it,” he said with a hysterical little laugh.
“Listen,” he said, afraid the moon would disappear if he didn’t hurry. “I’m going to get my briefcase. There are some papers I need, but I’ll leave everything else with you.”
She stared at him. Not a tear in sight. Dry as a desert. She was one tough woman, he thought. She’d been living on this farm for who knows how many years, taking care of her grandfather and four siblings. And not a mewl out of her.
Poor Alexandra. She’d traveled through some sort of black hole to find a hero and ended up with a regular Joe, a mere mortal instead of the brave knight she’d hoped for.
And not one tear. No wonder she’d seemed like a fish out of water in New York. She wasn’t crazy like he’d first thought. No, she was brave, bold-spirited, and unlike himself...she was fearless.
He could almost taste the self-reproach that threatened to strangle him. He shifted his weight, empowered by the fact that the last stone was tucked safely within his palm.
“So,” she said, “you have made up your mind?”
He nodded.
“My father used to say, ‘a promise is a promise and a man is only as good as his promise,’“ she told him, her voice solemn.
One last stab at his conscience.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Your father was a very smart man. That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you. You’ve got the wrong guy. I don’t believe in violence. I-I’m claustrophobic. Kids make me nervous, a little crazy even.” He held up his empty, dirty hand. “Look at this. It’s already driving me crazy. You know how I feel about dirt. I need hot water and soap, lots of soap.”
An awkward moment of silence fell between them.
“Where will you stay?” he found himself asking.
“With friends in the village, I suppose. ’Tis not far from here.”
She stood there, perfectly calm, as if she could will him to change his mind if she stood there long enough. It irritated the heck out of him. “I can’t stay,” Joe said again, relieved to know she had somewhere to go. “I’m not hero material. I’m a...”
“Good luck,” she said in a voice so soft he hardly heard her at all. Then she turned and walked away.
A lump formed in his throat. “I’m just a professor,” he called after her. “No, I take that back. I’m a jerk,” he said even louder. “A certifiable jerk who breaks promises. There. Does that make you feel better?”
She kept right on walking, didn’t even spare a glimpse over her shoulder.
Damn.
He’d never felt so heartless. Who did she think she was, traveling through time, expecting him of all people to take up sword fighting and save her family?
He opened his palm. Other than a few silvery lines, the stone, when turned a certain way, looked just like every other rock. Mind-boggling. Nobody back home was going to believe it when he told them where he’d been.
He turned to look at the smoldering timber and burnt clay that was once Alexandra’s home. His stomach knotted. Then he turned to view the ocean of golden wheat that he would bet Alexandra had planted herself. He walked closer to the wheat. Standing at the edge of the field, he broke a wheat head from its stalk and breathed in its earthy smell.
Where would her family live now? What would they do?
It didn’t matter, he told himself. He didn’t ask for this. He never believed her...who would have?
Chapter Nine
I can’t think of any sorrow in the world that a hot bath wouldn’t help just a little bit.
—Susan Glasee
Within the barn, Alexandra and her sister, Susan, heaved another bag of grain onto the wooden cart, careful not to disturb her grandfather who lay to one side. “That should do it,” Alexandra said, gazing upon Grandfather’s pale face. The effects of the inhaled smoke had taken its toll. “Are you comfortable?”
He gave a slight nod. “We did it, Alexandra, didn’t we?”
She smiled and squeezed his hand. “Aye.”
“Tell me again what you saw in that other world.” He let out a string of coughs. “Was it as I said it would be? Were there flying machines and horseless carriages?”
“It was just as you said Grandfather, but we shan’t talk of all that now. You need your strength. Besides, Sir Joe should be returning at any moment. Most likely he will be furious when he learns he has but a common rock in his possession.”
“Let us not be too