CHAPTER EIGHT
Bart didn’t answer Penny, just held the back door open for her. “It’s the horse barn. The blue one over there.”
“Saw it yesterday. Odd color for a barn. We always painted the barns red. And the bunkhouse.” The bunkhouse gleamed with fresh white paint. A second chimney had also been added.
“Bunkhouse has been turned into two apartments for two of the single hands.”
“You have a foreman?”
“Jake runs the whole show, but Rowdy Fakes is his right hand man.”
She hurried to keep pace with him. “My foreman and cousin led the rustlers stealing my cattle.”
“So far, that’s about the only trouble we haven’t had.”
“You trust your cousin Caleb.”
“You bet I do. And he trusts Jake and me.”
“That’s real nice. I always wished I’d had brothers and sisters. All I had was a polecat for a cousin who tried to shoot me.”
He sent her a mischievous grin. “I can see where that would cause you to lose any affection for the man.”
“More than that. I shot him. I’ve been wondering what happened to him afterward. You don’t suppose he ended up—“
Bart cut her off, “Here we are, Miss Hardeman.”
Men bent over a horse in a stall with an open gate. Another man worked with one across the aisle. Penny didn’t have to be a vet to understand the horses were in serious trouble.
Jake looked up and frowned. “What are you doing here?”
Bart answered before Penny could, “Miss Hardeman thought she might be able to help.”
Jake gave what sounded very like a snort. “You a vet, now, Ms Hardeman?”
He emphasized her name a little too hard to her way of thinking. Penny smiled her sweetest. “I wanted to repay your gracious hospitality, Mr. Knight, so I came to see if I might offer any assistance.”
The man she guessed to be the vet looked up. “Knight, this atropine hasn’t worked worth a damn.”
Jake motioned Penny to one side. “Look, just stay out of Dr. Cooke’s way, will you?” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “And out of his assistant’s.”
“How can I resist your charm?” Penny strode down the barn.
Seeing a beautiful horse writhing with pain and muscle spasms hurt her. The other horse appeared only slightly better. What had caused them to suffer? She looked in the second horse’s feed box. Nothing but alfalfa. She strode further, looking down, lost in thought.
Sonofagun, who would have thought? Who dropped that?
“Bart?” She motioned the sheriff over. “Did you see this?”
He squatted on his heels. “Damn, is that what I think it is?” He picked up a leaf.
“I checked that feed box, but this weed wasn’t from there.” Penny looked around the barn. “Where would the hay these horses ate have been stored?”
Bart led the way. “At the other end of the barn. Jake is extremely careful where he buys hay. This is hauled in from northern New Mexico.”
“Jake told me about the blister beetle, but why buy so far away?”
“We haul the best alfalfa we can find from states where there’s no problem of infestation.”
She held up the sprig she’d found. “What about fool’s parsley?”
Bart shook his head. “The growers Jake uses wouldn’t take the chance on losing their business. One hint of trouble and they’d go broke.”
“Maybe someone harvested it locally and mixed it in with the hay in the feed boxes.”
“Yeah, could be. Or, hay bales could have been switched somehow.” Bart called Rowdy and Billy over. “Penny found a piece of fool’s parsley on the barn floor. Help me check these bales to see if any of them are different than the others.”
“Sure thing, Bart.” Rowdy hefted a bale aside, clipped the baling wire, and examined the hay. Then he moved to another bale.
Penny hefted a bale aside and looked around for something to cut the baling wire.
Bart said, “We’ll handle this, Penny. Now we know the cause, you go tell Jake before it’s too late to save the horses. Show him the fool’s parsley you found.”
Penny hurried back to where Jake paced from one horse to the other. She handed him the lacey leaf. “I found this on the barn floor right there.”
Jake stared at it as if he’d been poleaxed. He grabbed it from her and showed the vet.
Dr. Cooke shouted, “I’ll be damned. Hemlock. Conium maculatum. I thought you bought your alfalfa from New Mexico. Where’d that come from?”
“I’d like to know that myself.” Jake looked accusingly at Penny. “Show me exactly where this was.”
She pointed to the spot. “Don’t waste time, Jake. You need to get some wood burning to make charcoal. I’ll sweeten it with molasses and feed it to the horses. It’ll save them if we’re not already too late. Say, maybe there’s some wood in the fireplaces that’s already burned to charcoal.”
The vet rose slowly, swiping a sleeve across his forehead. “You’re a smart little lady. You a vet tech?”
“Someone poisoned my daddy’s horses once. We had to nurse them. Took a lot of charcoal and syrup, but we pulled them through.”
“That’s all that’ll save these horses. But I have some charcoal capsules in the truck. Let me get ’em right now.” Doc Cooke yelled at his assistant and they took off at a run.
Jake stared at the poisonous stem. Fool’s parsley. Hemlock. In his barn? Like hell. Jake waved the wilted leaf under Penny’s nose. “Did you spike their hay with this?”
Her eyes blazed with fire, but her voice was sweet as the molasses she’d mentioned. She stood with her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side.
“Sure, while I was in town shopping with Sally, I flew back out here like a bird, stuffed the bushel of the fool’s parsley I always carry in my pockets into the hay then flew right back to town before Sally even missed me. Aren’t I the talented lady, though?” She turned around and stomped back toward the house, her heart-shaped rear swaying.
“You didn’t even thank her for saving your damn horses.” Bart stood beside him. “Man, you are a real jerk sometimes.”
Jake watched his brother take off after Penny or whoever the hell she was. Imagine Bart calling him a jerk. He wouldn’t be surprised to learn she’d found that hemlock when she was in the cemetery and slipped some into the hay so she could appear to save the day.
Rowdy trotted up. “Boss, we found two bales with wire that doesn’t match the others. Cut ‘em open and found more of the same stuff inside.”
“But we take the bales apart to feed the horses. Anyone would have seen the hemlock.” Jake watched Rowdy’s face. “Oh, hell, someone did. Who was it? I’ll kill the sonofabitch.”
Rowdy held up his hand. “Boss, let your brother handle it. We caught the Carson kid running away. Billy and Manuel have him. He admits he was paid, but won’t say who. Says the horses are insured, so you won’t lose even if they die.”
“Won’t lose? Everything’s not about money.” Jake started the way Rowdy had come.
Rowdy grabbed his arm. “I know, but he’s a stupid kid who don’t know nothing. Owed gambling debts. Let Bart handle it, okay? You have to get these horses on their feet.”
Jake regained his self-control. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Go up to the house and get Bart, will you?”
“I’m on it, boss.” Rowdy frowned and met Jake’s eyes. “Miss Penny sure called that one, didn’t she?” He turned and strode toward the house.
Jake grimaced. How many people knew every damn thing about his life? And judged him the worse for it? He’d be damned if he’d act sorry he’d asked Penny about the hemlock. Was it his fault if she stomped off to the house in another one of her fits?
Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have accused her of planting the hemlock. Maybe. He still didn’t know what she was doing at his ranch. He exhaled. Surely her fantastic story couldn’t be true.
Could it?
Further speculation was delayed by the doc’s return, waving what looked like an aluminum briefcase. “Got ‘em. If there’s not enough here, we might have to try that little lady’s remedy until I can send for more. Believe this’ll do it though.”
Eight hours later, Doc Cooke stood up. “Crisis is over and they’re recovering. Watch them for the next thirty-six hours. Believe they’ll both be okay.”
“I’ll sleep here between them.” Jake massaged his neck muscles with one hand.
Rowdy said, “Boss, you go on to bed. Me and Ed’ll bunk down here and take turns being nursemaid for what’s left of tonight. We caught some shut-eye while the Doc was finishing up. You got that big meetin’ in the morning.”
The oldest of his hands, Ed Garland, blinked and nodded. “Yeah, me and Rowdy’ll do the job. I don’t sleep that well most nights, anyhow.”
Jake had forgotten the meeting. “Thanks, men, I know I can depend on you. Call me if there’s a change for the worse.”
He’d put years into breeding the best stud and mare for a strong line. Damned if his dream hadn’t almost shattered because of some sorry sonofabitch kid. When he discovered who was behind this, he’d likely strangle the man with his bare hands.
The grandfather clock struck two as Jake climbed the stairs. He paused at the door to the Penelope Terry room. A strip of light glowed under the door. Steady creaking issued from the room. Recalling his heated words from earlier in the evening, he exhaled and rapped lightly.
The creaking ceased. He rapped again. “It’s Jake. Open your door.”
Nothing.
He splayed his hands on the doorframe. “Penny, open the damned door. I want to apologize.”
Inside her room, Penny stood and went to the door. She opened it and stared at Jake in spite of knowing her eyes must be puffy and red-rimmed.
“You called me Penny.”
He shrugged. “I have to call you something. That’s as good a name as any other.”
“It’s better than anything else because it’s my name.”
He raked his hand through his hair. “Look, I didn’t knock on your door in the middle of the night to argue. I . . . hell, I came to apologize for the things I said earlier. I was upset because my horses were so sick.”
She tilted her chin and glared at him. “You didn’t accuse anyone else of poisoning them, only me.”
He raised his hands as if in surrender. “Look, I said I’m sorry. What more do you want from me?”
She turned, walked to the rocker she’d dragged in from somewhere, and sat down. “I want my life back.” She set the rocker moving, creaking and stared at him.
He took a couple of steps into the room. “I don’t know how to help you. In the morning, I have to go to town for a meeting. You can come with me and we’ll go to the hospital so you can have a thorough check up. That’s a bad lump on your head. Maybe you have amnesia.”
Without raising her voice, she asked, “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” She held up a hand to stop his answer. “No, I know you do, but you’re wrong. Somehow, I fell from my horse in 1896. When I waked up, I came here and suddenly I was in 2017.”
“Surely you can understand how hard that story is to believe.” He sat on the foot of the bed, looking too tired to stand a second longer.
“Do you think it’s easy for me? But there it is—that’s what happened. I’m not crazy. I don’t have amnesia. I don’t know how, but I traveled from my time to yours.”
He shook his head. “I think you should see a doctor.”
She’d been right. He still thought she was crazy. “No. What I need is to figure out what I’m going to do. How I’ll live.” She looked up at him. “How would you feel if you went to bed tonight and when you waked up in the morning more than a hundred years had passed?”
He gave another shrug. “Doesn’t matter because that can’t happen.”
She rose and came to stand in front of him, hands balled on her hips. “It happened to me. Maybe it’s happened to others.”
She gasped. “Why hadn’t I thought of that before? Maybe there were others who had popped up in the wrong time.”
“Penny, I’m way too tired for this discussion. If you don’t want to see a doctor, you can stay here a few more days. Eventually, you’ll have to move on, though.”
“No.” She pointed at the floor. “This is my ranch, I realize you believe it’s yours, and maybe it is on paper. But my grandfather started this ranch. My daddy and I worked hard and built this very house. I chose all the furnishings.” She gestured around the room. “These and the pieces in the attic and a few scattered through the house.”
“There’s not a chance in hell of you getting this ranch. Believe it. My name is on the paperwork. In the eyes of the law, this is mine. You’ll have to get used to that fact, no matter what you believe happened to you.”
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I want my money from the bank.”
He leaned forward and frowned. “Your what?”
“I have money in your bank. Earl saw to it.”
He stood. “So that’s what this is about. You’re after money?”
She met his glare and narrowed her eyes. “Only what’s mine. I need things.”
“Like what?” He pointed at the armoire’s bulging doors. “Looks like you bought enough clothes for two women.”
“Clothes?” She waved, dismissing everything in the armoire. “What do I care about those? They were to please Sally, not me. I appreciate all the trouble she went to on my account, but I already had all the clothes I need.”
He narrowed his eyes and sneered at her. “Then what ‘things’ do you need?”
She poked a forefinger at his chest. “A lawyer. I intend to get this ranch back. I’m giving you notice now that you have a fight on your hands.”
He fell back on the bed and closed his eyes. “What have I ever done to deserve so much punishment?”
He exhaled and opened his eyes, then sat up. “Great, just great. As if it’s not enough some madman is trying to ruin me, you decide to join the Get Jake Crusade.”
“Wrong. I won’t start any legalities until you find out who’s trying to steal the ranch from us and stop them.”
“Us?” He shook his head. “Lady, there is no us.”
She sat beside him. “Of course there is. Each of us loves this ranch. Each of us wants to protect and preserve it. We have the same goal—at least, for the present.”
“Look, you simply have to understand that this is my ranch.”
She touched his arm, as she’d longed to do since she saw him. “Remember how you felt about the horses? Bart said they were insured, so it wasn’t their cash value that worried you. You cared because they were yours, and you’d worked years to get them where they are now. Well, that’s how I feel about this ranch.”
He laid his hand over hers. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to help you get over this idea that you’re from the past.”
She pulled her hand from his and hit at his arm. “Just stop it, do you hear?”
“Ow!” He rubbed his arm where she’d socked him. “Damned if I’ll stop. You’ll have to face the truth sooner or later.”
She couldn’t stop the tears trickling down her cheek. “Stop saying that.” She put her hands in front of her eyes to hide her weeping.
“Um, Penny? Aw, hell, don’t cry.” He stood and pulled her up, then turned down the covers. “Come on, get into bed and get some sleep. This discussion can wait.” He untied her robe and slid it from her shoulders.
Surprised at herself for letting him act in so familiar a manner, she slid into bed. He removed her slippers and pulled the covers around her. Reality crushed her.
This man was her enemy, yet he was also one of the few people who knew her secret. How could this situation have happened to her? What chance did she have to set this straight?
She met his eyes. “I’m scared, Jake. Really, really scared. It’s as if I don’t belong anywhere now. Like I’ve disappeared. No one knows I’m me, except I’m here. I keep imagining what my friends thought, how Molly must have grieved. And Earl.” She bit her lip to keep from begging him to hold her.
“That doesn’t matter now. Look, we’ll work something out.” He touched her shoulder and gave her a pat.
His sympathetic gesture only made her terror worse. How long since anyone had touched her, held her? Forever.
“Even when I was chased by the rustlers, I didn’t feel this alone. At least then I had my ranch, my home, my Jake, my friends in town.”
He sat down again and pulled her up into his arms to comfort her. This was what she needed. How wonderful to have him cradle her, offering even temporary solace. How she needed consolation. If only he’d hold her like this until dawn.
Every dawn. No, she mustn’t think like that. She was a burr under his saddle and he’d like nothing better than to see her gone.
“Don’t worry, we’ll figure out something.” He stroked her hair, her back in gentle, soothing motions.
What had he said? They’d figure out something? What could they figure out that didn’t ruin one of them?
She burrowed into his shoulder. “I wish Daddy hadn’t died. None of this would have happened if he’d been around.”
“You never said how he died.” He tried to hand her his handkerchief then snatched the dirty fabric back. He reached for one of the tissues from a box on the bedside table.
She sniffed and wiped her eyes, then her nose. “He fell, like I did, only he hit his head on a rock. H—He was already dead when we found him.” She shook her head and a new round of tears started. “Now I wish it’d been me died instead of him.”
“Don’t think like that. He’d still be dead by now, and so would you. This way, you’re still alive and breathing.”
“Right, if you call this being alive. Stuck in a different time where no one believes me and I don’t know how to get what’s mine…oh, what’s the use?” She buried her face in her hands.
“We’ll talk in the morning.” He looked at his watch. “Later this morning. Go to sleep now.”
He gently guided her and she lay back on the pillows. He tucked the covers around her.
Leaning over her, he kissed her softly on her mouth. Blazes of skyrockets exploded in her head. Warmth spread through her body, tingling in surprising places. Even her toes reacted, curling of their own will.
His mouth was firm but gentle. The stubble over his lips pricked her skin. More, she wanted more. She slid her hands to his shoulders. If only he’d crawl into bed with her and hold her all night. Kiss her again and again.
But he pulled away and met her gaze before he straightened. Shock showed in his eyes. Did he think her too forward?
“Please, could you just stay until I fall asleep?”
He stood as if frozen for a few seconds. “Sure.” He took off his boots and slid alongside her, but on top of the covers. “Now, just curl up and go to sleep. Everything looks better in the daylight.”
“I know. I can be brave in the daytime, but night’s when I do most of my worrying.”
He slid one arm above his head and the other across her. “No more worrying tonight. Sleep.” His voice slurred with sleep. He reached over and turned off the lamp.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful having a man like him to comfort her ever night? Her fanciful thoughts were silly anyway. Why was he was even in her room? Oh, to apologize. Rats, and all she’d done was blubber at him and then hang onto him.
Before she snuggled up closer, she said, “I accept.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “What?”
“I accept your apology. Goodnight.”
“Hell, goodnight, Penny.” In less than a second, he was sound asleep.
Her smile faded. Had he thought her too forward? Heat flooded her cheeks. She had to face him at breakfast. Dang, how could she after being so brazen?