Spinning Time: a time travel adventure

by Jones, D. F.

  Spinning Time

  a time travel romance

  D. F. Jones

  D.F. Jones

  Contents

  Praise

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  About the Author

  Buy the Books

  Praise

  “Author D.F. Jones Spinning Time is a fun read and a new departure from her previous books. I found her time travel romance to be inventive, fast-paced and enjoyable. Highly recommended!” Debbie Herbert, RWA 2017 RITA Finalist, paranormal romance, Bayou Shadow Hunter

  “D. F. Jones does it again! Whether it’s aliens or angels, the sky’s the limit for her imaginative, engaging stories, and Spinning Time is no different.” Allie Marie, author of the True Colors Series

  “D.F. Jones delivers again! This story is a riveting page turner with a masterfully crafted plot.” Lynn Sutton, author of In Your Eyes

  Dedication

  Mom, you inspire me every day.

  Acknowledgments

  I have enjoyed researching time travel, space, and the universe with its billions and billions of galaxies nearly as much as writing the narrative for Spinning Time. While I don’t delve in depth into the ongoing work of scientists and physicists, the possibility of time travel is moving from the fictional realm to experimental options.

  First, I would like to thank my husband who shares my passion for the concept of unknown space exploration and the possibility that other more advanced civilizations may exist. I credit him for ATTRA, Alien Time Travel and Research Agency and Klock, Spinning Time’s alien dog. Brilliant!

  Thank you, Alicia, my editor, for your insight, comments, and suggestions.

  I want to thank my beta’s, and the D.F. Jones team of readers who support my work. I need creative individuals to give me feedback. All of you who offer constructive suggestions and comments help me to grow as a writer. Your messages and emails uplift my spirit and encourage me to continue writing the next page. You all rock!

  Thank you, Amanda, for designing my cover and marketing materials. You make my books look great.

  And most importantly, to my readers, thank you for supporting and sharing my books. Your word of mouth referrals, written reviews, messages, and comments are fuel for my fire to write and create new characters and books.

  Prologue

  Present Day, ATTRA, Lunar City

  Charlie watched Monica, the Commander of the Alien Time Travel and Research Agency (ATTRA) unsheathe a nine-inch, pencil-thin, razor-sharp knife. Monica casually walked around her desk to stand in front of the trembling new female recruit kneeling on the shiny black marble tile and slit the woman's throat.

  Turning to face Charlie, Monica narrowed her eyes and said, “I caught Dedria hacking into my personal computer system. She denied it, but I walked in, and my screen was up.”

  Charlie stood at attention with her hands clasped behind her back. Her heart was pounding at the brutal death of the innocent woman. Charlie had been the one to hack into Monica’s system, and she’d been summoned to the Gateway before she had time to replace the screen into the sleeve of the wall. Monica returned early from her mission and caught Dedria in her office and assumed the worst, slitting her throat before Charlie could confess to the crime.

  Monica stepped over to her oblong glass desk. She pulled a tissue from her drawer, then wiped the blood off the knife and returned it to its sheath that hooked on the belt of her uniform. Taking a seat in the ergonomic white leather chair, she said, “Charlie, you have real potential. Are you up for a challenge?”

  “Yes, Commander.” Charlie stared out the wall of windows facing the Milky Way. She'd arrived at Lunar City shortly after tripping on acid at Woodstock in 1969. She apparently fell through a time portal on the farm.

  Charlie wished she could remember what happened the day of the concert, but she’d been too wasted. Not that it mattered because she was on a permanent trip now, like something right out of a science fiction novel.

  During Charlie's ATTRA training, she’d learned that after the Lord Supreme had created the Earth, the moon was brought in and placed in perfect orbit to stabilize the planet. The magnificent city within the interior structure of the luminous silver moon housed several thousand people working for the organization overseeing humanity, tracking Time Spinners, negotiating with alien interlopers, while deflecting debris catastrophic to Earth's existence. ATTRA worked to coordinate parallel universes and alternate realities to keep Earth's path on course to a future utopian society.

  Charlie had been placed under Monica's authority, and with ATTRA’s strict protocols, it made interference on the injustice she’d just witnessed impossible. Based on the Time Trackers’ paradigm coming in from around the world, Earth was approaching a critical time shift.

  Monica motioned for Charlie to sit in the white chair opposite of the desk. “Zane has informed me the Lord Supreme recently assigned Ruben to monitor a Spinner crossing the threshold on June 15, 1948, at fifteen hundred hours.”

  Charlie straightened her spine in the chair at the mention of Ruben, her friend, and mentor.

  Monica picked up a report on her desk and briefly scanned the contents, and she said, “The Spinner’s name is Julia Boatwright from North Carolina, born May 5, 1927. She'll give birth to a son, the first human physicist to break the barrier of the space-time continuum into the distant past. Ruben’s assignment is to protect Julia. He’s unaware of the child. Your assignment is to kill Ruben and bring me the girl.”

  Monica swiveled back and forth in the chair with a glazed look in her eyes. “The Plates of Prophecy state the time machine developed by Julia’s son will travel into the far distant past. If I can train the boy, I’ll control the historical events on Earth and use the information to barter with the more advanced civilizations in the galaxies. General Agriaous and I have set up colonization of a new planet, Veetreous, from the Andromeda Galaxy, and I need more Spinners.”

  Charlie’s eyes widened. She leaned forward placing her right hand on the desk. “You’re talking about the lives we’ve sworn to protect. And kill Ruben? He’s one of our best Trackers.”

  With a wave of her hand, Monica scoffed, “For space sake wipe off that lovesick expression. I admit Ruben is very good-looking, and well, not bad as a lover. Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you knew we slept together. Do you want to end up on my marble floor, Charlie?” A slow smile crept across Monica's face as Charlie's cheeks reddened.

  “No, ma’am. But if the Lord Supreme learns of you and General Agriaous using Spinners as slave labor, it’ll be your head on the floor.”

  “Silence! May I remind you that you’ve sworn allegiance to me.” Throwing her hands up, palms out, Monica said, “Look, Charlie, Ruben's a threat to me. He wants my job, and I won't allow it. That girl and her child are not only my ticket to a seat on the council but will also make me the Queen of Veetreous. If you play your cards right, you’ll have more power than you’ve ever dreamed possible. I’m issuing you a direct order, Charlie. Be discreet and after he meets Ms. Boatwright, make Ruben’s death look like an accident, and I'll consider making you the new Commander.”


  Charlie clenched her teeth and then replied, “Yes, Commander.”

  Monica motioned to the sliding glass doors. “Pick up the details of your assignment with Zane outside, then send him in to clean up this mess. You're dismissed.”

  Charlie turned on a dime and marched out of Monica’s office. She grabbed the assignment chip and raced down the corridor, ducking into an alcove to gather her wits.

  Charlie had to warn Ruben. But how? Last, she'd heard, Ruben had traveled in the Needle-Horn to 1950. Betraying Commander Monica Adams meant immediate execution, but Monica was out of control, and someone had to do something to stop the power-hungry maniac.

  Charlie headed to the Gateway for a quick trip to 1950.

  Chapter 1

  Burkett Falls, North Carolina, May 1948

  For a little extra oomph, Julia lifted and twisted the platinum blonde strands of hair before securing a diamond hairpin behind her right ear. She grabbed the silver hand mirror and glanced at her reflection. “Not too shabby.”

  Julia’s little sister, Sloane, burst into her bedroom, out of breath. She and Sloane were only eighteen months apart and best friends.

  “Julie, oh gosh, Julie.” Sloane bent over and placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath. “Dad’s coming down the driveway with your birthday present.”

  Julia stepped away from the dressing table and twirled around to feel the swish of the beautiful red-and-white, polka-dot skirt that cinched at her waist. She paired the new skirt with a short sleeve white cashmere sweater and a chic neckerchief.

  Her twenty-first birthday party started in a couple of hours, and the entire house buzzed with activity. “Baby sister, breathe.” She hooked her arm around Sloane’s neck. “So, spill the beans. What am I getting?”

  Sloane elbowed Julia in the ribs and dipped out of the headlock. “Let go of me, and I’m not telling. Dad made me promise.”

  The girls linked arms and jogged down the stairs until they reached Ethel, their housekeeper, who held an armful of linens. Ethel turned slightly on the stairway landing as the girls slipped past her down the stairs. With a raised brow, Ethel said, “Miss Bunny will want you to wear a cocktail dress this evening instead of your casual attire.” Julia’s mom was known as Bunny to her family and friends.

  Julia leaned in and kissed Ethel on the cheek. “Oh, what mom doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Besides, she’s too busy with the florist and the band director to worry about what I’m wearing. So, mum’s the word, please, Mama Ethel.” Her hands tented into prayer mode.

  Ethel shrugged. With her lips pursed, she said, “Well, child, Mr. Joseph is going to see you first. If he doesn’t say anything, then I won’t.” Julia and Sloane ran down the steps with Ethel yelling behind them, “Young ladies don’t run in the house.”

  Julia slowed down as she slid to a stop on the slippery hardwood floors that had been waxed and buffed to a high sheen. “Wow, Bunny’s gone all out.”

  Festive party decorations and flower centerpieces filled the grand foyer that boasted a broad staircase and an enormous glittering chandelier suspended from a vaulted ceiling. The elegant rooms on either side of the Corinthian columns had been cleared of furniture to make room for dancing.

  Sloane leaned in, inhaling the fragrance of the pink peonies centerpiece on the dark mahogany pedestal table in the center of the foyer. “Mom’s trying to find you a husband. Somewhere she’s read there’s a shortage of men since the war ended. She wants her debutante daughters married off to Southern gentlemen with substantial means before they’re all snatched up.”

  Julia rolled her eyes as she pushed open the large white front door. “Utter gaga. I don’t care if there’s a shortage of men. I’m twenty-one and graduate college next week. I hate to disappoint Bunny, but the last thing I want is to be tied down to one man.” She opened her arms with a broad sweeping motion. “I want to travel and experience everything in life and live somewhere they don’t know me or the Boatwright name.”

  Julia gasped as her father drove into the circular driveway in a brand-new Packard convertible with the top down. He waved and then laid on the horn. Julia scrambled down the front porch steps to greet him. The pale-yellow beauty with a cream-colored top was just simply divine. “Daddy, oh you didn’t.”

  Joe Boatwright exited the driver door, and swooped Julia into his arms. “I most certainly did. Do you like it, tulip?”

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, Julia planted a big smooch on his cheek. She took a step back. “I love it. May I take her for a spin to the Falls?”

  Joe turned toward the front door. “Only if you and Sloane get there and back within the hour. Bunny will cook my goose if y'all aren’t ready by party time.” In his middle forties, Joseph Boatwright was everything a Southern gentleman aspired to be, confident, good-looking, and with the fashion sense of Cary Grant.

  Plus, Joe did whatever Bunny told him.

  The epitome of Southern hospitality, the Boatwrights regularly entertained family and friends. Often, the guests requested to drive on the farm’s back forty to catch a glimpse of the majestic Burkett Falls with its impressive cliffs. Burkett Falls was named for the pioneer, Daniel Burkett, who discovered the Falls shortly after the Revolutionary War.

  Julia’s great-grandfather, Parker, had bought the Falls along with eleven hundred acres of prime farmland that continued to produce cotton and tobacco.

  His grandson, Joseph, or Big Joe, coined by the locals, recently purchased an automobile company, and aptly named it, Big Joe’s. The company sold cars, trucks, and offered a service station next door.

  Samuel, the farm’s manager, walked over from the barn, shaking his head. “Missy, that’s more car than a girl like you needs.” Frowning, he turned to Joe and said, “Are you trying to get the girl killed?” Sam and his wife Ethel had worked for the Boatwrights for years and were considered a part of the family. He had been deeded twenty acres with road frontage on the edge of the property during the depression. Childless, Sam and Ethel thought of Julia and Sloane as surrogate daughters.

  Joe waved a hand at Sam. “Oh, hogwash. My girl’s all grown up, and she’ll drive responsibly.” Joe waggled his brows. “Right, tulip?”

  Julia caught on quickly and nodded. “I promise to drive responsibly. Sam, you know me. When have I not been responsible?”

  “Every day, young’un. Well, somebody has to work around here.” Sam turned slowly, wiping his hands with a red bandana before walking back to the barn, he said, “Little girl, please drive safe in that big ole jalopy.”

  “Sloane and I’ll be back within the hour. My sorority sisters are going to be pea green with envy.” Julia did a spot-on imitation of Vivian Leigh as Katie Scarlett O’Hara’s character in Gone with the Wind. Julia’s parents spoiled her and Sloane almost as much as Rhett spoiled Scarlett.

  Julia loved, and hated, the attention her family’s wealth and prominence brought her. She tried to be grateful and appreciative, but sometimes being a Boatwright stifled her. And everyone on the farm seemed to treat her as perpetually prepubescent.

  Sloane ran and jumped into the passenger seat. “C’mon, Julie. I still have to take a bath and get dressed for the party. “

  Julia untied the neckerchief and wrapped the scarf around her hair. “Don’t be such an eager beaver.” She slid behind the wheel and cranked the engine. Before Julia pulled out of the driveway, she blew Big Joe a kiss and mouthed the words, I love you. Then she honked at Sam and waved as she sped past the barn, driving down the tractor lane leading to Burkett Falls.

  Sloane fiddled with the radio until she picked up Bing Crosby’s velvety smooth voice crooning, “The Very Thought of You.” Sloane glanced sideways at her sister. “Bunny’s invited every eligible bachelor within eight counties to your party, and she hired boys from Burkett Falls University to wait on the guests. In tuxedoes, no less.”

  Julia slammed on the brakes, and Sloane threw her hands out to brace herself against the dashboard. Julia tapped her head a
gainst the steering wheel and groaned. “Bunny didn’t. Please tell me she didn’t. Oh, good lord, it’s bad enough most of the girls in our sorority hate me, but now mom’s trying to sell me off to the highest bidder.” Rolling her eyes, she added, “And the boys at school… Uh, why does she have to humiliate me?”

  Sloane settled back in the caramel leather seats. Releasing a deep breath, she said, “I think Bunny’s trying to help you. But I thank God every day I was born second. You’re the firstborn, and with no son, you have to carry on the family tradition, my dear.”

  Julia yelled, “And you get to do whatever you want.” She floored the gas pedal, spraying a cloud of red clay dust into the air.

  Sloane giggled and shouted over the radio, “Don’t snap a cap. The party will be fun, and there’s always the champagne and the promise of meeting the man of your dreams.”

  Julia cut her eyes toward Sloane, gripping the steering wheel. “Fat chance.” She flew down the well-traveled tractor lane passing several miles of farmland with rolling hills and dense forest. She eased up on the gas when she reached an opening revealing the magnificent waterfalls with a spray of mist rising off the jutting cliffs.

  Julia parked, turned off the car, and leaned back in the seat. She threw her hands behind her head and sighed. The serenity of the clear blue pools, the natural rock formation of the cliffs, and the sandy rock beach created a perfect place to get away. The Boatwrights may legally own Burkett Falls, but in Julia’s mind, the Falls belonged to no one except for maybe God. The Boatwrights were just the caretakers.

  “I wish we could go swimming. But I promised Dad one hour. Sloane…” Julia paused and then reached over and squeezed Sloane’s hand. “I don’t know what I would do without you in my life.”