Borrowed Time (The Witches of Mingus Mountain #2)

17. Side Quest

17

SIDE QUEST

“I have an idea,” Seth said to Devynn over breakfast. He thought she seemed better today, not as tired, and if she wasn’t a vision of vim and vigor, she also didn’t appear nearly so out of sorts.

“That’s the kind of comment that usually leads to dangerous territory,” she remarked with a grin, and he couldn’t help smiling in return.

“Sometimes, sure,” he allowed, then reached for his cup of coffee and took a swallow. They’d both been up and dressed fairly early, and came into the restaurant at a little past eight.

That was part of the reason why this particular notion had occurred to him.

“When we were at the depot yesterday, I noticed the schedule they had posted on the wall. A train stops here at nine-thirty and gets to Williams a little after ten o’clock. Since that stop would be on the way to California, it just makes sense that we would go there and see if anyone remembered seeing Eliza pass through.”

Devynn looked thoughtful. Obviously, she knew there was no real reason for them to go to Williams…well, nothing except a desire to get out of Flagstaff for the day. And because their destination was so close, they could easily be back here by late this afternoon — he’d checked, and the eastbound train left Williams at five and came through Flagstaff a bit before six.

“Is there much in Williams?” she asked, her tone a little doubtful.

“I have no idea,” he said cheerfully. While the tables to either side of them were occupied, he wasn’t much worried about what they’d said so far, since neither of the “Prewitts” would have any real knowledge of the area.

Devynn picked up the biscuit she’d buttered a moment earlier and took a bite. “Well, I suppose going there would make some sense. How far is it from here?”

That, he knew, was a question she’d asked only because the woman she was pretending to be wouldn’t have the foggiest clue about the towns of northern Arizona. Devynn, on the other hand, probably knew a good deal about Williams, even if she hadn’t talked about it much. Still, the little town was close enough to Flagstaff that he guessed she must have traveled there on multiple occasions, if only to get a change of scenery.

“Not too far,” he replied. “The train ride coming back is a little longer than the one going out, for some reason, but we should still be back by six.”

“Then that sounds like a good field trip,” she said. “Good thing we got moving early today.” She paused there, and her blue eyes twinkled in amusement. “Or was that part of your plan?”

“I had no part in how early you were ready this morning,” he said calmly, and she chuckled.

“Maybe not. I suppose we’ll have to chalk it up to fate.”

That was one way of looking at things, he supposed.

For himself, he was just pleased that he’d come up with a way for them to amuse themselves today. As far as he was concerned, a day spent away from Flagstaff — and the Wilcoxes — sounded like a very good day to him.

Seth had to admit that he experienced a thrill of trepidation as he stepped onto the train, but he knew it was probably just because he’d never been on a real train before. The summer before last, he’d ridden the ore train out to Perkinsville, a small hamlet located about fifteen miles roughly northeast of Jerome, but that wasn’t quite the same thing. An hour ride out and back to a place in the middle of nowhere wasn’t anything like being in a real railway car, one outfitted with plush seats and velvet curtains with little tassels that danced and swung as the locomotive slowly chugged its way westward.

A surprising number of people were on that train, more than he’d expected. Were they also just taking a day trip, or were they continuing to San Francisco, with Flagstaff just a stop for them on a very long journey?

Since the majority of their fellow riders were dressed as nicely as he and Devynn, he had to assume they must be tourists of some sort, or possibly people heading out to the West Coast for a new life. It was sort of fun to imagine what might be taking them to California, and he grew a bit wistful then, thinking of how much more freedom of movement regular people had than those born to witch clans.

But they don’t have any magic, he reminded himself. Everything’s a trade-off.

He supposed that was true. For now, it was enough to sit here next to Devynn and feel the way her exuberant skirts brushed against his knee, since the seats where they sat weren’t quite large enough to accommodate a full bustle. As much as he would have liked to reach out and take her hand, he understood that doing so wasn’t a very good idea. No one on this train probably knew who they were — or, more to the point, who they were pretending to be — and yet they simply couldn’t take that risk.

Her gaze had been lively, interested, as they entered the train, and he guessed she’d been absorbing every detail as well, from the maroon horsehair upholstery on the seats to the rich mahogany paneling on the walls. Even though he had no idea what trains in her time were like…if they even still had them at all, since she hadn’t mentioned that form of transportation to him…he guessed they were nothing like this.

The landscape was beautiful, rolling and covered with more of the ponderosa pine forests that dominated this part of the state. Here, too, unmelted snow still lay in the more shadowy patches, although the day had turned out to be bright and clear again, with not even a hint of a cloud.

He had to hope their luck would hold and that any snowfall coming to the region wouldn’t arrive until they were long gone.

As the timetable in the depot had promised, the trip didn’t take very long. They disembarked at a depot much smaller than the one in Flagstaff, not much more than a shack with a man selling tickets and answering questions, rather than a large brick building with plenty of places to sit while you were waiting for your train to arrive.

The town itself had been built on a much smaller scale as well. Many of the buildings on Railroad Avenue looked brand-new, their pine-framed structures still raw and not yet mellowed from a few years of exposure to the weather. The reason for their newness became clear as they walked a little farther and saw the burned-out hulk of what he guessed had once been a hotel, with workmen busily tearing down the ruin.

“What happened here?” Devynn asked in an undertone.

Unfortunately, Seth knew all too well that fire was a major hazard in towns like this — Jerome had suffered several massive fires before he was born, causing the newer structures to be built with brick and stone rather than lumber.

“A big fire, I think,” he said, and pointed a little farther down the block, where a crew was building what he guessed would one day be a storefront on a vacant lot. “It happened in Jerome, too, but they rebuilt with more durable materials around the turn of the century.”

Devynn sent a worried glance around them, obviously scanning the vicinity for any eavesdroppers, but no one was close enough to really hear what they were saying. “You’d think they’d be using stone here, then, since it’s so much safer.”

Now he had to smile. “True, but when you’re surrounded by pine forests as far as the eye can see, I can understand why they might have decided to go with something a little easier — and cheaper — to get.”

She smiled, too, albeit with some reluctance. “I suppose you have a point there.”

Luckily, not so much of the town had burned that there still wasn’t plenty to see. They went into a trading post and looked at the Navajo jewelry and rugs, as well as the racks of furs and handwoven blankets, and amused themselves in the general store for a while, inspecting the various wares, some of which were familiar to Seth, and some that seemed just as foreign to him as they must to Devynn.

In fact, she bought a pair of earrings at the trading post, pretty dangles of silver and turquoise. “These don’t go with most of what I have here,” she said. “But still, I thought it would be nice to have a souvenir of our time here in northern Arizona.”

Did she have a lot of turquoise at home? He knew it had been a fad for a while — or at least, he assumed so, because he’d noticed how a lot of the female tourists who came into McAllister Mercantile were sporting turquoise brooches or bracelets or rings — but he had no idea whether the sky-hued jewelry was still in fashion in the twenty-first century.

Her entire time here she’d worn the same gold and garnet earrings and matching ring with pretty much every outfit, and he’d noticed that silver didn’t seem to be very popular in 1884. Well, even though he wouldn’t claim to know a lot about fashion, even he knew that certain pieces went in and out of style according to the whims of those who were the arbiters of such things.

The earrings were lovely, though, drops of a pure blue color that the man at the trading post said had come from the Sleeping Beauty mine near Globe, and Seth knew they’d be beautiful on her, would only enhance the clear sky hues of her eyes.

After they were done shopping, it was nearly one o’clock, definitely time to have some lunch. In their wanderings, they’d passed several saloons and restaurants, so they doubled back to the one that seemed the most appealing, a rare brick building in that row of wooden structures. Its facade had a few scorch marks, a testament to the way it had survived whatever fire had swept through the town.

And the fare seemed similar to what they’d been eating in Flagstaff — roast beef and pork chops and ham and sausage, livened a little with what the proprietor assured them was trout caught just that morning.

“You won’t get anything fresher in the Arizona territories,” he assured them, and that seemed to settle the matter.

How could they pass up a dish like that?

A good choice, too, because the trout was extremely fresh, and accompanied by rice rather than mashed potatoes or some kind of pickled vegetables.

“This is what I’m talking about,” Devynn remarked as she set down her fork and reached for the cup of hot tea near her place setting.

“What were you talking about?” Seth responded, not sure what she’d meant to say.

She smiled, a hint of a dimple flashing next to her lush mouth. “It’s just an expression. I suppose it’s a way of saying you really like something.”

He thought that was a strange way to go about it, but he knew there were probably plenty of idioms he’d have to get used to when he arrived in the twenty-first century. Most of the time, her speech sounded normal enough to him, although he had a feeling she tried to temper some of the more outrageous modern sayings just so she wouldn’t completely put him off.

Not much chance of that. Every moment he spent with her was a new adventure, and he honestly wouldn’t care if she started speaking in Swahili.

Somehow, he’d figure out a way to adapt.

And it would be even more of an adventure when they finally reached her time. He had a hard time visualizing many of the things she’d described to him, but she’d also made it sound as if Jerome hadn’t changed all that much, which he knew would help him adjust to a new century.

Was he being crazy? Was he honestly willing to give up everyone and everything he knew, just so he could spend the rest of his life with a woman he’d known for less than a month?

As he looked over at her, watched the way she broke off a piece of the roll she’d been provided with her lunch and spread some butter on it, he knew he wasn’t crazy at all.

Devynn Rowe was the kind of woman he’d happily travel through time with…no matter what happened.

After lunch, they explored the town a bit more, and spent almost an hour talking with the man who ran the barber shop on the other side of the street, as he seemed to be between clients and was all too glad to impart his knowledge to a couple of clueless Easterners.

“Oh, yep,” he said, and spread a hand to indicate the entire length of Railroad Avenue. He looked like he was probably in his mid-forties, with luxuriant fair hair he kept in check with pomade…although not so much that it completely tamed the extravagant wave that dipped down over his forehead, no doubt its own advertisement for his business. “It was an awful thing. We had a hot, dry June, and one day, a spark went up from the ironsmith down the street and the next thing we knew, the wind caught it and the fire started spreading all up and down the street. Lost two hotels and many businesses…and more than thirty houses.”

“That’s terrible,” Devynn breathed, and the man nodded.

“Yes, it was. But as you can see, we’ve recovered pretty quickly. Crews are working almost ’round the clock to get as much done as they can before winter really gets here.”

“And when do you think that will be?” Seth asked. Yes, Devynn had already made a few comments about how they could expect to get a real storm any day now, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to inquire of someone who’d lived here in Williams for decades.

After all, a lot had changed in a hundred and fifty years. For all he knew, the weather might have changed as well.

The barber looked up at the clear blue sky, his hazel eyes narrowing a bit. “Any day now. We’re kind of late for a real storm as it is.”

“Really?” Devynn said, her tone obviously dubious. The man glanced at her, his expression verging on disapproving, and she hastily added, voice much sweeter now, “That is, there’s not a cloud in the sky — not that we can pretend to know much about your weather here in northern Arizona.”

Mollified by her shift in attitude, the barber responded, “Well, you can’t really count on what the sky looks like right now. Things can change fast around here.”

Although Seth was aware of that particular aspect of Arizona weather…and he guessed Devynn was, too, since she’d lived here her entire life as well…he still knew they couldn’t go from a clear blue sky to a raging snowstorm in a matter of an hour or two.

At least, he hoped not.

They chatted with the man a while longer, hearing how the city was already drawing plans to connect a spur to the rail line here that would one day take travelers to the Grand Canyon, even if that day might still be more than a decade in the future.

Devynn had a knowing light in her eyes during this part of the conversation, which seemed to signal she knew all about the new rail spur — which would have been well over a hundred years in the past in her time.

For all Seth knew, she’d already ridden on it multiple times. She’d spoken about her parents and what they’d experienced in the past, and had said a few things about her life in modern Flagstaff, but there was so much more about her that was a complete mystery.

Maybe one day they’d have a chance to catch their breath…and to speak openly with no worry about concealing who they were or why they were here.

The afternoon was wearing on, though, and since they hadn’t done much exploring on this side of the street, he thought they should look into the shops as they made their way back to the depot. Perhaps they’d get there a little early, but he figured that was better than being late and missing their train altogether.

Devynn seemed agreeable to that plan, and although she didn’t buy anything else, he thought he was beginning to get a better feel for her taste, how she seemed drawn to items in comforting, warm colors, and lingered over anything that felt handmade and earthy, whether that was a glazed bowl in shades of dark cream and brown, or a pair of carved wooden candlesticks.

He wondered what the house where she’d grown up looked like, whether something in its furnishings had inspired her current style.

After they left the last store and walked over to the depot, his hand stole into hers, almost by its own volition. She startled, but then her fingers tightened around his, as though acknowledging that it was safe for them to make this contact, since they were miles away from Flagstaff and hadn’t seen a single soul they knew. All day, they’d only introduced themselves as the Prewitts, rather than say outright that they were brother and sister, so Seth had a feeling most people they’d encountered thought they must be husband and wife.

Fine by him. They hadn’t really spoken of marriage — how could they, when they were so recently acquainted and had so many more pressing matters occupying their minds? — but he thought he’d be very proud to call Devynn Rowe his wife.

If she’d have him, of course.

Hand in hand, they walked up the steps to the depot…and then froze.

Standing at the edge of the platform was Samuel Wilcox.

At once, Devynn tugged her fingers free from Seth’s grasp, and he didn’t try to stop her.

What the hell was Samuel Wilcox doing here?

Luckily, his back was mostly to them, and he appeared to be staring down the tracks, most likely trying to determine whether he could see the approaching train.

“Here,” Devynn whispered, and hurried over to stand where the ticket shack mostly blocked Samuel from their view.

“Of all the rotten luck,” Seth murmured. “What the devil is he doing in Williams, anyway?”

“I have no idea,” she replied, a frown plucking at her brows. “But I know the Wilcoxes owned a lot of property that wasn’t right in Flagstaff or its immediate environs, so maybe he was checking on that.”

Seth supposed this explanation sounded logical enough. “He wasn’t on the train this morning, though,” he pointed out, and she shrugged.

“I didn’t notice him, either,” she said. “For all we know, he drove a wagon of goods out here or something, and is taking the train back.”

Again, Seth was forced to admit that was a possible option. Load up a wagon with supplies for your ranch or farm, drive it to Williams and leave it there, and then get on the train and head back to Flagstaff and be home before sundown. Samuel would have had to leave somewhat early, but still, he could have made the journey in half a day and had room to spare to conduct some business before he had to get on the eastbound train.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” she continued. “There’s no way he could have seen us holding hands. All we need to do is wait for him to get on the train and then board as if everything was perfectly normal. We’ve already established a legitimate reason for us being in Williams today, so if he sees us at that point and asks any questions, we’ll be able to answer truthfully.”

How cool she was, how calm! Seth wished he could be that unrattled by the situation, although he knew there was absolutely nothing to be gained by panicking. His first instinct had been to grab her and translocate back to the hotel, but doing so would have been even more risky; while Samuel didn’t seem have to have noticed their presence, plenty of other people had. Vanishing into thin air just wasn’t a viable option in such a crowded place.

And there came the sound of the train’s whistle, signaling its approach to the depot. More people crowded toward the edge of the platform, and he could only be glad of that. The bigger the crowd, the better the chance that he and Devynn would be able to get on board and escape Samuel’s notice. With any luck, they’d end up seated with the entire length of the train separating them, and the Wilcox warlock would never even guess that he’d shared a ride with the Prewitt “siblings.”

They both knew to hang back until the throng had thinned somewhat. By that point, Samuel had disappeared, signaling that he must have already boarded the train. Maybe they should have done a better job of keeping him in their sights, but when Seth and Devynn climbed onto the railcar nearest them, he couldn’t see any sign of the other man.

Although Seth didn’t quite sigh, he also didn’t hold back a relieved breath as the two of them sank into their seats just a moment before the conductor called out his final warning that they were about to leave the station. The train whistle blew, and they began to chug their way back to Flagstaff.

“That was close,” Devynn murmured.

Too close.

“But it looks like he must be in another car,” Seth said in the same undertone. “So I think when we get to Flagstaff, all we need to do is wait until almost everyone has left the train. By that point, I’m sure he will be long gone. It’ll be closer to dinnertime, and I have to think his wife would want him home.”

Or…would she? The couple seemed amiable enough in public, but all sorts of things could go on behind closed doors, the sorts of words and actions that the people involved would want to keep hidden from the light of day.

No, that was probably his imagination running away with itself, based purely on his dislike for the man and not much more. If nothing else, Jeremiah Wilcox seemed as though he kept a pretty close eye on the doings of his family members, and if Samuel had ever stepped out of line, the family patriarch would have made sure he corrected his behavior, and fast.

Funny to think he had such a good opinion of Jeremiah now, where once upon a time the Wilcox primus might as well have been the Devil himself.

The train car was crowded enough that Seth thought it probably a good idea not to hold Devynn’s hand, as much as he might have wanted to. No telling who here would be staying in Flagstaff for a few days, or even at the same hotel that had been their home for the past week and a half. He’d just have to grit his teeth and tell himself that maybe — just maybe — they’d be heading back to Jerome very soon.

A very different Jerome from the one he knew, but still, it was McAllister territory no matter what the century. It wasn’t until he’d been away for so long that he realized how much he missed the pyramidal slope of Cleopatra Hill, the looming shape of Mingus Mountain…the red rocks of Sedona off in the distance.

That place would always be home to him, and he knew he was glad that Devynn wanted to make it her permanent home as well.

Despite not being able to take her hand, Seth had to admit there was something almost soothing about that journey back to Flagstaff, about the sway of the train car and the twilight landscape passing outside the windows. In here, even though they were surrounded by strangers, they still seemed to be in a safe cocoon where no one appeared to care who they were or where they had come from.

That sensation of well-being evaporated quickly enough, however, as soon as the two of them stepped down from their car onto the platform. Waiting there was Samuel Wilcox, an unpleasant smirk on his mouth that was obvious even in the fading light.

“Have a nice trip?” he drawled, and immediately, Seth stiffened.

What he wouldn’t have given for a chance to punch that bastard right in the jaw….

Devynn, fortunately, seemed far less inclined to lose her temper. “Good evening, Mr. Wilcox,” she said politely. “I’m not sure about ‘nice,’ but at least Louis and I are fairly certain that Eliza never passed through Williams. That is, no one there seemed to recollect seeing either her or Mr. Rowe, so I fear the rumors about the two of them going that way were entirely unfounded.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Samuel said, although nothing in his expression showed anything except a certain kind of sly amusement. “Must be hard for you, seeing as how close your family appears to be.”

“Yes, we’re quite close,” Seth responded, wondering what the hell Samuel was driving at.

The expression of amusement turned into an outright leer.

“You two might want to watch that,” the other warlock said. “Folks around here take a dim view of brothers and sisters who’re too ‘close.’”

After delivering that parting shot, he turned away and strode off into the approaching darkness, while Seth did his best to ignore the sudden worried churning of his stomach.

How much had Samuel seen?