“Forget it!” she clipped out and pushed out of his hold, leading her horse toward the stream.
He stared after her in confusion. “What the hell’s wrong with you? You’re behaving like a woman with a bad case of…” A sudden thought occurred to him, and he brightened. “…PMS.”
She inhaled sharply and glared at him.
“Are you getting your period?” he asked. He couldn’t keep the hope out of his voice.
“You don’t have to be so happy about it.”
“Helen, I’m not exactly happy — ”
“Liar!”
He scowled with exasperation. “I’m not exactly happy,” he repeated, “but you and I need time to iron out our problems. Maybe later babies will be a viable option. This is the best way. Really. You’ll see.”
“Sometimes you are so dull-headed,” she sputtered. “Viable option? We’re not talking legal briefs here. We’re talking human life. And you, my friend, had a vasectomy. I’m assuming that reproduction won’t be a viable option in the future.”
He grimaced, knowing this was his cue. He at least had to make the offer. “I could always have the operation reversed.”
She laughed, and it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “I wish you could have seen your face when you said that. Green. Green as Kermit the Frog.” She shot him another glare. “You frog!”
He caught up with her and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to face him. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and her lips quivered.
His stomach lurched. I don’t want to hurt her. “Helen, don’t do this now. We’ve just found each other. We have time to resolve all these things. Just don’t force this issue now.”
Tears spilled out of her eyes and streamed down her face.
He felt like crying himself.
“You’re right.” She sobbed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m just being silly. We have lots of time.”
Rafe wasn’t so sure, though. That night, they slept in each other’s arms, but they didn’t make love. He didn’t want to initiate anything that would result in a pregnancy at this late date. And Helen knew that he didn’t want to make a baby with her.
Not now. Not yet. Oh, hell!
He had to plan for their future. At least he’d taken one step in that direction. While still in Rich Bar he’d asked Yank where he might find a young redwood tree. Rafe wasn’t sure that carrying the gold nuggets back to the future on his body was going to work. So, he’d sought insurance. Some place in the past that would endure into the future. He’d thought and thought, trying to come up with some hiding place that would last into the future, but be free from pilfering hands.
A redwood tree.
Yank had watched with interest as Rafe climbed the young tree and placed an object in the crook of two limbs — his favorite ten-pound nugget. Luckily, Yank hadn’t asked any questions, and he’d promised not to go back after they’d gone. Yank undoubtedly thought Rafe was batty, but, for some reason, Rafe trusted him.
It had been a stupid thing to do, he supposed, leaving a ten-pound nugget in the past where someone might find it. Although he couldn’t imagine too many people would go climbing redwood trees.
Yep, it had probably been a stupid thing he’d done.
It had not been a stupid thing.
Rafe came to that conclusion the next day when they approached the landing site and ran into bandits. Not Ignacio and Pablo and Sancho. Ignacio was dead, and the other two yahoos were reportedly off to Mexico to join up with Joaquin Murietta.
No, this was Rafe’s nemesis — the Angel Bandit — and his notorious sidekick, Elena, along with a half-dozen mean-looking scoundrels. Within minutes, his ancestor relieved them of every blessed piece of gold they’d worked so hard to gather. It was a good thing he’d already put his crucifix and wedding band in his boot, and Helen had done likewise with her ring, or the bandits would have taken those, too.
They’d made them remove their clothing and torn off all the concealed pockets. Luckily, Elena took Helen into the bushes for a private strip search, but not out of consideration. Elena didn’t want Helen’s nude body to attract her lover, the Angel Bandit.