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“Do you know this for a fact?” he asked.
“No! I don’t know anything,” I yelled, jumping to my feet. “I don’t even know if the blasted cave will transport me back to my own time ever again, or if I’m stuck here in the wild west for the rest of my pathetic life!”
My ankle cramped and gave out, and Bryant caught me before I collapsed, sitting me on the haybale again.
“We could talk to Flying Deer at the Snoqualmie village,” he finally suggested after a long moment. “She’s their healer, a medicine woman. She might know of this cave and any of its magical abilities.”
Well, it was something.
“Yeah, all right,” I said, encouraged for the first time since I discovered my bizarre predicament. “Let’s go.”
I started for the door, but Bryant grabbed my hand to stop me.
“Tomorrow,” he said. “I need to think this through and find a way to approach the tribe’s elders with this.”
“You’re going to tell them about me?”
“I’ll have to tell them something if I wish to gain access to Flying Deer.” He checked around, letting go of a long breath. “It will be growing dark soon enough anyhow, and Arcan Hunters will still be roaming the mountains. It’s best if we stay in town for the night.”
Reminded of the deadly Arcans, I told him what I overheard outside my window between Bandana Man and the good sheriff himself.
“Ray Wilkens hired them? Are you certain of this?” he questioned, not pleased at this bit of news.
“I heard the man Slade say his name,” I confirmed. “He was wearing a sheriff’s badge, too.”
Bryant frowned, considering. “Then Wilkens doesn’t yet know...hmm, all right then. You’re right. You and I will need to get out of town while any Arcans are here who can identity us to the sheriff.”
“Maybe we should leave now then,” I posed.
He shook his head. “Still not wise. We’ll just stay out of sight until dawn. Alice will put us up for the night.”
Bryant checked outside the barn to make sure no one was around, then waved me forward and led me to the rear of the general store. The woman herself was anxiously pacing outside the opened door.
“There you are,” she called with a look of relief. “I was about to call Henry to go look for you. Where did both you run off to?”
“Long story. Mrs. Alice Bautista, Miss Callista McEwan,” Bryant introduced us with a tired wave of the hand. “Alice, can you put us up for the night?”
“I can. Why?”
“And would you be able to lend Callista some clothes,” he added. “She had an accident before I found her yesterday.”
“An accident, is it?” the woman remarked with an arched a brow at my mangled attire and bare legs.
Bryant rolled his eyes, saying, “I’ll explain later. For now, can you please help her?”
They held a silent argument until woman turned to me ordering, “Come with me, Miss McEwan, and let’s see what can be done for you.”
Bryant jutted his chin at me with a warning look not to reveal my mysterious circumstances. I hooded my eyes to let him know that I wasn’t stupid, then followed the woman up the back stairs to the second floor bedroom where I had started from.
Alice bustled around the room, pulling a long blue skirt and white blouse from a wardrobe closet, then rummaged through a chest of drawers, pulling out a pink ribboned chemise and petticoat and knee high woolen stockings.
“These should fit you well enough,” she said, laying everything on the rumpled bed. “You’re about the same size as my sister, Emily.”
“Thank you for your hospitality,” I said. “I’ll make sure Bryant returns your sister’s clothes after I...”
Return to my own time, I almost said, before biting back the admission.
“No need. Emily died in childbirth going on two years now,” Alice said, shutting the wardrobe. “There’s water in the ewer to wash up, and a comb and ribbons on the bureau. Settle in, and I’ll call you when supper’s ready.”
