The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream)

by James, Sandy

  Chapter 24

  “You look perfect, Sarah,” Libby said as she gave the crown of white flowers in Sarah’s hair a quick adjustment.

  Sarah nodded and continued to stare at her reflection in the antique mirror. She’d never expected this day to arrive—the day where she married a man who loved her despite all her faults, a man she loved beyond all reason. She would walk out to the white-washed gazebo in the backyard of Josh’s house. He would be waiting under the flower-decked trestles she, Laurie, and Libby had decorated the day before. Weaving flowers and vines and adding white and blue ribbons, the women had turned the gazebo into a wedding altar. Together with the summer flowers Sarah had helped Libby plant around the house and yard, the changes were magical.

  No one approached her for healing any longer. Tanya Brady had made a strong point of letting her audience know that Sarah had lost her gift and it wasn’t coming back. Sarah thoroughly enjoyed her retirement although a pinch of guilt nagged at her now and again. She fought it by focusing on Josh, Libby, and the daughter she was expecting, figuring the regret was like some old nagging injury that would flare from time to time. She’d just have to learn to live with it.

  The day started hot and humid with storm clouds threatening to throw a damper on the festivities. Sarah had watched them with a wary eye, allowing a silly bit of fear that the ominous dark clouds were portends of the future for her marriage. But the storms quickly moved on as if knowing they were unwelcome. Sunshine now bathed the yard in warmth and light.

  It was going to be a perfect day.

  Turning away from the mirror, Sarah watched Libby smooth her palms over the satin skirt of her sky-blue dress. She looked so grown up, more like eighteen than a few weeks short of fourteen. After finally deciding to head to the University of Chicago so she could stay close to home and the sister who was on the way, Libby seemed content to spend these last weeks of freedom planting flowers, helping Sarah turn the guest room into a nursery, and surfing the Internet. Life would get more complicated quickly enough. She deserved to be a kid for this last glorious summer.

  “You look stunning, Miss Elizabeth. I’m sorry Dylan couldn’t come this far to see you.”

  “I’ll send him some pictures tonight. And he better say I look pretty or I’ll send him a computer virus.”

  A soft knock drew their attention. “Sarah?” that wonderfully arousing baritone voice asked. “Can I come in?”

  “No way, José!” Libby shouted at the door. “It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”

  Sarah could hear Josh’s responding sigh, so loud he might have been the wolf threatening to huff-n-puff and blow the door down. “I woke up next to her, Libby. I’ve already seen her today.”

  “Not in her dress, you haven’t.” She flashed Sarah a smile full of braces that told her Libby was thoroughly enjoying teasing her father. “Sorry, Charlie. Go away now.”

  “Oh, for the love of...,” Josh grumbled with another soft knock. “Sarah, you don’t believe that superstition crap, do you?”

  Libby laughed. “Of course she does.”

  “I’ve got someone out here who wants to see Sarah.”

  “Sure you do. You! Not that stupid, Pop.”

  “Not me. Someone else. Someone who really wants to talk to her.”

  “Someone wants to talk to me?” Sarah asked, stepping toward the door. “Who?”

  Libby blocked her path and talked to the door. “You’re just saying that to get her to let you in. Not happening.”

  “Sarah, Hannah’s here.”

  “Hannah? Hannah’s here?”

  “Yeah, Sarah, it’s me.” There was no mistaking the Midwest twang of her older sister’s voice. “Can I please come in?”

  Libby opened the door and stepped back as Hannah took some hesitant steps into the bedroom. Josh watched from the doorway, probably unsure whether he should stay or go. Taking that choice away, Libby gave her father a nod, stepped out into the hall with him, and shut the door with a soft click.

  Hannah simply stood there, staring down at the white summer hat she held against her belly, clutching the brim like the hat was the last life-preserver on a sinking ocean liner. Her pink dress seemed appropriate to the occasion, and it suddenly dawned on Sarah that Hannah had come for the wedding.

  “How did you know I was getting married?”

  “Josh. He came to see me. He thought you might want me to be at your wedding.”

  “He was at the house?” The man was keeping secrets. “Joshua was in Indianapolis? When?”

  “Last week. He just showed up and told me he needed to talk to me.”

  “Why?” Perhaps Josh had been asking Hannah and Doug to the wedding since Sarah hadn’t wanted to invite them. Sarah was having a hard time forgiving Hannah for doing little to keep her husband from gambling away all the money they’d received from the people Sarah had healed. Not that she wanted any of the money. She just didn’t want her only sister to have to scrimp and save to keep a roof over her head, especially considering the ridiculous way Doug used the money. Josh knew Sarah missed her sister. But why would he go all the way to Indiana just to invite Hannah to the wedding? He could have called.

  “He came with a lawyer and...and...a counselor. The lawyer scared the crap outta me. Big guy who didn’t smile much. But Dr. Miller was awfully nice.”

  Ross and Laurie. What exactly was this a conspiracy to achieve?

  “Josh gave me the house, Sarah. He paid the whole mortgage off and handed me the deed.”

  “He what?”

  “Don’t shout at me. It makes me nervous.” She fiddled with the hat, fidgeting it with her fingers until she’d rotated it a full circle. “He said you were getting married and staying in Naperville, so he paid off the mortgage and taxes and gave me the house. But he said I had to promise not to ask you for any more money.”

  None of this made any sense. “Ask for money?”

  Hannah stared at the floor and clutched the white hat so tight the brim bent. “For Doug. Money for Doug. For when he...gambles.” After a few heavy sighs, she finally looked at Sarah. “Josh told me how much money Doug took out of the account, the one I was putting the money you earned into. I had no idea, Sarah. No idea at all. I’m so sorry.”

  The apology was the last thing Sarah expected from her sister. While it wouldn’t change the past, Hannah’s change of heart held promise for the future. Perhaps the sisters could one day find a way to be close again. “Thank you for that. But, Hannah, Doug’s not going to change.”

  Hannah’s responding sigh seemed to go on and on. “I know. Dr. Miller helped me see that. I left him. Josh paid off the house so I could kick Doug out. If he doesn’t stop gambling, he can’t come back. Dr. Miller showed me I was... What was that word?” She wrinkled her brow for a moment before she added, “An enabler. At least I think that’s what she called me. Her husband called me irresponsible.” Hannah frowned. “He’s not a very nice man.”

  This was definitely a day of surprises. “You kicked Doug out? Are you going to divorce him?”

  “No,” Hannah replied with a shake of her head. “At least not yet. It depends on...on whether he gets some help with his...problem. Dr. Miller really opened my eyes.”

  “She has a way of doing that,” Sarah said with a knowing grin.

  “So did her husband.”

  “Ross?”

  “Yeah. He brought me the bank statements and some pictures of Doug at the casino. They weren’t very...pretty. Doug has a problem. A big problem.” Hannah’s gaze dropped back to the floor as she stared intently at the beige carpet. She worked her hands over the hat brim again, turning it like a steering wheel. “I didn’t know. I had no idea Doug had taken that much money.” Sarah realized her sister was crying when the first tear hit Hannah’s clenched hand. “I’m so sorry, Sarah. For everything. I’m the one who kept you from getting Josh’s letters.”

  “Letters?”

  “When you first came home...you know,
back from the trip you took with him. You were so mad at him, I tore up his letters before you could see him, or I sent them back. I didn’t want you to get upset. And Doug refused to accept any of the flowers that came for you.”

  Josh hadn’t forgotten her after all. That explained a lot. Sarah had never come out and asked Josh why he hadn’t come back for her. He was with her now, and that was all that mattered. But it was sure nice to know he’d never stopped caring.

  “It doesn’t matter now,” Sarah said. “The money doesn’t matter.”

  “You’re right. The money doesn’t matter,” Hannah said, finally lifting her gaze to meet Sarah’s. “What matters is that I lost you—my only sister. You’re all I have left. Can you ever forgive me?”

  Sarah nodded, not trusting herself to say anything without breaking into tears. Hannah dropped her hat on the rocking chair and took a couple of hesitant steps closer. Sarah embraced her sister who promptly started to weep. “It’s alright, Hannah.”

  “But you can’t heal now. And we lost all that money because of Doug. You can’t get any more.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I helped some people get well. I never wanted to profit from it anyway. And you’ve got the house now. That was all I ever worried about—giving us a place to live.”

  “You always took good care of me. I love you, Sarah.”

  “I love you too, Hannah.”

  * * * *

  Josh held the piece of cake up and let Sarah take a small bite. She was grateful he wasn’t a “smasher.” She hated watching brides and grooms grind cake and icing into each other’s faces. Josh was showing how much he cared for her by being so gentle and considerate. She returned the favor.

  They entwined their arms for their first toast as man and wife. Libby, Josh’s “best man,” did the honors.

  “To my old dad and my new mom,” Libby began, smiling through a thin veil of tears that caused some responding tears in Sarah’s eyes. “A long and happy life with lots and lots of new brothers and sisters for me!”

  Glasses clinked in a chorus as Sarah sipped milk from her fluted glass. Josh downed the entire serving of champagne and set his glass aside. Then he took her glass and set it next to his on the table. Taking her hand, he led her to the dance floor where he left her waiting while he whispered something to the DJ.

  Strains of Rod Stewart’s gravelly voice filled the ballroom. Josh kissed her forehead, took her into his arms, and began their dance. Sarah’s cheek pressed against his shoulder as they swayed to their song—“Faith of the Heart.” Josh sang the words softly, making Sarah’s heart so full of love and happiness, she feared it would burst.

  “Does it bother you?” Josh whispered against her ear.

  “Does what bother me?”

  “That you can’t heal anymore.”

  Sarah shook her head without a moment of hesitation. One hand dropped to stroke her unborn child. “I think this little girl was the reason. I was meant to nurture her. I couldn’t do that if I could still heal.”

  Josh’s hand covered hers, lacing their fingers. He lifted their joined hands to his lips and kissed her palm. “I’ll have to be sure and thank her when I finally get to meet her. She saved you.”

  “No, Joshua. You saved me. You gave me back my life.”

  “Just like you gave me back mine. You healed me.”

  “I healed you?”

  “You healed my heart. I love you, Sarah Miller.”

  “And I love you, Joshua. Now and forever.”

  THE END

  WWW.SANDY-JAMES.COM

  Damaged Heroes 5

  Twist of Fate

  What happens when happily ever after meets reality? Susan and James Williams are drifting apart. After a devastating loss, their lives are thrown into further turmoil when a mysterious stone at a museum hurtles them back to the Old West. Their supernatural experience only intensifies the chasm between them, and when James realizes where they are, in a moment of anger, he pronounces that they were never married.

  They go their separate ways, unsure of what this new world holds in store. James settles into a job as bartender. Befriended by local rancher Daniel Miller, Susan soon develops feelings for him. She’s torn between starting a new life in a new time and healing her marriage and returning to the twenty-first century.

  Will the miraculous journey back in time help Susan and James reconcile, or has destiny set new roads for them to travel that lead them away from each other?

  Genre: Historical, Time Travel, Western/Cowboys

  Length: 90,207 words

  TWIST OF FATE

  Damaged Heroes 5

  SANDY JAMES

  Copyright © 2009

  Chapter 1

  He was in hell. No fire and brimstone like he’d expected, but hell nonetheless.

  Six enormous yellow buses idled in front of Harry Truman High School. A couple hundred teenagers waited impatiently, walking on the tarmac, sitting on the benches, and text messaging each other on their cell phones. Between the churning motors of the buses, the high-pitched squealing of the girls, and the incessant yelling of the teachers, the noise level was unbearable.

  For the first time, James wondered if his wife’s job wasn’t all that easy after all. Perhaps even teachers had hectic days, although they also had three whole damn months in the summer to get over them. Susan always got a summer break; the last vacation he’d taken was over five years ago.

  Why he’d volunteered to chaperone this ridiculous field trip was still beyond him. Susan had obviously caught him in a weak moment. Then he saw his son, John—all six feet three inches of him and still growing. James would never understand how a man who had grown just a smidgen over six feet and a woman who was only five four had produced such a giant. Seeing John reminded James why he was there—to devote some quality time to his son.

  He also had to admit the rest of the truth. Tired of the emotional distance between them, he really wanted to spend time with his wife.

  “Hi, Dad.” John came to stand at James’s side. John’s two shadows followed right behind.

  “Jeff. Eric.” James nodded toward his son’s friends. They didn’t exactly look thrilled about the trip, either, standing there with their hands in their pockets, kicking at the little rocks on the pavement. Since when did jeans buckle around guys’ thighs instead of their waists?

  “So are you sorry you came yet?” John asked.

  Hell, yes. Teenagers wear me out! James gave a faux-casual shrug. “Your mom said she needed some chaperones.” Dredging up some enthusiasm, he smacked a palm against his son’s shoulder. “No, I’m not sorry. Maybe this’ll be fun.”

  “Doubt it,” John grumbled. “It’s just a stupid history museum.”

  Susan came striding over with her clipboard, busily checking off a few more names. Thirty-nine years old, but she still had the energy of a teenager, probably because she spent so much time with them. “All here. John, you and the guys need to get on the second bus. We’re getting ready to leave.” She crooked her finger. “James, wanna come with me?”

  “Depends.”

  She arched an eyebrow, her beautiful brown eyes full of curiosity and some poorly guarded skepticism.

  Maybe he would coax a small smile if he baited her. As if he could ever resist. “I’ll come, but only if you’re heading someplace other than the museum. Maybe we could hit a Hooters.” He inclined his head toward the crowd. “They’d probably like that more anyway. At least the guys would.”

  Susan frowned at him, running her fingers through her short, brown hair as she always did when she got good and riled. God, he used to love to tease her back in the day when she gave as good as she got. He hated that she didn’t warm to his joking anymore. “You don’t have to go, James.” Her words were clipped and stern. “I’m not about to beg. Head on home if you want. Or go to Hooters and ogle the waitresses.”

  No matter how bad things had become between them, he’d made a promise to do this field trip. He’d never brok
en a promise to his wife and didn’t plan on starting now. “Like you’d let me do that. C’mon. Let’s go.”

  Susan pointed to the first bus. “Please grab the front seat behind the driver for us so I can keep an eye on things. If any kids are in it, kick ’em out. I have to check with the other teachers before we leave.” Once she was done bossing him around, she pulled a small walkie-talkie from her belt clip and started talking into it as she strode away.

  The bus smelled every bit as disgusting as he’d remembered from his days in school. Worse, actually. The crowd had definitely changed. James had no idea kids could dye their hair so many different colors. The clothes weren’t too bad if you didn’t read the obscene little sayings printed on most of the T-shirts. All the jeans had holes scattered from waist to ankles as if they’d been put there on purpose. Who would pay good money for jeans with rips in them? And what was with all the tattoos? Thank God, his own son and daughter seemed to be…normal.

  Jesus, I feel old.

  With a loud creak and groan, the doors closed behind Susan as she climbed the stairs and stood at the front of the bus. “Listen up!” Surprisingly, the noise level dropped to a hush.

  Impressive. The kids respected her. He’d never really thought about that before, never pondered how many kids she saw on a daily basis and whether they looked at her the way he’d looked at his teachers. He knew Susan’s students liked her. Anytime they went out—the mall, a restaurant, a movie—some kid always came to talk to her. When they saw her from across the way and waved, they always used all their fingers. What wasn’t to like? She had a razor sharp wit.

  After a short, well-rehearsed speech about what she expected regarding student behavior, Susan moved to take a seat behind the driver. The bus lurched into motion before she was all the way down, and she had to grab on to James to keep from tumbling into the aisle. She ended up in his lap before she blushed and moved to sit next to him. The smell of her White Shoulders perfume hung between them, making him wonder if she’d let him make love to her that night. Ever since they’d lost the baby, she’d seemed…cold. Distant.