He grinned at her, as if he hadn’t thought of it before but the idea appealed to him too. “Kids. Yeah, you and I will have a family. I watched George with his children.” He sobered. “Hope I can be as good a dad. Better than my own was.”
She saw the old pain cross his face and squeezed his hand to reassure him. “Of course you will. You’ll be the best father ever.”
“All I need is a chance. Maybe I’ll never understand exactly what drove my own father, but I’ll do my best to be a good husband to you and a good dad to our children.” He paused and looked down at her then took a deep breath. “You accused me of trying all my life to atone for my father’s sins. And my grandparents’.”
She reached up and kissed his cheek. “I didn’t say it to hurt you. If it did, then it’s sorry I am.”
Pushing old pain aside, he helped Deirdre out of the car and, walking slowly, guiding her toward the church. “It made me mad, honey, but it also made me think. I hate to admit it, but you were right.”
Leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked, she said, “That’s a hard thing to confess, but sure and it’s good to know you have no hard feelings for what I said.” She stopped and faced him. “We’re responsible for ourselves, Brendan, not for those who went before us.”
He leaned down to kiss her. “Right you are. From now on, I’ll concentrate on not making mistakes. Leave the past behind.”
They were at the church’s massive doors. From inside came organ music.
She knew they must hurry. “Why not be more hopeful? Let’s pledge we’ll both do our best.”
“That sounds good enough for me. And now, love, we’d better get inside and change our clothes. We don’t want this wedding to start without us.”
At the door to the bride’s dressing room, Brendan took her in his arms. “Consider this wedding practice for our own. The minute you’re healed enough, we’ll be back here to make you Mrs. Brendan Hunter.”
“And we’ll be together forever.” She waved and slipped inside the room.
Chapter Forty One
Two months later, Deirdre clasped Brendan’s hand, grateful for his strength throughout their trip.
Their honeymoon.
“Galway City was larger than I’d have dreamed. And very modern.” But now that they were away, going toward her old home, a flock of butterflies had taken up lodging in her stomach.
“And the hotel was very cozy.” He nuzzled her neck, nibbling on the spot just below her ear.
She pretended to be offended. “Sir, please, I’m a respectable married woman.”
He smiled and snuggled her to him as their driver navigated down a winding narrow road. “Never saw so much green as when I looked out the window of the plane yesterday. But look around us. Your country still looks as green as from the air.”
She shook her head. “My old country. Now Texas is my home.” Her heartbeat increased when she recognized a familiar hill as the car climbed upward.
Then almost at the top, she spotted the little church, looking much the same as when she’d lived here. The driver stopped beside the cemetery, a larger area than when she’d buried her parents. Dread filled her for what she’d find. Would she be able to locate Ma’s grave? She’d paid the mason, but would the stone have been carved without her there to see to it?
She walked along the narrow path. Brendan followed her. Her steps quickened and she hurried to the wall near her family’s plot. She found it, little changed since she’d last seen it so long ago.
Da’s grave was first. Above his head stood the large headstone his mates at the quarry had donated as a tribute to their friend. She ran her finger along the carved words of his name.
Beside him lay Ma. The tiny marker Deirdre had ordered all those years ago for her lay broken in pieces in the shadow of a larger, newer one Brendan must have ordered. Under Ma’s name and dates on the massive stone were the words:
Beloved Daughter, Wife, and Mother
Healer and Herbalist.
On Ma’s other side was a tiny marker for Deirdre, of the kind the church had provided for those too poor to afford one. Here also, a newer marble stone stood. The polished face of it depicted an angel flying over water with a tiny boat below. Under the scene, the mason had carved only her name, no dates. Below it were the words:
Gone To A Better Place
She threw her arms around her husband. “And it’s true, Brendan. I did go to a better place. Not Purgatory as I first feared, but to you where I belong.”
He held her and swung her around. “My love. What would I have done if you hadn’t come to me? I’d never have known this joy, never experienced being complete.”
When he released her, she took his face between her hands and looked into his eyes blue as the ocean on a summer day. “Thank you for seeing to a proper stone for Ma. It means the world to me.”
He kissed her, then sat on the fence and let her visit the graves of her family. When she’d finished, he took her hand and led her back to their hired car. They crested the hill and she looked for familiar sights.
But where was her village? She leaned forward and tapped the guide. “Stop here, near that ruined cottage.”
The driver pulled over and Deirdre opened the door and climbed out. Slowly she turned, still astonished at the changes since she’d left. The fences remained, but hadn’t they been taller? And what had happened to the other cottages? Was the pub always that small?
Brendan joined her. “The driver will wait in the pub. Take as long as you need, love.”
She clasped his hand for strength against the turmoil within her. Too many memories surged up.
Ma as she’d walked along this way, her smile lighting her beautiful face.
Da tossing Deirdre into the air and catching her each day when he came in from the quarry.
The children who’d taunted Deirdre and refused to let her join their games in yon field.
Father Padric making his rounds, with always a kind word for her and Ma.
They seemed the experiences of another person, yet also a part of her. She crossed herself and gave thanks to the saints who’d protected her. And to God for giving her a new life with a loving husband. Fighting back tears of joy mixed with sorrow, Deirdre took a deep breath.
When she’d composed herself, she pointed out their surroundings. “That ruin down the hill is what’s left of the Balor family’s home and their small plot of land. Over there’s where the village stood.”
Three houses and a small pub remained on one side of the road. Their driver’s small car was parked near two old men who sat in the afternoon sun in front of the pub. A small grocer, the only building to appear since she’d been gone, was across the road from the public house. No one else was about but a bicycle leaned near the shop’s door and a small sedan was parked in front.
“Our cottage was this way.” She led him across a field to a low stone wall. Climbing over the fence, she paced off the distance. The village had changed in appearance, yet enough remained for her to find her way.
And some things never changed. The sturdy land beneath her feet. Fresh sea breeze that kissed her skin. Tangy scent of peat fires burning.
She touched the rough bark of a tree. “Ma and I planted this oak when I was twelve. Look how tall it is.”
Kicking at a bit of stone, she knelt and pulled away vines and grasses. “See here. This is the corner of our cottage. How small it looks to me now, yet I loved this place when I lived in it.” She rose and walked the length of it. “Here’s where the door stood. And inside was the tunnel Gran and Ma and Da built before I was born.”
She looked, but nothing remained. Even the charred timbers had weathered away. Picking up a branch, she scratched the ground but the escape passageway had filled in. She tossed the stick down.
In Texas, their bedroom was larger than this cottage. But she and her parents had been happy here. Love had made their happiness. Turning to her husband, she smiled.
“Than
k heavens for the tunnel.” Brendan tugged her to his side. “Otherwise you’d never have come to me.”
She snuggled against his chest but pulled away. “Let me show you the place where I jumped.” She stepped over another wall and walked to the point of land where she’d prayed and leaped.
She touched the worn surface of a boulder that seemed smaller than when she’d used it. “As a girl I sat here staring at the ocean so many times. Wondering what lay across the water.”
“And now you know.” His arms gathered her to him.
“And right here is where I jumped.” She looked down and the crashing waves. How foolish to think she could dive in and survive. But she’d been desperate. And it had worked, thanks to Saints Brendan and Brighid propelling her through time.
Her own Brendan pulled her back from the edge, as if fearful she might leap again. They walked together toward the waiting car. “Unbelievable as your trip through time still sounds, love, I’m thankful for your journey.” He stopped and gathered her to him. “I’m the luckiest of men because you came to me from out of the blue.”
She leaned into his embrace. “And the best is yet to come.” The saints had saved her for this man and the love they shared, and she’d love him for the rest of her days and beyond.
Forever and a day.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing to read my book out of the millions available. If you’d like to know about my new releases, contests, giveaways, and other events, please sign up for my reader group here. New subscribers receive a Free historical western titled Happy Is The Bride.
If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review wherever you purchased the book. You’ll be helping me and prospective readers and I’ll appreciate your effort.
Caroline
If you enjoy western historical romance, you’ll enjoy being a member of the Pioneer Hearts Facebook Group. There you’ll be able to converse with authors and readers about books, contests, new releases, and a myriad of other subjects involving western historical romance. Sign up at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pioneerhearts/
Read Caroline’s western historical titles:
Amanda’s Rancher, Montana Sky Kindle World
The Rancher and the Shepherdess, Montana Sky Kindle World
Murdoch’s Bride, Montana Sky Kindle World
Bride’s Adventure, Montana Sky Kindle World
Patience, Bride of Washington, American Mail-Order Brides Series #42
Josephine, Bride Brigade book 1
Angeline, Bride Brigade book 2
Cassandra, Bride Brigade book 3
Ophelia, Bride Brigade book 4
The Surprise Brides: Jamie, released simultaneously with three other The Surprise Bride books which are Gideon by Cynthia Woolf, Caleb by Callie Hutton, and Ethan by Sylvia McDaniel, each book about one of the Fraser brothers of Angel Springs, Colorado
The Most Unsuitable Wife, Kincaids book one
The Most Unsuitable Husband, Kincaids book two
The Most Unsuitable Courtship, Kincaids book three
Gabe Kincaid, Kincaids book four
Brazos Bride, Men of Stone Mountain Texas book one, Free
Buy the Audiobook here
High Stakes Bride, Men of Stone Mountain Texas book two
Buy the Audiobook here
Bluebonnet Bride, Men of Stone Mountain Texas book three
Tabitha’s Journey, a Stone Mountain Texas mail-order bride novella
Stone Mountain Reunion, a Stone Mountain Texas short story
Stone Mountain Christmas, a Stone Mountain Texas novella
Winter Bride, a Stone Mountain romance
The Texan’s Irish Bride, McClintocks book one, Free
O’Neill’s Texas Bride, McClintocks book two
McClintock’s Reluctant Bride, McClintock’s book three
Save Your Heart For Me, a western romance adventure novella
Long Way Home, a sweet Civil War adventure romance novella.
Caroline’s Time Travel
Out Of The Blue, 1845 Irish lass comes forward to today
If you prefer contemporary western romance, you’ll enjoy interacting with kindred souls and authors by becoming a member of Contemporary Western Hearts Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=contemporary%20western%20hearts
Caroline’s Contemporary Titles
Be My Guest, mildly sensual
Grant Me The Moon, sweet,
Snowfires, sensual
Home Sweet Texas Home, Texas Home book one (sweet)
Caroline’s Mysteries:
Almost Home, a Link Dixon mystery
Death In The Garden, a Heather Cameron cozy mystery, Kindle only
Take Advantage of Bargain Boxed Sets:
Wild Western Women – Mistletoe, Montana, Kirsten Osbourne, Caroline Clemmons, Merry Farmer, and Sylvia McDaniel
Mail-Order Tangle: Linked books Mail-Order Promise by Caroline Clemmons and Mail-Order Ruckus by Jacquie Rogers, Kindle Only
The Kincaids, Books 1-4 in one set
Men of Stone Mountain, contains the first three of the Stone Mountain Texas books: Brazos Bride, High Stakes Bride, and Bluebonnet Bride. Kindle Only
10 Timeless Heroes, time travels include Out Of The Blue and novels by
Sky Purington, Skhye Moncreif, Donna Michaels, Beth Trissel, P. L. Parker,
L. L. Muir, Linda LaRoque, and Nancy Lee Badger. Kindle only
Rawhide ’n Roses, fifteen 2,000 word short stories by various western historical authors, nominated for the Rhone Award, all proceeds go to Black Hills Wild Horse Rescue
About The Author
Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling and award winning author of historical and contemporary western romances. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.
Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys family, reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, painting, and getting together with friends. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, WattPad, Shelfari, and Pinterest.
Subscribe to her newsletter here to receive a Free novella of Happy Is Bride.
Here’s a sneak peek at another time travel where the heroine comes forward in time to today. Texas Lightning will be published late in 2017-early 2018:
Central Texas, 1896
Treachery!
A jagged flash of white-hot energy sliced through the canyon shadows, highlighting five men herding cattle into a makeshift corral below. Penny gasped, dadgummit, there they were. She crept closer to the overlook. Danged if her suspicions hadn’t proven true. The nerve of Jim Belton, that egg-sucking polecat, thinking he could put something over on her. He might be her foreman now, but not for long.
Oppressive heat hung so heavy no air remained to breathe, and a bad storm threatened. Sweat beaded on her face and slid between her breasts. No breeze stirred. Lightning flashed as clouds moved in, but the moon peeked through overhead.
She recognized that low down yellow-bellied coyote Jim joining with the rustlers. And after he’d been telling her how hard he’d been working to locate her missing cattle. Helping himself to her cattle was more like it. Well, now she knew what she had to do.
If this bunch thinks they can get around me because I’m a woman rancher, then my name isn’t Penelope Jane Terry. No one gets away with hornswoggling me!
Flashes drew closer and the heat lightning storm she feared most. A sudden breeze swirled around her, a sure sign the storm was closer. Riding the range was dangerous in any storm, especially one with lightning. She’d linger a few minutes longer to see if she recognized any of the rustlers with Jim, then she’d skedaddle for home. Lightning’s discharge rocked the ground and sped her heartbeats.
Penny eased forward and crouched to gaze around a massive prickly pear cactus. Seeing
Jim laugh as he spoke to another rider spiked her temper sharper than cactus needles. She clamped a lid on her anger—no sense committing suicide by giving herself away. That would please her worthless cousin all too well.
Charlie was already furious that she’d inherited the ranch instead of him. What made him think he had any right to her ranch? As if he could run the spread without losing everything within two years, just like he’d done with Uncle Vernon’s store. Charlie couldn’t even keep his wife and son fed without help from his Miller in-laws.
A pebble crunched and she pivoted, still in a crouch.
“Hello, little cousin.” Charlie’s smile appeared cold and deadly in the moonlight—and so did the six-shooter he pointed her way.
“You no-good varmint. I might have known you’d be in on this rustling.” Too late to pull her own revolver, but she jumped to her feet and faced her polecat cousin.
“I’ll get that ranch one way or the other. Should have been mine anyway.”
Penny grabbed a large pad of cactus and yanked it loose. Thank goodness for her leather riding gloves. A bolt of heat lightning flashed across the sky, closer this time. Charlie winced. Penny lunged and smashed the cactus onto Charlie’s face. She ran for her horse, Star.
“Yeeoww! You stupid bitch. I’ll get you for that.” He yelled to his cronies, “Up here! Terry’s brat’s up here.”
She raced to where her mare, Star, was tied and jumped into the saddle. Penny shouted, “Run, Star, run!” Hooves pounded behind her but she dared not pause to see if others had joined Charlie in the chase.
Fear clutched at her chest. No one would come to her rescue. Only Jake, her cook, knew where she’d gone. Lawsy, he’d warned her not to go alone, but she hadn’t known who to trust. If she didn’t return, it would be his word against Jim’s and Charlie’s. Who knew how many of her ranch hands had joined the rustlers?
OUT OF THE BLUE Page 28