Skeeter and Kid both started talking at the same time. Lila tried to block the sounds from entering her ears. Tears threatened to spill behind closed lids, her throat burned, and her head felt like a bee hive—full of angry, humming bees.
"Hush now! You're upsetting the girl,” Jessie said.
The room instantly became quiet. All except for the bee's buzzing.
Jessie's voice sounded again, “Kid, cut the ropes off her."
"No!” Stephanie insisted.
Skeeter let Kid help him into the chair on the front porch. His head stung as if it was on fire, and his gut churned. He untied the bow flapping across his forehead and unwrapped the bandage circling his scalp. After tossing the blood stained rag on the small table, he ran a hand over the back of his neck, pinching at the tension. He flinched as a new, sharp pain shot up the back of his skull.
"You doing all right?” Kid asked. “You look awfully white."
"I'm still seeing stars, among other things,” Skeeter admitted. The wallop from his mother's frying pan was the least of his worries.
"I wish there was time for you to recuperate, but as Ma said, the reverend's on his way. You gotta tell me what's going on so I know what to do when he gets here."
He looked up at his brother. Kid leaned against the porch railing, his arms folded over his chest. The oldest Quinter brother had a way of making the rest of them feel like saplings next to a tall oak—always had.
Skeeter lifted his gaze, to meet the dark eyes he knew would be condemning him. Startled, he looked deeper into Kid's eyes. They were full of compassion, not critical at all. He frowned. Then a twitch tried to pull his lip into a grin.
Jessie had worked her magic on Kid. The little slip of a girl, he—Skeeter, had hauled home and forced Kid to marry, had turned his brother into a real human being. If his life wasn't in such disarray he may have chuckled at the transformation.
Kid raised an eyebrow.
The smile tugging hard on his lips slipped from his face as he recalled the predicament at hand. In twenty-three years he'd never thought of a woman the way he thought of Lila. Had never been willing to do whatever it would take to protect her. He took a deep breath, and thankful his brother was here to help said, “Damn, Kid, you could of knocked me over with a feather when she told me she was gonna have a baby."
"I know the feeling,” Kid said with a deep laugh. “That's exactly how I felt when Jessie told me. Still feel that way some days."
A twinge, somewhat like regret touched his heart. Skeeter breathed past the pang. “The baby isn't mine, Kid.” He shook his head. “Lila and I haven't...well you know."
Kid bit his lower lip as he nodded.
He'd rather die than have Kid think badly of Lila. “A man raped her, and...ah hell, Kid, it's hard to explain."
Stepping away from the rail, Kid pulled up a chair. “Well, Skeeter, I'm here to listen."
He couldn't tell Kid Lila was from the future, couldn't tell him Buffalo Killer's ghost dance had turned him into a ghost. He'd never believe it, no one would. Yet, he had to help Lila. She was so sweet and innocent and didn't deserve to be treated badly. He turned to his brother. “I think I'm in love with her."
Skeeter felt his eyes bulge as the words emitted. Where had they come from? Hell, he didn't even know what love was, and certainly had no idea what being in love meant. Or did he? Had he made the discovery two days ago when he awoke? From the moment he'd met her, his life had changed. His thoughts, feelings...everything was different. A good kind of different.
Kid rubbed his chin. “And?"
As long as he was being completely honest, he might as well tell all. “And I want to marry her. Buffalo Killer might steal her if I don't. I asked her.” His shoulders drooped. “But she doesn't want to marry me."
"Has she said why?"
He nodded.
After an extended amount of time Kid said, “Skeeter, a few years ago I probably would have carried that girl out of here, as far from you and this family as possible, pregnant or not. But that was before Jessie, and before I really got to know you. You're a good man, an honest, upright citizen, one I like knowing is on my side every day.” He reached over and laid a hand on Skeeter's shoulder. “I can't help you if you aren't going to tell me what's going on. I need the whole story."
It felt as if he'd been riding in the wind all day and fine grains of sand had embedded themselves in his eyeballs. He blinked at the stinging, tried to swallow the stump in his throat. He lowered his head, shaking it from side to side. “Kid, you won't believe it. No one will."
"Try me, brother.” Kid's grip on his shoulder tightened. “You can trust me. I trusted you with my life, and you didn't let me down."
Skeeter twisted, looked deep into the honest, sincere eyes of his brother. A warm sense of camaraderie filled his body. If anyone could help it would be Kid. Kid Quinter never let anyone down. His shoulders squared at the next thought. He was ready, and willing, to follow in his brother's footsteps.
Lila sat on the edge of the bed. She'd wrung her hands together until her knuckles hurt. She lifted her gaze as the latch sounded and watched the door to the room open.
Jessie entered carrying a cup and saucer. “Here.” Holding them out, she added, “Its tea. How are you feeling?"
"Awful,” Lila admitted.
Jessie smiled and sat down beside her. “And I bet it has nothing to do with the pregnancy."
She gave a slight shrug and took a sip of the tea.
"How far along are you?” Jessie asked.
"Not quite three months. You?"
"Almost six months.” Jessie patted her stomach. “It's wonderful isn't it?"
Lila blinked, somewhat confused. “Uh?"
"Have you felt the baby move yet?"
"No.” Lila set the cup and saucer on the small table beside the bed. “I don't think so, anyway."
"Oh, you'll know when you do.” Jessie's face took on a warm, pink glow. “But even before then, just knowing a life is growing inside you is wonderful, isn't it?"
Lila laid her hand on her stomach. She hadn't even told her mother about the pregnancy yet. There hadn't been anyone to whom she could share her thoughts about being pregnant. “Yes, it is,” she admitted.
"Can you tell me about? Tell me what happened?” Jessie ran a hand over Lila's shoulder.
Lila wanted to cry. The woman's kindness was almost more disconcerting than Stephanie Quinter's righteousness. She shrugged her shoulders. “You wouldn't believe me."
"How do you know until you try?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was from the future? That until two days ago, I lived in the year two-thousand-eight?” Lila almost quivered at the tone of her own voice. She hadn't meant to snap at the other woman. The bitter statement had just shot out of her mouth.
A smile formed on Jessie's face, but it wasn't in disbelief, or humor. It was a smile of compassion. “Yes, I'd believe you."
Lila felt her chin drop. She slapped her mouth shut, swallowed, wondering how to respond.
"I know Skeeter. For him to bring home a girl from the future wouldn't surprise me in the least.” Jessie raised a hand, reached over to push the hair out of Lila's eyes. Her fingers were gentle as she settled the curls behind one ear. “And I'm very intrigued. Please tell me all about it."
Lila's brows tugged together, she rubbed a hand over her forehead. Talking to Skeeter was one thing, but to tell someone else she was from the future was, well, weird. Besides, where would she even start? How much would she need to say to make the story sound believable? The whole thing was unbelievable. Lila sighed, a long, deep, confusing sigh that did little to ease her frustration.
"Where did you live in the future? What was the name of the town?” Jessie asked.
"Hays,” Lila answered unsurely.
"Fort Hays?"
In for a penny, in for a pound, Lila thought. She glanced at Jessie. “Yes, but in the future it's just known as Hays. I think it was changed from Fort Hays to Hays sometime in the eighteen-eighties.” She let out an odd laugh. “Any day now, I guess."
"Really? Do they still have boot hill there?” Jessie asked with wide, interested eyes.
Lila nodded. “But people in the future think boot hill is in Dodge."
"They have one there too, but it's not as large as the one in Hays. My brother Russell and I spent a winter in Hays, a few years ago.” Jessie gave a little shiver and rubbed her arms. “It was a rough town."
"Worse than Dodge?” Lila asked. History had made Dodge City the wildest cow town in Kansas.
"Oh, yes.” Jessie nodded.
"Hmm, interesting,” Lila murmured. Living in the past was quite fascinating. Too bad she hadn't majored in history. “They change the name of Nixon too, it's Scott City in my time. Actually most of the towns and counties around here have different names in two-thousand-eight."
"Oh?” Jessie asked.
She nodded. “I attend the State University in Hays. I'm working on an I T degree."
"Really? Kid tried to send me to the University in Boston, but I chose not to go,” Jessie said, and then asked, “What's I T?"
Lila frowned. Though she and Jessie were close in age, they were generations apart. She was a millennium baby, a member of the Y generation, the generation that was giving the baby boomers more trouble than the Xer's ever thought of. Millennials crave technology, and therefore crave college. She couldn't imagine someone choosing not to go. She also didn't know how to begin to explain computers. “It stands for Information Technology.” She shrugged her shoulders, “It's really hard to explain."
"It sounds like it.” Jessie reached over, patted her knee. “So, how did you meet Skeeter."
She wanted a friend she could spill the beans to, and Jessie's kindness made the perfect companion for her—a scared, pregnant girl from the future. She twisted, looked Jessie in the eye. “This guy named Pete had given me a drug and raped me. Six weeks later I found out I was pregnant and tried to have him arrested. It didn't work out, and he's been stalking me ever since. Yesterday morning, he was chasing me down the highway, and I took a side road, it led me too an old homestead. I hid my car behind the sandstone bluffs and ran into the abandoned house."
Jessie blinked a couple of times. “Then what happened?"
"A voice or a feeling told me to crawl through a small door and into a tunnel. When I got to the end of the tunnel, Skeeter was there sleeping next to a fire. He said he'd participated in a ghost dance with an Indian named Buffalo Killer and he'd become a ghost in the house. He scared Pete away and made the house fall down, and when that happened the tunnel caved in, so I had no way to get back to the future."
Jessie's finger's felt cool against Lila's heated skin as they brushed over her forehead.
Lila reached up and clasped the hand, squeezing it. “I know it sounds unbelievable. It is unbelievable, but that's what happened. I swear to you. That's what happened."
"I believe you,” Jessie whispered.
She looked at Jessie seriously. “Why? Why would you believe me?"
Jessie looked extremely sad for a moment. “Because I know how it feels to have people not believe."
"Do you also believe me when I say I can't marry Skeeter? That I have to get back to the future?” The statement tore at her heart.
With a frown Jessie asked, “To go back to the man who raped you?"
"No, no, I'll get an order for protection or something. I have to go back so I can have the baby and give it away.” A new pain made her throat burn.
"What?” Jessie's solemn eyes popped wide open. “Give your baby away?"
Lila nodded. Her decision hadn't come lightly, but another thing about the millennium generation, thanks to divorce, single parents and latchkey life, was their independence and empowerment. The baby boomers called them selfish and lazy. She didn't believe she was selfish, just had a different attitude than other generations. “Yes, I'm not ready to be a mom.” She repeated the excuse she'd hoped to soon believe. Letting go of Jessie's hand, she rose to walk around the small room.
The large brass tub had been removed. A bed, a dresser, a chair, and the table beside the bed filled Stephanie Quinter's bedroom. It was tidy and quaint. Jessie had led her in here after Kid cut the ropes binding her and Skeeter. Stephanie hadn't been happy about the happenings at all.
Lila twisted to face the bed again. “Nor am I willing to have a baby in the eighteen-eighties."
"Why not?"
She threw her hands in the air. “It's dangerous for one."
"Having babies is dangerous? How? It's a natural process,” Jessie said.
"It's changed a lot between now and two-thousand-eight.” Lila knelt down in front of Jessie and took both of her hands. She liked Skeeter's sister-in-law, a lot. And she didn't want the girl to go through labor without modern medicine any more than she wanted to herself. “Jessie, women die during childbirth in this day and age."
"There's always that possibility, I guess."
"In the future, they have specialists, and ultrasounds, and neonatal units.” Her mind took a detour. “You should come back to the future with me,” Lila said.
"But you said you can't get back to the future. That the tunnel caved in."
Lila let go of Jessie's hands and began to pace the room again. “It did, but Skeeter promised he'd dig it out. That's why we came here. He needs his brothers to come help with the digging. It'll take him too long by himself."
Jessie patted the brightly patterned quilt covering the bed.
Lila sat down. “You don't believe me do you?"
"I never said that. But, Lila, what about before you go back to the future? You aren't going to be able to hide your condition for much longer. And—well, people are not very pleasant to unwed pregnant women. A matter of fact, it's dangerous for you to go anywhere in your condition as a single woman.” Jessie wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Believe me. I've seen it with my own eyes."
Lila twirled the lace perfectly stitched onto the edge of one sleeve. “I hadn't thought of that. It is really bad for an unwed woman to be pregnant in this time isn't it?"