Stowaway in Time

at that? Diamond wasn’t sure and had no wish to kiss the man, although it was a price she would pay to get rid of him. “I’ve got a sweetheart back home,” she lied. “I’m saving all my kisses for him.”
She would never learn if the appeal to his better nature worked.
A steady, calm voice broke the silence. “You heard the woman. She wants nothing to do with you. What the hell are we fighting for if not the safety of our homes, women, and family?”
Diamond turned towards the sound. Relief poured through her body like a cooling shower on a hot summer day. Jesse stood a few feet away, his pistol trained on the other soldier.
Bushy Beard raised his hands. “I didn’t mean no harm. Just didn’t expect to see a pretty girl out here all alone in the woods.”
“She’s not alone, she’s with me. But either way you should have treated her with respect. If I were your commanding officer, I’d have the right to shoot you where you stand.”
“But you’re not,” the man sneered. “Shoot me now and it’s murder.”
“Murder without witnesses.”
“She’s a witness, not that it matters. You won’t shoot me in cold blood.”
Jesse lowered the pistol. “Get out of here.”
Diamond gritted her teeth, wishing Jesse had pulled the trigger. She didn’t trust the guy, and they weren’t in a good position to defend themselves. It surprised her Jesse was still standing.
Bushy Beard lowered his hands, but kept them in sight, not going for his gun. “Headed for the lake?”
Jesse nodded.
“We could travel together.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Jesse held up a hand to quiet her.
Diamond longed to slap his hand aside, but bit her tongue and tightened her grip on the multi-tool.
“Why would we trust you?”
“We’re on the same side and you got the wrong idea about the girl. I never intended to hurt her.”
“You’ll be faster on your own.” Jesse gestured towards the bloody bandage on his head. “I’m not at top speed.”
“Maybe I don’t fancy getting shot in the back.”
“If I didn’t shoot you now, why would I shoot you later?”
The man glanced over at Diamond. “She might.”
He isn’t wrong. Once Jesse passed out, it would be easy to take his gun. But she wasn’t sure she could shoot someone in the back. “I’m unarmed.”
The man ignored her, addressing his question to Jesse. “What’s your plan for when you reach the lake? Can we swim across?”
“The lake is huge. We’re hoping to find transport, but if not, we’ll swim. In some places it’s shallow enough to wade.” Jesse sounded grim.
“That’s all we know,” Diamond said.
“I’ll help you. To clear up any misunderstandings.”
Misunderstanding, my foot. It rubbed her the wrong way, but she allowed the men to take charge, like a good nineteenth-century woman.
Jesse led the way back to their lunch site where he shouldered his pack. They set out, with Jesse leaning on Bushy Beard who had introduced himself as George White. They made better time this way, but Diamond kept a few paces behind the men, her gaze no doubt boring a hole in the back of George’s skull.
An hour or two later, they reached the lake. Although she had never been there, Diamond had seen pictures and the sight of Cypress trees growing out of the water didn’t surprise her. George, however, was not amused.
“Looks more like a damn swamp than a lake.”
“The earthquakes of 1811/1812 created the lake. The Mississippi River flooded the area.”
“It’s shallow,” Jesse said again. “Most places anyway.”
A sick feeling pooled in Diamond’s stomach as she surveyed the empty area. Escaping across the lake had always been a long shot, but they had come so far. “No transports.”
“Then we swim,” George said.
“Jesse will never make it.” She wasn’t sure she would either. She’d loved playing in the pool as a kid, but had never swum competitively or trained as a lifeguard.
“We build a raft,” Jesse said. “It doesn’t have to be perfect, just good enough to get us across.”
Diamond perked up. “I’ll gather sticks. You with us, George, or want to take your chance on swimming?”
“It’s worth a try.”
Diamond waited until he wandered in one direction and then went in the other. They gathered all the downed wood they could find, bringing it back to Jesse who lashed them together with some rope from his pack. George added his own cording, but it soon became obvious the raft would have to be small.
“Do you have any rope?” Jesse asked.
“Sorry.” It was the first time he’d asked about her supplies, always generously sharing his own.
“Maybe you should double-check.” George eyed her backpack with suspicion.
“I don’t have any rope,” she insisted. She tried to keep the bag away from the men as much as possible since she didn’t think zippers had been invented yet and most of what she had inside would puzzle them.
“We will make do with what we have. If we can’t all ride on the raft, we can hang on to it while we swim.”
“I don’t think so. I’ll take the raft. I need it more than either of you.” George didn’t pull his gun. He just shoved the rectangle into the water where it bobbed playfully.
Diamond surged to her feet. “No way. If anyone is getting on that raft, it’s Jesse. We can follow alongside. We won’t drown.”
“Waste of time. You heard his cough. He’s a dead man either way.”
“He’s not a doctor,” Diamond told Jesse. “Don’t listen to him.”
“You know I speak the truth, Miss Diamond. Come with me. The Yanks won’t throw you in prison, but they have no love for Confederate sympathizers.”
“We’re all going.”
“Three won’t fit.”
“Jesse…” Why didn’t he pull his gun? Why didn’t he shoot this lying, cheating, double-crosser? She dug her hand into her pocket.
George waded into the lake and heaved himself up on the raft. The small craft sank a couple inches, but kept him mostly above water. Using a long branch they had saved to use as a pole, he pushed away from the bank.
“Last chance,” he taunted