West

"Fighting Badger came to you?" he asked.

"Yeah. He's upset." I searched Taylor's face. "He said he killed two men who were after me. I know one of them knew you."

"Josie, now is not -"

"Now is the time," I said firmly. "You'll forgive me if I'm out of good faith."

Taylor's expression softened. "I know. It's been a rough couple of days. That's why I'm asking you to head home, and we'll talk later."

"No."

He sighed.

"Taylor, what if this - Running Bear's death - is what I'm supposed to prevent? You can't tell me you want your brother hanged!" I whispered insistently. It was a rare day when I was angry, but I was now. I didn't even know whom it was directed at.

"It's much more complicated than that." He shifted back to lean against the wall. "I've settled down the town's folks who want him hanged today. The judge has already decided there won't be a trial, not after the three additional men Fighting Badger killed, and your cousin Philip is threatening to take this to the governor if I stand in the way of a hanging."

"I hate Philip," I muttered.

"He's a thorn in my side but also the least of my problems." Taylor took one of my hands, his gaze going to the ceiling. "I suspect Running Bear is my grandfather. He had no children after his first family was killed. If he's hanged before he can father any more then …"

New fear trickled through me. "How do you know it was him and not Fighting Badger?" I asked. "I know the chances are slim, but there are two of them."

"One of them didn't exist in the original timeline. There's no record of twins anywhere. I suspect Fighting Badger died the first time around, and me being here somehow altered that."

"If Running Bear dies Saturday, so do you," I murmured. "What better sign is there that I'm meant to stop this?"

"Aside from the fact Carter is a master manipulator?" Taylor asked, frustration in his tone. "Josie, there was no event that happened in the original history that would've let you save a million lives. That door closed when the government began taking the land from natives a hundred years ago. Nothing you could do here could make a difference. It was a lie, one Carter told you to get you here."

"For what purpose?" I demanded.

"As I said: there's no one who has ever figured out his motivation for anything he does. He's sent back hundreds of people in time, and not one of them can tell us why."