by Mari Carr
“I wasn’t in your bed until you put me here.” She wished she could lighten the tension that was stirring in the air.
Growling, he ran his hand through his hair with frustration. She had mussed it up during their kiss and he’d only succeeded in making it worse.
Hayley giggled.
Jack eyed her. “What,” he asked with a grin, “is so funny?”
“Oh, Jack, your face, your hair. You look like the Cowardly Lion. I’m sorry. I know I’m a total pain in the ass and you’re so sweet to keep putting up with what must seem like extreme eccentricities. Look on the bright side, when I set my mind on something, I usually see it accomplished, which hopefully means my time here will be short.”
“So you still intend to figure out a way to open that portal again, before the end of this year?”
“Heck yeah. I’m hoping to be back in 2008 before the end of my three-week holiday. Just think, soon I’ll be gone and you can go back to your normal, peaceful existence complete with your boats, horses and women who behave as they should.”
Jack’s smile dimmed a bit before he corrected her. “They aren’t boats—they’re ships. And I don’t consider myself cowardly or a lion.”
Hayley burst into laughter at his playful words.
“In the future, Miss Garland, if you feel the need to chastise me, perhaps you could wait until we are in neutral territory.” Jack retreated from the bed until he was standing beside the door to the hallway.
“Okay,” Hayley said softly. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning then.” She stood up, attempting to straighten her dress, as it was hanging open down the back. “Friends again?”
“Hayley,” Jack caught her upper arm as she started to leave the room. “Today was one of the worst of my life and I’ve had more than my fair share of dreadful ones. I’m sorry for the roughness of my kiss and for the past few moments—what happened between us on the bed. What did you call it?”
“Making out,” Hayley answered with a blush.
“What exactly does making out include?”
“Oh.” Hayley was unsure how to respond. “Well, what we were doing, of course, classifies. As well as—oh hell Jack—I already told you that’s farther than I’ve ever gone on the ‘making out’ scale.” As she said the words making out, she made quotation marks with her fingers and his smile grew.
“I mean I took sex ed. in high school and I know how it all ends, so I guess making out is everything short of actual, er, intercourse. This is an embarrassing conversation.” She turned away and crossed to the fireplace. She’d hoped to escape his penetrating gaze but she could feel it even with her back turned. When she realized her dress was still unbuttoned, she turned around quickly, leaving her back to the flames.
“I see.” Jack seemed entranced by her disheveled state and unconcerned by her embarrassment. “And what we did, that’s as far as you’ve gone?”
“Yes,” she replied. “I’ve already said as much—twice. You don’t have to remind me how inexperienced I am in this area. I know you’ll probably find this terribly hard to believe, but in my time, I’m not exactly…approachable.”
“Unapproachable? You?” Jack’s eyebrows raised in mock astonishment.
She smirked at his jest. “I tend to intimidate men. I’m rather abrasive. But in my own defense, my upbringing and my job haven’t exactly instilled a lot of respect for men in me.”
“What do you mean—upbringing and job?”
Hayley realized the two of them didn’t know much about each other. The thought struck her as strange when she realized how relaxed she was in his presence. He felt like a comfortable shoe or dear old friend. The idea that he didn’t know all of her deep, dark secrets was unfathomable.
“My father was an alcoholic. He used my mother as a punching bag when he was drunk.” Hayley said the words automatically and without inflection as if she were merely reading the headline of a newspaper, rather than announcing something as dreadful as spousal abuse.
She’d talked about her mother’s past experiences often with the women from the shelter. The words came easily as she told her tale only in third person, as the child who watched her mother’s abuse. She’d never discussed the past from her point of view and she had learned to separate her words from the feelings they stirred. Years of pushing the terror of her childhood to the deepest recesses of her mind had allowed her to do her job, to relate to the women at the shelter on a personal level, without falling apart on a daily basis.
“As for my job, I am a social worker and counselor at a women’s shelter.” At Jack’s questioning glance, she elaborated. “I work with women and children who are living in abusive situations. They are victims of violent husbands, lovers or fathers and they come to the shelter in an attempt to break free, to escape the pattern of abuse and make new lives for themselves.”
“What happens when the men come to retrieve their wives?”
“Women aren’t property in my time. Divorce is common. However, the same problems exist in the future as they do here. Many women feel trapped and stay with the abuser because they don’t have a job or a way to support themselves or their children. At the clinic, we give them a temporary home and then help them find jobs, apartments and provide counseling to help them see that it isn’t okay to let some man beat the hell out of them just because he can. Sometimes, they return to their abuser despite the help we provide.” Hayley stopped as she realized she was ranting a bit. She gave Jack a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get carried away.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re a passionate woman—in more ways than one. The job sounds dangerous.”
“Sometimes it is. These men don’t take kindly to interference. I’ve been threatened loads of times. My car has been keyed, my apartment spray-painted with some very choice language and I’ve been hit a few times.” Hayley rattled off the list nonchalantly.
“Hit?” Jack asked angrily. “Who hit you?” His tone was so sharp it caused Hayley to jump back.
“Does it matter who? Are you planning on running in to them?” Hayley was secretly pleased by his concern, but also hoped to bring some levity to a conversation that had gotten a bit personal.
Jack shrugged, as he seemed to realize how foolish his response was, but he still looked irate.
“So I guess that’s why your uncle’s threats didn’t really bother me that much. All in a day’s work for me.” She didn’t want to admit Robert Campbell’s comments and malevolent looks sent cold chills racing through her. She seriously doubted she would sleep without hearing his threats in her constantly evolving, yet never-ending nightmares.
Scowling, Jack approached her. “Regardless of what you are accustomed to, Wilshire is not someone you should cross.” As he spoke, he turned her away from him so he could fasten the buttons he’d only unfastened moments earlier. “In the future, I would appreciate it if you would do as I ask and stay away from him. It shouldn’t be too difficult, as he has no reason to return here. I honestly don’t know where Julia is. I wish to God I did. I actually spent most of the evening riding in the woods between here and the Homestead hoping to find her.”
Hayley felt guilty keeping her secret, but she’d promised Simon and Julia. “I’m sure wherever she is, she’s fine.”
Finished with his task, he began to pace the room and Hayley recognized how truly worried he was. What was the relationship between these two? While she suspected Julia was protecting Jack, she didn’t get a sense from her that she was head over heels in love with Jack. If she were hiding, Hayley would want the man she loved to be with her. Jack’s demeanor, while certainly concerned, didn’t strike her as a man out of his mind with worry for his beloved.
“You seem very fond of Julia, but you’ve never told me what she is to you. I mean you said you aren’t related, yet I can tell you’re very close.” Hayley silently kicked herself for the personal nature of the remarks.
“Jealous?” Jack asked with a wicked grin.
“Don’t flatter yourself, hotshot.” Hayley replied with more cockiness than she felt.
“It’s late,” he said. “You should go back to your room before someone finds you here.”
Tired, Hayley conceded the battle. She would resume the war tomorrow to discover more about the mysterious relationship of Jack, the earl and Julia. For now, she was ready for bed. It was funny how her life in the future—while always busy—never seemed to be quite as fulfilling or exciting as the days here.
Stifling yet another yawn, Hayley murmured a soft “good night” as she headed to her room.
“Goodnight, firebrand,” Jack whispered as he closed the door behind her.
Chapter 14
Hayley opened her eyes and cursed. Looking out the window confirmed she was still stuck in the past. Three weeks had flown by in a whirl of activity, yet she was no closer to discovering the secret of the tree’s magic now than she had been when she first arrived. A crushing weight settled on her chest. What now?
While she wasn’t unhappy here, she had definitely set all her hopes on being home by now. Tori was probably over her initial shock and panic at finding Hayley missing and had moved on to resignation and grief. Hayley recalled those feelings well as she faced those same emotions when she realized Erin wasn’t coming back.
Jack, true to his word, tried to help her uncover the secret magic of her time travel, but they’d hit several snags along the way. Despite Jack’s insistence they involve Alex and Erin in the investigation, Hayley refused. She didn’t want her friend to worry that she was miserable and desperate to escape, when in fact she wasn’t. Besides, Erin had made her peace in this time, creating a happy life for herself. Hayley wasn’t sure if the knowledge of how to return to the twenty-first century would impact her friend’s feelings in that regard. The most difficult thing was trying to question the locals about a magic time traveling tree without actually saying those words.
Despite her lack of success in returning home, her new life in the past had settled into a comfortable existence. Jack served as escort on her daily jog and swim, while she kept up her end of the bargain and wore the damn swimsuit deemed appropriate. The outfit was ridiculous and made swimming difficult, if not downright dangerous. Each morning after her exercise, Hayley smuggled food from the kitchen and snuck out to see Julia. Simon had stayed with Julia the first couple days, then claimed he truly did have to go to London on business. Hayley pitched a fit the day he’d left, but none of her insults or attempts to evoke guilt in the young man had changed his mind. Julia had tried to explain how important Simon’s job was and how much Alex relied on him, but Hayley had put his name on the very long list of men who, in her opinion, could not be counted on.
So far, no one had approached the cabin while Julia was hiding there. Hayley assumed that since she and Jack had stayed there after Julia’s disappearance, the men had marked it off their search list. She felt guilty not divulging to Erin about Julia’s presence in the cabin, but the young woman insisted that no one else be told, not even the marchioness of Dorset.
“Morning, sunshine,” Erin said cheerily as she walked into Hayley’s room.
“Is that what this ungodly hour is?” Hayley answered, her voice still rough from sleep.
“Yep, it’s this little thing we early risers like to call sunrise.”
“Tell me something, Erin. Were you always this annoying back home?”
“Oh hell yeah, sweetie. Don’t you remember?”
Hayley grinned at their teasing banter. “It seems to be coming back to me.”
“What’s on your agenda for today?”
“I guess the same damn thing that’s on it everyday.” Hayley didn’t intend her answer to sound so grumpy, but she couldn’t shake the depression that had taken root as soon as she’d awakened to find herself still firmly ensconced in 1818.
Erin’s smile faded and Hayley silently cursed her harsh answer.
“Don’t mind me, Erin,” she said quickly. “I appear to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.” She sat up slowly, propping her back against several pillows.
Erin came to sit beside her. “Are you terribly unhappy here?”
Somewhere along the line, they’d reached a tacit agreement not to speak about the tree or returning home.
“No, Erin. Of course I’m not.” As she spoke the words, she realized the truth behind them. When she thought about it, these were probably the most relaxing, carefree days she’d ever spent anywhere.
She’d learned to ride a horse and thoroughly enjoyed her afternoon jaunts. The Grange and surrounding countryside was beautiful and untouched. Some days she and Erin traveled to the nearby village and walked through the shops.
On other days, she and Jack would ride along the beach, exploring the caves and cliffs, looking for Julia, even though Jack had begun to hope she’d escaped the area completely and was hiding out with friends or relatives elsewhere. Twice they’d had the misfortune of running into Lord Wilshire, who was also conducting a search for Julia. Both incidents ended in an argument between Jack and his uncle, but Hayley—having learned her lesson—wisely kept her mouth shut. After these meetings, Jack disappeared into his room, refusing to come out even for dinner.
“Perhaps after dinner tonight, we could do another sing-along,” Erin suggested hopefully.
Hayley laughed recalling their last attempt at teaching the men the words to several Beatles songs. Most evenings, the two couples enjoyed a nice meal before retiring to the library, where they sat together reading, talking and singing. The evenings were her favorite part of the day. She and Erin told Jack and Alex all about the future. Jack—especially fascinated by the descriptions of modern-day modes of transportation—usually ended up quite frustrated when neither Erin nor Hayley could answer his sophisticated questions about the inner-workings of cruise liners, automobiles or airplanes. Other nights, Erin sang her songs for them.
“And who were you thinking about honoring tonight?” Hayley asked.
“I thought perhaps we could shock the guys with some women anthems. Maybe Helen Reddy’s I am Woman and Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive.”
“Why stop there?” Hayley joked. “Why not introduce them to Madonna’s Like a Virgin and the Dixie Chicks’ Goodbye Earl.”
“Oh my God. Can you imagine if we sang a song about an abused wife killing her husband?” Erin giggled at the thought.
“Might keep them honest,” Hayley said, laughing.
“Ha, as if either one of those men would raise a hand to harm us. You know I’ve always considered myself extremely fortunate to have met Alex. So many men of this time wouldn’t understand me. But Alex not only accepts who I am, he loves me. He really loves me.”
“I know. It’s obvious.” A lump formed in Hayley’s throat. For a year, she believed her missing friend had met some brutal, horrible end. To discover that she’d been happy, loved and cherished washed away all the self-pity Hayley had suffered since waking up. So what if she was still trapped in the past? Erin was alive and living the perfect life. That knowledge was worth the trip. Her confidence returned.
“Sometimes—” Erin said before pausing.
“What?”
“Sometimes I wonder if perhaps you were lucky to find Jack as well.”
Despite the fact they spent so much time together, Jack kept his distance from her physically and she was unwilling to risk the comfortable friendship they had formed by pushing for more of his lovely kisses. “I don’t think it’s the same for us, Erin. Jack and I are just friends.”
Hayley could see her friend wasn’t convinced. Unwilling to venture any further into the topic of Jack Campbell, Hayley threw back the covers.
“Well, I suppose I’ll get dressed and we can head down to breakfast. The guys must be wondering where we are.”
“Actually, Jack headed out just before dawn to return to his shipping company, but he did say he would be back in time for dinner tonight.” Erin helped Hayley fasten her day dress.
“He wanted me to apologize for the fact he won’t be able to escort you on your run.”
“That’s okay,” Hayley said. “I’ll skip the exercise today and do a bit of exploring.”
“Haven’t you seen every rock and twig on this property by now?” Erin teased.
Hayley’s common lie was that she was exploring when actually she was sneaking off to check on Julia. In the short time she had known the young woman, she had come to care for her as a sister. Julia’s sweet, carefree nature drew Hayley to her and, despite the small twinges of jealousy she felt about Julia’s relationship with Jack, she enjoyed her company very much. Julia would have been a June girl in 2008. She was vivacious and optimistic, despite her uncertain future and painful past. When Hayley questioned her about the bruises and cuts, Julia confirmed that Wilshire had gone into a rage and had beaten her. Unfortunately, that was all Julia would say.
Julia had never revealed Wilshire’s insistence that the two of them were to wed, so Hayley decided not to mention it, in case she didn’t know of his plan. Hayley was also relieved that in all their conversations, Julia had never spoken about Jack as anything more than a beloved friend.
However, each time, Hayley tried to broach the subject of Julia’s options for the future, the young girl became uncharacteristically angry and demanded Hayley let things remain as they were. Hayley tried to explain that each passing day was increasing the odds of Julia being discovered. Hayley desperately wanted to confide in Jack or Erin, but Julia was dead-set against it. After each heated debate, Hayley conceded, deciding ultimately, it was Julia’s decision as it was her future that was at stake. Julia understood this time period better than she did.
“Oh, I don’t think I’ve managed to see everything yet,” Hayley said vaguely. “In fact, I may take my breakfast and lunch on the run. There’s a walking path along the cliffs I’ve been wanting to try.” Grabbing a handful of food would disguise the fact she was sneaking it out to feed her fugitive friend.
