Steam Time

Texas 1892

Ani called him stranger inside her head, because he sure wasn’t a “Joe.” To his face she didn’t call him anything cause she couldn’t call him what he wasn’t. Hadn’t said much of anything to him, not since he’d ridden over the rise three days ago and Pa invited him to ride along with them. He was headed to Marfa, too, though that was all he’d shared about himself of a personal nature. He didn’t talk much, which suited Pa, since he talked enough for all of them and a few more besides.

Wary for reasons she hadn’t figured out yet, she’d watched him through her lashes, mostly at night around the campfire, though her gaze might accidentally stray his direction now and again in daylight. She took care not to meet that hard-as-a-drill gaze, since she was supposed to be a boy and she didn’t feel like one when she looked at him. And if he looked too close, he’d know she wasn’t that young. Good thing she took after her blessed Ma, who had looked young until the day she went to her reward.

Ani’d exchanged skirts for pants when they took to the road selling the elixir from the rear of the wagon. Like her Pa, their wagon walked a fine line between serious and spectacle, as did his English accent. He claimed to be gentry, a younger son who’d eloped with the under housemaid and been shipped off to the colonies to remove the stain of his disgrace from the family name. Sometimes she believed it was true. She could talk gentry like him when the situation called for it, which it didn’t that much. Mostly she looked peaked and moaned so her Pa could heal her. Her gaze skittered the stranger’s way again. Not sure she could do either in front of him.

A lot of men had passed by—or even stopped to buy—since that day they took to the road, but none as interesting as the stranger. Big and likely looking, with a huge helping of tough in him, he had a cool gaze that saw things, though he was also a gentleman—or as much a one as her Pa. She saw it in the way her Pa reacted to him, how much it pleased Pa when the stranger called him “Dr. Everly” with just enough respect so as not to be obvious, heard it in the way he spoke, too.

Pa didn’t seem to see the danger that lurked below the stranger’s surface though he should. Danger clung like his clothes, fit him as well as they did, mingled with his scent that the night breeze sent her way every now and again. And lurking behind the danger she sensed a deep well of sad.

Unlike her Pa, Ani saw it all. One of them had to. Not everyone liked finding out you couldn’t buy a miracle for a dollar. That’s why they’d had to avoid the Paisano settlement this year. No, what surprised her was how it felt to see those things in him. Made her feel all strange and sad, too, made her want to do something about it, despite the danger. Didn’t think the stranger would let her do anything for him though and a good thing that was. Wanting to do something about a man had caught her Ma in the tangle of Pa’s life. Ma had loved him to the end, but she saw him clear and told Ani to see him clear, too.

“Illusions are for magic shows,” she’d said more than once, “not for living.”

Pa, well, he preferred illusions and more than a few delusions. Heaven knew his amazing elixir was mostly both. The stranger? If he’d ever had illusions, she had a feeling he’d lost them long ago.

So Ani kept her head bent over her book, though she peered through her lashes, trying to see the stranger clear, to see past the odd stirring in her chest at the sight of the long limbs stretched toward the fire and the broad shoulders settled against the wagon wheel. Tried not to note that the shadows on his face weren’t all from the need to shave or the low hanging moon. He looked relaxed, well, as much as he could when he looked like he could whip his weight in wildcats.

“Jules Verne?”

It took her a few seconds—and her Pa clearing his throat—to realize the question was for her. She lifted her lashes, taking as long as she could before she had to meet his gaze. Felt a bit of a jolt when she did, a strange mix of cold and hot shivering through her. She nodded her answer, cause her voice caught in her throat and she wasn’t sure it would come out low enough for the boy she was supposed to be. Another cough from her Pa got her to hold the book out for the stranger’s inspection. He took it, keeping her gaze captive during the exchange, his hand brushing hers long enough to send another round of shivers through her. A relief when the gaze shifted from her to the book, though not enough to unclog her throat.

“The Steam House. Interesting choice.”

What did he mean by that? It was sure the right choice for the boy she was supposed to be. Lucky she liked everything Verne wrote, wanted to write something like it, but with a griffin. Pa thought it made her look more like a boy to have a book in hand, boosted her peakedness, too.

The gaze lifted, slow like, and grabbed hers again. Made her want to run, though she couldn’t say if it was away or—he couldn’t know, could he? The high desert night was chilly, but Ani felt heat storm her cheeks and was glad for the darkness that hid most of the blush. Boys didn’t blush, did they? Truth was, she didn’t know as much as she should about boys or girls. When they hit a town she had to go into her act. Even after the healing, folks tended to keep their distance, just in case.

Beyond the stranger, the first ghost light appeared, down toward the Chinati’s. Didn’t take it long to split into two, then into four. Showing some color this year. Felt the stranger’s gaze pulling at her own, so she pointed at them to distract him, or maybe she needed it. The way he looked at her, made her feel odd, kind of discontented with how things were, how they had to be. How they’d always be? Sad mingled with discontented at that thought.

By the time he looked, there were twelve in the sky. The stranger’s brows arched just a bit. “The Marfa lights. So that’s what they look like.”

Almost seemed he spoke to himself, but Pa grabbed the opening anyway, did some expounding on the differences they’d observed their last three years in the area, on how they didn’t always show up in the same place. Her Pa did like spectacle, and so, it seemed, did the ghost lights, as they began to scoot around. They didn’t always, and this was her first time to see color, though the locals had told them it could happen.

The stranger rose, moved away from the fire, taking her book with him. Ani bit her lip, fighting the urge to go get it, when she knew she should keep her distance from the stranger. I want to finish the chapter is what she told herself when she scrambled to her feet, fighting—for the first time in a long time—to keep the girl from her walk as she eased in beside him.

Be a good thing when they reached Marfa and parted company. A good thing, she repeated, not sure why she felt the need.

This was the first time she’d stood this close, could compare his height with hers. Didn’t know why the ways they were different felt kinda right, kinda nice even. He was a border ruffian and dangerous to boot. But she’d lived safe for so long, it felt like life had passed her by. Been put on the shelf before she had a chance to be off it—

“Have you ever followed them to their source?” The stranger shifted to look at Pa, the movement putting a bit more distance between them, though Ani caught a glancing blow as his gaze passed her on its way to Pa’s.

Pa rose and came to stand next to her. “Some have tried.”

Ani heard the change in his voice, half amused at the notion of chasing lights, half tinged with a bit of longing to try it.

“As a man of science, I would, of course, be able to unravel the mystery, if I didn’t have responsibilities to those unfortunate sick who need the healing that I bring to this blighted region.”

Translation: he was tired, the night was cold, and the fire helped a mite to ease the ache in his bones from the wagon’s jolting.

Pa moved further from the circle of light cast by their fire, as if the ghost lights drew him. Before she could stop it, Ani sent a huffed look the stranger’s way. If they started chasing the ghost lights, they’d most likely come in at the little end of the horn this winter. Though, she half glanced at the lights, they did kind of seem to beckon. Almost teasing-like.

“I think I might just take a ride that way,” the stranger said, though it sounded like he was talking to himself again.

She felt a pain in her chest at the thought of him leaving. And a good thing, she reminded herself, rubbing the pain spot.

His gaze slanted her way, catching her at it. “Want to ride along?”

Shock, longing, and a desire to hide widened her eyes and muted her voice again.

“Boy would like that.” Pa’s words didn’t help her speaking problem any. “You wouldn’t mind a little adventure on this fine night, would you? See the elephant, so to speak?”

He wanted her to go with the stranger? Then she figured it out. Didn’t want the stranger finding out anything Pa couldn’t. If they discovered something, he could take credit later. She half sighed as that odd feeling welled up in her chest again. She had seen the elephant more than she liked with Pa, but—and this was the odd part—seeing it seemed a mite appealing with the stranger at her side. Or maybe she was just weary with being safe. Be better if the elephant turned out to be a griffin though.

“You can take Delphine,” Everly said.

He meant the horse—the man formerly known as Tobias Smith presumed—since he’d already agreed to let his daughter ride off into the night with a stranger.

“Joe” hadn’t meant to ask the question, then told himself it was a test, since the words were out there and couldn’t be taken back—cause he was ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure the boy was a girl. One thing he’d got right was Everly’s total lack of common sense, which was why he shouldn’t have asked the question. Clear as day Everly didn’t want to go racketing around in the dark, but didn’t mind if the girl rode along, just in case there was something to find.

“Joe” wanted to shake his head or shake them both—not feel a spurt of pleasure at the thought of spending time with the girl. He hadn’t been thinking right since he’d spotted the medicine show wagon leaving Alpine and heading in the direction of Paisano Pass. He’d figured he’d pause just long enough for courtesy and then ride on by. He was a mite sensitive about grifters after getting caught in the net of one of the worst in several galaxies. And then Everly’s “son” lifted her chin and he caught sight of those big, blue eyes. His polite refusal turned into a yes that dismayed her almost as much as it did him.

Do no harm was the creed he lived by in this place, in this time—nothing in the creed about rescuing a damsel in distress, in particular a damsel who didn’t seem to know she was in distress.

The girl was the opposite of Olivia, which was a relief. A greyhound lean, strawberry blonde who was not that good at being a boy and who had, at first, looked to be a bit on the cowed side. And then she set her chin his way and he knew that all the life hadn’t been stamped out of her. That the traces of red in her hair weren’t for show. The hint of defiance might have reminded him of Olivia—and sent him on his way—but where Olivia’s eyes had dismissed him with more than a hint of scorn, this waif’s…didn’t. She was curious like a woman about him but—and this wasn’t a surprise since she’d been a boy a while—she didn’t have a clue what to do about it.

He felt some sympathy for her. And more for himself. He’d thought he was done with women. Seemed he wasn’t, quite, but he was bad news for her or any woman, which was why he usually kept his distance. Do no harm. Of course, her father was worse than bad news—if he’d done the math right on how long Everly had had the girl traveling about being a boy. He’d shared their life story the first night, some of which might have been the truth, all about his broken heart and taking to the road to forget.

“Joe” knew more than he wanted to about broken hearts, and Everly’s wasn’t that broke. Might be a bit dented, but Everly was too in love with himself for real grief. If he’d been half the man he should have been, he’d have sucked it up for his daughter, given her the life she was supposed to have. Not this.

No place for a woman with only one crazy old man as protection, but it wasn’t a bad place for a man alone, one who needed to forget. The Paisano Plateau had a sort of raw, bleak beauty that matched the raw, bleak places inside him. During the day, the sky was as blue as the girl’s eyes, at night a blanket of stars lay over the land, giving the illusion of safety, of being invisible. As if to belie the thought, a coyote loosed a long, lonesome howl in the distance.

Empty had a whole new meaning in a place like this.

He studied the ghost lights, torn about his reason for riding this way.

He’d been down by the Rio Grande, a sentimental trip he shouldn’t have taken, when he heard someone talking about the ghost lights outside Marfa. He’d recalled wondering about them when he’d been here in the 1940’s. He knew that when large time events happened, traces of the disruptions could show up in odd ways any where and sometimes any when. Were these lights the traces of time cleaning up after that intergalactic grifter he wanted to forget or remnants of the disruption that took him to the 1940’s?

He’d had a chance to get back to his own galaxy, though no way to make it to his own time, so he’d passed on it, thinking here would do. Less chance of running into someone he’d pissed off. He knew it fairly well, since he’d been in and out of it more than was right. And truth was, the shorter life spans of this time had some appeal to someone whose life had been unnaturally stretched by the time travel. Didn’t want to live that long with his memories of what he’d lost, what he’d done against his will. He might have gone looking for trouble that would speed that demise when he headed for Texas. And then he found himself near the last place he’d seen Olivia—knowing that she was just ahead of him in time somewhere—and well, he knew it had been a mistake to stay here.

You can’t have what was never yours.

It was the one thing he’d done right. It gave him a little peace knowing that. That he’d cared enough to let her go. Didn’t much matter when he went after this, or where, as long as it was far from the temptation to look her up…unless…his gaze slanted back to the girl saddling her mount. Could rescuing a damsel in distress rescue him? His mind called him delusional, but his gut said…maybe…

Everly fussed around both horse and girl, giving the illusion of helping without doing it. “You’ll be back by sunrise,” he directed.

Had he processed the fact he planned to send his daughter off with a man he’d known for only three days?

“Of course, Pa.” Her voice was low, pitched to be plausible for a boy, a fact the vulnerable nape of her neck disputed. Strands of blond hair, lifted by the breeze, caressed skin turned to milk in the moonlight.

“I’ll look after the…boy.” Hard to get that word out when she slung a long leg over her horse, settled into the saddle with an instinctive, feminine wriggle.

She slanted a look at him that seemed to say she could take care of herself and he’d best not forget it. He almost smiled. Couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled, let alone almost smiled. She had guts, which brought him full circle to—she deserved better.

He might not be what most would term better, but looking around this place? He kicked his horse into a slow jog down the trail after hers. He was all there was.

They rode in silence, passing through deep shadow, before emerging into almost bright-as-day moonlight as the horses picked a path through a dry wash in the general direction of the moving lights. When they were distant enough from the camp that Everly couldn’t hear them, “Joe” kicked his horse to a jog that put him next to the girl. Felt her struggle against looking, waited until she gave in, before he spoke.

“You shouldn’t be out here.”

That lifted her chin and her brows. “And where should I be?”

She might have meant to sound defiant or even indifferent. She didn’t manage either. The tone did edge into provocative. Seemed to be some female left in there.

“Back East. Somewhere safer, for sure.” She opened her mouth to object, so he cut in, “You’re not a boy.”

She looked more resigned than surprised, though she shot back quick enough, “And you’re not a Joe.”

He grinned, surprising them both. “True enough. How did you—”

“You look nothing like a Joe.”

She tried to be irate but failed at that, too, when a grin twitched the edges of a mouth that looked like it needed kissing. As if she felt his interest in getting up close and personal with her mouth, the lower lip pouted an invitation that her brain might not recognize as one. Maybe he should pass on the ghost lights and where they might take him—but if they turned back now they wouldn’t be alone. Going forward seemed the better option for now and truth was, the chances of the ghost lights doing anything but taunting him with false hope were slim.

“What do I look like?” It was an opening she could use to slay him if she were inclined that way, but if she didn’t, maybe she’d come up with a name he could live with. He’d tried out a bunch of them since he left Smith behind with the broken remains of the crate he’d landed in. And Galfrioni? Well, it might have worked in another time, another galaxy, but here? It would just get him shot.

That brought her big-eyed gaze full bore his way. She took her time, studying him from top to bottom, seemed like she enjoyed the looking because she sure didn’t hurry either direction. Her head tilted the other direction and she did the top-to-toe examination again, maybe even slower than before. He liked that she didn’t hurry, found it an encouraging development. Another thing he could like about this time, or at least this place in this time, courting could happen as fast as it needed to. If she didn’t want him, he could find out and move on with only his pride dented a little this time. Her gaze found his and something stirred in the ashes of his heart. Yeah, he needed to move fast. Didn’t need to have it cracked twice, that was for sure.

“Chance. You look like a Chance.”

She hadn’t gone for the jugular, another encouraging development. The name fit better than his boots—or his grandiose Garradian moniker—and the words with the name were apt, too, though she didn’t know it yet. He was her chance and she, well, she might be his chance, too.

“Clever—” He stopped as he realized, “Your Pa never said your name.”

She might have hesitated, or just paused to give him a look.

“Analisse.” She hid shy in a very female sniff, her cute little nose lifting a bit, but not so much she lost sight of him. “I suppose you don’t use your real name because you’re wanted by the law.”

Didn’t sound like it bothered her. He grinned again. A new record. “Not by the law—” In this time, anyway. “Just…private.”

“Pa says the same thing—after he shares our life story with everyone who comes by.” Her tone hovered between rueful and annoyed.

“Analisse. I like it.” It suited who she should be.

“My Ma used to call me Ani.” She eased it out like it was information, not an offer, though she might be persuaded otherwise.

“Ani.” He’d never been one for a lot of persuading, continued before she could pretend to object, “If you could go anywhere you wanted, where would it be?” Maybe he assumed facts not in evidence. Maybe she liked the life, liked being a boy. He could adapt to a lot of things, but wasn’t sure about a traveling medicine show, though—she shifted giving him a glimpse of her shape as the round circle of the moon backlit her—there’d be compensations.

“Anywhere?” Her gaze turned dreamy in the moonlight. “I’d probably go home. Put on a dress, see if I could stand it.”

Her smile was unexpected, mischievous and loaded with charm. Animated her face from fine to beautiful. Had she been given the chance, she’d have had no trouble snaring a husband.

The wind went from merely persistent to a hearty gust. Delphine whinnied a bit and tried to turn off the trail toward what looked like a tumble of rocks.

Ani held her mount in, though she didn’t turn her back to the trail. “Probably a tinaja close by. We can water the horses there.”

It was a chance to talk, to find out what she wanted from life. He felt his horse shift under him, trying to turn, too. He let the animal have his head, pondered doing the same for himself. Do no harm. What if he could do some good for both of them?

Moonlight bathed the rocky enclosure, deepening the shadows, though the tinaja gleamed where it formed a rock pool. She started to dismount, not averse to taking a drink, too, but Chance was there next to her, his big hands circling her waist and lifting her clear of Delphine like she was a baby or something.

A brief sense of soaring through the cool air didn’t end when she landed at his feet. With the horse at her back, the big man fencing her in, she should have felt worried, scared even. They were so close she almost brushed against him when she breathed. Not that she could breathe. All of her felt caught, not just by the hands at her waist, but by emotion welling up from a place so deep inside, she hadn’t known it was there. Was this how her Ma felt about her Pa? This wild, reckless yearning that dried her throat and sent her heart a racing? She should have been terrified. An odd time to realize this was the safest she’d felt since Ma passed.

His hand, his big man hand, drifted up to brush against her cheek, his touch light—though the skin had been roughened by work—and mighty gentle. Was this what it meant, to take the rough with the smooth?

“Have you ever been kissed, Ani?”

She shook her head. No reason to lie. He had to know she hadn’t. His hand slid across her face, across skin that heated at the touch, and around the back of her head, pushing her cap off on the way, then it found purchase on the back of her neck, his fingers threading into her hair, turning her soft like mush. She’d have dropped at his feet, but the hand at her waist kept her up. Gentle pressure changed the angle of her head, perhaps as a prelude to a kiss, because a man didn’t ask unless he meant to do, did he?

She should stop him. She may not know much, but she knew that. Only…she was twenty-eight years old. A spinster who’d never been kissed. So she waited, hoping, still not breathing, as his mouth made a slow approach. Guess he wanted her to know she could stop him anytime she wanted. She wanted all right, she wanted for him not to stop, and she wanted something she didn’t know how to name, something that twisted her insides in a way that felt sort of good, sort of scary.

The first touch of his mouth against hers was gentle, like his hand had been. Felt like he tasted, maybe explored a bit, then firmed. Rough and smooth again. Felt the quiver of it in her stomach and right down to her toes. She sighed into it, into him, but didn’t know how to tell him she needed more—

His other arm slid all the way around her back, drawing her in against the hard wall of his man body, one so different from hers. She’d known men were different, but she hadn’t known how different until she relaxed against him. He didn’t push or force, just…invited her in. She accepted, pushing up on her toes, her hands inching around his back in tentative exploration. Muscles rippled under her hands, the skin warm through his shirt.

Something strange and scary and wonderful spiraled up and up inside her, like setting a horse free on a long stretch of desert. Faster and faster and then, slowly at first, he reined them in, though they were both still breathing faster when he lifted his head. She’d have died on the spot if he’d stepped back, but he didn’t. He held her like he knew she needed it.

A shudder lanced through him. Did she do that to him? She explored the line of a muscle on his back and he shuddered again. She smiled at the power of it. “Now I’ve been kissed.”

“You’re long overdue.”

She leaned back, glared at him. “Is that why you did it? Cause you felt sorry for me?”

“Sorry for you? Feel sorry for me. This is the second time I’ve had my brains scrambled by a woman.”

Ani felt a pang, one not as nice as the other feelings. “Who was she?” Did he love her? Did she care? Not clear. It was the coming in second that stung, though what did she expect? A declaration of marriage? She was a spinster in boy clothes. Helped some to know she’d scrambled his brains.

He eased away some more, rubbed his hand across his hair, looking almost flustered. She felt cold. Had she always been cold and not known it? She leaned against Delphine, feeling the need for something at her back.

“Someone from my past. My distant past.” He rubbed his face now. “Can’t believe I brought her up. Even I know that’s lame.”

Lame? Odd, but she got the meaning, felt her power—her female power—to her toes. Ma had told her women had it. She thought she didn’t get any. Didn’t mind being wrong. He looked almost vulnerable, or maybe just worried, when he shifted, spilling some moonlight across one side of his face. He seemed to gather himself in, maybe braced a bit. Did he think she’d make a scene because he kissed her?

“I should have waited, but you looked fine in the moonlight, Ani.” He half reached out to her, stopped. “Meant to wait and ask before I kissed you. If you said yes, I mean.” He stopped, rubbed his face again and looked at her, with lots of sober in it. “You deserve better than what your Pa’s given you. You deserve better than me, but I seem to be it. This place, you know people make up their minds fast, because there isn’t much time, and your choices are limited. You don’t have to decide now, but I’m declaring so you can think about it until we get to Marfa. Figure out what you want. Decide if you want different from what you have.”

Her first proposal. At least, “You’re offering to marry me?” He nodded. So it was her first. Probably her last. He was right, only offer she was likely to get out here or anywhere. She saw her Pa clear enough to know he was not going to do what was best for her, but she hadn’t had a choice. Until now. “I’m twenty-eight.” Her chin lifted. Not many men would take on a woman her age, lessen they had kids that needed a Ma.

He didn’t look away or flinch. Just nodded like it didn’t matter. “I’ll deal fairly with you, I give you my word.”

It was sudden, but she’d seen faster courtships wandering around the west, a few after several doses of Pa’s elixir. At least he wasn’t drunk. Out here, she’d had to learn to judge fast, and hopefully judge fair. See real, as her Ma had said. Hard to know if she saw him as he was, with her heart pounding, no way to know unless she took a chance. She could continue with her Pa, with how things were, continue going nowhere until Pa passed and she had nothing or she could take a chance. Almost like his name was the answer. Take a Chance.

“Your word’s fine.” She swallowed dry, wishing she’d had time to drink some water, too, so she’d sound less scared. “I’d be pleased to accept.” The moment the words were out, she wanted to call them back—and then he smiled, some tenderness in it, and she didn’t want to call them back. She wanted another kiss, though she held out her hand to shake on what felt like a bargain.

He took the hand, leaned close, his mouth briefly touching hers. Too briefly. Maybe she looked disappointed. “Better not kiss too much until we tie the knot. You’re a serious temptation, Ani. I’m grateful for your trust. Wouldn’t want to abuse it.”

A temptation? The words were fine, the way he said them better than fine.

“I’ll ask your Pa when we get back. Like to do it when we get to Marfa, if that’s acceptable.”

“No reason to wait.”

His eyes glittered out of the dark, and she knew, though she didn’t know how, that he wanted her. Not that she was clear on what that meant, without a Ma to explain things, but she felt it coming from him. Neither had had time to fall in love, and maybe they never would, but wanting was, she hoped, the prelude to being friends at least. She could use a friend, especially one who thought she deserved better.

Off to their right, the ghost lights flashed, or maybe it was a storm starting up in the distance. The ghost lights didn’t usually flash like that. The air crackled like a storm, but out here that didn’t always mean rain was coming. Sometimes the lightning came without the rain, as if taunting them with the promise of water it had no intention of delivering. If there was rain, could make the washes at risk of flash flooding. They should probably move out of this draw. Another surge of something, something new in the air made Chance stiffen like the horses when a coyote was near. Lightning flashed, close and bright enough to blind her for a few seconds and when she could see again, she saw something on the rise, something that hadn’t been there before, something that gleamed like metal and had two red circles where eyes might be.

“What’s that?” She shifted closer to Chance, as unease made a cold path down her back.

He turned—felt like he turned to stone next to her. “It’s an automaton.”

Chance stared at the automaton, as his focus shifted from romance to defense in the space between one breath and another. Not for the first time, he missed his ray-based weapon. It could be taken down with his Colt .45, if all six shots hit their mark—tough to do in this light—and that assumed it was alone. He’d have to let it get closer, though it was odd it hadn’t moved. Maybe it hadn’t seen them yet. Had to have been a reality shift. Not just the ’ton had changed. The moon was lower and the temperature was higher.

He needed to get Ani safe, but how? He couldn’t send her back to her Pa. He might not be where they left him, if he existed in this reality. He looked down toward the valley. The ghost lights had settled some, and twinkling in the distance were fixed lights that had to be Marfa. Once she got clear of the foothills, it was a straight, fairly easy ride across the desert. She could be there by morning.

He bent and grabbed her cap—she’d need it when the sun rose—pulled out a roll of money and shoved both into her hands.

“Chance—” She began, though she had sense enough to keep her voice down.

Before she could finish, he lifted her onto Delphine’s back, handed her the reins. “That’s our stake, Ani. Keep it safe until I come. Ride for Marfa.”

“My Pa—”

“We’re not where we were. The lights, they did something to time. He could be anywhere. Ride for Marfa. Check into the Paisano Hotel.” If it existed in this reality. “I’ll follow you there when I’m sure its safe.” If I can.

Maybe she sensed the qualifier, maybe that’s what distracted her from the rest of what he’d said. When she had time to consider it, what would she make of it?

“I’ve been more boy than girl. I can help.”

The words warmed him. “This creature isn’t something you should mess with. Ride to safety. Do this for me, please.” He had to be honest. “If I don’t come in a couple of days use the money to go home. To live your life. Let your Pa live his. Just…live. Be happy.” He pulled her down, pressed a hard kiss on her mouth, then stepped back. He glanced back, but the ’ton hadn’t moved. He almost straddled his horse to go with her, but if it were after him, he’d suck her into his nightmare. He had to be sure this wasn’t about him. “Trust me.”

After a pause, she nodded, though with obvious reluctance. “Make sure you come. I’d like fine to be your wife, Chance.” She stuffed the money down her shirt, pulled on her cap, turned herself and her mount in the direction of Marfa, and kicked her horse away from the ’ton, toward the valley. Too soon the darkness swallowed the sight of her. He secured his horse, close to water and food, then turned back to the ’ton, from the temptation to ride after her. He would follow her when it was safe or die here. He was not going back into hell. It hadn’t moved, though the eyes still glowed red. The ghost lights were quiet, too. No way to know if the pulsing was regular or not, or what would happen to him, to Ani, if they pulsed again. He shifted sideways, moving at an angle from the ’ton, trying to feel a change coming or sense this reality going unstable, a skill he’d learned passing through a bunch of them, as he scrambled over the tumble of rocks around the tinaja. If the ’ton had motion sensing capability, it wasn’t working.

He clambered over the last fall of rock, then ghosted down the small wash, choosing an angle that would bring him behind the automaton at what he hoped was a safe distance. It stood in full moonlight on the rise, so he’d know if it moved—Chance stopped. Something odd about its head. Curious, he eased closer, pausing at intervals in case it reacted—the back of the automaton’s head was open, a tangle of wires trailing out the opening.

What the—he climbed up on a tumble of rocks next to it, coming at it from the side just in time to see the eyes pulse bright, fade, pulse again, then fade to dark. He moved in, walked around it, still careful, but almost certain it was disabled. Questions swirled in his head, but did he care about the how and why? He could follow Ani—his thoughts fragmented again.

An airship.

Silent like the automaton, not even a hiss of steam coming from it, it squatted on the trail they’d passed on their way to the tinaja. He frowned. Airships existed in many realities, but as far as he knew, automatons existed only in one place—and in fiction. If trouble was incoming from his past—well his past was actually his future—he didn’t want to lead it to Ani. The deep silence made his senses twitch with all kinds of warnings he knew better than to ignore.

Soundless, Colt .45 ready, he approached the silent airship, circled it twice before slipping aboard. He paused at the prow to process the quiet, letting his instincts lead. The envelope creaked as a small breeze whispered the length, but nothing else broke the silence. So why did he sense he wasn’t alone?

Could be getting paranoid, though he had good reasons for it.

He used the engine house to cover his back as he drifted along the length. It wasn’t exactly like the others he’d seen. This one was longer, seemed to have some seating—the feel of a cold barrel against the back of his head confirmed his gut, though he’d have preferred to find out he was right from the other end of the weapon.

Ani spent the first hour of the ride trying hard not to think about what she’d seen, what Chance had said. But as the moon climbed—again—not thinking got harder and harder to manage.

We’re not where we were. The lights, they did something to time.

She’d write him off as crazy, but for the moon. And the feel of the night air, it was different from how it had been when they left the camp. And that thing. And the way it had felt before things…changed.

Could be dreaming, which would be a pity, cause then she wouldn’t have her first ever proposal. Or the faint hope of an actual wedding. She touched her chest, where she’d shoved the bills into the corset that helped flatten her chest. The thought of it did help—if it were real. It felt real. Could she dream—or even imagine a kiss like that? Warmed her up nice even now, just thinking about that kiss. Course, thinking about that thing killed warm. If she was dreaming, it was a powerful clear dream. Didn’t seem to be waking up if she were asleep.

Should probably worry more about Pa, but he hadn’t exactly put himself out for her. He’d sent her off into the night with Chance and then most likely gone to sleep—after imbibing some of his elixir for his aches and pains. She’d wait the couple of days for Chance, but if he didn’t show, if he couldn’t show, she’d take the chance he’d offered and take the train east. Pa might waste a few days looking for her, but then he’d make his way to Marfa. She’d want to be gone before he got there. Be better for her if his “son” was lost in the desert.

Instead of the hotel, she’d go to Angelica. She’d been kind to them last year, might even suspect Ani was a girl. Could help her get some proper clothes. Pa’d never suspect that. Angelica could take a note to the hotel for Chance, tell him where to find her. Or her Roberto could. They both worked at the hotel, though Roberto dreamed of working for the railroad. He did like steam engines and such. Be easy for either of them to leave the note in a way that no one would know where it came from, just in case Pa got the notion to ask a few questions. Was it wrong to hope Chance did come? Cause she did, she hoped something fierce.

Hope. Been a long time since she’d felt it.

The angle of the barrel, the feel of the air, told Chance the assailant was above him, crouched on the steering platform. An awkward angle. He should have kept his distance.

“Give me a good reason not to pull the trigger right now.” The voice was familiar—and not.

Ani? Made sense there’d be another of her in a new reality, though it always felt strange when it happened, stranger now that he was engaged to his version. He made his turn with less than the lethal force he’d originally planned, knocking the barrel up and pulling her down from her perch where she hung in his hold, struggling like a wild thing.

“Let me go!”

Didn’t see the point of holding her when he had her gun, so he did. She staggered a few feet, then faced him, all of her on defense. This Ani wore a dress and her hair had probably been up before he grabbed her. Now it hung to one side in an untidy, blonde mass. So this was how his Ani would look in a dress, as a woman. Had a few more curves than his—or Ani’d done something to minimize them. The idea intrigued—and gave him another reason to survive and make it to Marfa to claim his bride.

“I’m not going back!”

That got his mind back in the moment. “Back? To Marfa?”

“Where else? You can tell your boss I’m not marrying him no matter what he does!”

The hairs on the back of his neck lifted. There’d been no sign of any man in Ani’s life in the other reality, but then she’d been dressed as a boy. “Where’s your Pa?”

“My Pa?” Her brows rose. “My father is, well, he’s in Marfa and, as you well know, perfectly happy to let me pay his gambling debts.”

Now the hairs went on high alert. “Who is this boss?” He smelled trouble incoming. Her brows arched higher. “Let’s pretend I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She huffed out a sigh, half glanced around like she expected someone. “Doc Smith, of course. He runs Marfa since he got control of the ’tons.”

Smith. He tried not to jerk at the name. It was a common one on Earth. Didn’t mean it was his Smith. Or even the ancestor of his Smith. But he was someone willing to force a woman into marriage.

And he’d just sent Ani—this one’s twin—right to him.

Chance opened his mouth to tell this version of Analisse that he had to leave, but they both heard the sound of a horse approaching at a fair pace. She tensed and he for sure tensed. Was this his Ani returning or the person Analisse expected?

“Analisse?” It sounded like Everly. Chance shifted into the shadows.

Her shoulders slumped a bit, but her chin set in a way that reminded him of his Ani. “Please—” She cut off the rest of what she’d intended to ask, when Everly rode into sight and pulled his horse to a stop.

“This was a foolish move, girl. All you’ve done is put Roberto in danger, too.”

“What do you mean?” She tried to sound tough, but her voice quivered.

“He’s not coming. Doc knows about him. Had him arrested. He’s going to hang him in the morning if you don’t come back.”

“If I don’t marry him, you mean.”

Everly shifted and looked away.

“He’ll kill him if you do marry him,” Chance said, stepping out of the shadows weapons ready. Didn’t matter if this was his Smith or a version, anyone who forced marriage on a woman wouldn’t keep his word.

Everly jumped, making his horse skitter sideways.

“Do you think I don’t know that,” she snapped, shoving her hair back. “But I have to try—”

“That’s wise—”

“I can help,” Chance cut Everly off. If he was in the business of rescuing damsels, he couldn’t draw the line at just one, particularly when he suspected this one and had put his in the cross hairs of her problem.

“Why would you help us?”

“You remind me of someone I know.” If he were lucky, he’d save both damsels and settle a score, maybe get to be the hero instead of the bad guy.

Hope kept her upright in the saddle for the long, silent ride through the night. The ghost lights, the arrangement of the mountains, and the lights from the Marfa settlement kept her on course until she ran on to the railroad tracks. She followed them after that, half dozing in the saddle. She saw the windmills first, helped by the rim of sun topping the mountains at her back. Ani reined in Delphine and considered. The one thing she couldn’t do was ride the horse into town. Pa’d know his own horse, probably better than he knew his daughter. She slipped to the ground, took her canteen and had a drink, tied it back to the saddle. She resisted the urge to loop the reins around the saddle horn, instead let them trail and slapped Delphine on the backside. Felt almost put upon when the horse trotted off without a backward look. Ani angled away from the tracks now, heading for the side of town where Angelica lived.

We’re not where we were. The lights, they did something to time.

The feeling of danger she’d sensed in the wash, it rose again, chilling her insides. What if Angelica wasn’t here? Or was that different, too?

She pulled the cap down so it shadowed her face, slowed her walk as she passed the first of the windmills that pulled water from the ground for the town. There were some signs of stirring, of day’s beginning for some folks. She passed into the shadow cast by the first adobe, moving quiet as she knew how, though trying not to look like she was creeping or anything.

The adobes were closer together here, made it easier to stay hid. She was glad for those shadows, though she didn’t know why. Pa would tell her that her imagination was getting the better of her. And maybe it was, but this time Marfa didn’t feel as peaceful-like. The few people she glimpsed looked sullen and fearful. She stopped, leaned against a corner like she had nothing better to do and studied the adobe that should be Angelica’s, then the area around it. Saw someone lurking in the shadows across from it. Red eyes gleamed out of those shadows.

It’s an automaton.

Whatever an automaton was, it had turned Chance from lover to hunter in the time it took her to blink. Heard a grinding noise—and the thing moved into the light. It wore the clothes of a cowboy jeans, cotton shirt, chaps, hat and guns, all dark and kind of sinister looking. Moved with a jerky precision that should have been silly, but wasn’t. It was like he was a copy of the hired guns they’d run into every now and again—run ins that always ended with Pa giving them some of their earnings and free samples of elixir. Pa called it the cost of doing business where the arm of the law didn’t reach, buying protection. Pa didn’t like buying anything that didn’t earn him a profit but a gun to the head was mighty persuasive.

He approached the door to Angelica’s hut, banged it once, then again. It swung open and she stood in the opening, her hands on her hips. She looked the same, brown skinned, her dark hair twisted into a knot on the back of her head, her dark eyes flashing defiance, though the thing topped her by a considerable bit.

It didn’t speak. Did gesture for her to come out. She pulled her shawl more tightly around her, tossed her head, then stalked out, slamming the door behind her. She set off in the direction of the courthouse, the main street of Marfa, her skirts swishing with her anger, that thing clunking behind her. There was a chugging, like a train incoming, but it came from above. A shadow passed overhead, drawing her gaze. Above her, a strange flying machine passed by, no, several of them, like a flying train, only with strange bloated tops and their bows like ships, plumes of smoke streaming back from each of them, not just the lead one. It turned in the direction of the train depot.

We’re not where we were. The lights, they did something to time.

After a brief hesitation, Ani followed, not sure why she felt the need, because she wanted to flee, not just Marfa, but to Chance, back to the tinaja, back to where she belonged.

Something hung over the settlement, hung thick over it, something not happy or good. And with the rising sun, came the sounds of a commotion of some kind, but it wasn’t until she crept close to the square that she saw the gallows. She did not want to see a hanging. Giving in to the urge to flee, she turned, just as more dark shadows fell across her. Only this time, it wasn’t a flying train, but two of the automatons.

“How did you take down the ’ton?” Chance asked Miss Everly, raising his voice to be heard over the chug of the airship engine. Calling her that helped separate her from his Ani—and she’d insisted on it, much to his amusement. Clearly her life had been different from Ani’s, though her father was still a nightmare, since he was willing to force her into marriage to settle a gambling debt.

They’d tied him up in the engine room, and then launched the airship, since they needed to reach Marfa before dawn. Thankfully this one traveled at a good speed. They should reach Marfa shortly after Ani, hopefully in time to keep her from being mistaken for Miss Everly. She’d briefed him on the layout of the town and the nature of the opposition. A ’ton outlaw gang was a new twist.

“Roberto told me about the flaw in the design. Doc doesn’t know about it, or he’d have killed Roberto before now.”

“Flaw?” Flaws were good. Flaws in automatons even better.

“The latch on the back of their heads is weak. You just bang it real hard, it opens, then all you need to do is grab a handful of wires and pull. The trick is reaching the head, cause they’re tall and if you don’t get it right the first time, well, the ’ton has time to turn around. I stood on a rock and just banged him as he went by, but that ’ton isn’t too bright. My father bought it before Doc came or he’d not have had it. Now no one gets a ’ton unless Doc says so.”

This one talked a bit more than his Ani, her accent more refined.

“Doc Smith.” Chance hesitated, but he’d put the question off, not sure he wanted to know. Now he needed to know. “Is he a big man? Ugly? Compelling eyes and plumy voice?”

“I thought you said you hadn’t met him?” She started to puff up again.

“I was hoping it wasn’t the same man.” Or hoping it was? He needed to be careful, keep his thoughts cool, focused. If he let his anger loose, his longing for revenge off the leash—could be bad for Ani. This was a rescue mission. And if he got a chance for some closure, well, he wouldn’t say no.

She subsided some, though retained an air of suspicion. He mulled telling her more, but she wouldn’t believe him. He didn’t believe this most of the time and he’d lived it.

“There it is,” she said, her voice tightening with tension.

The sun was more than a bit above the mountains behind them, the light creeping across the desert toward Marfa. Still too murky to spot Ani. Hopefully she’d made it to the hotel by now. Above the settlement, an airship train chugged toward what was supposed to be a train depot. It was an odd sight, even factoring in all the odd he’d seen. Looked like they’d connected about ten airships, as if the notion of a train persisted but with a twist. It was fortuitous though. He steered them toward the rear, not coming down until they’d cleared the windmills that provided water for Marfa, and followed it in, using it to get the lay of the land below.

“They’re prepping the gallows.” Her voice broke a bit. She looked at him, hope and despair warring for supremacy in her eyes. “Looks like he’s got all his ’tons on duty, too.”

Chance eased their airship down a short piece from the depot and shut the engine off. “If you told folks how to take down the ’tons, would they do it?” It would be a good diversion and even the odds a bit. “Anyone you can trust to fight back?”

“Everyone hates him, even the men who’d usually help him, since he replaced them with ’tons. Don’t have to pay them, you see.” She frowned. “Roberto’s got friends. If they knew they could take on the ’tons and win,” she paused, then nodded with determination, “whole town would be against him.”

“Then go, talk to them. Stay out of sight as much as possible. Here,” He pulled off his long coat and tossed it at her. “Cover up or you won’t make it four feet.”

“What are you going to do?” she asked, as she pulled on the coat, tucking her wayward hair under the collar.

He’d check at the hotel for Ani, but, “Best way to kill a snake is to lop its head off.”

“You’re going to take on Doc?” She sounded incredulous. “Good luck with that.” Her look said nice knowing you as she went over the side like a pro.

“Miss Everly?” She looked back, her brows raised. “I’ll need that diversion before they start the hanging.” She paled but nodded and disappeared into the shadows by the depot.

If Ani was safe at the hotel, he put their future at risk with this move on Smith. It was a tough gig, being the good guy. And it was a bad time to remember that every time he’d taken on Smith, he’d lost.

A night that started with her first proposal should not have concluded by getting snatched by automatons, though at least she kinda knew what they were now. Kinda. The two metal men lifted her feet off the ground and swept her forward, right into the people milling around the gallows like a bunch of cowed ghouls. While she’d like to believe it was a bad dream, the unforgiving grip of their metal hands felt too real. And she didn’t seem able to wake up, though that didn’t stop her trying.

The crowd—funny how a gallows attracted the whole boodle even in a little town like Marfa—parted at their approach, all of them avoiding looking directly at her. Some she recognized from previous years, some she didn’t. She’d liked to blame them for ignoring her plight but the automatons were big. They were metal. They had guns. She’d have probably looked away, too. The metal men most likely explained why no one looked happy and a lot of them looked scared. Kind of seemed like they’d been herded to the square for the hanging, now that she considered it. But who was supposed to swing?

Didn’t seem to be an obvious candidate, when she looked around, as much as she could what with the jarring gait of the metal men rattling her teeth. At the end of town, the big courthouse cast a long shadow down the road. Churches weren’t where they’d been, looked gone in fact, and there was a big saloon where the mercantile had been. Fancy women in their bedclothes leaned on the gaudy balcony railings. No surprise it housed a bawdy house, but the fancy women weren’t usually so bold. And the men, instead of looking interested, well, they all stared at the courthouse with what she might call a fair bit of hatred at the man waiting there.

He stood on the steps watching her and the automatons approach, clear that he thought he was a big bug. He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look unhappy neither. He wore a suit and tie, unlike most of the men gathered about, and stooped a bit around the shoulders, kinda like a vulture, now that she considered it. Had a fine mustache, the only fine thing about him. Rest of him was downright ugly. Eyes sunk back under bushy brows, beak of a nose and thin cruel mouth. He stood, one booted foot slightly forward, one thumb stuck in a pocket, the other hand holding a timepiece. When he saw her, his brows rose like he was trying to look surprised. He tucked the watch away and smiled. It was ugly, too.

“How prompt you are, my dear Analisse. I might almost call you an eager bride, despite,” his gaze traversed her person in a disconcerting manner, “the wardrobe adjustments.”

Bride? She’d kinda worried she was for the gallows. Not a relief to be wrong. She might not know much, but she did know a Bad Egg when she saw him. She’d seen his ilk in their travels, though this was the first time she’d attracted the attention of one.

“A new look for you, though please don’t take it as a complaint. It’s charmingly practical choice for your little excursion.” His voice was finer than his face, but threaded through with evil. “And I can get used to the hair until it grows back.”

Ani blinked. Silence had served her well in the past, so she kept mum and waited. He knew her name, but she didn’t know his, a mite disconcerting. He signaled to someone, prompting a scuffle that sounded like it came from the direction of the jail, then two more automatons dragged someone—no, not someone, Roberto, into view. Was he the one they planned to hang? Was that why the automaton had fetched Angelica?

The Bad Egg shifted slightly, gestured toward Roberto, the move graceful, but not in a pleasing way.

“I’m not as heartless as you seem to think I am, my dear. Conclude your little flirtation and we’ll move on to the nuptials.” His expression hardened. “Unless you’d like to swing with him.”

She might be floundering a bit on the names of the players, but she recognized the melodrama. She’d seen plenty in her travels. Eased her some to know her lines at least.

We’re not where we were. The lights, they did something to time.

If there was a Roberto and Angelica in this place, then could there be an Analisse, too? It seemed there had to be, because they’d certain sure never met. Even a Bad Egg needed to know a gal before trying to wed her. If the Bad Egg was the villain that must mean Roberto—she realized he looked a bit longing, a bit anguished even. Saw puzzled enter in when she looked at him. Spoke well of him that he could tell she wasn’t his Analisse. The Bad Egg could take lessons from him, but wouldn’t. Bad Eggs never did. She gave a tiny shrug, then turned back to the Bad Egg. Felt the waiting nature of the people behind her, one might even call it bated. The limelight was usually Pa’s, except for her brief bit of ailing and getting cured. Didn’t mean she didn’t know how it was done.

“I have to thank you for your…kind…offer, sir,” his gaze narrowed, cause she might be playing to the gallery a bit, “but I must decline on account of my previous commitment to another.”

It wasn’t a lie. She was for Chance, whether he made it to Marfa or not. The gallows made her gulp a bit, but—looking at the Bad Egg—she preferred hanging. One thing she’d learned from Pa was how long and challenging life could be with a person who didn’t give a bean what you thought about anything. At least with a hanging the pain’d be short. She hoped.

You deserve better. This wasn’t better, but if she had it to do again? If she said no and didn’t ride into the dark after the ghost lights? If she’d known it would end like this, would she have chose different? And then she thought about how he’d looked at her, how he’d kissed her, the sound of his voice when he asked her to trust him. And she knew, not only would she do it again, she might, she just might…love him. She looked at Roberto, but saw Chance. Saw him the way she’d seen him the first time, saw him the way he’d looked that last time. If he were standing there instead of Roberto? She’d be pleased to die with him. And in a way, that’s what she’d be doing.

Roberto opened his mouth but closed it again. What could he say? He had to know that no matter what Ani did or didn’t do, who she was or wasn’t, he was going to swing.

Bad Eggs always went back on their word.

The Bad Egg’s face didn’t change, in fact, he half smiled like it didn’t matter that she’d given him the muffin in front of the whole town. His eyes showed her it did, though. They chilled like the ice on a winter river. If he could have forced her, he would have. Teach him to strut his pride before the whole boodle of them.

“So be it.” His chin jerked, and the automatons dragged them both to the gallows. A wail from Angelica, a rising murmur from the people, made the other automatons around the edges move their metal hands to rest on their guns.

Roberto’s hands were bound, but no one thought to bind her hands. It gave her a smidgeon of hope, though she wasn’t certain what to do with it. She had a knife strapped to her leg, had started wearing it there when some border ruffians stole the one she wore at her waist. Knife wasn’t much use against all those gun-toting bad—automatons. Human hands took over from automatons. They were a mite big for the wooden structure.

Ani reached the top, found facing the rope loop more than a mite unsettling. Looking at her audience wasn’t much better. Never been quite so much the center of attention. Tipped her head a bit. Did it seem like a breeze or something moved through. Stiffened some spines, it seemed. The Bad Egg didn’t seem to notice, as one of the fancy girls sashayed up a cooing and a billing. The Bad Egg didn’t object. Typical. Wanted his cake and to eat it. If he thought the sight would make her fractious, well, he could think again.

Though, she considered the crowd again. A most timely distraction.

The hangman cleared his throat, and Ani realized he was waiting for her. Guess it was the polite thing to do, ladies first and all, though it didn’t feel it. Not that she wanted to watch Roberto hang. No reason to pile on the agony.

Hangman didn’t seem to want to look at her. Made it hard to get the rope over, so she did it for him. Rope felt rough, scraped her neck some, felt a bit streaked by it, which had a chilling effect on her spirits. The hangman stepped back to the lever that would drop the trap, his gaze on the Bad Egg. Ani lifted her chin. Only good advice she ever got from her Pa: show no fear.

The Bad Egg started to raise a hand.

Someone shouted and rowdy spread like greased lightning through the people. Seemed they’d been beaten down a mite to let her rip like that. Groups of folks, even the women, surrounded the automatons, taking them down with considerable enthusiasm.

“Do it,” the Bad Man yelled over the noise.

The hangman reached for the lever, but a shot rang out and the rope around her neck went slack. Another shot dropped the hangman across the lever. Ani didn’t have time to react, just dropped down, hit the ground hard enough to rattle her teeth. Started to tumble, but someone caught her arm, steadied her. She stared into eyes a match for hers. Took a longer look. Saw longer hair and a dress? Ani frowned. Was she wearing Chance’s coat?

Some shouts, sounds of scuffling overhead and then Roberto dropped through, too, almost knocking both of them down. He staggered, and the other Analisse let go of Ani and wrapped her arms around him, near choking him to death. Didn’t look like he minded much, though he couldn’t hug her with his hands still tied.

Ani sighed a bit, extracted her knife and cut him loose. Not a practical sort of girl. Her Pa—her thoughts kind of stalled out on that thought, but it felt odd to ask about him when they’d just met. Couldn’t be a whole lot of use if he was the sort to let this Analisse marry a Bad Egg. Besides, she had a more important question, though she hated to ask it of…herself.

“Where’s Chance?” He had to be here. This had the feel of a Plan. Riots didn’t accidentally start, nor did hanging ropes get fortuitously severed.

“Smith.”

The word wasn’t shouted, though it sounded clear over the chaos. Quiet spread as fast as rowdy had. Ani dragged the noose off her head, pushed her way out from under the gallows, climbed the steps again, her gaze searching for—there he was. Standing dead center in the road and looking mighty fine, mighty tough. Ani saw the Bad Egg. He looked like he’d been about to leave, since his gang of automatons all had stuff poking out of the backs of their heads. The people parted, making a path for him toward Chance, kind of blocking his escape. She’d seen a few gunfights, enough to recognize one about to happen.

Chance had seen Smith trying to slip away when the last of his ’tons went down. Miss Everly had done a fine job of marshaling a resistance. Seemed Smith had no friends in Marfa, not even with the scum class. There was a lesson there, though he’d need to ponder it later. Almost let him slither away. Ani was safe but a snake could grow a new skin and make a new set of people miserable.

Guess if a guy wanted to be a hero, he had to sometimes save more than the damsel, or even two. And if he were honest, which he tried to be these days, he might get a bit of closure from taking this Smith down, even if he wasn’t the Smith who’d made his life hell for so long. Helped that he looked just like him.

He could admit he’d felt a bit of doubt when Ani had begun her response to Smith’s “proposal.” How could he expect her to choose him over a hanging? But she did. Made a man feel proud, made him feel like he could do what was needed. Had felt something odd happen around his heart, or maybe when she put that noose over her neck. Didn’t need to tell Smith that she’d rather be dead than married to him. It was implied. Best implication he’d heard in a long while. It changed him from the inside out. If Ani didn’t doubt, then he couldn’t.

He used a long rifle to shoot the rope, didn’t feel it was an exaggeration to call it the most important shot of his life. Now he faced the second most important shot.

He had a feeling Smith was the best gun around.

Didn’t matter.

Looked into Smith’s eyes. Saw his confidence, his evil.

That didn’t matter either.

He felt…bulletproof.

Chance relaxed his shoulders, loosened his stance, wriggled his fingers a bit, though it was mostly for show. He’d been ready for this for what felt like forever.

Smith swept his coat back behind his guns, his hands out, stance alert, ready.

Chance watched his eyes. Eyes were where a draw started.

Dead silence in every direction except for faint creaking from one of the windmills. Then the small sound of a child quickly hushed. Felt the support from everyone around him. Didn’t need it. He planned to walk away with his woman.

Chance didn’t blink, didn’t look away from that cold, dead gaze. Just waited.

Saw it.

The slight shift to the right.

Gun was in his hand, trigger pulled before the thought traveled to his brain.

Smith had his gun out, too. Shots must have been close cause they sounded like one and an echo.

Something plucked at his arm. Started to sting. Ignored it. Waited.

Smith started to smile, maybe some relief in it, then the smile faltered. He swayed for two long seconds, then fell forward onto his face. Dirt puffed into the air around him as if it wanted distance from him, too.

He did a sweep for further threats. Didn’t see any. Smith had had no friends here. He holstered his .45 and went to get his woman, who had climbed back on the damn gallows.

She went down a step, then another. Hit the ground and sped up a bit.

People fell back for him, started to smile, though also a good bit of puzzled in there. Then Miss Everly and Roberto popped out from under the gallows, confusing things further. Chance didn’t mind the confusion. Just minded not having his woman in his arms.

Ani started to run, jumped when she reached him, her arms and her legs coming around him. Good reason to keep her pants, he thought, though a bit hazily as her mouth found his. For a girl who’d been kissed once, she showed a remarkable aptitude. He spun them because he could, because he had to, because he’d defeated the bad guy and got the girl. When they both needed air, he lifted his head.

“You got grazed,” she said, examining the slight wound.

“I’m fine.” He looked around. “Who does the marrying around here?”

Ani didn’t come face to face with herself again until after her wedding. And her wedding. It was a bit confusing, but at least the guys they married were different. Analisse seemed a bit fazed by it all, but then she hadn’t been in the wash and got switched out of her place. Of course, she hadn’t almost gotten hung either.

Ani might have been intimidated by the gentry talk and pretty dress, might have wondered if Chance speculated a bit about Analisse, except for the kiss. He’d shown a proper enthusiasm for it and for the wedding to a bride with a dusty face and dressed like a boy.

“I feel like I should thank you, but I don’t know what for,” Analisse said, maybe making an effort to sound friendly. Her Roberto showed a bit more enthusiasm and gratitude, but he had been on the gallows with her. It did focus the mind to almost swing.

“You going to stay in Marfa?” Ani asked, looking from one to the other. It was bold of her to marry a Mexican, but he was a fine looking boy. She glanced up at Chance, her Chance. He made Roberto seem small and young, though they were of a height. Still got a thrill remembering how coolly he’d faced down the Bad Egg, though she did intend to speak to him about putting their wedding in jeopardy twice in one day. Didn’t want him to make a habit of it.

“We will see how it goes,” Analisse said, after exchanging a look with her husband. Angelica hovered close, glowing with relief and joy.

Ani had to resist the urge to try to chat to her. She wasn’t this Angelica’s friend.

As if Chance heard or felt her uncertainty, he said, “We should go.”

“You could stay,” Analisse said, though with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. Both them looked relieved when Chance shook his head.

“We could use a ride back to where you found me,” Chance said.

Ani loved the airship ride and she and Analisse compared family notes, more relaxed now that they knew they weren’t going to be living side by side. Didn’t meet that Pa, tied up in the engine room. Didn’t want to. Bit of a shock to find out Pa had lied, that it was Ma that was gentry and Pa a gentlemen’s gentleman. Though not a total shock. He’d always had an uneasy relationship with the truth.

They reached the wash at dusk, helped along by the never-ending wind. Bit of a surprise to find Chance’s mount still there, more of shock to find Delphine there, too. Seems she’d formed a bit of a bond with her husband’s stallion.

Her husband.

She was married. Thankfully neither Analisse nor Roberto seemed inclined to draw out the leave taking. It was their wedding night, too. Ani did pause to wonder if Analisse knew what that meant, be nice to know, though Chance would most likely explain. They finally chugged away, the sound fading into the soft moan of the wind and the snuffle and stamp of the horses. Ani looked around the darkening wash, maybe felt a bit of unease, considering what happened the last time they were here.

Chance took her hand, led her to a rock big enough for them to sit side by side. A seat was nice, but she’d been hoping for a kiss. Didn’t quite know how to ask for it, though.

“We could try to stay here in this reality, but most likely it won’t work, because there’s already a version of you here. Time has a way of setting things right, so thought we’d sit a spell and see if the lights come back tonight, see if they’ll shift us back to your time. Or,” he hesitated, “a different time than this. I can’t promise we’d get home. No way to know for sure where we’d go. In my experience, it’s pretty random.”

In his experience.

“You’ve done it before.”

He nodded. “I’m not from this time, or your time, so it’s you that time will shift, taking me along for the ride.”

“Where are you from?”

He hesitated. “From the future. From another planet. In another galaxy.”

Ani blinked. It was preposterous, but she’d seen automatons and airship trains, had almost swung today. If he’d told her that before, she’d thought he was plumb crazy. Now…

“Oh.”

“It’s a long story, one I’d like to forget, leave in the past.” He clasped her hands, half turned her to face him. “I came here to forget, to die, and found a reason to live when I met you. When you faced Smith like that—I thought I was too damaged to love anyone, too dead inside. I was wrong. I know it’s soon, too soon for you to feel it, too, but I love you. If you’ll let me, I’d like to prove it to you.”

Ani’s mouth curved up at the edges, taking it slow, as she felt her woman power surge again. “You’re a fine man, Chance, a good man. When I faced the Bad Egg, when I climbed that gallows, I knew it, too. I knew I loved you and always would. That I’d have died for you on the gallows.”

His smile had been fine before, but this one lit him up like the sun coming out as he pulled her close and finally kissed her. She thought she’d been kissed before. Well, that was nothing on this one. It was like flying in the airship and galloping and the best day she ever had, all rolled into one.

“Then we’ll need to stay real close until it happens.”

“Close sounds fine to me.” She hadn’t a clue what happened next, but she was powerful curious to find out.

I hope you enjoyed these short stories. If you missed the rest of the series, start with The Key, then move on to: Girl Gone Nova, Tangled in Time, Steamrolled, and Kicking Ashe. You can find out more about these, and my other books, on my website at www.paulinebjones.com

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