Page 2 of High Noon

There was only one problem. Hotah only hummed like this when something was wrong. I waited for him to stop and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know,” he answered carefully. “Something isn’t right. The wind, maybe?” Shifting his weight, he stared out over the plain. Wind rippled the tall grasses, making them look more like liquid rather than stalks blanketing the land. He glanced to the sky, squinting.

I followed his gaze.

“That… is no bird,” he breathed.

Eve!My heart began to thunder. I had to reach her before she hit. I raced toward the buffalo herd, the tall grasses stinging my thighs as I cut a path through the golden fronds. The buffalo spooked and stampeded north, toward Eve. If she landed in the middle of them, they’d trample her. I leaped over boulders and pushed harder. “Eve!”

She was still too far away and falling impossibly fast. My vision, usually sharp even when I ran, blurred as I strained toward her. “Eve!” I screamed.

“Enoch!” she answered. The panic in her voice propelled me.

I’m coming. I won’t let you hit. I won’t let you die. I. Will. Catch. You.

A scream tore from her lungs.

“I’ve got you!”

As they fled, the buffalo kicked up thick clouds of billowing dust. I hurtled a small stream and pushed harder, bounding over rocks and running headlong into the stretching dust cloud. The buffalo I’d caught up with bolted in every direction. Where I estimated she would land, I skidded to a stop across the earth, holding my arms out to catch her. She braced for impact and so did I.

The collision knocked us both to the ground and for a moment, there was nothing but her warmth in my hands. I raised my head timidly, letting it fall back to the ground when I heard air whooshing in and out of her lungs. Her heart beat was strong. She trembled, but otherwise seemed to be okay. Maybe the force of impact shocked her, or the suddenness of my appearance. I held her tight. Pressing my eyes closed, I inhaled her scent and reveled in the feel of her hair against the back of my hand, concentrating on the telltale sounds that told me she was okay.

I clung to her, thankful she was in my arms, even as guilt surged through my veins. I knew she wanted to be home and was still so far from it. I knew I should feel bad that she didn’t make it back to her time, but couldn’t bring myself to feel anything but grateful she was with me once again.

“Eve?”

She didn’t answer.

“Eve, are you okay?”

Her back and stomach spasmed. I quickly rolled her onto her back, keeping my hand under her head and looking her over to see what was wrong, only to find her smiling – laughing, actually.

I let out the breath I’d been holding. “What’s so funny?”

“You actually caught me,” she answered between giggles. The giggles shifted into tears as she stared up at me with wide eyes. Her lashes clumped together, making a knot tighten in my throat. “I heard your voice and thought I was imagining things,” she cried, pulling me close again and clutching the back of my shirt.

“I’m so happy you fell close enough to me this time,” I murmured into her hair.

She sobered and pulled her head back to look me over, and in the tears still pooling in her eyes, I saw fear. I knew what she was about to ask before she asked it. “What year is it?”

I swallowed, hoping she didn’t see my wince.

“I know I’m not home, Enoch.”

I shook my head. “It’s eighteen-sixty-eight.”

Laying on the ground, she started to sob, her muscles turning to liquid. The only thing she wanted was to go home. She’d made that abundantly clear when she jumped from my brother’s roof in seventeen-seventy-seven, holding Titus’s hand.

Hotah finally caught up with us, skidding to a stop a few feet away. He stared at Eve warily, his wide eyes taking in her glowing suit. When Eve saw Hotah, she wiped her tears. I helped her sit up.

“Eve, this is my friend Hotah. Hotah, this is Eve.” Eve assessed the hides he wore, his moccasin shoes, the feathers braided into his hair on either side, and gave him a genuine smile.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Hotah,” she told him. “I’m sorry I’m an emotional mess.”

He turned toward me, awe painting his features as a smile stretched slowly over his face. “Your heart?”

I nodded. Yes. She was my heart.

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