SOPHIE STAYED ON the bed, simultaneously reveling in their lovemaking and slightly concerned about where Jamie went. Before she knew it, it was past five o’clock, so she forced herself to get up and get dressed. Downstairs, Christine and Nona were in the parlor playing cards. They motioned her in when they saw her.

“How are you feeling, dear?” Nona asked.

“Very well, thank you.”

Christine gave her a wink. “I’ll bet.”

Sophie raised her eyebrows in response and Christine smiled. The butler announced that Adam and Elizabeth had arrived, along with Richard, so Nona suggested they make their way into the dining room.

“Do you mind if we wait for Jamie? He should be here any minute.” Sophie stood and made her way to the window.

“I don’t think he’ll be joining us this evening,” Richard said.

“What? Why not?”

“He left over an hour ago.”

“What do you mean, ‘he left,’ Richard?”

“He packed up a few things, got on his horse, and rode off. Looks like he’s made his choice.”

Sophie scoffed. “You’re a special kind of stupid, aren’t you?”

Christine grabbed Sophie’s hand. “Come with me.”

Sophie followed Christine down the hall and into the library.

“What’s going on?” Sophie asked.

Christine closed the door. “Jamie went on an errand.”

“What? He didn’t say anything about an errand.”

Christine sighed. “He must have been side-tracked.”

“What do you know, missy?”

“I can’t tell you. But you’ll love it, I promise.”

Sophie crossed her arms. “Christine.”

Christine smiled. “Let’s have dinner.”

Sophie reluctantly joined the rest of the group for dinner, although, she picked at her food. By seven o’clock, Jamie still hadn’t arrived. By eight o’clock, she was frantic. Richard left and Michael and Nona went to visit with some friends, so Sophie retreated back to the library.

At nine o’clock, Christine came in to check on her. “Sophie, I think we should turn in.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

“I understand but you need to at least try.”

Sophie reluctantly followed her up the stairs and once she was free of her stays, she climbed into bed. She tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, finally falling into a fitful sleep. Christine woke her early the next morning and they went downstairs for breakfast.

“I really thought he’d show up during the night. I swear, Christine, if he’s hurt, I’m going to kill him,” Sophie snapped.

The butler came in and whispered something to Christine. She got up and walked outside, telling Sophie not to go anywhere. Christine rushed back into the dining room a few minutes later and grabbed her hand. “Sophie, you have to come outside now.”

“What? Why?” Sophie asked.

“Just come and see.”

Sophie walked out on the porch and almost passed out. Jamie stood in the front driveway of the house. Gathered around him were dairy cows. Ten of them.

“Jamie?” Sophie asked cautiously.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

“What are you doing?”

Jamie met her on the porch and went down on bended knee. “Sophie Jane Wellington Ford, you are my ten-cow woman. Will you do me the honor of marrying me—again?”

“You are such an idiot.”

“So...is that a yes?”

Sophie stood before him, tears streaming down her face. “Yes! Absolutely.”

Jamie lifted her into his arms and kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you, more.” She laughed and cried at the same time. “How did you do all this?”

“I called on Mr. Powell, the farmer who took care of me when I first got here. He let me borrow the cows. It took a relatively short train ride to get to the farm, but a little longer to get back here. And I have to return them tomorrow.”

“You scared me to death!” She punched his arm.

“Sorry. It was harder than I thought to wrangle... they kept getting separated. A cowboy, I am not.”

She laughed. “You really didn’t have to do this, you know.”

“I wanted to make a statement.”

“Well, you certainly did that.”

Sophie pointed a finger at Christine. “I cannot believe you didn’t tell me.”

Christine shrugged. “I made a promise.”

Jamie leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “And I appreciate it.”

Christine hugged them both and then made herself scarce. Miriam and Andrew joined them for dinner that evening. Everyone was in high spirits with the exciting news and much wine and champagne was served. After hearing the story of Jamie’s journey, Andrew graciously offered to help him return the cows the following day.

It turned into a late night, and Sophie was exhausted but couldn’t sleep with the excitement of the past few days.

Jamie found her pacing her bedroom floor when he snuck in shortly after midnight. He pulled her into his arms. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She lifted her head for a kiss. “How long will you be gone tomorrow?”

“Andrew is going to meet me here at four.”

“A.M.?”

“Yes. I’m hoping we’ll be home by dinner.”

“I can’t believe I have to watch you leave again!”

“I’ll be home before you know it.” Jamie kissed her again.

“You better be. However, since you’re here now...”

“Since I’m here now, what?”

Sophie unbuttoned his shirt as Jamie cupped her face and gently kissed her. She didn’t want gentle and proceeded to push him onto the bed, straddling his waist and dragging her nightgown over her head.

“Fuck, baby,” he breathed out. “Your tits are perfect.”

She giggled. “So you’ve said a million times.”

He cupped them, sitting up to suck one nipple into his mouth...then the other. “And I’ll say it a million more times.”

She pushed him back down and shook her head. “This is my show, Mr. Ford. You are simply here for my pleasure.”

He grinned. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she breathed out.

Sliding his hands behind his head, raised an eyebrow. “Well, Mrs. Ford, please tell me how I can pleasure you.”

“I want to ride you, but first, I think I’d like your tongue inside of me.”

“Grip the headboard, baby.”

She did so immediately, and he slid down so his face was between her legs, lifting slightly to run his tongue over her already wet folds. Sophie ground herself against his mouth, but he slapped her bottom. “Do not move,” Jamie ordered.

She gasped, her body primed for him, half-tempted to disobey him so he’d slap her ass again.

Dipping his tongue inside of her, he lapped at her, then replaced his tongue with his fingers, shifting to suck her clit gently.

She dropped her head back in ecstasy. “Oh, God, Jamie, I’m going to come.”

He removed his fingers and his mouth and Sophie hissed.

“My turn to direct,” he said, sliding out from under her and kneeling behind her. “Don’t let go of the headboard.”

She licked her lips, her body shivering with desire and Jamie slid a hand between her legs and cupped her mound. “Lift, baby...stay spread.”

She lifted and he guided her onto his cock, keeping his hand between her legs. Dropping her head back onto his shoulder she whimpered.

“Too much?” he asked.

“No,” she rasped. “Ohmigod, so good.”

He kissed the back of her neck and whispered, “I’m gonna fuck you ’til you can’t move tomorrow.”

With his promise still a breath on her skin, she lifted slightly, impaling herself as Jamie kept her balanced.

“Again, baby,” he whispered, sliding his hand to her breast and rolling a nipple between his fingers.

She lifted and lowered herself again, until Jamie decided he’d had enough of her going slow and took over the pace.

“Brace, Sophie,” he warned as he pushed her forward.

She anchored herself on all-fours and Jamie slammed into her, burying himself deeper with each thrust. He gripped her hips and ground into her, but when he slapped her ass, she was gone. She buried her face in the mattress as her orgasm rocked her to the core.

Jamie quickly followed, leaning over her and kissing her back as he pulsed inside of her. He pulled out and pulled her onto his chest as he stretched out sideways on the bed. “Fuck me, baby, it just gets better.”

“It helps that my heart works in this century, huh?” Jamie’s body stiffened and Sophie leaned up to meet his eyes. “Too soon?”

“Little bit.”

She smiled. “I’m good, baby. Better than ever, actually.”

“I know. Just freaks me out to think about it.”

Snuggling against him again, she kissed his peck. “I get it.”

They talked through the night and fell asleep in each other’s arms, then Jamie woke her just before he left. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“I love you,” she said sleepily.

“I love you more.” He gave her one last kiss and Sophie fell back to sleep as he closed the bedroom door.

* * *

Waking at eight, Sophie dressed quickly and met Christine in the dining room. They ate quickly and then headed off to the hospital. The women worked for several hours before calling it a day and making their way home. By dinnertime, Jamie and Andrew still hadn’t returned. Sophie was beyond worried, but Christine assured her that they were fine. They tried to kill some time in the parlor since Michael and Nona had places to go and people to see, and said not to wait up for them.

The girls once again chose music as their distraction. Sophie had Christine play “Amazing Grace” and “Star Spangled Banner,” both songs Sophie knew the words to. Singing became a problem when Sophie started to pace, so Christine stopped playing. “When you get to the pacing stage in your thought process, nothing else registers.”

Sophie didn’t hear her or even notice that the music had stopped; she just continued to pace up and down the parlor. Christine stood and made her way across the room. She sat on the sofa and picked up the book she had left there earlier. She knew she was in for a long night.

There was no way Sophie would go to bed until Jamie arrived home, safe and sound. Ten o’clock rolled around and they still hadn’t arrived. Sophie had chewed her fingernails to the quick, nearly worn a hole in the carpet, and made the poor butler hide with her constant, “Are they here yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Where are they?”

“It might have taken them longer than originally expected and they probably ended up staying at the Powell Farm,” Christine reassured.

“What if something happened?”

“I’m sure they’re fine. Let’s turn in. We’ll leave the front door unlocked so that Jamie can get in.”

Sophie reluctantly acquiesced, and the two headed for their rooms. Sophie climbed into bed after watching out her window for over an hour in an effort to see them in the distance somehow. It took her another hour to finally fall asleep. Jamie came into the bedroom at three-thirty and quietly got undressed.

“Where have you been?” Sophie whispered.

Jamie eased into bed and pulled her into his arms. “Sorry. Andrew and I were ambushed on our way back. We were able to outsmart and outrun them but we had to take the long way around.”

Sophie sat up. “You say that like, ‘Andrew and I went down to the store to get milk!’ What happened?”

“Rebels intercepted us. Luckily, we saw them before they caught up to us. I probably should have worn civilian clothes but I’m limited on what I have here, so I was in uniform. They fired at us, but fortunately, they had Civil War guns and not gangs in the hood guns, or we probably wouldn’t have made it back,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

“So not amusing. Where’s Andrew?”

“He’s downstairs. We thought it would be better if he stayed here tonight. Andrew’s a really great guy by the way. He reminds me a lot of Luke.”

“I know, right? That’s what I thought, too.”

* * *

Jamie watched the sun stream through the windows of the bedroom and turned to the sound of Sophie’s snoring. He’d never gone to sleep, and now he was too pent up to try. He slid from the bed as gently as he could, dressed, and went downstairs to set up a little surprise.

Forty-five minutes later, he walked into the dining room and found Andrew making a dent in breakfast.

“Good morning, James,” Andrew said with a mouth full of food.

Jamie laughed. “Do you not get fed much, Andrew? Good morning, by the way.”

Andrew smiled. “I only get fed when I come here. Well, I only get fed this well when I come here.”

“Yeah, Mary’s pretty phenomenal.”

Christine walked in a few minutes later and helped herself to breakfast.

“Where’s Sophie?” Jamie asked.

Christine raised her eyebrow at him as if to say, ‘Seriously? You expect me to know that?’

Jamie chuckled. “Never mind. I’ll check on her.” He ran up the stairs and opened Sophie’s door. She was still asleep, so he went over to the bed and leaned down to kiss her.

“It’s time to wake up,” he whispered as he ran his lips across her jaw line.

Sophie groaned. “I don’t want to.”

Jamie poured some water from her pitcher into the bowl on the dresser. He pulled the covers off her and kissed her again. “Come on. Wash your face and make sure you put your breeches on under you skirts. I’ll meet you downstairs. You have ten minutes.”

“Breeches?” Sophie perked up. She jumped out of bed, splashed her face with water, and rushed to get dressed. She made it in record time, even though she had to have Betty help her with her corset.

When she arrived in the dining room, Jamie had already prepared a plate for her and gone to check on the horses’ progress. Beyond excited, she practically inhaled her food. Jamie arrived a few minutes later to collect her. “Ready? I have Gentle Ben outside for you.”

“Christine?” Sophie asked.

“Hm?” Christine smiled, mid-chew.

“He’s your horse, are you sure you don’t need him?”

“Not at all.” Christine wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I’m taking the buggy this morning, which means I can use one of the other horses.”

Sophie gave a little squeal. “Thank you!” Jumping from her seat, she followed Jamie out the front door. “Hello, boy. Are you ready?” Gentle Ben, although just as large as Samson, was much calmer. His black coat shone in the sunlight.

Jamie laid his hand on her back. “Christine assured me he is sound and calm.”

“No wonder you’re letting me ride.” Sophie smiled.

“Do you need a leg up?”

“Yes, please. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to do this in these damn skirts. I wish I could have just left them off.”

Jamie helped her up, and after a few tries, she was able to get her leg over the saddle. She did her best to wrap the skirts in a way that wouldn’t interfere with her or the horse. Jamie then mounted and they took off towards the lake. He had put a few snacks in saddlebags so they could ride for longer, but he had other plans than just eating.

He grimaced when she shot him a look and then dug her heels in. Gentle Ben responded immediately. They flew over the beautiful green hills and valleys of the Wades’ property. As they were coming up to a fence, Sophie didn’t hesitate. She put Ben’s head into it and he jumped it with feet to spare. Sophie let out a holler and slowed him down to a walk. Jamie caught up with her a few seconds later. “You scared the shit out of me.”

Sophie laughed. “Oh, baby, that was incredible. You have no idea.”

They reached the lake but decided to walk the horses for a few extra minutes to cool them down. Jamie found a secluded area at the edge of the water and dismounted. He helped Sophie down and they led the horses to a tree nearby and tied them to a low hanging limb.

Jamie had secured a blanket to Sophie’s saddle, so she grabbed it and laid it on the ground at the edge of the water. Sitting on the blanket, she removed her boots, stretched out, and waited for Jamie to gather the food.

“Did you enjoy that?” He sat next to her and leaned down to kiss her.

“Are you kidding me? It was the most magnificent thing I’ve ever experienced. Well, since last night, anyway. Thank you for finding these.” Sophie indicated the breeches.

“My pleasure. I wonder if we should try and have some more made for you at some point.”

“I’d love that. Of course, underwear that I could wear under them would be a good idea as well.”

Stretching out beside her, he cocked his head. “Oh? What are you wearing now?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“How about I investigate?” Jamie kissed her and kept kissing her as he unbuttoned her blouse. “No chemise?”

“No, too much clothing. Although, the corset’s scratchy without that extra layer. I wonder if I could design a bra in this century. It would be so much easier. You should have seen Betty’s reaction when she saw I wasn’t wearing a chemise. She was mortified.”

“Mmm, but so unbelievably sexy.” Jamie went to work on freeing her body from the corset stays.

Sophie laughed and stood up, letting the corset slip from her waist and then pulling off her blouse.

Jamie sat up. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going for a swim.” Pushing her skirt from her waist, she went to work on her breeches. She waded into the water and swam to the middle to wait for Jamie. With a smile, he quickly undressed and swam out to meet her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her into a tight embrace.

Sophie pushed away from him. “Up for a race?”

Jamie chuckled. “Always.”

The competition wasn’t a fair one. Jamie had been on the varsity swim team, and lapped her multiple times. Sophie met him in the middle and looped her arms around his neck. “I’m once again impressed.”

“Oh, you should be. I’m impressive.” With one arm anchoring her to him, he slid his free hand between her legs.

Sophie shivered, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Yes, please,” she whispered.

A slight breeze wafted over her wet skin and her nipples pebbled tight as Jamie guided himself inside of her. He swam to where he could stand and Sophie looped her arms around his shoulders, leaning in to kiss him. He fingered her clit as he slammed into her and she kept herself balanced against him.

“Now,” she breathed out as or orgasm hit her hard and fast, and Jamie kissed her as he continued to move, his cock pulsing inside of her after a few more thrusts. She grinned, licking her lips, then running her tongue along his mouth. “I couldn’t love you more if I tried.”

He chuckled. “Same, baby.”

Sophie disengaged from his body and stood on the lake floor. “I’m hungry, are you?”

Jamie gave her a quick kiss. “Yes, starved. Let me get out first.”

She nodded and waited for him to wade out onto the bank. He took a look around to make sure it was safe and then motioned for her to come out of the water. He had just put his pants on and grabbed the blanket to wrap around her, when they heard horses approaching in the distance.

He grabbed her clothes and boots, and handed them to her in a bunch. “Take these and hide just in case they’re not friendly. They’re riding awfully fast, which makes me think they might be up to no good.”

Jamie pushed Sophie behind a small grove of trees next to the lake. She’d had the wherewithal to grab Gentle Ben and lead him into hiding with her. She watched as Jamie rushed to get his socks and boots on and her heart raced as the riders approached. Jamie had one arm in the sleeve of his shirt when he stopped. He glanced at her hidden behind the covering of a large boulder. She raised an eyebrow and he gave her an imperceptible shrug.

She realized he didn’t recognize the men.

His scowl of irritation also spoke volumes, so she ducked further out of sight. The men weren’t in uniform, and Sophie had no idea if they were friend or foe.

Jamie slid his arm through the remaining sleeve but instead of attempting to button it, he crossed his arms over the open shirt. “Gentlemen,” he began slowly. “Is there a reason you’re on private property?”

The man who seemed to take the lead sent a shiver down Sophie’s spine. His badly pockmarked face held eyes that resonated evil. “Well looky here, Carl, we got us a bona-fide Yankee.”

Confederates, maybe? Southern accent, definitely.

Carl was dressed in nondescript tan pants and black boots. His shirt and jacket, although worn, appeared to be clean and neatly pressed. Sophie noted that everything about him seemed somewhat average. His dirty blond hair, short back and sides, and his height, which even in the saddle looked quite a bit shorter than Jamie’s.

The only thing Sophie took as distinguishable was the way he held his gun. No different than anyone else, she supposed, yet, it was. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“Ain’t he one of the ones we was trackin’ the other night?” Carl droned.

“I do believe you’re right, Carl.”

Meanwhile, Sophie frantically tried to get dry enough to get her clothes on. Good old Ben stood next to her, not making a sound. It was almost as though he knew they needed silence. She got her breeches on and realized she wouldn’t get her corset on without assistance (memories of Old Mrs. Collins scolding the ladies who hadn’t mastered that ability for the reenactments flooding her mind), so she put her blouse on with nothing underneath.

She was able to get her socks on and one boot when she heard the conversation get louder and more intense. She took the blanket and tried to wrap her thick hair up in it, just to keep it from soaking her clothes. She was having a difficult time not tilting her head to one side with the weight of it, however. She successfully got her second boot on and then found a small opening in her makeshift hiding place to see what was going on.

“What are ya doin’ there, son?” Carl asked Jamie.

“I was taking a swim. Now, gentlemen, would you please answer my question?”

Carl’s cohort sneered. “This ain’t your property, so it don’t matter to you none.”

“No, you are correct, this is not my land. However, it is Richard Madden’s, and I don’t think he would appreciate you trespassing.”

Sophie watched Jamie turn slightly, as though he were going to pick up the remains of his lunch. When they were first married, they had volunteered to build houses with a group of deaf students, and they’d gone through a quick but rigorous American Sign Language course. Most of it stuck. They used to sign to each other whenever they weren’t in a quiet area, or not within shouting distance. Jamie was signing now. Sophie didn’t like what he was saying, but Jamie was insistent.

Get Richard and a few of my men. Take Ben and hurry back.

Sophie left her skirts on the ground so that with just her breeches on she was able to mount Ben without aid. The fancy turban holding her hair bobbled, and she tugged it off, dropping it to the ground. She quietly made her way from the trees in the opposite direction of the intruders. When she knew they wouldn’t be able to catch her, she dug her heels in and Ben flew.

They had more than one fence to jump this way, and Sophie was grateful he was so responsive to her. She got to the arena and saw that Richard and a few of the men were working the horses. Andrew was also there.

“Richard! Andrew!” They turned quickly at her terrified voice. “Come quick, please! Jamie needs help. He’s out at the lake and the two men that you met on the way back from Mr. Powell’s are with him. Get guns.”

Richard and Andrew didn’t waste any time and, as luck would have it, several of the horses had already been tacked up, so they grabbed two and mounted. They were handed pistols and took off toward the lake. Sophie was hot on their heels.

Richard pulled up. “Sophie, what do you think you’re doing? You need to stay here.”

“Like hell I will. You’re the one who shouldn’t be on a horse with that leg!”

“I’m fine.”

“Good. Follow me.” She dug her heels in. “If you can keep up.”

The men had no choice but to follow. The threesome arrived at Sophie’s starting point. Richard motioned for her to stay where she was and he and Andrew walked their horses towards Jamie.

Sophie dismounted and then snuck to her original hiding place. Hunkering behind a rock, she had a sweeping view of the scene unfolding before her. Jamie had his hands up, and Sophie could tell he was doing his best to keep the men talking. The two men, still mounted but now pointing guns at Jamie, turned their heads toward Andrew and Richard.

“Gentlemen, you are on my land without permission. Perhaps you could tell me what you’re doing here,” Richard said.

Carl apparently didn’t want to answer Richard’s question and fired his gun in the air. Andrew ducked. That’s when all hell broke loose. Both Richard and Andrew fired. Uglier than Carl, hit in the middle of his forehead, was dead on impact. Carl was able to avoid a bullet, but his spooked horse threw him and he ended up sprawled on the ground. Recovering quickly, he jumped up and rushed at Jamie, gun drawn.

It didn’t matter that Carl had a gun. Jamie had several years of mixed martial arts on his side. He was able to wrestle the gun from Carl’s grip and had him on the ground in a chokehold in a matter of seconds. Richard and Andrew jumped from their horses and came to assist Jamie with his captive.

Sophie didn’t stick around to find out what might happen next. She stumbled out of her hiding place, her heart in her throat. “Jamie!”

She saw his head whip around, but then she went down hard. She’d tripped over Carl’s partner and fell flat on her face. Jamie rushed over to help her up and she fell into his arms.

“Sweetheart, we’re all okay.” He held her close. “Look.”

She took a moment to compose herself and took a couple of deep breaths, turning to see that Richard and Andrew had Carl well in hand and they appeared to be unhurt. They had him tied to a tree. She ran over to Andrew, and he lifted her off the ground in a bear hug.

“You scared me to death!” She punched him as he walked her back to Jamie. Then the three men started to gather up the horses. Jamie’s horse had bolted, and she was pretty sure Ben probably had as well, so they prepared to walk back to the stables. Andrew gave Sophie his horse and then joined Jamie and Carl.

“I think I’ll take Carl’s horse back to the barn. We’ll make him walk, what do you think?” Jamie said.

“Excellent idea,” Richard said.

“I have information!” Carl yelled as they tied his hands together.

“Save it,” Richard snapped.

Richard mounted his horse and pulled Carl by a rope attached to his secured hands. Jamie cornered Andrew. “Let’s leave this guy where he is and send a coroner’s wagon back for him. I don’t want Sophie to have to think about a dead body close to the house.”

Andrew nodded. “Take Sophie back, and I’ll meet you at the house later.”

Jamie helped Sophie mount and then climbed up behind her. Sophie glanced over her shoulder with a concerned frown. “Where’s Andrew going?”

Jamie pulled her close. “He’s stopping at the jail. Don’t worry, sweetheart, he won’t be long.”

She leaned back against him with a sigh and let him take the reins. Arriving back at the barn, Sophie handed Andrew’s horse to the groom.

“The large black horse made it back, ma’am.”

Sophie smiled at the groom. “Thank you, Jimmy. Is someone seeing to him?”

“Yes, ma’am. Topper is brushing him down.”

Sophie nodded. “Thanks.”

She made her way to Samson’s stall. She needed to check his injury anyway, and she needed to hug her pet. Jamie came in to check on her about an hour later. Sophie stood inside his stall with her arms looped around his neck.

Jamie pulled her into his arms for a kiss. “Should I be jealous?”

She smiled up at him. “No, you’re a better kisser.”

“Are you ready to go? We’ll just make it in time for dinner.”

“I need to change first. I can’t wear these breeches to dinner. Poor Nona would faint from embarrassment.” She added in a whisper, “I also don’t have a corset on, which would probably kill her.”

Jamie chuckled as they started back to the house for dinner. “I’m sure everyone will wait for you.”

They ran into Andrew on the way out of the barn.

“Are you coming up to the house for dinner?” Sophie asked.

“Yes, I’ll be there shortly.”

“Invite Richard, would you please?”

Jamie took her hand in his and led her to the house. They let themselves in, and Sophie rushed up to her room to change. She found Christine at the top of the stairs. “Hi! You are not going to believe the day we had. Can you please help me back into a corset?”

Christine followed Sophie into her room and assisted her with her dress. Sophie filled her in on everything that happened, Christine laughed at the animated way Sophie flailed her hands the more excited she got.

The girls made their way down to dinner. Nona was already seated, but Michael stood as the ladies walked in the room. Jamie waited by the door for Sophie, greeting her as though he hadn’t just seen her twenty minutes ago. He bent down and gave her a quick kiss and then escorted her to her chair. Once she was settled, he sat next to her. Andrew and Richard arrived a few minutes later.

Dinner was a highly animated affair, as everyone talked at once. Now that the danger was over, they could relax and focus on the positives of the day. Andrew and Jamie regaled the table with their confrontation, embellishing more and more as they added to the story. Sophie noticed that Richard didn’t do much other than drink. He picked at his food and rarely interjected into the conversation. He’d look at her on occasion, but she couldn’t read what was behind his eyes.

“Are you okay?” Jamie leaned over and whispered as he squeezed her hand under the table.

She nodded and forced a smile. He raised an eyebrow, but she shook her head and took a sip of her wine. Dessert came and Sophie couldn’t stomach the bread pudding. She pushed her plate aside and laid her hands in her lap.

Dinner wrapped up, and rather than the men and women separating, they decided to congregate as one in the parlor.

Jamie took Sophie’s hand in his, lifting her palm to his lips as they left the dining room. “We’ll talk later, baby. I know something’s bothering you.”

She smiled up at him, but before she could respond, Andrew grabbed her elbow. “Sophie, you and Christine must perform for us this evening.”

“Only if Jamie sings with me.” Sophie sent him a pointed look. “I even taught Christine one of the songs we wrote together.”

Jamie nodded, so Christine sat down at the pianoforte. Sophie started out strong and Jamie joined her with his harmony. By the end, you could have heard a pin drop. Then Andrew jumped out of his seat and started clapping. The rest of the group followed suit.

“Incredible!” Andrew clapped Jamie on the shoulder and gave Sophie and his sister a kiss on the cheek. “I can’t wait to hear more.”

The rest of the night was filled with chess, cards, and pleasant conversation. Sophie noticed that Jamie and Christine had their heads together a few times in frantic whispering. At that moment, she was too tired to care.

* * *

The next morning, Jamie almost didn’t make it out of the house in time for the cavalry drills. He’d overslept, obviously due to his complete comfort in the Wades home. Dressing quickly, he kissed Sophie and then made his way out to the arena. Andrew met him halfway, anger written across his face.

“What’s going on?” Jamie asked.

“The prisoner says he has information that will be of great interest to you and the Union, but he will only speak to Sophie.”

Jamie frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”

“He won’t elaborate.”

“Well, he’s not getting anywhere near my wife.”

“I explained that to him, but he believes what he has to say will be of great interest to you—” Andrew stalled.

“And?” Jamie pushed.

“And will also save Sophie’s life.”

Jamie cursed as he ran his hands through his hair. “Take me to him.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that.”

Andrew led him to horses that were ready to go and the two mounted and took off toward the town jail. Jamie’s mind raced with what this low-life could possibly have to say that would save Sophie’s life. By the time they pulled their horses to a stop outside the small, brick building that housed the occasional drunk, Jamie shook with anger.

“Do you need a minute?” Andrew asked as they stepped onto the wooden walkway.

Shaking his head, Jamie pushed the front door open and was met by Joe Roberts. The sheriff reminded Jamie of a bulldog. Stocky, with not one ounce of fat on his body, just solid muscle, Joe was the perfect enforcer.

“Sheriff.” Jamie held out his hand.

Joe shook his hand and then led the men to the room that housed several holding cells. Carl had been placed in one of the middle cells, bars on three sides, brick wall at the back, with a window large enough to see outside but not big enough for a body to escape. A small cot sat against the back wall and a bucket next to it. Watching Carl closely as Joe led them into the anteroom, Jamie waited for him to demand release but was taken aback by his smugness and appearance of absolute confidence.

“Where’s the woman?” Carl stood and approached the bars.

Jamie shook his head. “What’s this information you have?”

“I’ll only speak to the woman.”

Jamie’s fingers twitched, aching to form a fist. “That’s not going to happen.”

Carl laughed. “Well, then. She’ll die.”

Jamie rushed the bars, but Carl moved too far back for him to reach him. “Open the door, Joe.”

“You don’t want your pretty wife to die, do you, James William Ford?” Carl taunted.

Jamie scowled. “How do you know my name?”

“Sophie Jane Wellington Ford is your pretty little wife, and her baby sister, Emma, is a dead ringer for her.”

Jamie whipped his head around. “Joe, open the door.”

“I’ll tell you how I know what I know, but then I talk to your wife.” Carl crossed his arms. “You may want everyone else to leave, don’t you think?”

Jamie turned to the men. “Joe, Andrew, give us a minute.” Once the men left, Jamie moved closer to the cell. “What do you think you know?”

“Your wife is in danger.”

Jamie took a deep, silent breath, his heart beating rapidly as he glared at Carl. “Explain.”

“I know where you’re from, I know why you’re here, and I know who doesn’t like it.”

“You’re speaking in circles.” Jamie scowled. “What do you want?”

Carl stepped closer to Jamie. “You are not from this time. Your wife is not from this time,” he whispered.

“Excuse me?”

“Trains, planes, and automobiles are all familiar forms of transportation for you. Our president is Trump.”

“Our president?” Jamie whispered.

“Now, I need to speak with Sophie.”

“Who the hell are you?”

Carl stepped back to the tiny cot and sat down. “Get your wife.”

Jamie swore as he yanked the door to the main office open and stormed away from Carl. He mounted his horse and took off toward home, somewhat surprised to hear hooves barreling down on him seconds later.

“Jamie!”

“I’ll explain later, Andrew. I have to find Sophie,” Jamie shouted back without slowing.