Time Walker... XVII.......Kentucky Bluebird

Andrea opened her eyes and felt excruciating pain, shoot through her entire body, she had helped with the house chores helped Chayne yesterday with milking the few cows they had. She had never milked a cow before and she and Chayne laughed when Nellie Blye gave one swift kick to the bucket, Andrea had carefully placed underneath her. "Try this again." Andrea had said to Chayne. "Watch those legs of hers; she'll be kicking you next, if you aren't careful." No sooner had Chayne gave the warning, that cantankerous cow. Sidestepped Andrea and caught her on the shin, luckily the bucket took the brunt of the abuse rather then Nellie's intended target.

Chayne said. "Alright enough chores for the day, you need to take a break." Doc Hadley had said she was doing quite nicely, since her injuries four months ago... Andrea had went upstairs to her room and decided to rest today, she had begun to help out, the past few days when that cow kicked her and she had another headache.., she lay back resting her head on the feather down pillow., it was then she remembered bits and pieces of a conversation.... Although Libby Everton had assured her that Doc Hadley had been doing what he was trained to do. Andrea had heard Libby and someone talking.....Maybe she was dreaming,,, but she thought she heard Libby say that Doc Hadley didn’t have the knowledge, neither the expertise in diagnosing Andrea's condition, he did not realize that Andrea's condition was very serious and that she was possibly in a coma., she believed that Libby had been speaking to the man at her side.. Andrea felt she knew somehow that she must have been in this coma, but how she knew, she didn't know. How could she know such a thing as a comatose person? Surely she must have been dreaming... Where was all of this coming from? How would she know about trauma or people being in such a state? This was the eighteenth century for goodness sake... There are some things, even modern medical technology cannot control, she had heard Libby say. Even though Andrea could not open her eyes, neither speak, she heard some of the conversations Libby and her brother; Chayne had, had and though she didn't know where they were located, whether they were in the room or some place in the house, she could hear them talking around her, expressing their concern for her welfare, she had even heard Libby singing in a soft soothing voice and had told them both.

Someone was walking up the stairs. Andrea sat up on the side of the bed, wishing she had an alarm clock; she must have lost her wrist watch during her fall when her horse had gone down. Surprised, Andrea realized that she just remembered something.... how she came to be injured.....she had taken a nasty fall from a horse. Why was there a scar between her collar bone and shoulder? Chayne knocked on the outside of the door to the bedroom. " Are You decent"? "Come in" Andrea said. Chayne walked in, hesitated then sat down on the bed beside her. There wasn't a chair in her room, there wasn't enough spare room since the old bed and other furniture took up most of the space. Chayne noticed Andrea looking around the room...she touched one of the wooden posts and then asked him, where they bought their furniture. The beautiful bed and dressing bureau, and the matching night stand, looked...what was the word, she wanted to use. "It looks old....like Antique furniture, I've visited some of the Antique malls located in Yuma and Phoenix, and this furniture looks very similar......Andrea paused.....It......It would cost a fortune.

Andrea turned pale. The expression on her face was one of confusion. Chayne remembered that same look on Libby's face. When he and Libby found each other, they held each other and cried, until there didn't seem to be any more tears left. Libby had told Chayne, that when she first realized that she had no idea where she was and felt that she had become lost, but when she began noticing that people and places weren't as they should have been, and that she wasn't in Sonora or even Arizona or any where at least not as she had remembered it and she recalled feeling real fear for the very first time., but she met a kind woman named Margaret and her husband; Shaun O'Reilly had compassion for her and had taken her in for a while. Chayne decided to carefully choose his words. It seemed with the trauma Andrea must have gone through, she had some type of amnesia, he and Libby both agreed that the less she knew right now, the better.., but if it were necessary at some point., they would tell her the truth.

"Shaun and Margaret O'Reilly own the furniture store in town about ten miles from the cabin. We bought some furniture from the O'Reilly's and the rest you have seen, I make." Chayne offered. He ignored the puzzled look on Andrea's face. Chayne was thoughtful, remembering if his calculations were right the little town a few miles from the cabin and yet, the twentieth century, now part of what is known as The W.E. Bar Ranch's Northern Boundary. Andrea looked confused. "What is it?" Chayne asked. "Have I ever been in Yuma and Phoenix?" "Sure, we've been there." “When was I there?" Andrea asked. One thing Chayne knew for certain this lady was certainly persistent. How was he going to answer all her questions?

Libby knocked at the door. Chayne breathed a sigh of relief. This didn't go unnoticed to his sister. "Can I get in on this conversation or is it private?" Libby teased. Andrea smiled. Even if she didn't remember anything about her sister-in-law, she could see in these past few months what a kind and loving woman she is, and yet her husband seemed.......distant enigmatic somehow. "enigmatic" where am I coming up with these words, then she recalled hearing Libby and Chayne's conversations....Andrea thought she would give herself another headache if she continued thinking about all of this .......Then she smiled, at the remembrance of old Pete..., it seemed the old mountain man had a vocabulary all his own. Yet, nothing seemed normal to her right now. And the dreams she had been having...... "Every thing is so confusing." she expressed her concern to both Chayne and Libby. Libby offered a reassuring smile. "Everything will be fine, Andrea. It's obvious you are becoming stronger every day." This seemed to comfort Andrea, Chayne thought.

But it wasn't a comforting thought that his sister told this woman that she is his wife! Whatever possessed Lib to tell this woman....he distinctly remembered the look on Andrea's face when Libby announced to her without batting an eye. "Why, Andrea sweetheart Chayne is your husband and he is my brother, don't you remember darling? It's me, Libby and this is Chayne. You, are a Walker, Sweetheart." Libby had always been honest and straightforward he just couldn't figure out why she chose to say this........ Maybe she had her reasons...and knowing Libby it had to be a very good reason. But he'd never forget as long as he lived, the astonished look on Andrea's face, when Lib boldly announced to Andrea that she was part of the family...he almost fell over. Thinking about it later that afternoon, while sanding on a large piece of wood that would be transformed into a table Chayne wondered again at Andrea's look of astonishment. "Do I look that bad?" he thought to himself then spoke aloud to Tabby who was busily munching on grain, oblivious to her owner's dilemma. "I must look terrible to her, Tab" Chayne said.

"Look terrible to whom?" Libby asked her brother. Startling him "I'll tell you something Libby Walker from his reverie. You have got the footsteps of a cat." Libby chuckled. "You didn't answer my question. you had said you look terrible to her...whom are you referring to?" "Libby's knowing grin spoke volumes. Chayne's expression feigned innocence. 'I have no idea what you are talking about, sis." Chayne hoped his sister would drop the subject, but that was highly unlikely. "So, you heard me talking to the goat, so what?" "Oh, you weren't talking to the goat." Libby paused, studying her brother. "Anyway, lunch is ready....and for your information Chayne Walker, you could never look terrible to any woman." Chayne pretended not to hear his sister's compliment as she was leaving. Chayne had petitioned off when he built the barn for the animals and your garden variety tools. Libby wisely decided to drop the subject. But if her instincts were right and they usually were, arrogance had nothing to do with this.Libby felt that she just knew these things., and under the most normal of circumstances, her judgment of others' feelings, especially when it came to matters- of -the -heart- feelings, she was right on the money., but she wouldn't push her brother, neither Andrea. Still she could see that they were in love, although they didn't realize it, at least not yet anyway. But Libby noticed their behavior she saw the way they looked at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking.

Chayne came in through the back door, when Libby was setting his plate on the table she wondered how long it would take him to notice Andréa wasn't in the room. "Where's Andrea?" he asked. Libby smiled to herself. "She's up in her room lying down, she said earlier she didn't feel very well, so I thought she should rest and try to eat something, later." "Great idea." he replied. Chayne ate in silence as he usually did, since a little boy. He finished, then took his plate, dipping it in the water they used for washing what few plates, pans and silverware they had, luckily the land behind the cabin had a spring, Chayne and carried water daily for their needs. "I think I'll go to town and get a few supplies will you and Andrea be alright?" Libby tried to hide her concern. Whenever Chayne was gone, she worried, even mores now that the Anderson brothers were back in the area. "Yes, we'll be fine, Andrea is napping and I'm going to work some on that quilt." Chayne wasn't convinced. He walked into the room he had added since he and Lib had been here and pushed on a piece of wood in the wall. Libby was curious, she had noticed one day while she had been cleaning, that the small piece overlapped the rest of the wood, but never thought much about it, because it hadn't been noticeable and she had saw it quite by accident while she was wiping down the wood, and caught a splinter in her finger. But watching Chayne, she realized now that it was a small space had been deliberately left unfinished when he built this room and covered the secret opening with the fake piece of wood. "How ingenious" she exclaimed. Chayne reached in behind the fake panel and brought out a Remington. Libby was surprised. "Where in the world did you get that?" she asked. Chayne smiled. "I had it with me the day I was hunting, don't even ask me how it came to be with me here but I was very relieved, nonetheless." " There's No doubt." Libby said.

"But Chayne I don't know how to use that thing." Libby was reluctant to hold the rifle, when Chayne offered to show her how to shoot. "Libby, you need to learn how to handle a pistol, rifle or shotgun it's for your own safety and now Andrea's safety." Libby saw in her brother's eyes he was very serious as well as concerned. Chayne showed her the proper way to hold the rifle, he showed her how to safely load and unload the shells. "Now, you try it." He said. Libby held the rifle with both hands. "Get the feel of it, Lib...Be comfortable handling it and loading the shells." The Big rifle felt awkward. "It will take some time but you'll get used to it, I just pray that there will never come a time that you or me either one will have to use it, but for your own protection and Andrea's you need to know how to use it, in the event that you should have to.., besides you never know you might have to shoot a snake." Chayne grinned. "Oh, and before I forget, this is the safety." Chayne took the rifle and pointed, showing Libby the safety on the side of the rifle. "It will be alright, Chayne, go....go and get back." "Surely I won't have to shoot a snake today."......... "I won't be gone too long, just a couple hours." he replied.

Libby had no idea; her words would prove true........ Menacing eyes were watching from the woods as Chayne rode out of the yard. She and Andrea Addington would be faced with terror they had never known before.....from a different kind of threat.... of the worse kind..............

To Be Continued.............................

Copyright © December 21, 2004

Keep a Rainbow In Your Pocket And A Smile In Your Heart God Bless

*Blue*

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