His Choice

A/N For those of you who wondered why Adam wouldn't have known what a stockyard was...according to my research, stockyards were first used during the Civil War, and this story takes place before the Civil War.

Chapter Eleven

The sun shining down upon him felt good, as Adam helped Rosita and four of her cousins herd the cattle towards the stockyards Rosita had taken him to the month before. What he saw had him downright flabbergasted. Once again though, Rosita had acted out of concern for him. His mind turned back to the week before.

"I didn't think it wise to just let you start herding cattle and then see all of this." Rosita sat behind the wheel of her jeep and looked at Adam who was staring at the trucks she'd just called eighteen wheelers.

"How long have they been using stockyards and when did they begin taking the cattle to the market this way?" Adam, once he put his eyes back in his sockets, looked at her; the same lost look she'd seen more than once was in his eyes.

"Stockyards were first used in the eighteen sixties," she answered deciding against mentioning the Civil War, figuring that if he went back he'd learn of it soon enough, "However, transporting them by trucks? That began in the 1930's and grew from there." She sighed and admitted how much she hated it. "We do a good old fashioned round up once a year. If you're still here in the fall, would you come with us? It won't be very far, only to my uncle's ranch twenty miles away; still, we won't be dealing with eighteen wheelers either."

If he was still there in the fall, Adam didn't answer as he climbed out of the jeep and walked around the stockyard. He supposed he was getting used to things out of necessity and he had begun to make work where there was none just to keep his mind off the growing feelings he was having towards Rosita, but his mind and heart could never forget his family. Was there a way back or not? He let out a sigh as he thought on Abe and Dixie, who were supposed to be coming for another visit soon, and wondered what, if anything, more they could be able to figure out. Or would the blue light simply engulf him first and force him to make a choice?

"Adam?" Rosita, who had caught up with Adam, reached out and took a hold of his hand. Her concern had turned to worry when he had left the jeep without answering.

"I'm fine." He stopped, turned to look at her and smiled. "And I'm sorry." He knew she why she was worried. "It's not that I won't help, if I can. I just…" he struggled to find the words he needed without upsetting her. He needn't have worried.

"It's just that you don't want to be here. You want to be with your family?" She smiled upon him with such love and compassion, it made Adam realize just how blessed he'd been to have woken up to Rosita instead of someone else.

"Yes…and no." He honestly answered as he surprised her by pulling her to him once more. "I just don't know anymore." He lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips and then pulled back. "I am falling in love with the scenery around here too."

Rosita couldn't help but smile and blush; she knew full well what "scenery" he was talking about. It scared her also. He was from the nineteenth century; anyone who looked close enough would see he still belonged there. Where did that leave her when the blue light came for him as Abe said it would, or the day they found another way back came? "I think we best be getting back. My cousins who help me with the cattle should be arriving soon." She said as she pulled away from him and began walking toward the jeep.

Adam had stood a moment longer and looked around the stockyard. This just wasn't right was the thought that entered his mind just before he turned and walked back to join Rosita in her jeep.

Adam was brought of his thoughts as he had to hurry and keep one of the cows from leaving the herd. This was the way it was supposed to be. He didn't know what the future might bring. All he knew for sure was, if he was still in the twentieth century when fall arrived then he would have a cattle drive to go on.

Rosita, who was on the other side riding her horse, was doing her best to keep her mind on the cattle and the business at hand. Keeping her mind on the cows wasn't easy to do, not easy to do when her eyes and mind kept wandering back to Adam and the fact that her heart was starting to race ahead of her head. For the first time since she and Camilla had found Adam lying on the road, Rosita began praying like crazy for some answers. She might not have, only she knew that, sooner or later, if Adam stayed the few kisses he'd given her would escalate to more.

By the time they reached their destination, Rosita was more than happy to turn the reins, per say, over to her eldest cousin, one Mark Peters.

Adam, who stood next to his horse alongside the fence that surrounded the stockyard, waited for Rosita to finish her business before he approached her. "It's past supper time; how about eating out at that restaurant you took me to last week? That is..." Adam looked over his dirt filled clothes, along with hers, "after we shower and change?" He dared suggest such a thing as she had told him how everyone thought her strange when she insisted on having a "shower house"-as he'd started calling the building that had been built strictly for the purpose of holding showers.

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Adam realized how his words sounded as Rosita turned a hundred shades of red and her cousins busted up laughing. He quickly apologized. "I didn't mean we…," Adam was now the one who looked embarrassed, especially when one of her cousins started saying there was nothing wrong with saving some water. He covered up his embarrassment as he smiled and corrected himself. "I didn't mean anything inappropriate," he spoke softly, so no one but Rosita could hear, "It's just that I'm hungry."

A part of Rosita wanted to wipe the charming, irresistible, smile off the man's face. Didn't he remember what Abe had said? If they allowed themselves to get too close something might happen. If that did happen, she could very well wind up in a condition that would close any way that might exist for him to return to his family. The other half of her knew he had a valid point. It was past time to eat. "All right, but we need to keep it short. Tomorrow's going to be another long day. After all, winter is over and spring always brings work." Nothing more was said as the Adam and Rosita each disappeared around separate corners of the "shower house".