Dorothy Callahan - Loving Out of Time

Loving Out of Time

by

Dorothy Callahan

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author's imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.

ISBN-10: 1512022268

ISBN-13: 978-1512022261

Copyright 2015 by Dorothy Callahan

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without express written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews or articles.

Formerly released under:

ISBN-10: 1440568243

ISBN-13: 978-1440568244

Dedication

To my dear and wonderful husband, Craig, whose strange and incredible knowledge of time warps, worm holes, and paradoxes kept this story on track. I never would have been able to write this without your amazing input. Thank you for being you.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to my friends and family for your encouragement (and tolerance) as I repeatedly (or is it annoyingly?) bounced ideas off of you. Also, a special thanks to Dr. Zagursky for your input. Your love and knowledge of obliterated and antiquated diseases is, well, downright scary.

Loving Out of Time

A cowboy loving an Indian an inconceivable thought to an 1898 Oklahoma man. But when a ranch hand falls through a time travel portal and lands in an Indians backyard, she battles her pride to help him while he battles his prejudice about being in an interracial relationship.

Having a friend in the quantum physics field makes Anya Littlefeather slightly more receptive to Cody Bells claim that his horse tossed him from 1898 into her backyard of 2013. He certainly seems to be an honest-to-God albeit prejudiced handsome cowboy who is utterly surprised by the established neighborhood where he claims his family farm once stood. Hes a drifter, and Anya has too many abandonment issues with men to even consider dating someone who already breaks two of her four relationship requirements. This frees Anya to help Cody as one human does another, and not worry about the possibility of dating.

Cody had been racing home with medicine to save his nieces life when his horse tossed him into this magical place. This Indian squaw confuses him, for she doesnt act the way his grandfather spoke of them during the Indian/Settler Wars, and shes courteous and helpful and respects him as a man. Her offer to help get him home seems genuine, and he fears every day spent in this amazing land jeopardizes the life of his beloved niece. The last woman he loved died, and that scar makes him hesitant to love again, regardless of his attraction.

As the time draws near for the next portal to open, Cody has to decide whether to go save the life of the last of his family, or stay here and start a new one. Anya has to either add one more abandonment issue to her list when he goes home, or ask Cody to let his niece perish and stay with her forever.

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Prologue

I f Cody could make it back in fifteen minutes, he could save her life.

The sun bore down hot on the Oklahoma earth, and his horses hooves jarred his teeth with the impact. It hadnt rained in three weeks, and by glancing behind himself, Cody could see a cloud of dust a mile long denoting his passage across the ranch lands.

A snort of pleasure preceded Sultans mane toss, and Cody knew how much his horse loved a fast run. Today, though, was not for pleasure. He patted the shirt pocket under his linen vest, ensuring the vial was still there, wrapped in his red bandana. The apothecary had hastened to make the powder while Cody waited, and although he promised it would work, Cody was still not sure the conglomeration inside the tiny vial would reverse the disease.

Little Annabel Lee was all that was left of his brothers family.

He tugged the reins and leaned left as they breached the old oak tree, and Sultan responded by veering that way, his hooves sending a spray of dust and stone as they maneuvered the ninety-degree angle at a gallop. Next would be a right at the split, and Cody thought to take the deer trail and cut across the frontier. The path could be navigated by horse, but not cart. He guided Sultan right at the fork and then leaned forward up the sharp incline, Sultans muscles straining under the hard leather saddle as he willingly clambered up the slope.

Two strides later had them flying across the scrub land towards his old home.

He pulled out his fob. Five minutes left. He kicked Sultans sides, urging his steed to greater strides. Sultan responded with the vigor of a horse half his age, and he gave another brief prayer of thanks to his brother for purchasing this fine Morgan just prior to his untimely death.

Young Annabel Lee missed her father terribly.

Her parents plots remained on the farthest side of their familys ranch.

The pastor had advised Cody to loosen the soil beside Catherines and Benjamins graves, just in case the cough progressed.

His parents ranch house came into view, and he noted their cart was still gone. They probably stayed in town, sending a telegraph to the city, looking for a more prominent physician, although Codys fast horse would have beaten them back here anyway. Cody leaned lower over the black mane, noting the sweaty froth gathering on his horses reddish-brown neck. Sultan would need a good rubdown from this exertion. But Annabel Lee came first.

The rough-hewn brown ranch house was silent. The chickens made no noise. The goats looked toward the house, contemplative in their cud-chewing. Even the wind had stilled. Chill bumps raced his arms despite the heat. He choked down the lump in his throat and kicked Sultan once more, not yet willing to concede defeat.

And then, a giant flat ball of fire appeared before his eyes, large and looming, with an ominous black center rimmed with flame. It was too late to stop, too late to turn. Sultan balked, and the last thing Cody remembered was flying straight towards his death.

Chapter 1

T he lightning flash came from a perfectly clear sky. Anya took her feet off the wicker coffee table and sat up at the same moment Atom raised his head. Her dog got up and trotted to the sliding glass doors overlooking the shared inner meadow of her neighborhood. She watched his head drop, and thought she heard a low growl.