"Yes, but Marc, speak up, I can barely hear you."
"Speak up? Woman, I am in the middle of a crowded bar. Put a finger in your ear and one over your mouth," he advised in a mock serious voice. "Not the same hand of course, unless you're double-jointed, in which case the man who isn't Italian must be drooling. But darling, you can tell me all about him later. Just listen, and if you ever repeat this, I will never french-braid your hair again. Plus I will tell everyone, including your mystery man, you had a crush on John Belushi."
In spite of everything, Mairie giggled. "He made me laugh," she protested.
"Aha… had nothing to do with that incredible physique or—"
"Stop," Mairie interrupted, before he could go on with his droll sarcasm and divert her attention again. "Tell me what you don't want me to know."
"Well, I needed to get some fast cash for Bryan's medicine. So I helped out some immigrants for this friend of mine and I got them fake birth certificates, social security numbers. I hacked my way into the mainframe at Harrisburg and another friend in the Capitol took care of the rest. I could get you a birth certificate and license in three days and FedEx them out to you." He took a deep breath. "And Mairie, if you tell anyone this, I'll take out a full-page photo ad in the Times of you at Cape May in that hideous lime green bikini."
"You can do this, Marc…?"
"The ad?"
She laughed. "No. The fake IDs."
"They are not fake. At least, they are on record as being real. The social security card will take at least a week. And yes, I can get you them. I only did it the one time, but I know the right people now. I never thought I'd do it again. Look, Mairie, this was for the parents of children. They came to this country for freedom, got jobs, paid taxes, and they were going to be deported. Kids, and all. It wasn't fair, and they had no idea about the legal system here. By the time my friend contacted me, they had to hide until they could leave and start over in another city. I'm not proud of what I did, but—"
"Marc, say no more. You're a good person, and I love you. So, yes… what could it hurt? Get me another ID until I figure out what's happening. I need to get to Bryan as soon as possible. Can you FedEx it overnight to this address?"
"I'll have to contact my friend at the Capitol. Also, you'll have to give up Callahan. Do you mind?"
"It wasn't the name I was born with. I should have had my name switched back to my maiden name anyway."
"You can't use your maiden name."
"I know… use… use…" She looked to the window. "Use Delaney. Mary Delaney. Spell Mary with a 'y.’“
"Don't tell me… the one who isn't Italian is a leprechaun?"
She laughed as Jack turned away from the window and looked at her. Cupping her hand over the receiver, she whispered, "Do you mind? It seems I need a new last name."
His smile of sympathy touched her heart.
"I do love you, Marc. Even more now that I know your many talents. Who would have thought, huh? Talk about still waters running deep."
"I have never been still, my love. You have. You're just catching up."
"Well, if you want to hear something really deep, listen to this. I need two IDs. One for me, and She looked at Jack and tried not to laugh. "And one for the leprechaun. He's coming with me."
"Hmm… I wouldn't miss this for the world. Mairie, Mairie… quite contrary, how does your garden grow? You do have a lot to tell me… I want to know every detail of your new fellow… one of the wee folk. Heavens, I hope that's not true."
Mairie laughed and asked Jack his birthday. They might be lost in time again, but at least in this time there was Marc. Comic relief.
She could certainly use it.
Chapter 13
"Oh, Mairie… I must insist!"
He stood at the side of the magnificent tub and pointed to it. "First, you bathe, and then I will. I wouldn't think of asking you to bathe after me!"
She stood with her sunburned hands clutching her hips. Her chin tilted up in defense, and her eyes flashed with intelligence. Jack knew she wasn't about to surrender easily, and he prepared himself for the interaction.
He'd done this before, he thought, while gathering whatever shred of strength remained.
"You won't bathe and leave your water, Jack. There's a drain. I'll have fresh water. Just do it, all right? This perfect gentleman attitude is admirable, and I appreciate it, but let's be real here, okay? You were injured in saving my life. I can never repay the saving part, but I can assist in the healing. The Jacuzzi will ease your muscles, your pain, and you'll recover faster. We both need to regain our strength for whatever follows now. And I haven't got a clue what that might be. I'm just playing this moment by moment… and the reality of this moment is shouting at me that you get in this tub and hurry up and heal. There's a time for courtly gestures and there's a time for practicality. Got it?"
She really was spectacular when she became passionate about something. His mind couldn't help but picture her the last time they had kissed… the way she had come to him and took as much as she gave. Maybe it wasn't such a good thing after all to argue with her. Feeling his body respond so easily, he thought he might concede the practicality of the situation after all.
This could get embarrassing.
"Fine. I shall bathe before you, but I want you to know that under any other condition I would—"
"Oh, get real, Jack," she said, slapping his arm as she walked from the room. "I'll get you a robe. Good thing this hotel provides them."
He was stopped short as he stared after her. It was the oddest thing. When she'd cut off his little speech, he had the ridiculous sensation of great friendship. It was an intense feeling, almost like brotherhood. But she was a woman… this partnership, as she called it, was causing some very unusual thinking. As he waited for her to bring the robe, he realized he had never before felt that height of friendship with a woman. He had felt it as a young boy with his Paiute brother, Hidden Feather, as they grew up and shared adventures, hopes, and dreams. During the war he had experienced that degree of closeness with three remarkable men, all dead now. Four males that he had trusted with everything, even his life. And now to feel that with a woman, along with everything else she brought into his life, Jack almost felt dizzy with the realization.
"Here," Mairie said, startling him.
He reached for the thick white robe. "Thank you." He was almost afraid to look her in the eye, afraid of what she might see.
"We're going to need to buy clothes tomorrow. We can't keep wearing these."
He looked down to his trousers and raised his gaze to her.
Their vision met and locked for a few seconds. It was as if she were touching him. He felt her, like an exciting wave of sensuous intensity washing over him. It was mesmerizing and Jack forced himself to blink, to end it. His hand clutched the robe in his fist.
"I trust you… to know best. Shopping in the morning it is."
He heard her inhale, sucking in breath between her teeth.
"Do you know what size you are?" she asked, coming closer and running her hand over his shoulder. "Forty-four long, maybe?"
"Forty-four?" he replied, though how he could even think with her hands on him was a minor miracle. Lord, what this woman did to his senses. "I… I'm not sure."
"You look like a forty-four," she said, sizing him up, and Jack found himself standing straighter.
"Waist…? Hmm… I'd say a thirty-four."
He couldn't think, not with her close proximity. That had to be the reason he took her hands and placed them at his waist. Smiling down at her, he said, "Well, do you think you're right?"
She didn't answer.
They stared at each other for what seemed like minutes. Her hands stayed at his waist while he gently pushed her hair behind her shoulders. It was almost tangible, the current that was heating up the space between them, and Jack sighed with regret. Now was not the time. They were both exhausted. If and when he made Mairie Callahan his, he wanted it to be
perfect. She deserved better than this.
"Right… well, you remember how to operate the tub?" she asked, recovering quickly as she dropped her hands, though he sensed she was embarrassed.
"Yes, I remember." He smiled at her.
She ignored him. "Okay. Push that button to start it. It's timed for fifteen minutes. If you want more, push it again. Then push the button marked stop to end it. Got that?"
Jack continued to smile. "I remember," he repeated.
"Good. Okay, then. Enjoy yourself." She closed the door.
He laid the robe on the seat of the indoor pot with the remarkable handle. To bring water up fourteen stories with such speed still amazed him. So many new discoveries, he thought as he undressed. Like Mairie…
He put off thinking about her until he was inclining in the huge tub. Sighing as the hot water entered his pores, Jack felt his muscles ease slightly. He concentrated on the sensation for a few minutes, not thinking at all, just focusing on the pleasure and pain within him. Finally, he reached out and pressed the button Mairie had shown him earlier.
Holding his breath in anticipation, not knowing what it would feel like, he prepared himself for another taste of the future. The water immediately came alive, bubbling around him like an overactive artesian pool. It was immensely enjoyable.
Resting his head against the back of the tub, Jack exhaled with pleasure.
Now… now he could think.
He had read about it from the great poets. He'd heard songs praising it, but he'd never felt it before. How could he understand something he had never experienced? This was new territory for him. All he could do was listen to the words of those who had gone before him. And trust himself. And Mairie. Under the most challenging circumstances, she had conducted herself as well as any man. Better than most.
Jack grinned when he thought she might take that compliment as an insult. Still, he trusted her with his life, felt a deep affection and intimacy whenever he was near her. Plus, he wanted her. Damn, he wanted her so much right now that he was shocked his abused body could respond to the admission.
"Damn…" he muttered and pushed his hair back off his forehead. Sweat ran off him, as though taking his desire and his pain along with it. What was this? What was happening? Was this it, what he had only thought of as a gift for a special few?
Was this love?
Was he falling in love with Mairie… his gift?
He would have to be careful. Not scare her away. Patience, he told himself. It would be unfair to push his cause when her world had just turned threatening. She had to reach her brother and he was committed to helping her achieve that.
And what could he offer her anyway? He was a…
He remembered Mairie's words when she was desolate in the Indian camp. How they fit him now.
He was a stranger in a strange land.
Mairie stood in front of the window and looked out to the brilliant lights. It was quite a view and she imagined Jack standing here while she was speaking with Marc on the phone. What had he thought? Was it like she felt when she'd first seen Star Wars? This had to be like science fiction to Jack. She pictured him, standing by the tub, staring into her eyes. What the hell was that about? Remembering how she fought so hard within herself not to move toward him, to feel his body against hers, Mairie sighed.
She'd have to be more careful.
Maybe she was in love with the man, but she couldn't afford to indulge in it or let it show. Now she had to concentrate on whatever was happening around her. Had she put everyone in jeopardy? Now it wasn't just Jack. It was Bryan and Marc.
She wondered again if Harmon had also made it back, but how could he have? Jack had said her horse was shot about twenty minutes before he jumped. Harmon couldn't have made it back to the desert floor that quickly. He had to be stuck in the past. He had said that was it, the only shot at returning to 1999. He couldn't be back here.
She wondered why the government was still tapping Marc's phone. Did they expect her? Did they know that two people made it? A part of her marveled that her mind was thinking such thoughts at all. She never even gave much thought to government. It was like an absentee parent, only there in an emergency. She realized she was part of the Silent Majority that didn't really question, and now her mind was full of questions.
Like what did they want with her? She decided that she wouldn't dye and cut her hair; she'd buy a wig. She wasn't about to do anything so drastic until she was sure Marc knew what he was talking about. Since she didn't really know if Harmon had made it back, she figured she'd leave it up to Jack if he wanted to alter his appearance.
She would hate to see him cut that hair, she thought, and grimaced as those betraying thoughts of him in the Jacuzzi flashed through her mind. Long, dark, wet hair, sweat dripping from his muscles…
She actually shook herself and turned away from the window.
Stop it, she told herself, and walked over to the tall armoire. Opening it, she saw it contained exactly what she wanted and picked up the remote control. She jammed her thumb on the power button and sat on the edge of the bed while watching Third Rock from the Sun.
How appropriate, this mindless diversion.
Still, she could hear the sound of the Jacuzzi and the mental picture of Jack Delaney fought for her attention.
She had to let the TV aliens win this one.
As he stepped out of the bathroom, Mairie muted the volume and stood up. "How do you feel?"
"Much better. It really does help, thank you."
She refrained from saying I told you so again. Better to let that one go, she figured, and just take her bath. Picking up her robe from the other bed, she said, "Well, my turn."
He stood, hair slicked back behind his ears and shoulders, clad only in that white robe. Mairie suppressed a groan as he said, "Please, before you leave… would you explain what you are watching?" He walked closer to the TV and stared. "What is it?"
"Television," she said in a dull voice. "Like a bunch of still pictures put together and captured by a camera that inverts them, sends them one frame by one frame out to the air, and a signal in this box picks them up and shows it to us as completed picture. There. That's the best I can explain." She walked passed him and grabbed the remote laying on the bedspread.
"Here," she said, slapping it onto his hand. "Use this. Read the words. Channel means finding another picture, another story. Go have fun, I'm going to take my bath."
She didn't mean to be rude or impatient.
She just needed a bath. A cool bath.
Her body was inflamed, and she couldn't blame it entirely on her sunburn.
Thirty minutes later, Mairie emerged from the bathroom prepared for another round of twenty questions concerning technology. Instead, she found Jack asleep on the bed, with two pillows propped behind his head. She slowly walked over to him and slipped the remote from his fingers. Holding it over her shoulder, she pointed it at the television and silenced a commercial about an automobile dealership.
Smiling, she placed the remote on the night table and turned off the light above him. She had left the drapes open so the lights from the casinos dimly filled the room. Jack looked so peaceful sleeping. What a first day he'd had in the future, and he hadn't freaked out once. He was quite a man, she thought. Couldn't have picked a better partner for this bizarre adventure. Even Bryan, she admitted, wouldn't have handled it better.
She admired Jack's strength, his courage.
Reaching out, she lifted a strand of hair off his forehead.
He stirred in his sleep at her touch, emitting a tiny moan, and Mairie withdrew her fingers. She didn't want to wake him. Let him rest, she thought. Tomorrow he'll need it.
Grinning, she turned to her bed and sat down. She towel-dried her hair and threw the damp towel to the rug before pulling down the bedspread. Wearing only the robe, she placed a clean towel on the pillow and finally slipped in between the sheets.
A moan of pleasure escaped her lips as she glanced at
Jack to see if he had heard. His breathing remained steady. Letting out her own breath, Mairie looked around the modern room and once more smiled. How heavenly this felt…
She was home.
Almost.
He awakened with the sun and stared around him for a few seconds before coming to full alertness. It wasn't a fantastic dream. He really did travel to the future. His body was still sore, yet much better, he thought as he stretched. His attention was captured by the woman asleep in the next bed, and he turned his head. Her hair was spread out on the pillow like a dark silky fan. Her face was peaceful, her mouth slightly open as even her jaw relaxed.
He smiled. She certainly was a woman who liked to voice her mind. He propped himself on his elbow to see her better. Jack's own mouth dropped open as he saw that the top of her robe was gaping, almost exposing her breasts.
He knew he should turn away. A friend, a partner, would allow privacy.
A potential lover would feel the yearning in every fiber of his being.
There could be no doubt that he wanted to consider himself a potential lover as his body instinctively reacted to the tantalizing picture she presented. What would she do, he wondered, if he stroked her hair to awaken her? Would she jump in fright at the intrusion? Or would she melt against him, as she had done at the stream? He had no more time to wonder, as she sighed deeply and turned on her side away from him.
Grateful that she had made the decision easy, Jack looked around the room and again saw the magic box in the dresser. What a fascinating invention. He must remember to ask Mairie about the scantily clad women he had seen displayed on the story about this hotel. The box spoke to him and had invited him to come to the show. Did one refuse such an invitation? He certainly didn't want to, yet he couldn't imagine asking Mairie to attend such an entertainment.
Glancing once more at her sleeping back, Jack reached for the thin black control device and pressed the red power button. Instantly the box became alive with color and movement. He couldn't hear anything this time and thought it was a good thing, since Mairie was sleeping. He didn't want to wake her up just yet. She needed her rest, and besides, he wanted to see if he could find the hotel story again.
Anywhere You Are Page 21
