Their Own Time Read online

  Their Own Time

  A Trio of Time Travel Novelettes

  Jessica Wayne

  Contents

  Thank you!

  Garrett & Carissa

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Wade & Chloe

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Leon & Ashleigh

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Want to keep in touch?

  A note from the author:

  Also By Jessica Wayne

  About the Author

  Contemporary Romance by J.W. Ashley

  Their Own Time

  by Jessica Wayne

  Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-0692850398

  ISBN-10: 0692850392

  * * *

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by The Editing Sweetheart

  Proofread by Dom’s Proofreading

  Cover Design by Concierge Literary Designs

  Thank you!

  Thank you so much for subscribing! I am looking forward to getting to know you!

  * * *

  Happy reading!

  * * *

  -Jessica

  To the strongest woman I know…

  Happy Birthday, Mom!

  Garrett & Carissa

  No matter how broken we feel, the one whose soul we connect with will see us as whole…

  Chapter One

  “How are you?”

  Those three words had come to mean too much to Carissa Stephenson. She had worked so hard over the last few months to make a new life for herself well away from the nightmares that still plagued her at night.

  Truth was, she couldn’t exactly answer them. She was alive, and at the moment, that was the most she could hope for.

  She looked up from where she watched her young daughter playing with another child and into the deep blue eyes of her only friend, the only one who knew what she had been through.

  “I’m doing okay.”

  “How’s Gabby?” Ashleigh Hutchinson asked as she looked over at her daughter, who was currently mothering the tiny Gabby.

  “She’s growing so fast. Her nightmares have been nonexistent for the last few weeks.”

  “That’s so good. I’m glad you got away.”

  Carissa nodded. It had taken her over a year after Gabby was born to finally decide to leave Gabby’s father, Parker. It wasn’t until he smacked her in front of the small child that she realized he was not good for either of them. She’d felt guilty about taking Gabby away from her father, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he started hitting their child as well.

  Carissa clenched her fist at the thought. Then Gabby would have been without both of her parents because Carissa knew she would kill anyone who sought to harm her baby. She wasn’t sure she could go through with it if it came to that, but she certainly wasn’t willing to stick around to find out.

  Wanting to change the subject, she asked, “How are things at the hospital?” Ashleigh and Carissa met at Medical City of Dallas when Carissa had started working as a neonatal nurse. Ashleigh was a brand new doctor, and the two had hit it off immediately.

  “It’s going. I got moved to the ER, so there’s never a dull moment. Pretty sure that’s a bad thing,” she said with her mouth tight. She had such a kind heart, and Carissa knew the pain her patients suffered ate away at her even if she didn’t want to admit it.

  Carissa looked down at her watch. It was nearing six p.m., and with daylight savings time and the whole fall back schedule, she knew the sun would be going down shortly.

  “We need to get going. I don’t like to be out after dark.”

  Ashleigh nodded. “Us too, it’s a good two hours back home for us.”

  “Thank you so much for making the drive out here.”

  “You’re my best friend, Carissa. The fact that the bastard drove you out of Dallas doesn’t mean we have to stop being friends.” Ashleigh smiled and pulled Carissa in for a hug. “You know you two can come live with us, Carissa. I can keep you two safe.”

  Carissa shook her head. “I can’t do that, Ashleigh. He would find us, and there’s no telling what he would do to you two. It’s not worth the risk.”

  Ashleigh ground her teeth together to keep from responding that she’d have no problem putting a bullet in the abusive bastard if he showed up. She knew it was the last thing Carissa would want to hear right now.

  “Maybe we can get together again next month? At the chicken place down the street? It has a playground inside, so the kids will be able to run around.”

  “Sounds great. What day?”

  “How about the twentieth about four-thirty?” Since Carissa didn’t use the phone and both email and regular mail were risky, they made their plans in person, knowing the other would make it no matter what.

  “Sounds good.”

  “Gabby honey, let’s get going!” Carissa called, and Jacqueline, Ashleigh’s four-year-old daughter, brought her over.

  “Thanks, Jackie.” Carissa smiled and hugged the girl.

  “It was great to see you, Aunt Carissa. Miss you, Gabby!” She squealed and pulled the toddler in for a hug.

  “Miss you too, baby,” Carissa said, and then hugged Ashleigh again.

  “You can call me if you need me. Use a payphone, and I can be here in two hours.”

  “You know I will.” They released and walked back to their cars together while neither one noticed the man watching from a distance.

  Chapter Two

  Carissa breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the lock click on the door of her tiny rented house. She hated being outside of the safety of its walls. She and Ashleigh only met at public areas, and Ashleigh had no idea where she and Gabby lived. It was better that way, less of a chance that Parker would find them.

  He had told her that if he ever saw her again, he was going to kill her, and she believed him. After all, he almost had the night she escaped.

  Carissa knelt in front of the TV and flipped it onto the Disney Channel. Gabby loved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Carissa knew it would keep her busy long enough that she would be able to make dinner.

  After her parents had passed away, she had been left with a large sum of money as an inheritance. She hadn’t touched a dime of it until she had been forced to run away with Gabby. As long as she stayed on a budget, she would be able to stay home with Gabby until the little girl turned seven. Carissa hoped that was long
enough that Parker would have forgotten all about them.

  Why had she run and not pressed charges like the detective had pushed her to? Of course she knew the answer, she had little faith in the justice system. She had reported Parker the first time he hit her after Gabby was born. It had been a different detective then, and he had told her that there was no proof, seeing as how she had no bruises. He said that with her having just birthed a child, he actually said birthed a child as if it were some kind of excuse for anything that her hormones were running wild.

  She had been so surprised at the fact that he acted so nonchalantly, she hadn’t even thought to look into it any further, and as it turned out, he and Parker were friends.

  The department had realized shortly after that incident, that he was cutting deals with criminals much worse than Parker, and he was replaced with Detective Wade Cahill. He had come to Carissa and asked her to press charges, but at that point, she was so afraid of what Parker would do if he found out she talked to the police again, that she pushed it off until the day he hit her in front of Gabby.

  Her eyes filled at the terrible memory. Gabby had been watching Mickey Mouse and playing with Legos. He had come in angry about something and accused her of cheating on him. Something she had not done. He started yelling, and Gabby started crying, and when he looked at her baby and told her to shut her stupid mouth, Carissa was done. She tried to leave, and he punched her.

  The next day, while he was sleeping off the liquor from the night before, she grabbed Gabby, and they ran. They had been hiding ever since. It had been nearing six months, and Carissa hadn’t seen or heard from Parker. She knew she should have run further than the small town of Howe, Texas. But she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her home state. Parker rarely left Dallas, and if he did, it was to go to Austin or Fort Worth. He never came up north.

  The knock on the door had Carissa dropping the spoon she was using to mix the mac ‘n’ cheese. She grabbed a knife from the counter and moved quietly to the door. She always kept the blinds and curtains over the windows so no one could see in. She stood on her tippy toes and sighed when she saw that it was just her landlord on the other side.

  She pulled open the door with a sigh of relief. “Hi, Mrs. Kinley.”

  “Hi, dear.” The woman smiled at her. Carissa knew the woman was forty-eight, but she looked to only be in her early thirties. Her deep green eyes twinkled when she smiled at her, and Carissa always felt at ease whenever she was around her.

  She had an Irish accent and told Carissa that she had been born there but moved stateside ten years before. Carissa believed she had been running from someone as well, even though the woman had never said as much.

  “How are you?”

  “I’m well, thank you. Is the house still working out?”

  “Yes, ma’am. We love it.” The single bedroom had been perfect for them, and Mrs. Kinley let them pay with cash and asked no questions.

  “I just came to check on you both, have a lovely evening.” The woman smiled, and Carissa shut the door. She checked on them every night, and the routine brought a sense of comfort to Carissa.

  She headed back toward the stove to finish making the mac ‘n’ cheese and allowed the sounds of Mickey Mouse to drown out the memories screaming in her head.

  Carissa fed Gabby her dinner, bathed her, and then put her to bed. She stood, watching her sleep for a moment before shutting the door to their room gently and stepping out into the kitchen to eat the leftover mac ‘n’ cheese.

  She was just taking her first bite when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her hands closed around the spoon as if it were a weapon.

  “Hi, bitch.” Carissa’s back straightened, and her blood iced as the deep voice filled the silence in the room.

  “Wha-what are you-uuu doing here Par-Parker?” she stammered, fear taking over.

  “Wha-what do you mean, bitch?” He mocked her. “You think you can take my daughter and run?”

  Carissa felt the first strand of anger cut through the fear. He didn't give a damn about Gabby, and she knew that.

  “Thought I was doing you a favor. You didn’t care about either of us.” Carissa turned to face him and reached behind her to grab the knife still on the counter from earlier.

  “Well, as usual, you were wrong. I was just getting used to the little brat.”

  “Don’t call her a brat,” Carissa said angrily.

  “Why not? She is a brat. Just as much as her mother is a spineless bitch,” he spat at her, and she pulled the knife out and pointed it at him. He grinned, amused and unafraid. “What do you think you are going to do with that?” He taunted her and took a step toward her.

  “Sta-stay back!” She warned him, but he continued to move toward her until the point of the blade was pressing into his chest slightly.

  “You are going to do nothing, you are nothing.” He smiled menacingly and knocked the knife from her hand.

  Carissa felt the first crack across her cheek, and she fell backwards onto the floor.

  Parker laughed. “I forgot what you looked like on your back. How about a little fun, huh Carissa? It’s been a while since I’ve seen those tits.”

  She crawled back, and he reached forward and pulled her back by the ankle. This could not be happening. She would not be a victim again. She kicked him in the groin and scrambled to her feet.

  Tears streamed down her face as she slammed Gabby’s door behind her. She ran to the window and unlocked it, but it had been painted closed. It wouldn’t budge, and her phone was in the living room. They were trapped.

  “Hi, Carissa,” a soft Irish voice filled the room, and confused, Carissa looked into the eyes of her landlord.

  “Mrs. Kinley? How?”

  “There’s no time for that,” she said softly, and Carissa saw the fear in the woman’s eyes just as Parker started banging on the door.

  “I’m going to kill you, bitch!” he screamed, and a wide-eyed, sleepy Gabby started crying. Carissa lifted her child into her arms and held her tightly.

  “I can save you both, but you have to know it will be a different world where you are going.”

  At Carissa’s confusion, she continued, “I can make sure Parker will never be able to get to you again, but you have to trust me. Do you trust me, Carissa?” She held her hand out, and Carissa reached for her. She had no other choice, and the woman had never given her a reason not to trust her. What choice did they really have? Right now the alternative was an incredibly pissed off psycho who was capable of anything.

  Mrs. Kinley smiled. “You will be safe. You both will, I’m sure of it. He will take care of you, close your eyes.”

  Carissa felt her hand squeezed, and she gripped Gabby closer. “How are we going to get out?” she asked, but before Mrs. Kinley answered, Carissa heard a whooshing sound fill her ears, almost as if her brain was filling with water, and her body suddenly felt weightless. Wind filled the room, and Carissa felt her hair blow wildly around her face.

  The sound disappeared within moments, and the wind halted. Carissa opened her eyes, and Mrs. Kinley was nowhere to be found. In fact, Carissa had no clue where they were.

  She held Gabby tighter and looked around. Trees as tall as her eyes could see surrounded her, and the grass was impossibly green. If it weren’t for the little girl holding onto her shirt, she might have believed she had died. Gabby started shivering, and Carissa realized it was much colder here than it had been in their house. She pulled the dark green tunic over her head and wrapped Gabby in it, leaving her in only her black leggings and tank top. The chill bit her skin, but at least her little girl would be warm.

  Where in the world had Mrs. Kinley sent them? How had they gotten here? Being a woman who read paranormal romance consistently, Carissa couldn’t help but wonder if her landlord was a witch of some kind. She snorted at the thought. Yeah, right, that stuff wasn’t real, right? Then again, people didn’t disappear from their bedrooms and into the wilderness every day either.


  Carissa heard some men laughing, and she turned to see two men on a horse led cart come into sight on the road she was near. They stopped when they saw her, and her eyes widened. The cart was wooden, and the men dressed as if she were at a renaissance festival. She had only been to one in her life, and although she had enjoyed it, there was always something modern about the actors. These men, however, looked and smelled the part.

  “Excuse me, could you please tell me where we are?”

  The men looked at each other and spoke something in a language she couldn’t understand. When they turned back to her, the look in their eyes had her gripping Gabby tighter and searching for somewhere to run.

  A second cart came into view, and more men appeared behind her. They all spoke in the strange language, and Carissa backed as far as she could away from them until her back was to a large tree. She knew she couldn’t outrun these men, especially not while holding Gabby. Even if she could have, she didn’t know the area and could end up attracting more of them and be in bigger trouble. As it was, the four that approached her had something in their eyes Carissa wished she could pretend she didn’t see.

  “Please, leave us alone,” she cried. Hadn’t she had her fill of violent men?