Ride The Wild Wind (Time Travel Historical Romance) (31 page)

She started to speak, then paused as if struggling to find the words.
“I’m not…
ashamed
of being black.” Her voice was a hoarse whisper, but
laced with some other emotion he could not determine.  

 “Then why have you not mentioned this detail before?”

Her gaze lifted to his. “Okay, it’s true…or at least it was. All my life
I’ve hated my darker skin, my hair and eyes…my full lips. I think it was one of
the reasons I was never adopted. No one wanted a bi-racial child.”

 His mind reeled at her stunning revelation. “Your parents are
deceased? How long?”

She shrugged. “My father died when I was two, and my mother followed a
couple of  years later.”

“You have never mentioned your family before now.”

She shrugged. “That’s because I don’t ever remember having one.”

 The impact of her confession weighed heavily on his heart. For a
Navajo, one of the worse things was to not have roots. To even tell someone
they behaved as if they had no family was an insult. But now it all began to
make sense…why she’d beamed with pride over the hogan he built for her…the way
she rallied around the children, playing games and telling them stories. Even
her mothering of that silly little dog, making certain he had food to eat, even
if she went without.   “We have never spoken of this before now. Why
didn’t you tell me you are a mulatto?”

 She grimaced as if he had said something distasteful. “Well since
you didn’t ask, I didn’t think it mattered.”

“It matters not at all to me what you are, but to an opportunist like
Elena Costanza, a beautiful, exotic woman such as yourself brings a tempting
price.”

“Look, I know Elena was a cruel bitch to her ladies, but I still don’t
want to believe she’d betray me. I was her only friend. She took care of me,
much better than any of the other women there. She treated me like a princess.
I had my own room—the best food and plenty of it. I ate in the dining room on
china plates, not in the kitchen with the workers. She confided in me—told me
things that she probably didn’t tell anyone.”

He gave an exasperated sigh. What could he do to convince her Elena was
not her friend? The woman was incapable of loyalty to anyone but herself. Halle
simply could not accept that Elena hadn’t cared for her, that she had used her
for her own selfish whims.

“You have been terribly hurt in the past.”

“Who hasn’t?”

He moved closer, skimmed his palms down her bare arms. “I know you want
to believe Elena cared about you, but trust me, she cares for no one but
herself.”

“You weren’t there, Antonio. You don’t know how it really was. I was
with her all the time.”

He gritted his teeth. Damn her for being so stubborn. He almost told her
about Elena being Franklin Cole’s lover, but he hadn’t the desire to dredge up
the past—Elena’s deceptions—the lies he believed for fifteen years. Besides,
Halle was not ready to accept the truth. Elena was probably the first person
who had extended any kindness to her in a long while and she, along with the
other women in her employ had been like family to Halle. But he also knew how
beguiling his former mistress was.

He took Halle by the shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Listen
to me.” His voice was calm.  “We cannot return to Albuquerque. If Elena
suspects we are lovers, there will be hell to pay. You don’t know her as I do.
She is ruthless.”

“I’m not afraid of her.”

He needed for Halle to fear Elena, and to give up her insane desire to
return to Albuquerque. “What must I do to convince you that Elena is not your
friend and never was?”

“Okay, forget Elena for now. I have to tell you something more
important, and I know this sounds weird but…I had a dream. You know, kind of
like a vision. We all have to go there. Me, you, and the kids.”

What the hell?
“A dream?  You are a prophet now?” 

“Okay. So it wasn’t a dream. My spirit guide, Stella, came to me the
other night at the fort and told me that you and I must take the children to
Albuquerque.”

Antonio backed away and threw up his hands. He’d heard all the nonsense
he intended to listen to. “No more stories, Halle. Not one word.”

She grasped his hand. “Antonio, please don’t shut me out. I know this is
hard for you to understand, and believe me, sometimes I still can’t believe
this happened. But I am not making this up. What I’m about to tell you is
probably going to come as a shock.”

He stared. Shock? What else could she say to shock him more? Was she
insane? Or was this a nightmare from which he could not awaken?

She blew out a breath. “Okay. Here goes. Ready?”

No.

“I came from the future.”

Antonio went numb all over. Had she endured too much abuse these past
few days? Perhaps the ordeal of being captured and the mistreatment caused
psychosis to set in.

She nodded. “It’s true.I was driving one night in my car. It’s kind of
like a horse and wagon but without the horse. I encountered a man on horseback
in the middle of the road. It was you. Then something freaky happened. I
rounded the curve in the highway and seconds later was back at the same spot.
You were there again, too. Kinda like
déjà vu
. Your horse went crazy
when my car’s headlights struck him and I swerved to avoid hitting you. When I
came to rest at the bottom of the ravine, I was trapped between the present and
the past.”

He had to silence her before someone overheard. “Enough. No more talk.”

“Please believe me, Antonio. You know what I’m saying is true. You were
there that night. You must have seen the car’s lights, too, because you looked
directly at me.”

True, he’d seen the flash of light, but not her.  He looked around,
making certain no one had happened upon them, then urged her to continue.

“I met a woman named Stella before I crossed over to the past, although
she’s not really a human anymore but my spirit guide. I suppose she’s like an
angel, but she doesn’t have a halo or wings. She said I was being sent to your
time period to bring justice for Hope Brannigan, the woman Frank Cole had
murdered, although I still don’t exactly know how I’m going to do that.”

A sick feeling washed over him as it all began to make sense. His dreams
of her before her arrival. The violent storm when he’d sensed her presence. The
eerie white light he encountered on the road. All the pieces of the puzzle
began to fit together now. Yes, it was an insane story, but oddly, he did
believe her. “You must remain silent. Everything you have said to me today must
never be spoken again. Your ramblings could cause a stir that might get you
hurt or killed.”

“Antonio, I’m not making this up. It’s the truth. You have to believe
me!”

Apparently his hard glare silenced her. “You tread on dangerous ground,
woman. Do you not realize the others might be frightened to hear such talk? If
you profess to travel across time they might think you are a witch. You could
be killed.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, her eyes narrowing on him.
“You seem more upset the others might think I’m a witch than my bizarre story
about time travel. Why is that?”

A nerve twitched in his jaw. “We will speak of this no more. You will
remain silent.” He watched the awareness dawn in her eyes as a smile tilted the
corner of her lips.

 “Oh my God! You do believe my wild story, don’t you?”

“You have been through an ordeal. Perhaps after sufficient rest and a
proper diet you will be able to think rationally again.”

“I
am
thinking clearly, Antonio. We have to take these children
to Albuquerque.”

“I will listen to no more talk of going to Albuquerque. We head north
today and into the foothills of the mountains where we will remain until after
the spring thaw.”

“We won’t be safe there. Eventually, we’ll be starved out. The army has enlisted
the Utes as trackers. They’re going to raid the Navajo camps and take
prisoners.”

“Someone at the fort told you this?”

“No. It’s in the history books—from
my
time specifically. Your
uncle, Chief Manuelito, will hold off as long as he can—two or three years at
the most—but he is eventually going to surrender. The People
will spend
four long years in the detention camp in Bosque Redondo before being allowed
back to claim only a portion of their homelands. Thousands will die. Is that
the life you want for your son
?
For Tani and Diego?”

“Every muscle in Antonio’s body trembled. He saw the truth in her eyes,
felt it to the depths of his soul. Only he and Sonny suspected the Ute’s
involvement. They’d told no one else. He swiped a hand down his face as the dry
ache of fear constricted his throat. Their situation was worse than he
previously believed. He pointed a finger at her. “I forbid you to speak one
word of this to anyone, do you understand? People will panic and scatter.”
Guilt washed over him as he watched tears mist her eyes. He wished he did not
have to be harsh.

“But you believe I’m telling the truth, don’t you?”

He did, but for her safety he needed to silence her. “You also must
understand, Halle, I have a mission to fulfill, a promise to keep to these
people. It does not matter anymore what I believe. But if you do not comply
with my request for silence on this matter, I will tie and gag you for your own
safety. Do you understand?”

* * * * *

Halle fumed as she watched him pull on his boots. He was the most
stubborn and prideful man she’d ever known! Damn him! Didn’t he realize his
antics could get him killed? Somehow, she had to break through his defensive
wall. He might get pissed off but she was damned well going to give it her best
shot. It was now or never.

“How can you say it doesn’t matter what you believe? You’re an
intelligent man. You know if we stay here, if you continue running guns to the
Navajo, we’re all going to die.”

“If we must all die, then it is better to die with dignity than to suffer
like starving dogs in a pen.”

She gaped in disbelief. “So there’s nothing I can say to change your
mind? You’re not going to give up this insane fight for freedom are you?”

“I can’t. What you ask is impossible. I am no coward. I will not run in
the face of danger, nor will I turn my back on my heritage—my blood.”

Halle snorted. Blood had nothing to do with this. At least not anymore.
In the beginning, Antonio might have believed he was fighting for the Navajo’s
freedom, but the game plan changed long ago. This was about Antonio’s struggle
to redeem himself in his son’s eyes.

Halle moved in closer, feeling her throat tighten as the words bubbled
forth. “You can’t change what happened to your wife, or Mariposa or Lukachukai.
It wasn’t your fault your son lost his hand, but it seems you’ve made his
disability your cross to bear.”

His face turned dark with rage. “Do not speak of my family again.”

Desperate to break through, she moved closer. If he wouldn’t listen to
reason, she’d use stronger tactics. “Oh poor me. I was such a bad father. I let
my kids down when they needed me. So now I’ll die with honor and be a freaking
martyr. Blah, blah, blah. Puleeeez, Antonio. Spare me the crap. You’re fighting
out of vengeance.”  Halle noted the tremble of his hands and realized
she’d angered him to the flash point. Well, too bad. She wasn’t through yet,
and this mule-headed man was about to get another ear full.

He strapped on his guns. “You know nothing about me or of my life before
we met. How are you in a position to pass judgment?” While his voice was eerily
calm, the fury in his gray eyes frightened her. Still, she wouldn’t back off.
She had to reach him, for his sake, and for all of their sakes.

“I know all I need to know, Antonio. You’ve lost your wife and daughter
and your son has lost his father.”

He hesitated, then barked out a cool, “Finish getting dressed.”

It was now or never. She made her move. “Lukachukai won’t speak to
anyone and hasn’t since the attack. I know you are struggling to get back to
one another, but you’re moving in opposite directions.”

He gave a snort of disgust. “Now you sound like Sonny
and his
nonsense. Precisely where do you get your information? Oh, yes of course…your
spirit person…”

   “Guide,” she corrected. “Actually, my story is rather
complicated, but as I said a moment ago Stella who checks in with me when she’s
not on vacation,” she said loudly, as if Stella might hear. She wrapped the
woven sash around her waist and tied it. “Seriously, dying for a lost cause
isn’t going to help your son, and it won’t bring your baby daughter back.” A
flicker of pain touched his eyes, and she softened her voice. “If you’d just
listen to me for once, I think I know how we can help Lukachukai…and others
like him”

He folded his arms across his chest. “What are you suggesting?”

Halle swallowed hard. “I can make Lukachukai a hand, one that is
semi-functional with jointed fingers, but I’m going to need your medical
expertise.”

He gave her an incredulous look, then shook his head as if to loosen any
cobwebs. “A prosthetic limb? You?”

She nodded. “I used to build all sots of props for movie and theatrical
sets when I lived in the future. We might not have all the materials we need,
but we can improvise. What if you and I worked as a designer team? We could use
plaster to make a mold for his hand. From there, we’ll use materials that are
easily obtainable. I can paint the limb to look realistic. No one could ever
tell.”

    He stared, his face giving nothing away.

    Not the reaction she hoped for. “Okay. Let me explain
a bit more. Where I come from, there have been unbelievable strides in
medicine—take robotics, for instance. I know that kind of technology is long
way in the future, but there’s still so much we can do right now. We can give
him a hand, Antonio. He can be a normal little boy again. We can give him back
his life. And if this works, just think of what we could do for other people
all over the world.”