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.

Of course, only to be sure his facts were correct before he asked Mairie to explain… even he knew that was merely an excuse. He had never seen women of such height and splendor as the ones with the extraordinary costumes.

He sat for over two hours, watching in silence. He found it very frustrating without sound to try and figure out what the people were saying. As if that wasn't difficult enough, when he changed stories he came to one that appeared to be a fast drawing come to life. He knew from focusing that the black duck was speaking to the rabbit. Strange. Very strange… stories of animals who spoke to each other and seemed to be in some sort of competition. Then there was the odd-looking bird racing away from a sad-looking coyote. He decided he liked the coyote better than the bird that never flew, and secretly wished the coyote would finally catch it. Instead, he fell over a cliff with a look of desperation and crashed to the ground.

Very sad indeed. He couldn't help but consider that could have been the ending to his own story, had he not trusted in something, anything, beyond himself. He had to have had hope.

"What are you watching?"

Startled, Jack shrugged. "I don't know. It's all very strange."

"Cartoons," Mairie whispered, and stretched as she turned to him.

She was smiling so sweetly that Jack's heart melted once again, watching her adjust her robe and sit up. She had the look of a woman well rested, with her hair covering her shoulders like a dark cape. She looked… content.

"Will you explain why the coyote never captures the strange bird?"

She giggled and shoved another pillow behind her head. "Because if the coyote captured the road runner, the story would be over."

"Why does he always have to get hurt? He gets hurt a hell of a lot, but he always comes back."

Laughing, she ran her fingers through her hair. "It's supposed to be funny, provide humor."

"I see." Though he didn't. "I noticed there are many shorter stories, about all sorts of things… especially food. I couldn't hear them, but the food looked most delicious, almost as though I could reach out and take it."

She picked up the telephone device she had used last night.

"Hungry? Let's order room service. What would you like? Eggs? Bacon? Ham?"

He looked around the room. "Here? They will bring it here? Up fourteen floors? Oh yes… the elevator." The pride he felt in remembering was quickly replaced by the gnawing in his belly.

"Yes. I just have to tell them what we want. Would you like to read a menu?"

Shaking his head, he said, "I have no need. Eggs and ham would be wonderful. And coffee… if possible."

"It's possible," she said, and touched several buttons before speaking into the phone.

He heard her order breakfast for two and then she replaced the handle and sat back. "Well, our first full day. What shall we do while we wait for Marc to send us our new identities? Shopping for clothes is a must. Would you like to see the city?"

"Yes. And I received an invitation last night I would like to discuss with you."

She narrowed her expression. "An invitation? From whom?"

He pointed to the television. "From there. They spoke to me and asked me to join them at a cabaret show. I don't know that you would enjoy it, Mairie."

She seemed to stare at him for a few seconds and then she laughed. "Oh, Jack… that was a commercial. They weren't talking to you, well they were, but they were talking to whomever was watching. It was like a group invitation. You can't take anything seriously that comes out of that box. It's for entertainment."

She threw the cover to the foot of the bed and swung her legs over the side of it. "We can go, if you want. Maybe tonight."

It was the first time he had seen her bare legs, and he had to force himself to answer. "I didn't think you would be comfortable going into… into a saloon."

She giggled and rose from the bed. "And what do you think we were in last night when you won the money? It was a saloon, a bar. This is just bigger and has a show to entertain. This whole town, Jack, is about entertaining… while you gamble away your money."

"I'm not going to gamble anymore. We won because it was Virginia's silver dollar."

"It was Harmon's before she got it," Mairie said, walking toward the convenience. "Turns out the man was useful after all, huh? But I'm glad to hear you aren't a gambler."

She closed the door and Jack was left staring at the television. He must remember that the voices were not really speaking to him alone. He felt naive, and wasn't pleased. He would study everything, until he could be of more help to Mairie. And then he would find out if he could go back. He wasn't sure any longer where he belonged. The past, or the future. Maybe Mairie was right… don't try and figure it all out, just live in the moment and deal with whatever happens.

Some minutes later, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts and he rose from the bed to answer it. Tightening his belt around his waist, he stood and asked, "Who is it?"

"Room service."

There was a tiny hole in the door he hadn't noticed last night, and he peeked through it. Startled by the young man's face so close, Jack almost jumped back in shock. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and opened the door.

"Morning, sir," the uniformed waiter said, as he pushed a cart draped with a tablecloth, and holding covered dishes, coffee cups, a pitcher of juice, and a vase with a single flower.

"Ahh… morning," Jack mumbled, speaking in his first normal encounter with a man from the future. The aroma of coffee filled his senses and his stomach growled as the waiter arranged the table and uncovered the dishes.

"That will be twenty-four seventy-five, sir. You've declined a room charge, so everything will be on a cash basis." He stood, waiting for his money.

"Twenty-four dollars? For breakfast?" Mairie had said everything was expensive, but this… this was robbery!

She came out of the convenience just as he was about to argue the outrageous price.

"I'll get it," she said with a smile to the waiter, and walked past them to her purse.

She took out thirty dollars and handed it over. "Thank you," she murmured, looking at the table. "Everything seems fine."

"Thank you, madam," the waiter said, and headed for the door.

"Is he coming back with your change?" Jack asked, as the door closed behind the man. He was glad to see the back of that… that robber, who had happened to take a peek at Mairie's derriere when she'd bent over to pick up her purse. "He had better return with your money, Mairie, or I'll—"

"Calm down," she interrupted. Mairie pulled a chair from a nearby table and patted it. "Here. Sit down and have your breakfast." Sitting on the edge of the bed, she inhaled the aroma coming from her plate. "The change was his tip."

"You gave that man a tip, after he's getting twenty-four dollars for a meal that should cost fifty cents?"

Looking up at him, she grinned. "Jack, this isn't your time. Everything is more expensive, and in a hotel it's twice as expensive. He's not getting the money. The hotel is. He's paid a very small amount and his real wages are from the tips the guests give him. I know it seems like a lot of money, but it isn't, for this situation. Wait till you see how expensive clothes are." She waved her hand at him. "Come on, let's not talk about money right now. Let's eat and get ready to go out. We should be able to find more reasonable stores than the ones in the hotel. Want to go to a mall?"

Still trying to mentally answer her string of statements, he figured he'd reply when he was seated. He picked up the cloth napkin. Placing it on his knee, as he had been taught all those many years ago, he stared at his food, the fluffy yellow eggs, the glazed slices of ham, the browned potatoes, and he thought twenty-four dollars might be extravagant, but he was going to enjoy every morsel.

"What's a mall?" he asked, right before he tasted the eggs.

She was pouring them both coffee, and Jack had to admit he liked the domesticity.

"Shops. Probably more than you've ever seen in one place. Just wait…"

Three hours later, Mairie dragged him away from a window showing a display of leather pants and platform shoes. "Come along, Jack. You don't want that."

"I don't want it. I'm wondering how anyone could walk in those shoes."

She giggled. "I had them about twenty years ago. Men and women wore them, and now they're back in style." She knew they made a sight, walking through the mall. A handsome cowboy in filthy clothes, and her in leggings and a cropped top. Still, she wasn't above noticing that even in filthy clothes, Jack Delaney attracted attention. Mainly from females.

"Here," she said, spying the store she wanted. "We'll find something in this place."

They walked into the Gap.

An hour later they walked out, dressed in brand new jeans and light cotton sweaters over colored T-shirts. They carried packages of shirts and cotton slacks for them both. They even purchased lightweight jackets. Mairie had a wonderful time suggesting clothes for Jack, though she'd had to steer him away from the more western shirts. She reminded him they were going east and wanted to blend in there. Plus, to be honest, she was dying to see him in something modern. When he'd come out of the dressing room in jeans, his cowboy boots and a natural cream colored sweater, she'd felt that attraction heighten.

Teacher, she reminded herself.

Teacher.

Who wanted to be a teacher? They never seemed to have fun.

Shaking her head to dislodge the silly thoughts, Mairie said, "Okay, now we need to take care of something really important."

"Undergarments ?"

She laughed. "Yeah, that too. But first…" She grabbed his hand with great affection and led him forward.

Already her tastebuds were activating as she walked up to the counter and breathed, "Haagen-Dazs, Jack. When's the last time you had ice cream?"

"Not since I was on the East Coast. It was a rare luxury."

"Well, here you have a decision to make. You want an ice cream cone? Mmm… sugar cones! Or, would you like a sundae? Normally I wouldn't try to influence a person's choice of ice cream, but I can say that if you haven't had ice cream very often, forget the cone. You've already had that experience. Try the sundae. You won't forget your first sundae."

She looked to the vats of ice cream through the glass case and grinned in remembrance. "It's kinda glorious, and… and… well, I don't want to give you any more suggestions."

He smiled down to her. "Then I shall have a sundae."

She watched him begin to salivate as his eyes widened at the exotic abundance of ice cream. "I know I said I didn't want to give you any more suggestions, but I have to offer this one. Don't let your eyes be bigger than your stomach."

He turned and looked at her, as if shocked. "My parents used to say that to me all the time."

"Mine too," Mairie said, feeling that pulling sensation again.

"How strange to hear it from you."

"Some things have survived, Jack. Not everything will be different."

He temporarily lost his interest in ice cream as others came up to the counter and ordered their preferences. "Tell me what has survived. Beyond buildings… what has survived?"

It was a deep question to be asked in the middle of a mall, especially in front of Haagen-Dazs, and she shut off all thoughts except what to tell him. "I wish I could say that only the good survived, but that wouldn't be true. Generations have brought with them some of those same things you were dealing with in your time. Greed. Arrogance. That stuff we all wish would just go away, so everybody could be happy for a change. But there's a lot of good, too, Jack. Maybe you just have to look a little harder in this time, but you'll see it. You'll recognize it. I don't know that it could change."

He turned away from the counter and crossed his arms thoughtfully over his chest. "That's comforting to know. Yet I suppose it has been all around me. See that mother and child? See the attention being given? That's the same as in my time, maybe through all time. And that man shaking his friend's hand. That appears the same. Look at the flowers in that cart. They haven't changed at all. Still beautiful." Smiling at her, he added, "I hope you are right, Mairie Callahan. I wish that basically, despite all our differences, people are the same. Don't you think they want the same things? Happiness. Peace. The right to live a life with both."

"I think all people have always wanted that." She wondered where he was going with this conversation.

"As someone who saw a different side of humanity in the war, I will take some time to think about your statements. You see, Mairie, that is one of the reasons I am exploring your time, this future, with you. When I thought about all I had left behind, I could only mourn the absence of my brothers. I had given up hope for civilization, for myself, and now to have you tell me that—"

His words were cut off as shots rang out across the mall. Mairie was so stunned she could only stare at Jack in amazement as he moved into action so quickly it seemed like one movement. Mairie felt him grab her and take her to the hard marble. One moment she was standing upright, listening to him, and in the next she was lying on the floor with Jack Delaney over her.

"What… what's going on?"

In a low serious voice, Jack said, "Turn over and move on your belly to that table behind you. Do it now. Now!"

Was Harmon back? Was he after them again?

She did as she was told. The shift in authority was swift and natural. Whatever was happening, Jack had more expertise, was better able to handle it successfully. He crawled on his stomach to her and they huddled under a dining table.

"Get down," he shouted at the young Hispanic girl who was peeking over the ice cream counter. Her head disappeared from view.

"What's going on, Jack? Can you see anything? Those were shots, weren't they?"

"Yes," he muttered. "They sounded different, more muffled, but they were definitely gun shots. Wait… don't move a muscle. He's running right at us."

Mairie's heart was slamming against her rib cage and she had to turn her head slightly to see a young boy zigzagging his way through the food court as security guards chased him. The boy was holding something in his left hand and a gun in his right as he leaped over chairs or pushed them out of his way. He was about twenty feet from them when Mairie saw Jack move. He placed his hand on the leg of the chair in front of him and she could see the veins in his hand stand out with the pressure of his grasp.

"Jack…"

Before she could say more, Jack slid the chair into the path of the kid and he went down like a bowling pin. Before he could scramble to his feet and run, a security guard tackled him and was soon joined by another. Mairie saw the gun being kicked away and Jack stand. He reached out his hand and helped her. Upright, she pulled down her sweater and stared at the scene before her. A crowd was gathering and she pulled on Jack's sleeve.

"I can't believe this. How could this happen now? Come on. We have to get away from here. We can't be witnesses."

He picked up the packages and joined her as they began to walk away. Both were breathing hard from the experience and they each jumped when they heard the voice.

"Hey, mister. Thanks. I'll give you free ice cream. Whatever you want."

Grinning at the young girl behind the counter, Jack shook his head and muttered to Mairie, "Find me a sundae, Mairie Callahan. I'm about ready for a glorious experience."

"You got it," she answered, shaking her head as they mall-walked faster than the senior citizens. "Ahh, that was some of the not-so-good stuff we've still got around. Perfect time for an example, huh? Sheesh!"

"My glorious experience was postponed," he retorted, as he kept up her pace. "Not a perfect time. Maybe there isn't such a thing?"

She couldn't think of an answer, so she kept on walking while wondering if there was a Baskin-Robbins in the mall. She didn't care if they had to hire a cab. This man was going to have his sundae. He deserved it.

They sat at a table in a Baskin Robbins three miles away from the shooting. Jack was eyeing the sundae before him and Mairie was licking her rum raisin cone.

"This… you are right, Mairie. This is glorious!"

"Wait till you taste it," she said, licking the side of her cone to stop a drip. "Though I personally think you overdid it with everything on it… but that's just my opinion. I mean, four different flavors over a brownie over a banana, with carmel and hot fudge and pineapple syrups and nuts and cherries and whipped cream and—" She gulped. "I don't know how you can eat it."

"Oh, I can eat it," he said, sticking his spoon into the confection and taking a huge bite.

Mairie stopped licking, waiting for him to swallow.

"Well? How is it? Glorious…?" There was an expression of bliss passing over his face.

He licked his lips in deep appreciation. "Divine is the closest I can come to it."

She grinned, glad that he was enjoying it so much. "Yeah… a peak experience. Just remember the eye-mouth-belly wisdom."

"I will," he said, digging into it with relish.

Right, Mairie thought, as she sat down opposite him. It would be interesting to see how far he gets or if he finishes the entire thing. She looked around the clean ice cream shop and shuddered. She always shook after the fact. Or maybe it was the ice cream. Nope, she'd been scared. "How old do you think he was? Twelve?"

"I would say so. So young. He shouldn't carry a gun without having the responsibility." Jack licked the corner of his lip. "His father ought never to have let him have it."

"He shouldn't have had a gun. Period. His father probably doesn't even know." She didn't know how to explain this one to him. He thought 1877 was violent. How did one explain a society where children carry guns and kill? It was beyond her.

"You were very brave back there," she said, licking the creamy overflow around her cone. "Quick thinking, too." She wanted to change the subject and said the first thing that came to her. It was true, too. Jack Delaney was quite a man.

He was staring at her mouth and Mairie licked the corners of her lips, sure that she must have missed something.

Jack seemed to recover and said, "More like being in the right place at the right time with a chair leg in my hand. You know, this might be the best thing I have ever tasted, Mairie."

Since she had just done it, she recognized when the subject was changed again.

Yes… Jack Delaney was quite a man.

Visions of a prim and proper teacher were nowhere within her mind.

She buried her lips into the ice cream and tasted it deeply. So what if it was oral gratification? She needed something.