Despite the pain from the bullet, Jesse had been able to scuffle to his feet and make his way to Lady. He rode off fast, knowing the town sheriff wouldn’t appreciate him starting up trouble in his territory, especially since they all were siblings, and even more so since he’d shot them. Though, he hadn’t exactly been the one to start up anything.

He hadn’t gotten very far before the sweltering, burning pain of the bullet started ripping through him, forcing him to slow down.

He’d been shot before. Then, the slug had gone straight through his arm, leaving two holes for Doc to patch up. But this time, the bullet had taken shelter in his shoulder. Aside from becoming nauseous and wanting to throw up, he was bleeding out something awful.

Jessie needed to be tended to, but with no Doc, he’d have to figure out another way. Everyone in the saloon knew he’d been shot. Without a doubt, the sheriff would look there first.

He’d only gotten about five miles out when he began to see double. His senses dulling were a sure sign he was in trouble. The best thing for him to do would be to find a good hiding place, somewhere he could hole up. The alley of the boardinghouse, one town over in Heartsbridge, seemed like a good plan.

He’d never been so glad to see the small Texas town before. Tumbling off his horse, he collapsed on the ground and crawled behind an old, broken down wagon, which would have to do until he was able to think straight.

He backed against the wagon and did a quick scan of the area for anything that would help him patch up the hole in his shoulder. There was nothing. The shirt he had on would have to do.

Tugging at his pants, he pulled off the leather belt he was wearing. If he was going to do this, he’d need something to mask any sounds, knowing once he poured on the whiskey, there was no telling what he’d do.

After he managed to get his shirt off, he ripped it down the middle to wrap around his broad chest area and shoulder. Putting the belt in his mouth, he bit down into the tough leather and poured whiskey on the gunshot wound.

“Jeez,” he moaned, seeing stars, right before his head hit the ground.

Either he was going crazy or his pa was standing in front of him.

“Jesse...you need to let Maya go. I know you love her, but she can’t stay locked up with you on the ranch all her life.”

Why was he telling him that? He loved Maya and someone had taken her—Sims. Did his pa expect him to just look the other way?

“Pa, I’m not sure why you’re saying these things to me. I love Maya. I’ll always take care of her.”

“But do you love her enough to let her go?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t go after Sims, please, Jesse.”

“I’m sorry, Pa, but I’m going to kill him as soon as I find him. And I’m going to get Maya back.”

Jesse couldn’t understand why his pa wouldn’t want him to seek justice. He was certain Sims had Maya. He’d seen the way Sims had looked at her. She was beautiful, and every man who laid eyes on her had wanted her, which is why he’d insisted she never left the ranch alone.

Thinking about what harm she could be in drove him mad. He needed to get to her. Clearly he’d underestimated how badly Sims wanted her. Too, not everyone was accepting of her kind—Injuns. Maya hadn’t yet understood that, no matter how many times he’d told her. Maplesville wasn’t as bad as the neighboring towns, but he’d concluded that was only because he was the sheriff, and they feared what he might do.

“I’m going to kill him. I swear it. I’m going to kill him, Pa.”

“Hey, wake up. Wake up, Mr. Landers,” the unfamiliar voice called out, and he felt a hand on his arm.

“Mr. Landers, you need to wake up and eat something. You’ve been sleeping here for two days now. I don’t know how much longer I can hide you, so you need to work on getting your strength back. Soon enough, I’d say the law will come looking for you.”

Opening his eyes, he blinked a few times, gazing up at the ceiling. The hand that had once been touching his arm had moved and the person speaking had gotten farther away.

He turned in the direction of the voice. “Maya,” he said, attempting to raise his head slightly, his vision blurred.

“No. I’m Miss Dunham, and this is Mrs. Calhoun. She’s going to help you sit up, so you can eat something.”

“Where am I?”

“Why, you’re in a spare room in my place of business, which is where you’ve been for the last two days. I found you out back. We came along with Mrs. Calhoun’s son, and carried you up here. You do know you had a bullet inside you?”

His hand slowly moved up to his bare chest. Moving from right to left, he could feel the rags wrapped around his rib cage and over his shoulder. That’s when he remembered what had happened, and he was a wanted man.

“Had a bullet in me?”

“Yes. The local doctor owed me a favor so I used it on you. Don’t make me regret it.”

He rose, but fell back when greeted by a hammering headache.

“Yes, you’ll need to take it easy. Swallow this,” Miss Dunham said, offering him a spoonful of something vile tasting. “There’s some water next to the bed to wash it down with.”

Jesse glanced down at the liquid. “What is this?” he asked, tossing back the spoonful and reaching for the water.

“Something to help,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “You’ll be fine if it doesn’t kill you. And if it does, well, at least the pain will be gone.”

Jesse gagged and then coughed, spitting up the water he’d just swallowed.

She chuckled. “I’m just teasing you. It’s just some regular Laudanum pain medicine. I suffer from headaches so I always keep some on hand.”

Letting out a deep breath, he closed his eyes and leaned against the headboard.

“You know, Miss Dunham, you’re really not that funny.”

“And you know, Mr. Landers, you should ask about what’s going inside your belly before you swallow.”

“Mind telling me where my trousers are?”

“Right in the chest next to you, along with two clean shirts.”

Jesse leaned over, the pain hitting him like a knife stabbing into his wound. After mumbling some foreign words, he lay back down.

“Could ya hand them to me?” he asked, his words coming out in a grumble through the stifling pain.

“Certainly. But it’s not like you’ll be doing any traveling soon. And somehow, I have the feeling you won’t be needing those trousers for a while. Nonetheless, I need to get you better, but rushing things won’t help.”

Had Jesse heard her right? What did she mean by him not needing his trousers? Had he somehow found his way to a brothel? He thought he’d better set the record straight.

“Miss Dunham, I ain’t looking for no lovin’. I’m looking for a lady named Maya. You see any strangers around lately? She may have come in by force with a fellow with sandy red hair, freckles, and handlebar whiskers.”

“I can’t say I have, Mr. Landers. But I’ll get you taken care of and if all goes well, you’ll soon get the answers you seek. Although, I’ve got to warn you, the journey traveled won’t be like any you’ve had before, so you need to be ready.”

Jesse’s brows furrowed as he observed the lady moving around the room. Was she mad or something? She looked to be sensible.

At first, he thought her to be a madam, but she wasn’t dressed like any he’d ever seen. This lady was graced with elegance and old charm, much like his ma had been. The blue evening dress she wore with ruffled sleeves was buttoned up to her neckline.

Without warning, the door burst open. Mrs. Calhoun who had left a few minutes ago, rushed back in and whispered something in Miss Dunham’s ear.

She looked over at Jesse.

“I reckon you ladies need to tell me something,” Jesse said, swinging his legs over the bed. “If I had to go by Mrs. Calhoun’s face, I’d say the law caught up to me.”

“Your assumption would be right. I was just hoping to have a little more time with you to explain everything. Anyway, we need to get you out quickly. Mrs. Calhoun and I will help you now, but I’m about to do some really fast talking so I need you to listen. But before I do, I need to know something,” she said, reaching to grab Jesse’s clothes from the chest of drawers before she, and Mrs. Calhoun hurried to get him to his feet.

The arguing was getting louder, and he was suddenly aware that she’d need to talk real fast.

He moaned and Miss Dunham placed her hand over his mouth. The sudden need to move had only heightened the pain. He wondered if he’d been better off still lying behind the broken-down wagon.

“I know it hurts but you need to quiet down if you don’t want the sheriff to find you here.”

She quickly led him down the hall. “I have something to say and you need to listen. But before I go on, I need to ask you a question. Do you want the life you were meant to have?”

“Just get me to Lady, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

She ignored him and after bracing him against the door, she reached for the key around her neck and unlocked it.

“Help me get him over to that chair, and I’ll take it from here. Tell sheriff I’m indisposed and will be out soon.”

Mrs. Calhoun left, and Miss Dunham quickly helped Jesse button up his shirt.

“I don’t see no way outta here.”

“Trust me. There’s a way, but you might not like it...at least not at first.”

Either she was losing it or he was. If he’d had to go by the pain he was feeling, he’d bet it was him. She was talking crazy. What did she mean by the life he was meant to live? Like most people who’d heard his story, she had it all wrong.

Jesse could hear the ranting, and a gruff voice nearing.

“Look, Mr. Landers. I can either open that door and let the sheriff in here, which will be bad for you, since I believe you put bullets in three of his brothers. Or, I can help you get out of here another way. The choice is yours.”

“Okay, shoot,” he said, going along with it.

“Do you see this?” she said, pulling a timepiece out of her pocket. “I keep this with me always, usually around my neck. Most of the time, it doesn’t work. But when we found you, I felt the vibrations coming right through my garments. I opened it to find the hands moving and it hasn’t stopped since. This lets me know you don’t belong here. And by here, I mean in this time.”

In this time? Jesse stared curiously at the woman glaring back at him, her eyes pleading. She didn’t look crazy, but she sure as heck was talking like a person who wasn’t right in the head. Considering his options, he figured he’d better play nice even if she seemed to be missing a few screws.

He looked at her reddening face and then down at her trembling hands, cupping the timepiece. Be darned if the pointers weren’t swirling around fast. She sure was buying her own story, even if he wasn’t.

His gaze focused on the door. The commotion was getting louder and had diverted his attention from the watch. Presented with two options, go with the lovely crazy lady standing before him, bearing a strained expression, who was clearly concerned, or let the angry lawman take him in.

“Ma’am...if you have a way for me to get out, please just show me. I’m not quite ready to be locked up yet. I still need to find someone.”

She nodded. “You made the right decision, Mr. Landers. It’ll be a little strange at first, but soon enough, you’ll fit right in. And if you don’t, you can always come back here. Just be prepared to deal with the law.”

Jesse peered around the room, looking for an exit. There was a door at the back of the room, but he was going to need help getting to it.

“Don’t be alarmed, but I’m sending you away now so that you can find your place. The world will be much different, but you’ll adjust,” she said, backing to the door.

“Wait. What are you talking about and how do I get outta here?”

Panic was settling in as the voices grew closer. “Miss Dunham,” he hissed.

“If this is to work, I need you to trust me. You’ll need to look for Moira. She’ll help you.”

“Mr. Landers, you’re about to get the life you deserve, but to do so, you’ll need to travel into the future. Remember...you’re looking for Moira. Give her this letter explaining your situation. I wrote it myself when you were out of it. Don’t worry, she’ll know what to do with it.”

Miss Dunham opened the door.

“What...wait!”

But she was gone. As soon as she closed the door behind her, everything went dark.

“Missss…Dunhammm...” he called out, his voice echoing, right before the room started to spin. He backed against the wall, his arms crossing his chest before he suddenly felt as if he was being drawn into a deep hole.

He couldn’t help wondering if Miss Dunham had given him something like morphine for the pain. Could she have given him something to drive him mad?