her?
“Texanna, you better get started. I have to leave here after the noon meal.”
“Okay, just a minute more.” The early morning light painted the white house and porch with a rosy glow. Royce looked relaxed but sober, waiting to hear what she had to say.
“Please understand. This is hard for me. Especially since I never believed I’d be sitting here today. I know you don’t believe in time-travel. You think I’m crazy and have concocted some elaborate scheme. To do what, I don’t have a clue.” He tensed and looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “I understand your distrust, your disbelief.”
“Do you?”
“Of course. If circumstance were reversed, I’d feel the same way. When Pearl mentioned time-travel to me, I thought she’d lost her mind. I got on that train over two weeks ago just to pacify her.” Now that the time had come for their talk, she’d give anything if someone stopped by to postpone it—one of his brothers, a stray cow, a rabid dog—anything or anybody.
She sighed. “My neighbor and dear friend, Pearlina Baines, was born in 1854. In 1872, at the age of eighteen, she married Royce Dyson. Their son Garrett was born in 1873. When the child was born, you presented her with this locket. Garrett’s picture was added when he was two years old.”
Royce’s eyes watched her closely. At the mention of the locket, his eyes focused where it lay against her breasts. Feeling his gaze, flustered, Texanna covered it with her hand. “I don’t know what she was like as a young woman, but the woman I knew was a tough old broad.”
Just thinking about Pearl made Texanna grin. Royce’s mouth twitched but didn’t lift in a smile. “From her letters, you know how she lived out her life. I know it’s hard to believe she traveled forward in time. I don’t know if my father or mother knew. The only people I think she trusted with her past were her husband, John Thompson, and her friend and housekeeper, Pauline.” She had his full attention, he watched her intently.
“In 1940, when she accepted the fact she was stuck in the twentieth century, she married but never had any children. By the time I was born, she was a widow living alone in a big house with Pauline and her paints.”
She couldn’t help but remember the first time she’d found her way into Pearl’s studio. “Pearl visited us from time to time, but other than her church activities, she mostly stayed to herself.” The wide expanse of glass windows fascinated Texanna. “One day, I knocked on the back door and said I wanted to see the glass room.” She smiled at the memory. They’d had teacakes and lemonade. “That day I began art lessons. Pearl was my teacher.”
By now Royce was leaning against a porch pillar, his back to her. “I am your Pearl’s next door neighbor. I’m the child she didn’t have, someone for her to love and dote on.”
She watched Royce’s rigid back. He didn’t move a muscle. “Pearl sent me so you’d know she didn’t abandon you and Garrett and wasn’t killed in some horrible way. She wanted to set you free to go on with your life.”
He whirled around to face her. “You expect me to believe you traveled back in time to give me this message?”
“Yes, but I also—”
Curses spewed from his mouth. “Give me some proof. I want proof.”
“What about my shoes and clothes?” She stood up and with her finger punched him in the chest. “And my underwear? I still want it back.”
“It’s indecent. No woman but a whore would wear such.” He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look up at him. “Have you been working in a brothel? Did someone kidnap you and force you into that type of slavery?”
Texanna was shocked speechless. Furious, she tried to knee him in the groin. When he jumped back she smacked him across the face before he had a chance to deflect her blow. “You think I’d work in a brothel? Why would you think such a stupid thing?”
He swore and muttered. “That
“Texanna, you better get started. I have to leave here after the noon meal.”
“Okay, just a minute more.” The early morning light painted the white house and porch with a rosy glow. Royce looked relaxed but sober, waiting to hear what she had to say.
“Please understand. This is hard for me. Especially since I never believed I’d be sitting here today. I know you don’t believe in time-travel. You think I’m crazy and have concocted some elaborate scheme. To do what, I don’t have a clue.” He tensed and looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “I understand your distrust, your disbelief.”
“Do you?”
“Of course. If circumstance were reversed, I’d feel the same way. When Pearl mentioned time-travel to me, I thought she’d lost her mind. I got on that train over two weeks ago just to pacify her.” Now that the time had come for their talk, she’d give anything if someone stopped by to postpone it—one of his brothers, a stray cow, a rabid dog—anything or anybody.
She sighed. “My neighbor and dear friend, Pearlina Baines, was born in 1854. In 1872, at the age of eighteen, she married Royce Dyson. Their son Garrett was born in 1873. When the child was born, you presented her with this locket. Garrett’s picture was added when he was two years old.”
Royce’s eyes watched her closely. At the mention of the locket, his eyes focused where it lay against her breasts. Feeling his gaze, flustered, Texanna covered it with her hand. “I don’t know what she was like as a young woman, but the woman I knew was a tough old broad.”
Just thinking about Pearl made Texanna grin. Royce’s mouth twitched but didn’t lift in a smile. “From her letters, you know how she lived out her life. I know it’s hard to believe she traveled forward in time. I don’t know if my father or mother knew. The only people I think she trusted with her past were her husband, John Thompson, and her friend and housekeeper, Pauline.” She had his full attention, he watched her intently.
“In 1940, when she accepted the fact she was stuck in the twentieth century, she married but never had any children. By the time I was born, she was a widow living alone in a big house with Pauline and her paints.”
She couldn’t help but remember the first time she’d found her way into Pearl’s studio. “Pearl visited us from time to time, but other than her church activities, she mostly stayed to herself.” The wide expanse of glass windows fascinated Texanna. “One day, I knocked on the back door and said I wanted to see the glass room.” She smiled at the memory. They’d had teacakes and lemonade. “That day I began art lessons. Pearl was my teacher.”
By now Royce was leaning against a porch pillar, his back to her. “I am your Pearl’s next door neighbor. I’m the child she didn’t have, someone for her to love and dote on.”
She watched Royce’s rigid back. He didn’t move a muscle. “Pearl sent me so you’d know she didn’t abandon you and Garrett and wasn’t killed in some horrible way. She wanted to set you free to go on with your life.”
He whirled around to face her. “You expect me to believe you traveled back in time to give me this message?”
“Yes, but I also—”
Curses spewed from his mouth. “Give me some proof. I want proof.”
“What about my shoes and clothes?” She stood up and with her finger punched him in the chest. “And my underwear? I still want it back.”
“It’s indecent. No woman but a whore would wear such.” He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look up at him. “Have you been working in a brothel? Did someone kidnap you and force you into that type of slavery?”
Texanna was shocked speechless. Furious, she tried to knee him in the groin. When he jumped back she smacked him across the face before he had a chance to deflect her blow. “You think I’d work in a brothel? Why would you think such a stupid thing?”
He swore and muttered. “That
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