tried to shut out the world, which was still
spinning around and around.
What would it take? If
only she could remember all the details of the experience.
Gazing up at the
topsy-turvy sky, she pondered the fact that the fluffy white clouds
were no different from the clouds back in the twenty-first century.
She could be home for all she knew.
But it wasn’t likely.
She couldn't hear any traffic, only the gentle whisper of the wind
through the tall prairie grasses and the sounds of grasshoppers and
bees.
She sat up and wondered
if a rainy day would do the trick. Maybe it was the lightning.
Suddenly she heard
someone call her name. She glanced toward town and saw Truman
running toward her. Thank God it was him, but how long had he been
watching her?
She collapsed onto her
back again, relieved and mortified at the same time. He had seen
her, she knew it, and any moment now, he was going to arrive and
ask her if she’d taken leave of her senses.
His boots whisked over
the grass and came to a halt beside her. "Are you hurt? What are
you doing out here? Are you okay?"
Jessica sat up. "I
think the more relevant question is what are
you
doing out
here?"
"I followed you."
She laughed. "Well,
that’s quite obvious, but something tells me you weren't concerned
for my safety. Otherwise, you simply would have made your presence
known."
Truman ripped off his
coat and tossed it onto the ground. "You didn’t answer my question,
Jessica. I asked what you were doing out here."
"It’s none of your
business."
“No? I saw you walk
into Zimmerman’s, and I know you pawned a necklace. That wouldn’t
be what Lou’s gang was after, would it?”
“No!”
“Then why didn’t you
tell me about it?”
She laughed with
disbelief. “You never mentioned you wanted an inventory of all my
worldly possessions.”
He shook his head. “It
was more than a worldly possession. You parted with a fortune this
morning, and you seem to be taking it pretty lightly. You could've
at least gone down the street for a better price. Why were you in
such a hurry to get rid of it?"
Jessica wasn’t sure if
she should tell him that the stone was a cubic zirconia that Liam
had given her for Christmas. She explained that it was a fake to
the clerk, but she doubted he’d revealed that to Truman.
“I just needed some
cash,” she told him. “I didn’t want to keep borrowing from Mr.
Maxwell.”
"So you practically
gave away something worth a fortune? Makes me think you didn't care
much about that necklace. I'd hate to think you got it through some
unscrupulous means."
Jessica frowned. "You
think I stole it?"
"I didn't say
that."
"Good, because it's not
true. If you must know, my ex-fiancé gave it to me, and it really
wasn’t worth very much."
Truman paused. "You
didn't give it back to him?"
"No. He didn't want it.
The necklace was a fake, just like everything else in our
relationship."
Truman raked his
fingers through his hair. "A fake?”
“Yes.”
He sat down in the
grass beside her and said nothing for a long time.
“When was the last time
you saw him?" Truman asked.
"It’s been a number of
months."
He looked at her
intently. "Do you plan on seeing him again?"
She laughed bitterly.
"Trust me, with the way things are going, it’s not likely to
happen. Not in this lifetime."
She and Truman sat
quietly on the grass while Jessica considered the situation. With
all these personal questions about her fiancé, she was beginning to
wonder if he was as obsessed by last night’s kiss as she was.
Part of her was excited
by the possibility, but another part of her didn’t want anything to
distract her from finding a way home.
"There’s one question
you still haven't answered yet," Truman said.
"What’s that?"
"You haven’t told me
what you're doing out here."
She searched through
the chaos in her mind for a reasonable reply. "I just wanted to go
for a walk."
"A walk… Then what was
all the dancing and spinning?"
Jessica began
spinning around and around.
What would it take? If
only she could remember all the details of the experience.
Gazing up at the
topsy-turvy sky, she pondered the fact that the fluffy white clouds
were no different from the clouds back in the twenty-first century.
She could be home for all she knew.
But it wasn’t likely.
She couldn't hear any traffic, only the gentle whisper of the wind
through the tall prairie grasses and the sounds of grasshoppers and
bees.
She sat up and wondered
if a rainy day would do the trick. Maybe it was the lightning.
Suddenly she heard
someone call her name. She glanced toward town and saw Truman
running toward her. Thank God it was him, but how long had he been
watching her?
She collapsed onto her
back again, relieved and mortified at the same time. He had seen
her, she knew it, and any moment now, he was going to arrive and
ask her if she’d taken leave of her senses.
His boots whisked over
the grass and came to a halt beside her. "Are you hurt? What are
you doing out here? Are you okay?"
Jessica sat up. "I
think the more relevant question is what are
you
doing out
here?"
"I followed you."
She laughed. "Well,
that’s quite obvious, but something tells me you weren't concerned
for my safety. Otherwise, you simply would have made your presence
known."
Truman ripped off his
coat and tossed it onto the ground. "You didn’t answer my question,
Jessica. I asked what you were doing out here."
"It’s none of your
business."
“No? I saw you walk
into Zimmerman’s, and I know you pawned a necklace. That wouldn’t
be what Lou’s gang was after, would it?”
“No!”
“Then why didn’t you
tell me about it?”
She laughed with
disbelief. “You never mentioned you wanted an inventory of all my
worldly possessions.”
He shook his head. “It
was more than a worldly possession. You parted with a fortune this
morning, and you seem to be taking it pretty lightly. You could've
at least gone down the street for a better price. Why were you in
such a hurry to get rid of it?"
Jessica wasn’t sure if
she should tell him that the stone was a cubic zirconia that Liam
had given her for Christmas. She explained that it was a fake to
the clerk, but she doubted he’d revealed that to Truman.
“I just needed some
cash,” she told him. “I didn’t want to keep borrowing from Mr.
Maxwell.”
"So you practically
gave away something worth a fortune? Makes me think you didn't care
much about that necklace. I'd hate to think you got it through some
unscrupulous means."
Jessica frowned. "You
think I stole it?"
"I didn't say
that."
"Good, because it's not
true. If you must know, my ex-fiancé gave it to me, and it really
wasn’t worth very much."
Truman paused. "You
didn't give it back to him?"
"No. He didn't want it.
The necklace was a fake, just like everything else in our
relationship."
Truman raked his
fingers through his hair. "A fake?”
“Yes.”
He sat down in the
grass beside her and said nothing for a long time.
“When was the last time
you saw him?" Truman asked.
"It’s been a number of
months."
He looked at her
intently. "Do you plan on seeing him again?"
She laughed bitterly.
"Trust me, with the way things are going, it’s not likely to
happen. Not in this lifetime."
She and Truman sat
quietly on the grass while Jessica considered the situation. With
all these personal questions about her fiancé, she was beginning to
wonder if he was as obsessed by last night’s kiss as she was.
Part of her was excited
by the possibility, but another part of her didn’t want anything to
distract her from finding a way home.
"There’s one question
you still haven't answered yet," Truman said.
"What’s that?"
"You haven’t told me
what you're doing out here."
She searched through
the chaos in her mind for a reasonable reply. "I just wanted to go
for a walk."
"A walk… Then what was
all the dancing and spinning?"
Jessica began
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