"My shift?" Amanda stared at her blankly, then realized that she was referring to her silk nightie. She nodded. "I suppose so. I… I haven't seen anything else of mine here."
She hadn't meant to say the last, but apparently Deborah misunderstood. "That's all right. I'll find clothes for you. We're just glad you were able to get here. My brother- Captain Jordan-says that Yankees are still all around us and it's dangerous to attempt travel right now. I'm sure Jamie will be pleased to know you made it here safely. Families should stick together in times of crisis, don't you agree?"
Amanda nodded and seized the opening. "Where did you say Jamie and Michael are right now?"
"They're scouts," Deborah replied vaguely. "I never know just where they are. I hope they come back safe and sound, though with all the Yankees that have been coming through Holly Springs, they'll probably have to do like Jesse did and hide in the woods."
"Is Forrest still here?"
"He rode out this morning."
"I see. Well, I'm sure your husband will return soon."
Deborah hesitated, then said softly, "I hope Michael is able to linger a day or two next time. Our hours together are so short."
"I hope so, too," Amanda said. She wished she could recall all the details of the news article. If only her head wasn't still so achy and she didn't feel so strange…
After Deborah left, Amanda went to the window and looked out. This room was at the rear, and the view should have been of empty pastures fenced with barbed wire and a few metal gates. Instead of empty pastures, there were towering wooden structures that looked permanent and weathered. Now there were two barns and a few more outbuildings scattered neatly in the field, with thick woods ranging beyond. Leaning against the window frame, Amanda had the thought that what had happened to her was like something out of The Twilight Zone, or even Quantum Leap.
When a knock sounded on her door again, she called out permission to enter without turning around. She was almost afraid to see Deborah again. What could she say? What could she ask that wouldn't make her sound insane?
"Do you always entertain gentlemen in your shift?" a male voice drawled, and Amanda whirled around.
Jesse Jordan stood just inside her door, arms folded across his broad chest. Inexplicably, her heart leaped. She stared at him; the transition from dream man to reality hit her with all the force of a two-by-four. In daylight, he was even more devastating. What could she say? What should she do? She'd better think of something fast, she decided as his lazy glance drifted from her face down the length of her scantily clad body. Belatedly realizing that she wore nothing other than a thin silk nightie-immodest in mixed company even in 1994-Amanda stepped quickly to the bed and pulled a length of mosquito netting around herself.
"No gentleman," she said pointedly, "would come in once he saw that I was not dressed. But I see you're ignoring that rule."
"I take your point. Here." He strode forward, snatched up a robe, and flung it on the bed. “Put that on. We have to talk."
"I can't think of any-" she began, but put up a hand to stop him when he started around the end of the bed. "All right, all right. Give me a minute. Turn your back, since it's obvious you must be reminded to be a gentleman."
"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," he shot back, but turned around. "Hurry up."
Amanda reached for the robe and pulled it around herself; she recognized it as the one she'd worn the night before. "All right," she said when she had the laces fastened. "What's so important?"
He turned, eyeing her for a long moment. His mouth curved into a crooked smile that made her heart leap. It was the same smile she'd seen in the photograph. She remembered it. It was just more potent than she'd thought it would be. Combined with the slight crinkling of eyes that were dark blue instead of brown as she'd always assumed, the smile had a devastating affect on her.
"What do you want?" she heard herself ask in an embarrassingly husky voice.
To her surprise, he reached out to lift a strand of her hair in one hand. Rubbing it between his fingers, he met her gaze steadily. "That's a dangerous question to be asking me right now," he murmured.
Amanda's breath caught in her throat when she saw the glitter in his eyes. When he wound the length of her hair around his hand, bringing her closer to him, her knees suddenly felt weak.
"Captain-"
"Jesse," he corrected softly. His hand was next to her cheek, and his thumb caressed the side of her face in a soft motion. She shivered, and the crooked smile deepened.
Putting her hand over his, she gently but firmly removed it from her face; her hair swung back against her shoulder. "I'm certain you didn't come to my room just to make small talk, Captain. I repeat-what do you want?"
Not seeming at all chastened by her rejection, he gave a shrug of his broad shoulders. "It's not just what I want," he said. "It's what Forrest wants."
"Forrest. Oh, yes. The man in the plumed hat."
"He's a bit more than a man in a plumed hat," Jesse said dryly, "but yes, that's the man I mean. He's come up with an idea. Would you be willing to take a risk to help your country?"
"A risk-my country? How on earth could anything / do help my country?"
"You apparently got out of Memphis, so you'd know how to get back in, right?"
Blinking, she muttered, "Straight up Highway 78 until it turns into Lamar at Shelby Drive sounds like the best way to me. But I guess you wouldn't know about that."
It was Jesse's turn to blink in confusion. Then his eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "You must still be unsettled. I told Forrest it wasn't a good plan, that you were unsuitable. But once he gets an idea-"
Amanda sat down abruptly on the bed, and put her face in her palms. Her words were soft and muffled. "I'm beginning to feel like Dorothy in Oz. Have there been any tornadoes through here lately?"
Jesse was silent, and after a moment she looked up at him. Of course. The Wizard of Oz hadn't been written yet. She sighed and quoted under her breath, "I do believe in spooks, I do, I do…"
"What?"
She shrugged. "Never mind. Let's just say that I had an unconventional upbringing, if it makes it any easier to understand," she murmured. "Will that do?"
"Guess it'll have to do." Jesse raked a hand through his hair. "What's your answer? Will you assist Forrest?"
"Just exactly what is it he wants me to do? I mean, I should hardly agree to something when I don't know what it involves, should I?"
A faint smile curled one side of his mouth. "No, I don't expect you should. Since Memphis is shut off tight by the Yankees and they have sentries stationed on all the roads leading into town, not even the railroads are safe. Remember when our boys had snipers firing on the Memphis and Charleston line of the railroad, so the Yankees put prominent Memphians in the cars as targets? If we'd been able to receive word of what the Yankees had done, no innocent citizens would have been hurt. Forrest is determined nothing like that will happen again."
"I still don't understand-"
"It's simple, really. We pose as a married couple traveling into Memphis. If we make it through the sentries, I'm to deliver a message to a certain gentleman, then return here with a reply."
"Sentries. Oh, God. Do you mean like armed guards?"
"Like armed guards, yes. Are you agreeable?"
"Why do you need me? Can't you get through by yourself?"