A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting, I was out of town again with no internet access.
Shenandoah Valley Northern Virginia 0600 Local
Tommy stopped for a moment to contemplate his approach. Josiah Rabb had been alternating between frantic and furious. Mac had vanished. So had Ezra Caine and Daniel Garrett. It was Garrett's disappearance that had really shaken them. Fitzgerald would have sworn on a stack of bibles that Garrett hated Ezra Caine and would have never helped in this conspiracy... and it had been a conspiracy. At first, Dr. Morton had acted outraged that he was suspected, insisting that he'd been so busy, he really wasn't sure when he'd seen Mac and that he had just assumed she'd gone to the battlefield. A surprisingly angry Private Hanrahan put an end to that story, coming forward to say that he'd seen Caine and Morton together several times in the last few days.
The bluster went right out of Morton, especially after a seething Col. Rabb had ordered him to be bucked and gagged. The good doctor apparently had never envisioned being treated that way, the reality had been a shock. He quickly confessed to lying about seeing Mac and about her going to look for wounded. However, he insisted that that was all he'd been supposed to do and he had no idea what their plan had been. That put the end of the trail at George Atkins' wagon.
Tommy was still kicking himself. How could he have been so stupid! He had automatically assumed that Mac was safe because Garrett was with her. They'd let George Atkins roll right out of camp without a second look. Precious hours had been lost while they were on Morton's wild goose chase. For that alone, Fitzgerald was quite willing to shoot the doctor. By the time they had sent out mounted patrols, Atkins had disappeared behind the Rebel lines. Garrett and Caine had apparently deserted shortly afterward. They'd been bold as brass about it. Corporal Garrett had gone to the stabling area and ordered Mac's horse saddled as well as a mount for himself. No one had questioned him and he'd ridden off leading the chestnut. That was the last anyone remembered seeing him.
Tommy took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. Standing in front of Rabb's tent, he barked, "Sergeant Fitzgerald reporting, sir!" When he didn't hear a reply, he cautiously put his head in, "Colonel?"
"Come in, Tommy," Rabb was sprawled in a chair in front of his desk. He looked up when the Sergeant entered. "You haven't found anything," he said in a flat tone. He didn't look like he'd slept at all.
Fitzgerald shook his head, "Atkins is in Southern territory, no sign of Garrett or Caine." He hesitated a moment, "Have you heard anything, sir?"
Josiah stared at him for a moment before dropping his gaze to the tabletop, "I talked to the Provost-Marshal."
Tommy sucked in a breath. He'd been to the Provost-Marshal as soon as he'd found that Caine was missing. After what he'd found out, he was hoping the Colonel wouldn't think of going there. There was nothing to be done about it now and he didn't want Josiah dwelling on what he'd learn.
"It seems Private Caine was no longer welcome with the 'working' ladies. He was a little too rough even for their taste." Josiah slammed a hand down on the table, making Fitzgerald jump, "Why the hell wasn't Caine in the stockade before this?!" He rubbed his eyes and then stared at the ground, "This is my fault. I let the Provost-Marshal do what he thought best, rather than looking into such things myself. If I had checked even once a month, I'd have realized what kind of monster Caine is and done something about it. Now he's got Sarah." The anguish in his voice was plain to hear. The two men were silent for a moment and then Rabb stared at Tommy with cold eyes, "I will find Ezra Caine and then I will kill him."
"Yes sir," There was really nothing else to say. Fitzgerald knew Josiah teetering on the edge of resigning his commission and he didn't want to push in the wrong direction.
Billy Douglas put his head in the tent, "Colonel? I've just received an answer to the message you sent last night." He risked a quick glance at Tommy who gave a slight shrug.
Josiah surged to his feet, "Well? What is it, Lieutenant?"
The Lieutenant came all the way inside and came to attention, "Sir, Colonel James will meet with you between the picket lines within the hour. I had your orderly saddle your horse." Rabb strode past him and out of the tent without another word. Billy gave Fitzgerald an apologetic look and then hurried after the Colonel.
Fifteen minutes later, Josiah cleared his picket line and continued on. Douglas dutifully followed behind. Two hundred yards down the road, Rabb stopped his horse and waited. Two horsemen appeared from the other side and rode slowly towards him. As they got closer, Josiah dismounted. Billy followed suit.
The two Confederate officers rode up and then dismounted as well. A short, barrel-chested man, Colonel Hamilton James looked at Rabb, "Josiah."
"Ham." Rabb nodded and then turned towards Billy, "My aide, Lt. William Douglas."
James nodded in return, "How do you do, sir?" He gestured to the other officer, "Lt. Caleb Green."
"Lieutenant." There was a brief, awkward silence and then Rabb cleared his throat, "I need your help."
James gave him a cool look, "I find that hard to believe. You people don't seem to have much trouble taking whatever you want."
"This is personal, Ham," Rabb's shoulders slumped a little as he looked at the ground.
The Colonel stared at Josiah for a long moment and then gestured for the two Lieutenants to stay put. He grabbed Rabb by the elbow and led him off a short way, "What's going on, Josiah?"
Rabb took a deep breath, "A woman, Sarah MacKenzie, was abducted from my camp last night by a sutler, George Atkins. My patrols tell me he's inside your lines."
The look Ham gave him was incredulous, "You asked to meet me because some fast trick was taken from your camp? For godsakes, Josiah, I thought this was important. How do you know she didn't go willingly? You know how these women are." He took a step back in surprise at the fury in Rabb's eyes.
"I'll thank you not to refer to her in that manner again," Josiah growled. He calmed himself with an effort, "Two men, Ezra Caine and Daniel Garrett have deserted also and we think they're inside your lines as well. You don't want them in your territory, Ham. Caine's got a mean, sadistic streak to him."
Colonel James snorted, "That would describe a number of your officers, starting with General Hunter." He paused, eyeing Rabb, "What do you want me to do, Josiah? You know I can't spare the men to hunt these two. Hell's fire, the damn mountains are filled with deserters and ruffians from both sides. They disappear like will-o-the-wisps whenever we try to pin them down."
"Atkins is a businessman, he needs to sell his merchandise. If he turns up in your camp, I would ask that you send him back to me. As for Caine and Garrett, I'd prefer that you shoot the sons of bitches." Rabb stared at the ground. "Caine was behind Sarah's kidnapping. If you find him and she's not there, I'll need that miserable bastard alive. I need to find her, one way or the other." He left unspoken the thought that had been killing him since they realized what had happened, it would be infinitely more merciful if Sarah were already dead.
Hamilton James looked at the man he still considered a friend, despite the fact they were on opposite sides. He'd heard through the grapevine of Cassandra and Michael Rabb's death two years ago. This MacKenzie woman must be special if she could get Rabb past the loss of his wife and son. It was obvious that Josiah cared for her. That reminded him... he put a hand on Rabb's shoulder, "I was so sorry to hear about Cassie and little Michael, Josiah. I wish I could have attended the funeral to pay my respects."
Josiah looked over at him, "Thank you, Ham. I know you would've have been there if you could." He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair, "Please do what you can to find Sarah MacKenzie. It means a lot to me."
"You know I'll do what I can. What does she look like?"
"She's a beautiful woman, Ham. Brown hair, brown eyes, slender, medium height, feisty as hell. She speaks her mind. I think Cassie would have liked her." Josiah chuckled, "They both have the same temper."
"Dear Lord," Ham smiled, Cassie was a wonderful woman but her temper had been fearsome. Josiah had been one of the few men that could defuse it quickly.
"Lt. Douglas can give you a description of Caine and Garrett." Rabb paused for a moment in thought. "Ham... "
The change in tone alerted Hamilton, "What else, Josiah?"
"Do you still have family here in the Valley?"
Ham nodded cautiously, "Why?"
"Get them out, Ham," Josiah said quietly. "Have them take as much as they can, but get them out quickly. Sheridan's got orders to destroy this Valley and he's going to do it. I can't stop it."
Shenandoah Valley Northern Virginia 0615 Local
Mac slowly opened her eyes again. Where was she and, more importantly, who was here? Cautiously, she turned her head to the side. She was in an open wagon of some sort, unlike the kind Atkins drove. Someone had gone to the trouble of rigging a shade for her out of a blanket. That seemed like a hopeful sign although it did block her view of what was going on. While she knew from first-hand experience that life and the Universe were seldom fair, maybe something good was going to happen to offset what she'd just been through.
Of course, she'd never expected to make it this far. Never in a million years would she have guessed that Atkins would save her from Caine. And he had, at the expense of his own life. At first, however, she wasn't sure she'd survive the effort. Mac slowly brought her hand up to her midsection and flinched. It still hurt like hell. If... when... she saw Tommy again, she'd tell him he'd been right. Getting hit by a spent bullet did hurt worse than actually being wounded.
She closed her eyes briefly as she moved her hand up to check for the necklace. Without a doubt, her guardian angel was getting some kind of a workout. All things considered, she wouldn't be surprised if she rated an entire squad by now. She'd been standing so close to Atkins that she'd been spattered with his blood as well as getting hit by what was left of the bullet. It had been that combination that had fooled Ezra Caine. He believed it was her blood and that she was dying, slowly and painfully. For those agonizing first few minutes, she would have had to agree. However, it had kept him from exacting his revenge. Mac's hand brushed her jaw and she winced. Well, kept him from exacting most of his revenge.
Mac had regained consciousness to find herself alone in the clearing, not far from the sutler's remains. It was a new moon and the night had been pitch black. The only light came from the glow of the embers from the wagon. Moving hadn't been an option for a good while. She hadn't realized how much work her abdominal muscles did until she tried to move without using them. It had made a long night seem even longer. While she was pretty sure Caine's comment about the dog packs had been to twist the proverbial knife a little deeper, she didn't want to chance it either. Not that she could have done anything other than wish them bon appetit. She couldn't even raise her head without becoming dizzy. But attempting to move away from Atkins' body and keep some sort of lookout gave her a goal, something on which to focus.
Eventually, she'd managed to crawl a few feet away. That minor triumph had cost her. Shortly before dawn, she'd collapsed in an exhausted sleep. That had led to an odd but pleasant snippet of a dream. She dreamed that she'd made it home, but it was Sturgis' father who had found her first, not Harm. She gave a careful, shallow sigh. No doubt her subconscious had decided to play Jimminy Cricket and make her feel guilty about Josiah Rabb. She'd only seriously kissed the man once but that had been enough to convince her that doing it again would be a dangerous thing. Apparently, Harm's ability to curl her toes was more hereditary than learned.
Lately, especially when Josiah was around, she found herself clutching at Harm's memory almost as much as she did with Annabel's necklace. Cracks were beginning to appear in her determination to get home. Six long weeks had passed since she woke up in the wrong century and, like it or not, she was beginning to adjust. It was the paradoxes that were driving her crazy. She would look at Josiah Rabb and think, if she was stuck here, that a future with him wouldn't be such a bad thing. She could see that he was in love with her and, if she were honest, she was beginning to return the feelings. It hadn't been a hard thing to do, Josiah shared many of the traits that she loved about Harm. Then she would realize that that could conceivably make her Harm's great-great-great grandmother. On the other hand, for all she knew, she already was his ancestor. Mac let go of the necklace and rubbed her forehead. This wasn't the time or place to revisit that conundrum.
The sound of approaching voices brought her attention back to the here and now. Mac tensed and waited. A middle-aged black man stepped around the side of the wagon with the blanket. When he glanced at her, his eyes widened in surprise and he whipped his hat off his head. "'Scuse me, ma'am," he said as he backed away. Before she could say anything, he turned and fled. She could hear him calling anxiously, "Deacon! Come here, she's awake!"
Next, it was Mac's turn to be shocked, "Chaplain Turner!"
The older man, who had just stepped into view, looked at her curiously, "No ma'am, I'm Deacon Turner."
Mac closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to feel too disappointed. For an instant, she'd had wild hopes that it was Chaplain Turner and he'd found some way to get her back to her own time.
"Ma'am? Can I get you some water?" When Mac nodded, he disappeared for a minute and then came back with a bucket and dipper. He climbed into the wagon and knelt down beside her, "Can you set yourself up, ma'am?" She hesitated and then shook her head with a grimace. "Just a minute, ma'am." He repositioned himself and then raised her to a sitting position. Mac gritted her teeth and said nothing. Taking the dipper in both hands, she drank while he continued to brace her.
"Not too much at one time, ma'am. You'll make yourself sick," he cautioned in that familiar, deep baritone.
Mac lowered the dipper and looked at him. "Sarah," she said and offered her hand, "My name is Sarah MacKenzie and I'd like to thank you, Mr. Turner, for taking care of me."
Deacon looked at her and then her hand before tentatively shaking it, "It's just Deacon or Turner, Miss Sarah and I haven't done all that much." He lowered her back down and then managed to look somewhat embarrassed. He gestured towards her midsection, "I... ummm, I did look... ma'am, at first I thought you'd been shot, so I was trying to see how bad... "
She smiled at him, "That was perfectly understandable, Mr. Turner. I was standing behind Atkins when they shot him and got hit by the same bullet. They thought I was dying so they didn't bother shooting me again." She glanced down at herself, "I haven't looked yet. I imagine it's a nasty looking bruise."
"That man wasn't your husband?" Turner was feeling somewhat bemused. What kind of woman had they run across?
Mac looked at him for a moment, frowning slightly. Oh, what the hell, Caine was long gone and he thought she was dead. "That man kidnapped me and then had a change of heart. When he tried to keep his partners from taking me, they shot him."
"Kidnapped?" Turner's alarm was evident. "Your people won't think it was us, will they? They'll listen to you?" What had he gotten he and Thomas into? He knew good and well that some white folk might just hang them anyway, on general principles. Thomas would be panic-stricken when he heard this.
"I don't think anyone is going to be able to look for me," Mac said slowly. "The other two men were deserters from the Union Army. We're inside the Southern lines, aren't we?"
Turner nodded, "Yes ma'am, we're not far from Strasburg."
"I don't suppose you were heading north, were you?" They were further south than she thought, Atkins must have pushed his team hard. Probably because he knew if Josiah caught him, he'd be dead. How ironic.
"No ma'am, I'm taking Thomas back home to the Simpsons." He noticed her start with surprise, putting her hand up on the necklace. "You know the Simpsons, Miss Sarah?"
"Yes... no... I'm not sure... , " Mac took a deep breath. "Miss Annabel Simpson gave me this necklace."
Now Turner looked confused, "There's no Annabel in this Simpson family." He could have sworn he recognized that necklace. As far as he knew, there was only one.
Mac sighed, "Must be a different Simpson family then." Damn, for some reason she'd been sure there was an Annabel in this time...
Shenandoah Valley Northern Virginia 0600 Local
Tommy stopped for a moment to contemplate his approach. Josiah Rabb had been alternating between frantic and furious. Mac had vanished. So had Ezra Caine and Daniel Garrett. It was Garrett's disappearance that had really shaken them. Fitzgerald would have sworn on a stack of bibles that Garrett hated Ezra Caine and would have never helped in this conspiracy... and it had been a conspiracy. At first, Dr. Morton had acted outraged that he was suspected, insisting that he'd been so busy, he really wasn't sure when he'd seen Mac and that he had just assumed she'd gone to the battlefield. A surprisingly angry Private Hanrahan put an end to that story, coming forward to say that he'd seen Caine and Morton together several times in the last few days.
The bluster went right out of Morton, especially after a seething Col. Rabb had ordered him to be bucked and gagged. The good doctor apparently had never envisioned being treated that way, the reality had been a shock. He quickly confessed to lying about seeing Mac and about her going to look for wounded. However, he insisted that that was all he'd been supposed to do and he had no idea what their plan had been. That put the end of the trail at George Atkins' wagon.
Tommy was still kicking himself. How could he have been so stupid! He had automatically assumed that Mac was safe because Garrett was with her. They'd let George Atkins roll right out of camp without a second look. Precious hours had been lost while they were on Morton's wild goose chase. For that alone, Fitzgerald was quite willing to shoot the doctor. By the time they had sent out mounted patrols, Atkins had disappeared behind the Rebel lines. Garrett and Caine had apparently deserted shortly afterward. They'd been bold as brass about it. Corporal Garrett had gone to the stabling area and ordered Mac's horse saddled as well as a mount for himself. No one had questioned him and he'd ridden off leading the chestnut. That was the last anyone remembered seeing him.
Tommy took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. Standing in front of Rabb's tent, he barked, "Sergeant Fitzgerald reporting, sir!" When he didn't hear a reply, he cautiously put his head in, "Colonel?"
"Come in, Tommy," Rabb was sprawled in a chair in front of his desk. He looked up when the Sergeant entered. "You haven't found anything," he said in a flat tone. He didn't look like he'd slept at all.
Fitzgerald shook his head, "Atkins is in Southern territory, no sign of Garrett or Caine." He hesitated a moment, "Have you heard anything, sir?"
Josiah stared at him for a moment before dropping his gaze to the tabletop, "I talked to the Provost-Marshal."
Tommy sucked in a breath. He'd been to the Provost-Marshal as soon as he'd found that Caine was missing. After what he'd found out, he was hoping the Colonel wouldn't think of going there. There was nothing to be done about it now and he didn't want Josiah dwelling on what he'd learn.
"It seems Private Caine was no longer welcome with the 'working' ladies. He was a little too rough even for their taste." Josiah slammed a hand down on the table, making Fitzgerald jump, "Why the hell wasn't Caine in the stockade before this?!" He rubbed his eyes and then stared at the ground, "This is my fault. I let the Provost-Marshal do what he thought best, rather than looking into such things myself. If I had checked even once a month, I'd have realized what kind of monster Caine is and done something about it. Now he's got Sarah." The anguish in his voice was plain to hear. The two men were silent for a moment and then Rabb stared at Tommy with cold eyes, "I will find Ezra Caine and then I will kill him."
"Yes sir," There was really nothing else to say. Fitzgerald knew Josiah teetering on the edge of resigning his commission and he didn't want to push in the wrong direction.
Billy Douglas put his head in the tent, "Colonel? I've just received an answer to the message you sent last night." He risked a quick glance at Tommy who gave a slight shrug.
Josiah surged to his feet, "Well? What is it, Lieutenant?"
The Lieutenant came all the way inside and came to attention, "Sir, Colonel James will meet with you between the picket lines within the hour. I had your orderly saddle your horse." Rabb strode past him and out of the tent without another word. Billy gave Fitzgerald an apologetic look and then hurried after the Colonel.
Fifteen minutes later, Josiah cleared his picket line and continued on. Douglas dutifully followed behind. Two hundred yards down the road, Rabb stopped his horse and waited. Two horsemen appeared from the other side and rode slowly towards him. As they got closer, Josiah dismounted. Billy followed suit.
The two Confederate officers rode up and then dismounted as well. A short, barrel-chested man, Colonel Hamilton James looked at Rabb, "Josiah."
"Ham." Rabb nodded and then turned towards Billy, "My aide, Lt. William Douglas."
James nodded in return, "How do you do, sir?" He gestured to the other officer, "Lt. Caleb Green."
"Lieutenant." There was a brief, awkward silence and then Rabb cleared his throat, "I need your help."
James gave him a cool look, "I find that hard to believe. You people don't seem to have much trouble taking whatever you want."
"This is personal, Ham," Rabb's shoulders slumped a little as he looked at the ground.
The Colonel stared at Josiah for a long moment and then gestured for the two Lieutenants to stay put. He grabbed Rabb by the elbow and led him off a short way, "What's going on, Josiah?"
Rabb took a deep breath, "A woman, Sarah MacKenzie, was abducted from my camp last night by a sutler, George Atkins. My patrols tell me he's inside your lines."
The look Ham gave him was incredulous, "You asked to meet me because some fast trick was taken from your camp? For godsakes, Josiah, I thought this was important. How do you know she didn't go willingly? You know how these women are." He took a step back in surprise at the fury in Rabb's eyes.
"I'll thank you not to refer to her in that manner again," Josiah growled. He calmed himself with an effort, "Two men, Ezra Caine and Daniel Garrett have deserted also and we think they're inside your lines as well. You don't want them in your territory, Ham. Caine's got a mean, sadistic streak to him."
Colonel James snorted, "That would describe a number of your officers, starting with General Hunter." He paused, eyeing Rabb, "What do you want me to do, Josiah? You know I can't spare the men to hunt these two. Hell's fire, the damn mountains are filled with deserters and ruffians from both sides. They disappear like will-o-the-wisps whenever we try to pin them down."
"Atkins is a businessman, he needs to sell his merchandise. If he turns up in your camp, I would ask that you send him back to me. As for Caine and Garrett, I'd prefer that you shoot the sons of bitches." Rabb stared at the ground. "Caine was behind Sarah's kidnapping. If you find him and she's not there, I'll need that miserable bastard alive. I need to find her, one way or the other." He left unspoken the thought that had been killing him since they realized what had happened, it would be infinitely more merciful if Sarah were already dead.
Hamilton James looked at the man he still considered a friend, despite the fact they were on opposite sides. He'd heard through the grapevine of Cassandra and Michael Rabb's death two years ago. This MacKenzie woman must be special if she could get Rabb past the loss of his wife and son. It was obvious that Josiah cared for her. That reminded him... he put a hand on Rabb's shoulder, "I was so sorry to hear about Cassie and little Michael, Josiah. I wish I could have attended the funeral to pay my respects."
Josiah looked over at him, "Thank you, Ham. I know you would've have been there if you could." He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair, "Please do what you can to find Sarah MacKenzie. It means a lot to me."
"You know I'll do what I can. What does she look like?"
"She's a beautiful woman, Ham. Brown hair, brown eyes, slender, medium height, feisty as hell. She speaks her mind. I think Cassie would have liked her." Josiah chuckled, "They both have the same temper."
"Dear Lord," Ham smiled, Cassie was a wonderful woman but her temper had been fearsome. Josiah had been one of the few men that could defuse it quickly.
"Lt. Douglas can give you a description of Caine and Garrett." Rabb paused for a moment in thought. "Ham... "
The change in tone alerted Hamilton, "What else, Josiah?"
"Do you still have family here in the Valley?"
Ham nodded cautiously, "Why?"
"Get them out, Ham," Josiah said quietly. "Have them take as much as they can, but get them out quickly. Sheridan's got orders to destroy this Valley and he's going to do it. I can't stop it."
Shenandoah Valley Northern Virginia 0615 Local
Mac slowly opened her eyes again. Where was she and, more importantly, who was here? Cautiously, she turned her head to the side. She was in an open wagon of some sort, unlike the kind Atkins drove. Someone had gone to the trouble of rigging a shade for her out of a blanket. That seemed like a hopeful sign although it did block her view of what was going on. While she knew from first-hand experience that life and the Universe were seldom fair, maybe something good was going to happen to offset what she'd just been through.
Of course, she'd never expected to make it this far. Never in a million years would she have guessed that Atkins would save her from Caine. And he had, at the expense of his own life. At first, however, she wasn't sure she'd survive the effort. Mac slowly brought her hand up to her midsection and flinched. It still hurt like hell. If... when... she saw Tommy again, she'd tell him he'd been right. Getting hit by a spent bullet did hurt worse than actually being wounded.
She closed her eyes briefly as she moved her hand up to check for the necklace. Without a doubt, her guardian angel was getting some kind of a workout. All things considered, she wouldn't be surprised if she rated an entire squad by now. She'd been standing so close to Atkins that she'd been spattered with his blood as well as getting hit by what was left of the bullet. It had been that combination that had fooled Ezra Caine. He believed it was her blood and that she was dying, slowly and painfully. For those agonizing first few minutes, she would have had to agree. However, it had kept him from exacting his revenge. Mac's hand brushed her jaw and she winced. Well, kept him from exacting most of his revenge.
Mac had regained consciousness to find herself alone in the clearing, not far from the sutler's remains. It was a new moon and the night had been pitch black. The only light came from the glow of the embers from the wagon. Moving hadn't been an option for a good while. She hadn't realized how much work her abdominal muscles did until she tried to move without using them. It had made a long night seem even longer. While she was pretty sure Caine's comment about the dog packs had been to twist the proverbial knife a little deeper, she didn't want to chance it either. Not that she could have done anything other than wish them bon appetit. She couldn't even raise her head without becoming dizzy. But attempting to move away from Atkins' body and keep some sort of lookout gave her a goal, something on which to focus.
Eventually, she'd managed to crawl a few feet away. That minor triumph had cost her. Shortly before dawn, she'd collapsed in an exhausted sleep. That had led to an odd but pleasant snippet of a dream. She dreamed that she'd made it home, but it was Sturgis' father who had found her first, not Harm. She gave a careful, shallow sigh. No doubt her subconscious had decided to play Jimminy Cricket and make her feel guilty about Josiah Rabb. She'd only seriously kissed the man once but that had been enough to convince her that doing it again would be a dangerous thing. Apparently, Harm's ability to curl her toes was more hereditary than learned.
Lately, especially when Josiah was around, she found herself clutching at Harm's memory almost as much as she did with Annabel's necklace. Cracks were beginning to appear in her determination to get home. Six long weeks had passed since she woke up in the wrong century and, like it or not, she was beginning to adjust. It was the paradoxes that were driving her crazy. She would look at Josiah Rabb and think, if she was stuck here, that a future with him wouldn't be such a bad thing. She could see that he was in love with her and, if she were honest, she was beginning to return the feelings. It hadn't been a hard thing to do, Josiah shared many of the traits that she loved about Harm. Then she would realize that that could conceivably make her Harm's great-great-great grandmother. On the other hand, for all she knew, she already was his ancestor. Mac let go of the necklace and rubbed her forehead. This wasn't the time or place to revisit that conundrum.
The sound of approaching voices brought her attention back to the here and now. Mac tensed and waited. A middle-aged black man stepped around the side of the wagon with the blanket. When he glanced at her, his eyes widened in surprise and he whipped his hat off his head. "'Scuse me, ma'am," he said as he backed away. Before she could say anything, he turned and fled. She could hear him calling anxiously, "Deacon! Come here, she's awake!"
Next, it was Mac's turn to be shocked, "Chaplain Turner!"
The older man, who had just stepped into view, looked at her curiously, "No ma'am, I'm Deacon Turner."
Mac closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to feel too disappointed. For an instant, she'd had wild hopes that it was Chaplain Turner and he'd found some way to get her back to her own time.
"Ma'am? Can I get you some water?" When Mac nodded, he disappeared for a minute and then came back with a bucket and dipper. He climbed into the wagon and knelt down beside her, "Can you set yourself up, ma'am?" She hesitated and then shook her head with a grimace. "Just a minute, ma'am." He repositioned himself and then raised her to a sitting position. Mac gritted her teeth and said nothing. Taking the dipper in both hands, she drank while he continued to brace her.
"Not too much at one time, ma'am. You'll make yourself sick," he cautioned in that familiar, deep baritone.
Mac lowered the dipper and looked at him. "Sarah," she said and offered her hand, "My name is Sarah MacKenzie and I'd like to thank you, Mr. Turner, for taking care of me."
Deacon looked at her and then her hand before tentatively shaking it, "It's just Deacon or Turner, Miss Sarah and I haven't done all that much." He lowered her back down and then managed to look somewhat embarrassed. He gestured towards her midsection, "I... ummm, I did look... ma'am, at first I thought you'd been shot, so I was trying to see how bad... "
She smiled at him, "That was perfectly understandable, Mr. Turner. I was standing behind Atkins when they shot him and got hit by the same bullet. They thought I was dying so they didn't bother shooting me again." She glanced down at herself, "I haven't looked yet. I imagine it's a nasty looking bruise."
"That man wasn't your husband?" Turner was feeling somewhat bemused. What kind of woman had they run across?
Mac looked at him for a moment, frowning slightly. Oh, what the hell, Caine was long gone and he thought she was dead. "That man kidnapped me and then had a change of heart. When he tried to keep his partners from taking me, they shot him."
"Kidnapped?" Turner's alarm was evident. "Your people won't think it was us, will they? They'll listen to you?" What had he gotten he and Thomas into? He knew good and well that some white folk might just hang them anyway, on general principles. Thomas would be panic-stricken when he heard this.
"I don't think anyone is going to be able to look for me," Mac said slowly. "The other two men were deserters from the Union Army. We're inside the Southern lines, aren't we?"
Turner nodded, "Yes ma'am, we're not far from Strasburg."
"I don't suppose you were heading north, were you?" They were further south than she thought, Atkins must have pushed his team hard. Probably because he knew if Josiah caught him, he'd be dead. How ironic.
"No ma'am, I'm taking Thomas back home to the Simpsons." He noticed her start with surprise, putting her hand up on the necklace. "You know the Simpsons, Miss Sarah?"
"Yes... no... I'm not sure... , " Mac took a deep breath. "Miss Annabel Simpson gave me this necklace."
Now Turner looked confused, "There's no Annabel in this Simpson family." He could have sworn he recognized that necklace. As far as he knew, there was only one.
Mac sighed, "Must be a different Simpson family then." Damn, for some reason she'd been sure there was an Annabel in this time...