Distant Echoes
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ISBN: 0425192113

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Read an excerpt.

Jesse Spotted Horse had every good reason to shoot a documentary on the history of Native American boarding schools -- he promised his Lakota grandmother he would reveal the true story.

Kathleen Prescott had every good reason to stop the film from being made -- she inherited on of the schools from her ancestors and feared bad publicity.

But neither Jesse nor Kathleen had any reason to expect the power of mutual attraction to bridge the gap between them. Now, as the sparks begin to fly, the handsome Lakota and the prim young beauty are swept through time to the distant year of 1886, where the echoes of the past are as real and alive as the beating of their hearts. Together, in this forgotten time and place, they must face the truth -- about their heritage...and their desire.

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Reviews and Comments for Distant Echoes

An absorbing and intriguing adventure into the past where wrongs are righted. You shouldn't miss this emotional and page-turning journey into a fascinating chapter of history. It has everything! Adventure. Humor. And a love that transcends time.

~ Patricia Potter, USA Today Best Selling Author,
Waldenbooks Best Seller, Three Time RITA Finalist

In her acclaimed time-travel romances, award-winning author, Judie Aitken "brilliantly brings history to life" (Alicia Rasley) by blending "a timeless tale of love and destiny" (Kathleen Eagle) with actual Native American lore. "A poverful mix that proves Judie Aitken is a creative force with a wonderful future" (Midwest Book Review).

~ Publisher notes - back cover of Distant Echoes

Excerpt

Chapter 3

...the Sioux were selected on the principle of taking the
most pains with those who give the most trouble.

-- Richard H. Pratt
Carlisle Indian Industrial School, 1878

     Kathleen stretched upward. Standing tip-toe on the stepstool, she drew a mottled green file box from the top shelf then gingerly stepped down to the floor. "I hope this won't take much longer." She set the box on the table in front of Jesse. "I don't appreciate having to take so much time away from my duties."
      "Well," Jesse replied, "I appreciate it. You've been a great help these past four days. I'm sure the film will be better because of you."
      Her cocked left eyebrow gave silent proof of her disagreement. "Mr. Spotted Horse, I haven't changed my mind. If my helping you runs the risk of improving your film, then I'm sadly defeating my own purpose. I still believe your film is nothing less than an attack on my family's honor and good name."
      "No," he replied, drawing the word out as though he were speaking to a child. "This film is about finally telling the truth,"
      Jesse immediately regretted his harsh reply, regretted that Kathleen looked as though he'd just slapped her. He didn't want this debate to keep rearing up between them, over and over. Damn it, some common ground had to be found, and soon. "By the way, it's Jesse."
      "Excuse me?"
      "My name. Jesse. Please, call me Jesse." He casually shrugged, then added a smile. "Just think of all the time you'll save by not calling me Mr. Spotted Horse."
      "Our relationship is professional," Kathleen replied. "Calling you Mr. Spotted Horse is...well, it's courteous. It's proper."
      "Yes it is and I admire your sense of...propriety. But if we're going to keep working together, this is how it should work," he cajoled. "You call me Jesse and I'll call you Kathleen, then somewhere in the middle of all that, we can be...friendly."
      "I am here only at Richmond Brock and the Board's directive. There is nothing friendly about that."
      "There could be, Kathleen." His voice softened and he gave her a wink. "There certainly could be."
      Her eyebrow took another quick climb and a bright shade of pink tinted her cheeks before she lowered her gaze.
      My god, I made her blush. His guilt factor jumped up another notch but didn't stop him from wondering how far down under her starched high-collared blouse that blush went.
      Kathleen fussed with the lid of the file box. "I think we should get back to work."
      "Maybe we'd better." Jesse glanced down at the box. There wasn't a speck of dust on the green lid. He quickly glanced at the other three boxes on the table. No dust on them either. Now that he thought about it, he realized he hadn't seen a speck of dust anywhere in Kathleen Prescott's world. She kept her legacy very neat, tidy, and void of any of real-life's intrusions. Nothing she had said or done in the past five days had made the true sad essence of her life more obvious. DuBois, complete with the museum, the library, her office, and the archives was her home, her family, her lover. But more than that, DuBois was her prison.