Ellie groaned; rolled onto her back and drew a hand down over her face. She tried opening her eyes, saw nothing but stars and squeezed them shut again. Her chest hurt, as though a giant hand squeezed her heart. She swallowed past a throat burning with tears.
It was over.
She had landed back in her own time. From the feel of the hard wood floor beneath her, she probably laid on the broken down porch of the old hotel. The trip back to the present sure hurt a hell of a lot more than the one to 1870 Peavine.
Taking a fortifying breath, she turned to her stomach and pushed herself to her hands and knees, keeping her eyes shut so as not to get sick. That effort was futile, and she threw up what little food she had eaten at the picnic.
She refused to think of Jesse; couldn’t allow herself to mourn for him right now. If she did, she’d curl up in a ball right here and never get up. She’d become part of the ghost town; a pile of bones with no heart and no future.
The only thought she let enter her head was getting back to Reno and recovering her photography equipment. She snorted. Wouldn’t her publisher, Hartman, hit the roof if she tried to explain what happened. They’d all laugh, then send her off on a nice long assignment to the nearest sanitarium.
When she stuck her hand out, it hit something solid. She managed to crack open an eye to see the leg of the kitchen table. Using all her strength, she pulled herself upright and flopped across its smooth surface. Cracks and pops and distant light washed over her as she pried her other eye open. The fireworks must have started.
“Fireworks--” With a groan, she pushed herself upright, still leaning heavily against the table. She surveyed the darkened room, realizing she stood in Elizabeth’s kitchen. With the next boom of a sky rocket, everything came back to her -- Clayton hitting her; Carlos turning traitor; Elizabeth being here.
“Damn!” She hadn’t traveled back to her own time, which meant they hadn’t blown up the mine yet and Jesse was still alive. He had to be.
Dizzily, Ellie stumbled out the back door and began the trek to the mine. There wasn’t time to get help. She didn’t even know if Lucky or Zeke were still alive. It was happening again! No matter what they had done, they apparently couldn’t change history.
Still, she had to try to finish what they had started. At the creek, she used precious seconds to splash water on her face. Her vision cleared, although her jaw still throbbed painfully. If she had the chance, she was going to punch Clayton’s lights out.
Ellie pushed herself beyond all limits as she stumbled and clawed her way up the hill to the mine. She focused only on putting one foot in front of the other, looking neither left nor right. She couldn’t think about the dark; about Lucky and Zeke; about anything except rescuing Jesse. More than once, she had to slow down to catch her breath, but she refused to stop until she stood at the mine entrance.
Deep within the dark interior, she could hear faint voices. She peered into the gloom, heart pounding and palms sweating. A lantern lay knocked over on its side and Ellie righted it, looking around for a match. Remembering her lighter, she pulled it from her pocket and tried to use it to light the lantern. She couldn’t get even a spark.
She glanced again into the darkness, seeing a faint glimmer of light. She looked back at the lantern. If she lit it to take away the darkness, whoever was in there would know she was coming. The dark could be the only thing between her and death.
Ellie took a deep breath, closed her eyes and prayed. “Please, dear God, help me through this for Jesse’s sake.” She took a dozen tentative steps into the mine before she stopped, barely breathing as her eyes grew accustomed to the gloom.
Slowly she moved forward, putting one hand out against the cool mine wall, using it to guide her. She shuffled along, using her booted foot like a blind man’s cane -- tapping back and forth in front of her before she took a step. The illumination from the entrance faded. She swallowed, thinking only of Jesse somewhere up ahead; keeping her eyes on the pinpoint of light which flickered in the distance. She had no idea what she would do when she caught up with whoever was ahead, but instinctively knew she had to get there.
Ellie couldn’t hear any voices as she quietly approached. When the mine shaft formed a tee, she turned towards the brighter shaft, too late realizing her mistake. The lantern sat on the ground, its wavering light casting shadows on the damp walls of the mine and sending shivers up and down her spine. Standing just at the far edge of the brightness was Jesse, hands tied behind his back.
“Jesse.” She took a step toward him before she heard the voice.
“Well, well, well. It seems we can’t get rid of the Ice Lady, now can we?” Clayton’s drawl came from behind her, through the dark. A second later, he grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked. “How about a kiss, now, Ice Lady? It’s too late to save yourself for him.” Clayton laughed harshly, but when Ellie feared he would kiss her, he shoved her across the small space instead.
She stumbled against Jesse, grabbing his shirt front to steady herself. What she saw in his eyes when she looked up frightened her more than anything Clayton had done. How could she let him know she hadn’t betrayed him?
“Jesse, I--”
“Keep her quiet,” Clayton yelled as he pulled his pocket watch out of his vest. “What the devil’s keeping Carlos? He was supposed to meet us when he got the charges set.”
“Sonofabitch.” Jesse swore under his breath, just now realizing his foreman had betrayed him. As she stood so close in front of him, she could feel him twitching, and it took a minute or two for her to realize that he was trying to untie his hands. She had to find a way to help or they’d never get out alive.
“Keep an eye on those two.” Clayton pulled a pistol from his waistband and shoved it into Elizabeth’s hands. “I’m going to find Carlos.”
The instant he faded into the darkness, Ellie slid her hands around Jesse’s waist, finding the rope and blindly searching for the knot. To cover her actions, she pretended to cuddle close. When she caught his gaze, she pleaded with her eyes, keeping her voice pitched too low for Elizabeth to hear. “Jesse, you have to understand. I didn’t know--”
“Who the hell are you two?” He hissed at her, even as his fingers worked with hers to loosen the knots. His gaze darted from her to Elizabeth and back, clearly unable to understand the likeness.
Ellie glanced over to where Elizabeth paced nervously by the opening where Clayton had disappeared. A pensive frown marred her features as she observed how Ellie crowded next to Jesse, as though locked in a lover’s embrace. Ellie couldn’t begin to imagine what she thought. Right now, she could care less. She had to save Jesse and give him a reason not to think she had betrayed him.
“You said you loved me,” Ellie whispered, her fingers brushing his as she felt the knot loosen.
Jesse barked a laugh, not trying to conceal his words. “I don’t think I even know you. A week ago, I couldn’t force you -- one of you--” his gaze flickered between the two women, ”into the mouth of a cave, even after you’d been shot. Now, you come right into a mine shaft without even a lantern to guide you?” He shook his head, and Ellie couldn’t think of a way to make him understand.
Evidently Elizabeth decided that whatever game she and Clayton played needed some excitement. Ellie watched her come their way, and presumably thinking Jesse’s hands were tied and he was harmless, she shoved Ellie out of the way. Keeping the gun trained on her, Elizabeth circled Jesse’s neck with her other arm.
“Remember my sixteenth birthday, Jesse,” she crooned next to his ear, but loud enough for Ellie to overhear.
Jesse stiffened at her touch, but didn’t pull away. “I remember,” he mumbled.
Ellie’s heart broke. She didn’t know the secrets of their pasts.
“Do you remember how I let you steal a kiss under that old tree behind the church?” As though to prove her point, Elizabeth proceeded to steal a kiss from Jesse, slanting her lips across his, letting her hips slide suggestively back and forth against him.
Ellie let out a cry and stepped forward, but just as quick Elizabeth jerked back, raising the gun to point right at Ellie’s heart.
Elizabeth captured Ellie’s gaze, her eyes glowing with evil light as she proceeded to lie to Jesse. “She’s the impostor, Jesse. She and Clayton are in this together. I’ve just been waiting for the chance to free you; to get us both out of here.”
If Ellie didn’t know better, she would swear Elizabeth told the truth. Her words rang sincere because Ellie knew she was an impostor. But not when it came to loving Jesse.
Before she could protest Elizabeth’s bold move, Clayton roared back into the circle of light, grabbing Elizabeth by the shoulder and jerking her away from Jesse. “You whore! You two-timing, back stabbing--”
He never finished the sentence because Jesse, freed from the ropes, barreled into him and together the two men fell to the ground in a death grip. Fists connected with flesh; one leg kicked out and overturned the lantern.
Ellie screamed as immediate darkness enveloped her, freezing her against the wall. The struggle continued and she thought she heard Elizabeth’s harsh breathing somewhere close by, but she couldn’t focus. She knew her eyes were open, but she saw nothing. She felt on the edge of an abyss, petrified to move even a fraction of an inch, for fear she would fall into the pit and die.
A gunshot echoed up and down the mine walls, reverberating again and again inside Ellie’s head. Then, all was silent. She held her breath as a match scrapped against rock.
The sulfur flame appeared extra bright after the total darkness and Ellie couldn’t make out who held the match aloft. It flared briefly then went out. The mild curse that followed, as though he held on too long and scorched his fingers, made her smile.
Jesse was alive.
Another match flared and Ellie saw that Clayton lay not two feet from her, Elizabeth sobbing over his lifeless body. Ellie scooted back against the wall, tucking her legs close to her chest.
That was when she felt the ground vibrate beneath her. A deep rumbling began, as though a giant animal had been awakened.
“Oh, dear God, it’s started,” she choked out the words.
Again the match snuffed out; again the agonizing seconds in pitch black, the earth quaking beneath her.
When Jesse lit a third match, Ellie felt panic tightening the muscles in her chest, knowing the final moments were at hand. Elizabeth must have sensed the danger also, because at the exact same instant, she and Ellie both held a hand out to Jesse. Silently, they each begged him to choose her; to save her from the destruction they all realized was only moments away.
Ellie couldn’t fight anymore; didn’t have any ammunition to use against Elizabeth, who had known Jesse most of her life. But no matter what happened, she couldn’t leave without saying the words one last time.
“I love you, Jesse Cole. Always remember that, even when I’m not here to tell you.”
His gaze found hers in the last flair of the match, but Ellie could swear his hand reached toward Elizabeth.
“No, I won’t lose you.”
Ellie was yanked roughly to her feet as the trembling increased. She stumbled blindly along behind Jesse, heart pounding.
They didn’t go far before Jesse propped her against the mine wall. “Stay here,” he shouted above the increasingly loud roar. “I can’t leave Elizabeth.”
He turned to go back to the intersection and Ellie realized she could see him through a blue haze. As he took a step away from her, a strange blue streak appeared to shoot straight down the other shaft, the light of it almost blinding.
Immediately it was gone. Jesse stepped around the corner, but was back within seconds, his face white as a ghost.
“They’re gone,” he whispered, “disappeared; both of them.” As though to emphasize his point, a deep bellowing came to them from further down the mine shaft. The earth began shaking beneath them again.
Ellie reached for his hand, more scared than she had ever been in her life.
The physical contact seemed to bring Jesse out of his shock. He glanced back down the shaft where Elizabeth and Clayton had been only seconds before. Then, with a squeeze of her hand, Jesse took off running, pulling Ellie behind. Unerringly, he raced up one shaft and down another, all the while the ground shook beneath their feet.
Ellie didn’t have time to be frightened of the dark. She put complete faith in Jesse and hung on for dear life. A pain shot across her ribs and she grabbed her midsection.
“Wait,” she gasped.
Jesse turned, but never really stopped. He slid his arm around her waist and hugged her close to his side. “Come on, sweetheart. I don’t know what the hell’s down here, but we can’t stop now.” As if to emphasize his point, the ground swelled under their feet, the rumblings sending vibrations clear through Ellie’s body.
When they did stop, it was so abrupt Ellie almost flipped head over heels. She couldn’t fathom how Jesse could see in the dark, but he propped her against the wall, then gave her a quick kiss and didn’t even miss her lips. “Wait here just a second.”
Ellie heard gears squeak and wheels grind, but couldn’t discern what it was until Jesse grabbed her again, lifting her into some sort of large bucket. The container jiggled when he hopped in with her, and Ellie grabbed the sides.
“Hold on tight, honey, and let’s hope this headframe holds.” Ellie felt Jesse moving beside her; could almost visualize him pulling, hand over hand, slowly raising the ore bucket up through the narrow shaft.
“They must have set the charges in tunnel A. It’s a good thing we put this headframe above tunnel C. We couldn’t have made it back to the mine entrance without getting caught in the blast.” Jesse grunted in exertion and Ellie held her breath as the contraption swayed back and forth.
“I don’t know what the devil happened down there, but I hope there’s still plenty of solid rock between us and shaft A to keep the explosion contained until we get out.”
Ellie cried with delight when she saw stars above them. By the time Jesse had tied off the pulley rope, they could see dozens of lanterns bobbing up the hillside as townspeople apparently came to the rescue.
Jesse jumped out of the ore bucket and reached for her, but in her anxiety over getting out of the dark mine, she already had one leg out, and they managed to tangle in each other’s arms and go rolling down the side of the hill. Laughing and crying at the same time, Ellie let Jesse pull her to her feet and again they took off running, Jesse waving an arm and yelling for the miners to get back.
“She’s going to blow!” He shouted as an incredible roar shook the heavens. Everyone hit the ground. Jesse pulled Ellie down, covering her with his body, until the last of the rumbling died and the dust settled over them. Slowly, he let her up, and they turned toward the front of the mine.
The same eerie- blue light glowed from the mouth of the Nightingale Mine, shrank in on itself, then burgeoned out again.
“It’s happening all over,” Lucky’s awed whisper sounded directly behind Ellie. She turned and could tell by their expressions neither he nor Zeke knew if she was Elizabeth or plain Eleanor Weaver.
Thinking of only one way to convince them, she grinned as she spoke. “Damned if we didn’t do it, you old coots! We really did it!” She raised both hands in the air, palms towards them. With a hoot and a holler, Zeke and Lucky each gave her a high five.
* * *
In the aftermath of the explosion, the townspeople all said it was better than the fireworks. Then someone noticed Carlos and Clayton didn’t appear to have come to the rescue with the rest of the miners.
“Carlos is the one who set the charges in the mine, by Clayton Scott’s instructions.” Jesse told the Sheriff as questions began. “I don’t know where they are, but I will definitely press charges when you bring them to justice.” He gave Ellie’s hand a squeeze as he spoke, and she returned the gesture, for neither of them cared to explain anybody’s disappearance, nor what they had witnessed below.
The sheriff seemed satisfied with his answers, and a few at a time, the people from town drifted back down the hill, lanterns bobbing in the night.
Ellie had finally caught her breath, calmed her racing heart, and grinned mightily, knowing she had rooked history and remained in 1870 with Jesse. Her hands still shook, no doubt the result of the trauma she had endured. And now that she thought about it, a trauma which could be laid directly at the feet of one man -- the man who couldn’t follow the simplest directions and stay out of the mine for one day.
She stormed over to where Jesse now stood by Zeke and Lucky, who were congratulating themselves for a job well done. It brought back memories of her transport to Peavine.
“Damn your hide, Jesse Cole!” She screeched at him across the space. “You scared the hell out of me down there.”
“Elizabeth! You’re a lady. You shouldn’t swear.” He tossed the comment right back, but she could tell by the twinkle in his eyes he could hardly contain his laughter. That was the last straw.
Toe to toe, her pert nose lifted in righteous indignation, she gave him the truth that would take the wind out of his sails. “I’ve had it. I’m not Elizabeth, I don’t even belong here and--”
“I know.” His voice was a whisper against her temple as he settled his hands gently on her hips, pulling her closer.
“You know? How?” Ellie was really confused now. He shouldn’t have known anything; they weren’t allowed to tell him.
“It’s your smell,” Jesse said, nuzzling her neck and kissing the sensitive skin behind her ear. “I couldn’t believe two woman could look so alike, and in the dimness of the mine, at first I couldn’t tell the difference. But when you stood close to me, I knew. You’re all fresh air and sunshine.”
Ellie wasn’t convinced. “But why did you save me? I’m not your fiancée.”
“Yes, you are. I never loved Elizabeth. In that instant when I saw both of you, I realized you were the one I loved, Ellie. From the moment you dropped into my life, I felt more alive than I ever had. I wanted more, I needed more. Elizabeth never sparked the fires in me that you did.” He smiled at her, that shy, seductive smile that sent her heart racing.
He lowered his voice so only she could hear. “Besides, in those tight jeans, I’d know your cute little backside anywhere.” For a moment, he scowled. “What didn’t make sense is that you came right into the mine. I thought you were terrified of dark places.”
Ellie kissed him deeply, snuggling as close to him as she could get, wanting to make sure he understood how much he meant to her. “I’d travel to the darkest pits of hell for you, Jesse Cole. I need you in my life that much.”
“Oh, bother,” Zeke snorted. “Me and Lucky’s going down to the saloon. Won’t be back for a long spell.”
“We won’t?” Lucky asked.
Zeke smacked him with his felt hat before settling it on his head and giving his brother a shove towards town, muttering all the way. “For being ‘round as long as we have, you sure are slow some days.”
Ellie laughed before turning back to Jesse, wondering how she would make him understand what Zeke had said. Before she could form a thought, he shook his head, placing a finger over her lips.
“I don’t understand, and someday you can explain.” He paused and stared deep into her eyes, touching her very soul. “When we’re old and gray and all I can do is sit on the porch and hold your hand. But that’s an eternity away; an eternity in which I want to share your life and your dreams and give you my love every hour of every day.”
“Really? For how long?” She teased him.
“For always and forever.”