Jake expelled a breath of air. “Rachel,” he whispered. His heart skipped a beat at what she’d said. He placed his hand over her flat abdomen. “I . . . I don’t know what to say, except . . . I love you.”
Instantly, her face brightened in a smile. “The boys are here, too,” she said. “I think the reverend was feeling guilty about what he did to us. When I told him I was expecting, he realized he had to send me here. He said you couldn’t return to the past.”
Jake didn’t care about what the reverend was feeling. His insides warmed, and a powerful sensation of love wrapped itself around his heart. A few minutes ago, his life held no meaning. In the blink of an eye, that had all changed again. Rachel was here. She was his forever. He was going to be a dad! He cradled her head between his palms, and stared into her blue eyes.
“I knew from the minute I first saw you that you were my destiny, no matter what the reverend seemed to think.” He gently kissed her lips. “I’m the happiest man in the world, and I promise you that not a day will go by Rachel, that you’ll ever regret your decision to come home to me.”
Epilogue
The old man stood on the hill overlooking the valley below. Spread out before him were several barns and corrals. On a slight rise to the north stood a large ranch-style home. A short distance away, several more log cabin style homes were nestled against the edges of a patch of pine trees. He clasped his hands behind his back, and let the wind blow though his hair and across his face.
Two small children, a boy and a girl, ran in circles in the yard in front of one of the smaller homes. The little girl appeared to be a few years older than the boy, who waddled like a duck after the girl. Three older boys rode their bicycles up and down the gravel path connecting the homes. Drawn to the scene, the old man headed down the hill, keeping to the shadows of a cluster of pine trees close to the house.
A woman emerged from inside the home. Her long dark hair was swept back in a ponytail, and her modest skirt that reached well below her knees fluttered in the breeze.
“David, don’t ride that bike so fast. You’re going to crash and break your arm again. Remember how much you hated having that cast on last time?” she called to one of the older boys. “Tommy and Billy, I thought you wanted to help your Uncle Tom fix the engine in his truck.”
All three boys skidded to a halt in front of the woman, and dismounted their bikes. The two older ones hurried off toward one of the barns in the distance, and David dashed into the house.
The woman knelt to the ground and opened her arms wide, a bright smile on her face. The little boy waddled toward her, but the girl got there first. The woman embraced them both.
A man emerged from the other side of the house, and walked up to the woman. He reached for the little girl, and held her high up over his head. She squealed with delight. The little boy reached up his hands, and began to cry.
“You’ll get your turn,” the man said. The woman stood to her feet, the love in her eyes unmistakable as she turned her gaze to the man.
He reached one arm around her waist, and pulled her to his side.
“I can’t believe it’ll be five years today that I came here,” the woman said, smiling up at the man.
He chuckled, and hugged her close. “Remember how astonished my folks were when I introduced you and the boys? I think they were afraid to say too much. They were just pleased as punch that I married such a nice and old-fashioned girl.”
“And Tom never divulged our secret,” she added.
“Who’d believe it, anyhow?” His face turned serious. “Do you have any regrets?”
The woman leaned up and kissed him gently, her palm touching his cheek. “None,” she whispered.
The man’s wide grin returned. “Ready to go watch that movie you’ve been dying to see?” he asked. She nodded, and kissed him again. She lifted the little boy to her hip, and the family disappeared inside the house.
The old man’s gaze lingered for a few more minutes, then he turned and walked slowly back up the hill.
He’d been wrong, no question about it. Perhaps there was such a thing as destiny. In all his years of granting second chances, he’d never considered the power of the human capacity for love to guide a person onto the right path. Jake and Rachel were proof of that power.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he pondered this phenomenon. He would have to rethink his objective from now on. Perhaps a lack of finding one’s true mate was the reason many people strayed from their true path. Apart from finding one’s way again, a second chance could also be granted to finding one’s true love. If centuries separated two people who were meant to be together, he could do something to bring them together.
The old man’s chest heaved in a sigh. He would have to ponder this some more. Right now, it was time to meet his next assignment.
Dear Reader
The first mass of emigrants to brave the Oregon Trail left Independence, Missouri in 1843. After that, a steady stream of settlers left various “jumping off” points along the Missouri River to travel overland to reach Oregon and California. My story takes us from Kannesville, Iowa (today known as Council Bluffs, Iowa) along the Mormon Trail, which traveled on the north side of the Platte River, while those settlers leaving from Independence, Missouri, traveled along the south banks of the river until they met up at Fort Laramie. The height of travel was during the years of 1847-1852.
The Oregon Trail is about 2000 miles in length, and took an average of 4 1/2 to 5 months to travel.
Accidental deaths were common, mostly due to drowning at river crossings or from accidental gunshot wounds. The most terrifying disease encountered was cholera. It was especially prevalent in 1849 and 1850 along the Platte River to Fort Laramie. Cholera can have a sudden onset, a rapid course of decline for the infected person, and a very high mortality rate due to dehydration.
Before the 1860’s, the Indians along the Platte to Sweetwater River routes did not pose a major threat to the emigrants, and were usually friendly.
Throughout the story, I have taken some liberties with a few actual dates and events. The route Jake Owens insists on traveling after leaving Fort Laramie, today known as Childs Cutoff after the man who discovered it, was not used until 1850. Previously, emigrants had to rely on ferry operators to get them across the Platte River, which was not only dangerous, but also expensive. After 1850, many emigrants preferred to travel along the Council Bluffs route along the North Platte to avoid this crossing.
Jake Owens’ rifle was a Sharps rifle, known for its high accuracy and long range. It was the preferred rifle used by buffalo hunters on the plains, but was not widely available until 1850.
Book 2 in the Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series is tentatively titled Ain’t No Angel. I am currently in the plotting and outlining stages of this book. Look for a release toward Summer of 2013
I also have a trilogy in the works, called the Teton Romance Trilogy
Set in the Grand Teton area of the Rocky Mountains, just south of Yellowstone. Strictly historical, without time travel elements.
Look for Book 1, Teton Sunrise, to be released Winter 2012/2013
If you enjoy time travel romance, you might also enjoy my other series, the Yellowstone Romance Series
Titles in the Yellowstone Romance Series:
Book 1 Yellowstone Heart Song
Book 2 Yellowstone Redemption
Book 3 Yellowstone Awakening
Book 4 Yellowstone Dawn
Book 5 Yellowstone Deception
You can find all my titles by visiting my Amazon author page:
http://amazon.com/author/peggylhenderson
Find out more about me and my stories here:
http://peggylhenderson.blogspot.com
You can stay current on my book projects and happenings on my Facebook author page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-L-Henderson-author/254755581267700
I’m always happy to hear from my readers. Tell me wha
t you liked, or didn’t like in the story. I can be reached via email here: [email protected]
Come Home to Me (Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series Book 1) Page 26
