Read Online Hawk's Way by Joan Johnston - Free Book Online Page B

There are cooling units in the fountain, run by electricity,” Dallas said.
    Angel shook her head in disbelief. It was a good thing she was going back to her own world. Things here were absolutely mystifying.
    â€œCome on into the store.” Dallas put a hand on the small of her back and urged her up the steps into the wooden building. “Maybe we can get you some odds and ends you need.”
    Angel didn’t ask him what he was talking about, just preceded him inside. The store had a somewhat familiar look about it. Wooden shelves lined the walls, and items for sale had been placed in and on glass-enclosed counters for display. While she recognized some objects, others had her completely stymied.
    Dallas decided on the spur of the moment to get Angel a couple of extra-large T-shirts to sleep in and some toiletries—toothbrush, toothpaste, comb and brush, shampoo, deodorant—just the basics, that could be carried on horseback. He hadn’t counted on Angel’s curiosity. Before he could get her out of the store he also had bought a penknife, a bag of potato chips, a package of Twinkies, a Mickey Mouse flashlight, a baseball cap and two pieces of bubble gum, which she insisted they chew right away.
    Angel hadn’t bought anything she didn’t think she would need on her journey—no sense Dallas getting stuck with things he couldn’t use. She hugged the bag to her, knowing at least she would have light in the cave, food and some slight protection—the penknife wasn’t much—if she should manage to get back to the past.
    They spent the entire trip back to Dallas’s ranch discussing the appearance of a teenage boy whohad walked into the store barefoot and wearing nothing more than a pair of cutoff jeans.
    â€œThat’s the way a lot of kids dress,” Dallas explained.
    â€œGirls too?”
    â€œA girl would be wearing a top of some kind,” Dallas conceded.
    â€œWould her limbs be bare from the knee down, the way his were?” Angel demanded incredulously.
    â€œHer legs—and probably her shoulders, back and midriff, too,” Dallas said.
    â€œWhy that’s scandalous!”
    â€œNot these days,” Dallas said with a chuckle. “Women are liberated.”
    Angel gasped. “You mean they were all in prison at one time?”
    Dallas laughed. “Being liberated’ is just an expression. I suppose the prevailing social customs seemed as restrictive as being in prison—so women busted out. For the past twenty years or so they’ve been evening things up between the sexes.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œWomen can take the same kinds of jobs as men—and get paid the same.”
    â€œThat sounds fair. Can they own property? And vote?”
    â€œOf course they can!”
    Angel smiled. “I could get to like some of these new-fangled ideas.”
    When they got back to the stable, Angel offered to brush down Red. Dallas agreed so he could go ahead to the house and fix something for supper.
    â€œI’ll walk back to the house when I’m done,” Angel said. “Don’t worry about me.”
    Once Dallas was gone, Angel made a point of locating the switch in the barn he had used to control the lights and making sure everything was set out so she could quickly saddle up Red when she returned in the middle of the night. She also spent some time petting Red and talking to him so she would be familiar to him when she returned without Dallas. Once everything was as ready as Angel could make it, she returned to the house.
    â€œI’m back,” she called as she pulled open the screen door.
    â€œIn the kitchen,” he answered.
    When she found him, Dallas was checking some potatoes with a fork. “They’re almost done. Only a few more minutes.”
    Angel watched Dallas put the potatoes inside a box and punch some buttons. There was an odd chirping sound as bright blue-green numberscame up on a