Times Change Read Online Free PDF

had . . . flown off course and crashed. Your sister took care of him, and they fell in love.” The old resentment welled up in him, and he set down his mug. “And he chose to stay with her, here.”
    “You have a problem with that?” In a movement that mirrored his, Sunny set down her mug. When they eyed each other now, there was as much dislike as distrust in their looks. “Is that why you didn’t bother to show up at the wedding? Because you were annoyed that he decided to get married without clearing it with you?”
    His eyes, shades darker as anger grew, snapped to hers again. “No matter what or how I felt about his decision, I would have been here if it had been possible.”
    “That’s big of you.” She shot up to snag a bag of cookies from the pile of groceries. “Let me tell you something, Hornblower. He’s lucky to have my sister.”
    “I wouldn’t know.”
    “I would.” Sunny ripped the bag open and dug in. “She’s beautiful and brilliant, kind and unselfish.” She gestured with half a cookie. “And, if it’s any of your business—which it isn’t—they’re happy together.”
    “I have no way of knowing that, either.”
    “Whose fault is that? You’ve had plenty of time to see them together—if it really mattered to you.”
    There was fury, rash and dark in his eyes now. “Time has been the problem.” He rose. “All I know is that my brother made a rash decision, a life-altering one. And I intend to make certain it wasn’t a mistake.”
    “You intend?” Sunny choked on a cookie and had to snatch up her mug and drink before she could speak again. “I don’t know how things work in your family, pal, but in ours we don’t make decisions by committee. We’re each considered individuals with the right to choose for ourselves.”
    He didn’t give a damn about her family. He only cared about his own. “My brother’s decision affects a great number of people.”
    “Yeah, I’m sure his marrying Libby is going to change the course of history.” Disgusted, she tossed the bag of cookies back on the counter. “If you’re so worried, why the hell has it taken you over a year to put in an appearance?”
    “That’s my business.”
    “Oh, I see. That’s your business. But my sister’s marriage is also your business. You’re a real jerk, Hornblower.”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “I said you’re a jerk.” She tugged a hand through her hair. “Well, you go right ahead and talk to him when they get back. But there’s one thing you haven’t put in your calculations. Cal and Libby love each other, which means they belong together. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got things to do. You can let yourself out.”
    She stormed off. Moments later, Jacob heard what he imagined was the sound of a primitive wooden door slamming shut.
    An exasperating woman, he thought. Interesting, of course, but exasperating. He was going to have to find a way to deal with her, since it was obvious he’d have to extend his stay until Cal’s return.
    As a scientist, he considered it a tremendous opportunity. To study a primitive culture firsthand, to talk face-to-face with an ancestor—of sorts. He glanced up at the ceiling. He doubted the volatile Sunbeam would appreciate being considered an ancestor.
    Yes, it was a tremendous opportunity—scientifically. Personally, he already considered his association with the primitive woman a trial. She was rude, argumentative and aggressive. Perhaps he had the same traits, but he was, after all, superior, being older by several centuries.
    The first thing he was going to do when he returned to the ship was open the computer banks and look up what the word
jerk
meant when applied to a man in the twentieth century.
    ***
    Sunny would have been delighted to give him a concise definition. In fact, as she paced her room she thought of half a dozen more colorful descriptions of his character.
    The nerve of the man. To waltz in here more than a year after his