by Zoe Matthews
Bridget must have realized he was there, for she turned and looked at him, as a smile spread across her face.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Justin told her as he approached her.
“Well, it looks like you’ve found me,” Bridget replied as she patted the bench beside her.
Justin sat down and took her hand in his. He leaned back against the bench and looked around at his surroundings. He could see why Bridget chose this spot to be in. It was beautiful. He looked around at the tall lilies and lavender bushes, the tall trees behind the shorter, more interesting trees. He understood why she had been spending so much time out here. It was very serene.
“How are you feeling about staying here?” Bridget asked.
“I’m fine with it. In fact, I’ve come up with a way to support a family.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Yesterday, I took Garrett to the drug store that is located nearby for ice cream. I noticed that there is a building next to it that is empty and for sale. I talked to Shaun and Patrick, and they insist on splitting the gold and silver I brought for Nicky and Kimberly with me, to help me get started. That will help me purchase the building. I want to open up an art gallery.”
Bridget looked confused. “An art gallery?”
“Yes. They are quite popular in the future. I’m sure there are many talented people in this time, just like there are in the future. People who can paint landscapes or portraits. I saw the carvings Keegan has done. Maybe he’d be willing to sell them in the gallery. I designed video games in the future, but I also know how to paint. I especially like doing portraits. I’m sure I can find people who would like their family member’s portraits painted. Maybe we can find others who can do pottery or embroidery. Anything that people can create, I will sell.”
Bridget’s face lit up as he talked. “I think that’s a great idea. I’ve never heard of a store like that.”
“I might need to travel to nearby towns and cities to find artists. I think it would be a good idea to make the Western states as my focus.”
“So this must mean you’ve decided to not live on the ranch,” Bridget commented.
Justin sobered. “That’s something else I want to talk to you about. I want you to know that I love you very much. Bridget, will you marry me?”
Bridget looked at him, speechless.
Justin quickly continued. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I think we can count the months that we wrote during the winter. I enjoyed getting those letters.”
“So did I,” Bridget admitted. “What about Garrett?”
“I’ve already talked to him about this, and he likes the idea of having a mother. He’s never had one before. He said he thinks you’re really nice.”
Bridget sighed. “I want to say yes, but I think we need some more time to get to know each other. I have to admit that I have fallen in love with you.”
“Then what’s the holdup?” Justin asked, doing his best to keep the frustration out of his voice.
“I want to make sure this is real.” Bridget stood and took a few steps away from him. “What has happened between us is like a fairytale. What if it doesn’t last? A couple of keys brought us together. They are gone now. What if our feelings for each other fade?”
“I don’t think I fell in love with you just because of the keys. Like I’ve told you before, I fell in love with you because it was meant to be. I’ve waited all my life for someone like you. Then a miracle happened. You literally appeared right before my eyes.”
Bridget smiled at his reference to her appearing in Nicky’s living room.
“I was happy before I met you. I had Garrett, my job, my family. I was okay. Life was good. But since I met you, it’s been better. I can’t explain what I feel inside. It just is.”
“I know what you mean,” Bridget confessed. “I’m just afraid that this is all a trick. What if I wake up one morning and you are gone?”
“And what if you wake up one morning and I am right beside you? For the rest of our lives? What if we raise Garrett and any other children we will have together? What if we open an art gallery together? I’ve waited all my life for you. Since it is meant to be, it will all work out.”
Bridget started to pace and Justin did his best to keep silent, to let her think through what he had just said, but he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until all her fears were gone.
****
When Justin found her and started to talk, she was surprised how scared she was, especially when he started to talk about marriage. Wasn’t this what she wanted? Wasn’t this why she traveled to the future? So she could meet Justin and get to know him better? She had told herself that she traveled to the future because she had wanted an adventure. However, she acknowledged for the first time that she had wanted to meet Justin. She had fallen in love with his letters and now she had fallen in love with him.
But could she hope for a happy ending with Justin? She turned to look at him and noticed that he was fidgeting nervously. She knew her answer to his question about marrying him meant the world to him. She could hope for a happy ending. She just needed to believe in it. Take the risk.
“Okay, maybe you just need some more time. You don’t have to give me an answer right now. You can take all the time you need,” Justin told her gently as he stood and walked towards her until he was standing in front of her.
“Oh, Justin,” Bridget whispered. “I don’t need more time. I just needed to think through things a bit. Yes, Justin. I will marry you.” After she said the words, she waited to see if she felt any doubts coming from deep inside her, and there were none. Instead, she felt the happiest she had ever felt. It flooded her heart and spread throughout her entire body and soul. “Yes. I want to marry you and live with you and help you raise Garrett and any other children we have.”
Justin’s face lit up at her words. He gathered her to him and gently held her for a long time. It was nice to be held by a man, especially one whom she had just promised to love for a lifetime.
He pressed his forehead to hers for a moment and then cupped her face with his hands and gave her a kiss, a kiss so gentle and so sweet it melted any reservations she’d had left about joining her life with his. Her wish had come true.
Epilogue
“Now, I know how I do my hair every day here, but I’m not sure what styles are appropriate for fancier occasions. I have something in mind, but if you don’t like it for any reason, just tell me, okay?” Nicky was standing behind Bridget, brushing out her red curly hair.
It was Bridget’s wedding day, and Nicky was so excited, that she was talking even more so than usual. Bridget smiled and nodded, amused at how different the way Nicky showed her excitement was from the way she showed her own. Nicky had a hard time holding still, and being quiet when she was excited. Bridget was the opposite and talked less. Her mind was racing happily, thinking about how much her life was going to change in the next few hours.
Bridget was sitting in a chair in her childhood bedroom. Justin was getting ready in Kimberly’s cabin as well. There were only a few hours left until they were married, and she knew he was just as excited as she was.
It had been three months since Justin had proposed. They had spent that time getting to know each other better and fixing up the building he had bought. Kimberly had jumped at the opportunity to sell some of her drawings that she’d already finished of flowers and rocks by the river. Keegan also agreed to sell some of his wood carvings as well and had mentioned the store to a few other people he knew of who were artists in town. The store had a small selection, but it was growing every week, and they hoped business would take off soon.
Victoria had offered to let them get married at her house, as Kimberly had done, but Bridget had respectfully declined. Her mother and father had married on the ranch, under the large tree in front of the main cabin. She had always dreamed of getting married in the same spot. Surely, it had been good luck for her parents
, so it would be good luck in her marriage, too.
“…and you know Shaun and I are trying to have a baby soon, so this family is… well I mean, you know, sometime in the future...” Nicky trailed off. It was obvious she hadn’t meant to say that last sentence, and maybe that was why it stood out to Bridget.
“Really, are you getting pregnant soon?” Bridget asked, thrilled.
“Well... don’t tell anyone, but yes! Hopefully soon.” Nicky replied, trying and failing to keep her excitement inside. “Shaun and I have been as careful as we can be, just to give us some time to get to know each other more before we had a baby, but seeing Kimberly and Patrick with their babies... it’s just made both of us eager to have some of our own! I just don’t want everyone talking about it. I don’t want to jinx it.”
“I won’t tell anyone, I promise.” Bridget smiled.
Nicky had explained superstition to her, that if she wanted something to happen desperately, but she talked about it too much, it might not happen. Bridget thought it was silly. However, she could tell it comforted Nicky to take her little precautions, so she played along. In reality, it wasn’t all that much different from her thinking the spot underneath the tree out by the large cabin was a lucky place to be married.
“There! I think that about does it. What do you think?” Nicky stepped back proudly and handed Bridget a hand-held mirror to look at her hair. It was swept to one side in a loose French braid, leading back to a mass of curls elegantly pinned into place at the back of her head. Little ringlets hung around her neck and cheeks, giving her a unique feminine look.
“Wow. It’s so different. It’s gorgeous!” Bridget breathed. Her heartbeat quickened, as she knew it was almost time to walk outside to marry the man she loved.
These thoughts raced through her head as she slipped her mother’s wedding dress over her head, and let Nicky button up the back. The dress may have been considered plain by many in town, but Bridget had always loved it. It was a crisp white, with long sleeves that ended in a “V” on her hand. A high neck was held by a simple collar, making her neck look longer than it was. Simple white buttons went from the nape of her neck, all the way down her back. It was exactly what she would have chosen, made even better by the fact that it had been her mother’s.
Once Nicky had finished buttoning up the dress, Bridget turned around and held onto Nicky’s hand.
“Are you ready?” Nicky nearly squealed the question.
“Without a doubt!” Bridget responded confidently.
They walked down the stairs, and outside to find everyone already waiting. It was just their family, Victoria, and Collins, and the minister who was to marry them.
Justin was standing with his eyes locked on the doorway, so when Bridget came out, he was the first to see her. They locked eyes, and both broke into huge, happy grins. She walked informally down to him, while Nicky made her way to Shaun, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Bridget breathed in the air, loving the simplicity of her wedding. It suited her perfectly. She realized she smelled roses and glanced down to see rose petals scattered all around them. She looked at Colleen, who was beaming proudly. She had clearly orchestrated the rose petals, and Bridget smiled at her to show her how much she loved it.
Justin took her hand, and they turned toward the minister to say their vows. Her heart felt full, knowing she loved this man more than she had ever thought possible, and despite all odds, through some twist of fate, she was able to marry him. She knew their love was one that would last through all time.
Winds of Time is the third book in the Time Travel Romance Series. If you would like to read the rest of the series, please go to www.zoematthewsromances.com or her author page for more information. You can also sign up for some free ebooks!
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Sneak Peek to Secrets of Time
Early October, 2015
On a sunny fall morning, Megan Conway sat at a long table in her herb shop, wishing it wasn’t the start of a very busy day. She glanced out of the front window longingly, wanting to head to the nearby Rocky Mountains and spend her day hiking. Fall was her favorite time of the year. She loved the smell of the autumn leaves as they changed into the colors of red, yellow, and orange. She could almost hear the dried leaves crunching under her feet as she walked along one of her favorite hiking trails.
She glanced at her hiking buddy, Apollo. Apollo was a greyhound dog whom Megan had purchased through a rescue program about six months ago. As if sensing Megan was thinking about him, the dog stood and walked to her side. Placing his head in her lap, he silently asked for attention. She reached down and patted his colorful head. He was considered a bridle color with a mixture of black, brown, and white. She absolutely loved this dog and was glad she had found him. He had been a racing dog who had lost too many races, so his owner retired him. Megan knew that many times when this breed of dog stopped winning races, they would be put down, but luckily Apollo’s owner had made arrangements for him to be placed in a good home through a greyhound rescue company.
For a racing dog, Apollo wasn’t very active. He was perfectly happy sleeping on his large comfortable bed in the corner of the office. He rarely showed his face to customers. Although he was content to lounge the day away, when he was given the opportunity to walk and run, he could do so for a long time. Megan spent many hours with him on walks and hikes, making sure he got the exercise he needed.
Apollo settled himself next to Megan as she continued to measure small amounts of herbs to be put in packets for different types of teas that she and her mother sold in their shop. The Greenhouse Shoppe was a dream come true for her mother, and Megan wanted to do everything to help the shop be successful. They had been in business for almost five years now and their clientele grew each year. One of their most popular products were the tea packets Megan was compiling. They were a combination of herbs designed to give a person different health benefits. The particular one she was working on helped alleviate migraines.
She glanced at the clock, seeing that she only had thirty minutes before the shop opened at ten o’clock. She still had to arrange some new products that had arrived late the evening before on the shelves, but she wasn’t sure if she would have time before the shop opened. Usually, her mother was there to help, but she had a dentist appointment that morning and wasn’t planning on arriving until later that morning.
Megan loved her job working in the shop and she was grateful that her mother was able to pay her enough so that she could have a good salary to support herself. She had lived with her mother in the condo she had grown up in until six months ago when she was able to rent a small studio apartment in downtown Denver near where her best friend, Abby, lived.
She scooped the herbs she measured into a small bag and sealed it. Setting it aside with the other packets, she started the process of measuring again. Looking around the small shop, she smiled to herself. Her mother had allowed Megan to decorate it to suit her tastes. She had tried to keep the decorations fairly natural looking and had gone to different antique shops looking for unique pieces. She had discovered a love for antiques and enjoyed browsing the shops for new inexpensive pieces they could display in the shop.
They already had several tin signs from a pharmacy that was no longer in business, but had been located in the heart of Denver nearly 75 years ago, which she had arranged in old-fashioned wooden frames. Other frames held arrangements of different types of dried herbs under the glass. Her favorite item she had found was an old scale, which didn't work well anymore due to its age, but she loved the character of it.
Megan’s mother, Barb
ara Conway, had become pregnant with her when she was 17 years old. Megan had never known her grandparents or her father. Barbara’s parents hadn’t been supportive that she wanted to keep her baby, so they had refused to help her in any way. Barbara was originally from Austin, Texas, but had moved to Denver a few months before Megan was born to start a new life for herself and Megan.
Barbara spent the first few years of Megan’s life working in various restaurants around Denver. But her real love was herbal remedies and homeopathic medicine. She spent her free time learning all she could about them. After a few years of living in Denver, Barbara had been able to get a job at a local herb shop which also had a small apartment located above the store. This was where Megan and Barbara had lived and was included in Barbara’s salary. Soon after, Barbara was able to earn a certificate at a local school in homeopathic medicine.