice to have a change.”

It was also easier to read because I know it by heart,
she thought as she began.

One part of her read automatically while the other thought of the man lying in the bed. He had been her world for the past two and a half years. They’d had one beautiful year together before it was taken away. A year where she thought everything in the world was going right. Then, in one brief, tragic moment, it was gone. The huge, strong man that could conquer the world was nothing more than a shell now.

She had met Chris Andrews during one of the rodeos her brother, Taylor, rode in. She had immediately been captivated by Chris’s quiet demeanor, good looks, and his sense of humor. The first night they met, they had talked until the early morning hours about anything and everything.

Two months later, what had started out as a friendship had turned to something deeper. They talked several times a day when Chris was on the road and she was busy with the ranch. When he couldn’t come to her, she would fly the small plane her family owned to meet him.

By the third month, they were lovers. Allie knew she loved Chris. He made her laugh, teased her when she lost her temper about something that was going on at the ranch, but most of all he shared her dream of building the ranch.

Allie’s voice faltered as she remembered the one big argument they’d had. It was one that would be repeated over and over until his accident. Closing the book, she stared at his still, thin face.

“I didn’t care that you didn’t have a lot of money,” she said in a quiet voice. “I loved you for you. My family would have accepted you, you know. You shouldn’t have…” She stopped when the tears stuck in her throat. “I miss you so much! I know I can’t change what happened, but I want you to know that I loved you for who you were.”

She bowed her head and closed her eyes. Chris had been a rising star on the rodeo network. He wanted to be able to support her in a way that his dad had never been able to support him and his mom. He felt if he had a few championships under his belt, he could get a sponsorship that would allow them to buy their own ranch. He had asked her to marry him after he won his first one

Her fists clenched the book in her hands as she remembered watching him come out of the chute. She’d known immediately that something was wrong as he fought to stay on the horse he was riding during the Saddled Bronco riding event. In thirty seconds, their lives had changed forever.

The buckle on the saddle had broken. Chris had been kicked in the head as he fell. The blow had caused severe head trauma. The bleeding afterwards had caused brain damage. He would never wake… never speak again.

What scared Allie the most was seeing him slowly deteriorate. In the last month, she could tell that his body was finally beginning to shut down. The nurse had told her that he had probably survived as long as he had because of him being so physically fit. Allie thought it was because he knew she wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

“I’ll never really be ready,” Allie whispered as she looked at him. “But, it isn’t fair to want you to stay like this either. You would have hated it, if you knew what was going on. You were always so strong and fierce.”

Guilt washed through Allie as the picture of another strong man flashed through her mind, Jacob Tucker. Clutching the book between her hands, she tried to push both the guilt and Jacob back into the damn box. An exasperated smile pulled at her lips as she looked up at Chris.

“I know what you would tell me,” she whispered. “You’d tell me to pull my big girl panties up and get on with living my life. That it was too short to spend it on things I can’t change. You always knew how to make me stop and think.”

For the first time in a long time, Allie felt the tension lift from her shoulders. He was right. He would hate that she had closed herself off to everything. Her family had been understanding and supportive. Still, she was aware that they were worried about her withdrawal from everything, but work and visiting Chris.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” Allie said in a stronger voice, looking at Chris. “But, on my terms. You still have to suffer through my favorite books. I’m not letting you off just because I’m finally admitting you were right. And, no, you did NOT hear me admit that.”

Allie looked back down at the book. Opening it to where she had paused, she began reading again. The time slipped by as she became engrossed in the tale of Mary Lennox and her extraordinary journey of self-discovery. By the time she stopped, it was well after midnight.

Rising stiffly out of the chair, she stretched before setting the book on the nightstand. Bending over the bed, she brushed a kiss across Chris’s forehead before laying her palm against his cheek.

“Thank you,” Allie whispered in a soft voice. “Thank you for coming into my life and teaching me how beautiful love can be. I’ll be okay, now. You can rest peacefully knowing I’m going to make it.”

Allie slowly straightened and turned. Walking to the door, she paused and glanced over her shoulder. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw a smile on Chris’s lips. Shaking her head, she opened the door and stepped out into the quiet corridor.