Pulling herself together by burying her feelings deep down, Ginny pulled away from Colby. Without giving him any eye contact, she said, “I've got to go find Georgia. I sent her out of the barn to look for a hiding place.”
Cassandra's father still lay on the ground, not moving or speaking. As if his world were imploding, he seemed disinclined to exert any energy whatsoever. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, eyes glazed over. A part of Ginny wanted to rail against him, blame him for making her shoot a man, but she couldn't muster the energy to do so. His life was over, and it was beneath her to kick him when he was so far down.
Walking from the barn in a daze herself, Ginny went to the nearby cabin and found Georgia huddled next to it. Her voice was monotone when she said, “It's over. Colby's in the barn.” With that, she reached down and picked her sister-in-law up and walked her to the entrance, careful not to allow Georgia inside. She didn't want to cause her naïve sister-in-law any nightmares. Colby walked out as he saw them approach.
“Georgia, why don't you take my horse and see how Vas and Frank are doing. They are only about a mile up the road.”
“Why aren't they with you?” Georgia asked.
“Frank took a fall, and Vas stayed with him while I came to rescue you. Of course, Ginny'd already done that.”
Ginny heard his words, but couldn't process them. Instead, she relied on what came almost naturally to her now, her medical training. She recognized that she was in shock and her body was shutting down. Fighting the urge to lay down and curl up, Ginny forced herself to evaluate what Colby had just said.
Turning to him, she asked, “What happened to Frank?”
“He was thrown from his horse. He and Vas almost collided.”
“Is he okay?” The stress was entering her voice, but she hardly registered it. She needed information, and Colby had it. Ginny simply reacted to her need.
“He was knocked out. He came awake for a moment, but then fell back to sleep again.”
Ginny's face must have been incredulous, because Colby asked, “What?”
Taking a deep breath, Ginny was able to pull herself together. “Come on. Let's go see if he's okay.” She walked briskly to one of the horses that either Fitzhume or her father had used. Colby just stood like a statue, staring.
“What about your father or the kidnappers?” he sputtered.
Ginny finally mounted the horse after two tries. “I couldn't care less about them. Screw them. Let'em rot here for all I care. I have my family to take care of.” With that, without looking back, Ginny took off in a gallop up the road to care for her brother-in-law.
Colby and Georgia exchanged glances, then Colby helped Georgia on his horse and took the other available horse. They soon caught up to the group. Ginny had already dismounted and was talking to Frank. He could see her smiling and brushing his cheek with her hand.
Vas got up and ran for Georgia's horse. She'd barely stopped the animal before he pulled her down and kissed her soundly. Colby heard his sister protest, but Vas quelled her argument. “We're getting married, Georgia. We're allowed to kiss.” And so they did, for quite some time.
Colby approached his wife and brother and heard what she was saying. “You are one of the bravest men I've ever met, Frank Miller. It's because of you that your sister is alright. You are a hero, hear me?”
Frank nodded slightly until the movement caused him pain. Then he turned to look up at his brother. “Did you hear that, Colby? I'm a hero.”
Kneeling beside him, Colby ruffled his hair and responded, “You got that right. You're a hell of lot braver than I ever was at your age.”
Frank took on a contemplative glance. “Is everyone alright?”
It was Ginny who answered. “Everyone who matters.” Ginny glanced at her husband. She couldn't quite muster a smile, but her eyes lightened a bit.
After all
, she thought,
this is only make believe.
A few weeks later, Ginny was sitting on the porch, cherishing every cool breeze that came along. It was the height of summer and the heat was there to prove it. Since she couldn't convince Colby that there was nothing indecent about wearing shorts, she opted for pants and a light shirt most days. When no one was around, she would roll up the pant legs and find a shady spot to think about what had happened.
Thinking back to the kidnapping, after Ginny had determined that Frank would be alright, it was decided that Vas and Georgia should head on to Cheyenne to get married. They still had to decide what to do about the kidnappers and her father. Vas and Colby were batting around ideas when Ginny made the decision.
“Leave them. My father has nothing left. He won't bother us again. As for the kidnappers... well, I gave them a beating they won't soon forget.”
Vas and Colby gave each other a look. In the end, Ginny won out since the alternative was too much work. The five of them headed to Cheyenne. They found a judge who married Georgia and Vas that afternoon and began to head back to the ranch by evening.
Colby felt bad about Vas and Georgia not getting to stay for at least one night, but they agreed that the sooner they got back, the sooner Nate and Nizhoni would stop worrying about them. They got some supplies and set out in the early evening. They pushed themselves to make it to the pass before they had to stop.
They were up again at the crack of dawn and home way before lunch. Nate was crying when he saw that everyone was back. Nizhoni, in her own gruff way, gave everyone a small hug and congratulated her son and new daughter-in-law.
In the weeks since, the group had settled into a routine of sorts. Vas and Colby took care of the stock occasionally bringing Frank along. Georgia set up house in Vas' cabin cooking him dinner on her own, so they could spend some alone time together. Nate and Frank continued their studies. And Colby and Ginny only had sex on Ginny's old bed, then went into their shared bedroom to sleep. Meanwhile, Colby was working on a new bed frame.
It was just luck that Ginny was alone that afternoon. Colby had taken both boys to fix something or other, then they were going swimming. She was left to think about when she would leave. After everything had settled down, she just assumed it would happen. Night after night, she laid in bed waiting for the crazy dizziness to start, signaling to her that she would be gone. Then she continued to wake up next to Colby.
So why was she still there? With Ian, she didn't leave until she was pregnant. That hadn't happened yet. With Colin, she left almost immediately after they resolved to live as husband and wife in every imaginable way. But with Colby, they had achieved the husband and wife bit, and it was only a matter of time before she got knocked up with the way they were having sex every night. So what were they waiting for?
Leaning back in the rocking chair, putting her feet on the porch rail, Ginny noticed a cloud of dust to the west. Someone was coming to visit, but who? Definitely not the reverend. He'd been madder than a hornet when he found out that Georgia and Vas were married. Not Eloise. She hadn't been by since they'd ran her off for being insensitive. Ginny kept her position as the lone rider drew closer. Finally, the man was in front of the house, dismounting and staring at her with a strange expression.
“How do you do, ma'am.” He removed his hat and Ginny saw he was a handsome man. Tall, with broad shoulders and a well-muscled chest. Long black hair framed his square face and strong jaw. He tied his horse to the railing and walked up the steps.
Ginny looked up to his face and smiled. “I do very well, thank you. How 'bout yourself?”
The stranger took the other rocker, put his feet on the railing next to Ginny and laid his hat in his lap. “Been a good day so far. Who're you?”
Ginny lifted an eyebrow at his question, but answered anyway. “I'm Ginny. And you are?”
The stranger laughed. His voice was deep and appealing. “I'm RJ,” he said as if that explained everything.
Ginny scrunched her face and knew she'd heard the name before. “RJ?”
“I used to live here. This is my parent's house. Got a few brothers and a sister here too. I haven't been away that long, have I?”
Ginny dropped her legs and sat up straight. Her face looked drawn as she realized that RJ, the missing eldest brother, had no idea that his parents had died, and she would have the unfortunate duty to tell him.
“Welcome home, RJ. I'm Colby's wife. When was the last time you received a letter from your family?” She thought she was keeping her voice even, but RJ sensed immediately that something was wrong.
“Why? I've been moving around quite a bit. I realized that I hadn't heard anything in a long time, so I came home to visit.”
Ginny closed her eyes and sighed. “I'm sorry to tell you that your parents were killed last year in a flash flood. Colby, who had been living in Denver at the time, came home to take care of your siblings. A lot has changed since you were last here.” She hadn't intended to sound like he should feel guilty, but there was a part of her that thought he should.
As if hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer, RJ doubled over and put his hands to his face. “When, exactly?” he whispered.
“I don't know the exact date. I've only been here a couple of months. Colby and the boys will be home soon.”
Turning his head to look at her, he asked, “And Georgia?”
“She's married to Vas. They live in his cabin,” Ginny indicated to the log cabin in the distance.
“Married? To Vas?” His voice was shocked to say the least.
“Yes, a few weeks now.”
“Everything has changed, hasn't it?”
“Yes. That's what happens. Life goes on.”
Shaking his head, trying to clear it, RJ sat speechless for a moment. After a few times of starting to speak, only to stop again, he finally said, “I should have been here.”
Ginny took a deep breath as she considered whether to respond. Should he have been there? Probably not. Should he have kept in touch with his family so he could have found out a lot sooner. Most definitely. As the new patriarch of the Miller family, he had certain responsibilities, but that didn't mean he couldn't find his own life.
Before she could try to make him feel better, Ginny heard Colby and the boys returning. She stood up with RJ following suit. Her family spotted the strange horse and bypassed the barn for the house. As soon as Colby pulled his horse up, he saw his brother standing next to his wife.
“My God,” was all he said. Frank and Nate, having caught up, stared without saying a word at the ghost from their past.
Ginny wondered how long RJ had been gone. They all seemed frozen, as if saying anything would make the apparition disappear. Never one to wait for something to happen, Ginny was the first to speak up.
With a false cheerfulness, she proclaimed, “Look who's here guys. RJ.” Well, she gave herself points for stating the obvious.
Colby turned his eyes to her for a moment. The look told her that he had a lot of anger towards his brother, and she was not to get involved. Being Ginny, she promptly ignored the look.
Getting down from his horse, Colby turned to Nate and Frank. “Boys, take the horses and bed them down, then come into the kitchen. I'm sure Nizhoni has some treats waiting for us all.”
Neither boy moved for the longest time. Finally, they both dismounted, and Frank took Colby's horse and Nate took RJ's. It was obvious they wanted to hear more as they moved as slow as snails toward the barn. Colby walked up the steps and stood next to Ginny, putting his arm possessively around her shoulders.
“Welcome home, RJ. Been a while.” Colby shocked himself by keeping his voice even. Inside though, he was seething.
RJ took in the picture of wedded bliss and responded with a sigh. “Too long, apparently.” His head dipped and he looked as though his boots were far more interesting than anything else in the universe.
Hearing RJ admit he was wrong to stay away so long took the wind out of Colby's sails. Feeling his wife's arm come around his waist and squeeze, he realized that as bad as his life had been over the last year, it ended up pretty damn good. He had the love of his life to spend eternity with. His brothers got a new mother to cluck over them, and Georgia was happy being a wife. Torturing RJ just wasn't worth the effort.
“So, you met my wife, did ya? I've got to warn you, she's a pistol.” Colby smiled as he spoke.
“Yeah, that's me. Don't let them tell you otherwise, RJ. I'm horrible!” Ginny's exaggerated voice made both men laugh.
“I'd like to stay, if that's okay. I'd like to be a part of this family again.” RJ wouldn't cry, but his drawn face and forlorn look broke Ginny's heart.
She realized that this was what had to happen for her to move on. The family had to become whole again. Although they would never get their parents back, the rest needed to be together. As Ginny had told RJ earlier, life goes on.
The brothers took the seats on the porch with Ginny sitting on Colby's lap. Nate and Frank came running from the barn, just in time for Colby to tell them to fetch their sister. It wasn't long before Georgia came running across the meadow to see her long lost eldest brother. The family talked for hours, filling each other in on what was going on, where RJ had been and how Ginny had come to be in their lives.
Nizhoni brought out refreshments and to yell at RJ for staying away too long. She told him it was bad enough her own son would take off, but he need not do the same. Vas came back from his chores and joined the family on the porch. Everyone was smiling and happy, the picture of a long awaited family reunion.
As the sun began to set, Nizhoni told everyone to get ready for supper. Everyone else went inside to get cleaned up, and RJ put his things in Georgia's old bedroom. After a minute, it was just Colby and Ginny on the porch watching the sun make its way down the sky.
Cradling her body against his, Colby said, “It's great that RJ's home, don't you think?”
Smiling into his neck where her head rested, she responded, “Of course.”
Colby detected something in her voice. Pulling her away from him, he looked her in the eye. “Something wrong?”
Ginny couldn't tell him that the story was over, and she would be moving on. Instead, she asked, “Will you want to go to Denver and work at being a lawyer again?”
Colby turned his lips up in a sly smile. “I thought that was what I wanted. Turns out all I wanted was a beautiful wife, who's a wonderful mother to my brothers and a great friend to my sister. Doesn't matter where I am as long as I have that.” With that, he kissed her slowly, deeply.
“We better get washed up for supper or Nizhoni will come looking for us,” Colby said, as he stood up with her still leaning against his body. Making sure she had her balance, he slowly let her go.
Flicking her head toward the door, Ginny said, “You go in and get started. I'll be in in a couple of minutes.”
Colby smiled and kissed her once more, then went into the house, easing the screen door closed. Hearing it squeak, hearing his footsteps as he went to the kitchen, almost made Ginny cry. Instead, she sat on the rocking chair and stared at the sun as it set on the horizon.
Where will I go next?
she wondered. It didn't really matter, because this was where she wanted to be. Frowning, Ginny thought about her real home. When she realized that she hadn't thought much about it in quite some time, she worried. Was she getting too caught up in these worlds that she'd forgotten that she had a perfectly good life in the 21
st
century? Not wanting to consider it, she pushed it aside. She knew her time was over here, and it was time to move on to something else.
When the dizziness finally came, it didn't surprise her or make her mad or sad. Ginny simply felt numb. She sat against the back of the rocking chair, watching the sun set, allowing the tide to take her away.