by Loyd, Sandy
Libby Edwards Thorpe
PS: We’ve changed the name of Colin’s farm to Twin Oaks because the trees are what brought us together. We’ve left explicit instructions about them, so they will still exist in your time. I’ve begun a journal, to be buried in the box when I die, along with an indisputable copy of Twin Oaks’s deed, ending my original quest.
Dead silence permeated the room while the occupants absorbed the meaning of their letters.
A couple of tears had dropped to the page as Bev had read, and just as Libby had predicted, she felt her smile widen.
Sam’s voice intruded on the silence. “My God, it doesn’t seem possible even with proof.” He finished his and handed it to Doug, shaking his head.
Stunned, Dave appeared to have lost his voice.
Tom wiped a hand over his eyes and offered his letter to Bev. They exchanged and both continued reading.
Dear Dad,
I have taken my time writing this because when I decided to return to 1874, I thought I could easily leave you without regrets. We were never close and I always felt as if I had let you down somehow. Over time, I’ve realized I do have a few regrets overshadowed by the fact that we never understood each other.
Now that I’m a mother with more wisdom, I can view your motives in a different light. I know you loved me and only wanted my happiness. I am happy. I am where I want to be and my life is complete with Colin Thorpe. All of this must be hard to imagine. Traveling through time is a little unbelievable. My only wish was to find a place where I belonged. Once I discovered that place, I had to stay.
I began a journal with the details of my life. As I age, I’ll record my thoughts and those thoughts will always include you. Please try to forgive my actions, understand them, and be happy for me.
Your loving daughter,
Elizabeth Edwards Thorpe
Bev then scanned Sam’s letter that he’d handed her.
Dear Sam,
I know you will be surprised to read this, as I’m sure anyone who finds I’ve decided to remain in the past would be. I want to thank you for hiring me, but I find I must give notice. I hate to leave you in a lurch, especially with Thorpe’s Pride, but I no longer had the choice to return to the twenty-first century. Working with Pride’s predecessors will have to suffice. My life—my love—my everything—is here in 1874 with Colin Thorpe. To leave a time where I found I belonged, to return to a place where I felt like I never fit in, was something I could not do.
I don’t know how or why all of this happened. All I can say is I’m glad it did. It was a matter of fate and destiny. My fate and destiny took me back to the beginning of your stud farm and that is where I am truly happy. I only hope you and Doug can be happy for me.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Edwards Thorpe
Dave finally found his voice. “It’s like we’ve stepped into The Twilight Zone.” He set his letter aside, turned to Libby’s dad, who by this point had noticeable moisture filling his eyes, and clapped him on the shoulder, squeezing. “I don’t know what to say, Tom, except that I’m sorry.”
“I’m OK, Dave,” Tom said, clearing his throat. “The saddest part is the regret. I should have tried harder to understand my daughter while I had the chance.” He smiled wistfully. “But I have what I’ve always wanted. Libby’s happiness. It seems she’s found it.”
While the others in the room consoled one another, Bev couldn’t resist reading Dave’s letter as it sat open on the desk.
Dear Dave,
By this time you’ve obviously discovered how wrong you are about my time traveling. Sorry about the “Dear John” letter. No one deserves that. But the only other option would be to delay my trip back to 1874 or return at some point to meet with you. I couldn’t risk either. I’ll never leave the past again.
I placed your engagement ring in the oak tree on the right, just before I zapped back. Look for an indentation where the branches divide. There is a little nook big enough to hide it.
I did love you, you know. I even believe that you may have loved me to some extent. But face it, Dave. You never accepted me for who I was. I was never good enough and you never really believed in me. We weren’t meant to be. I know that now after finding a man who not only accepts me as I am, he loves me, and he believes in me. I don’t have to change. To him I am perfect, faults and all.
I wish you well, Dave, and hope that someday you’ll find someone you don’t have to change.
My sincerest regrets,
Libby Thorpe
Bev finished and looked up to see Dave watching her.
“I guess I owe you an apology,” he said, offering a semblance of a smile. “Nothing like eating a little crow to put a humble taste in my mouth. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to either of you when you tried to tell me. God, what a fool I am.” He shook his head and started for the door. “I need to retrieve my ring. Should make a good keepsake to remind me of my arrogance and my stupidity.”
“Wait, Dave, I’ll go with you,” Bev said, running to catch up with him.
Dave stopped and threw her a suspicious look. “Why? So you can gloat?”
“No, I’m past all that.” At his raised eyebrows she smiled, then shrugged. “OK. Maybe I’d like to gloat. But I won’t. I needed to get out of there.” Her nod indicated the room they’d left. “It’s too sad.”
“Suit yourself.” Dave walked on, quickening his pace.
At the trees, he reached up and felt around the tree trunk where the branches separated. Seconds later, he pulled out his ring.
Scrutinizing his face, Bev noted his forlorn, almost subdued expression as he stared at the solitaire before pocketing it. “You really love her, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. How could you not love Libby? She is—” He cleared his throat, which sounded as if it was tightening with grief, and swallowed hard. “She was genuine. I never understood until it was too late what I had in her.” He hesitated. “Do you know the saddest part of all?”
“No,” Bev said softly. “What?”
“I was too self-absorbed and concerned with my needs to understand hers. Plus, I didn’t appreciate her for who she was. I only hope she’s found the happiness she deserves.” He blinked several times and wiped at the edges of his eyes with the back of his hand. “Now that I understand what she wanted, I want the same thing. Yet, somehow I doubt I’ll ever be lucky enough to find it.”
Epilogue
One Month Later:
Libby accepted Colin’s help in dismounting from atop Hercules after barely losing to Fortuna. “I can’t believe how much faster she’s gotten.”
They’d been working most of the morning and this was their last run before moving on to the stables.
Giselle, having led Fortuna in a walk, stopped to pat the horse’s long neck. “She outdid herself.”
The mare whinnied and shook her head in the air, as if in agreement.
As Giselle headed in Gus’s direction, Colin handed Hercules off to a handler, then wrapped an arm around Libby’s shoulders.
“Are you happy?” He asked the same question at least once a day.
She sighed, looked around, and answered truthfully. “Very.” Her days were full of challenge. Not only with her role as trainer, but with mothering three wonderful children. Sam, Melanie, and baby Rebecca desperately needed her love. How easily they returned it, which made up for ninety percent of her loss.
The other ten percent came from her friendship with Giselle, who’d demonstrated an ability to ride and train Colin’s horses and was now living and working on the farm. They had become fast friends and now worked side by side. Her company eased the heartache of missing Bev.
Libby thought of her friend in the future constantly and continued the daily practice of sharing her life by writing in her journal. She missed her dad too. It would have been nice to say good-bye properly. She’d been in too big a rush to be reunited with Colin, and would always feel a small twinge of regret when she thought of h
er dad. She hoped that in sharing her life, her father might come to understand her better and be happy for her in what she’d found.
A new family and others who loved her.
She leaned her head against Colin’s wide chest and smiled warmly. “Yes. I have exactly what I need to be happy.” She offered one last glance in the direction of the twin oaks, the farm’s new namesake and wondered how they knew. They truly were magical.
~~~THE END~~~
Thank you for reading Time Will Tell. If you enjoyed this story, please help others find it by posting a review wherever you bought it—share a link, tweet about it, Facebook it… Everything helps in this new internet world.
The following bonus reads are excerpts from Games, the second story in the Timeless Series and Temptation, the third story in the Timeless Series.
To be apprised on new releases in the Timeless Series, email her at [email protected] to be put on her mailing list, like her on Facebook www.facebook.com/sloydwrites or follow her on twitter at www.twitter.com/sloydwrites. For more information about Sandy visit her website at www.sandyloyd.com.
Author’s note:
While I did take quite a few liberties in the telling of this story there are several facts I wanted to make note of in doing my research for this book.
First of all, my characters did not exist in the 1870s, but some of the men mentioned did. Men such as Merriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., who was a visionary and a main promoter of the new track. He spent years researching and promoting his idea. Three hundred and twenty men invested one hundred dollars each and signed the articles of Incorporation for the Louisville Jockey Club and Riding Park Association on June 22, 1784. That was enough to start the ball rolling for the new grandstand and track. There are several men who dreamed and their dream is the legacy of the Kentucky Derby. The first Kentucky Derby was run on May 17, 1875. From the very beginning it has been hyped as a big party and has only gotten bigger over time.
Of course, no Derby would be complete without the horses. Diomed won the first Epsom Derby in England on May 4, 1780, the same race the Kentucky Derby was fashioned after. He was later sold to an American and he set the stage for the beginning of the American Thoroughbred. Lexington (1850 –1875) carried his blood. Aristide won that first Kentucky Derby back in 1875 and his dam was sired by Lexington. Lexington is probably one of the most famous thoroughbreds in the history of American thoroughbred racing. In 1866 Woodburn Farms bought him from Richard Ten Broeck for fifteen thousand dollars, an unheard of amount in 1866, but not as much as the millions of dollars Kentucky thoroughbreds sell for today. Fifty-two of the first sixty-one derby winners carried Lexington’s blood. The champion sired six-hundred colts or fillies. Of these, two hundred and sixty were winners. During his reign, he was dubbed as “the most successful stallion in History.”
About The Author
Sandy Loyd is a Western girl through and through. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, she's worked and lived in some fabulous places in the US, including South Florida. She now resides in Kentucky and writes full time. As much as she loves her current hometown, she misses the mountains and has to go back to her roots to get her mountain and skiing fix at least once a year.
As a sales rep for a major manufacturer, she’s traveled extensively throughout the US, so she has a million stored memories to draw from for her stories. She spent her single years in San Francisco and considers that city one of America's treasures, comparable to no other city in the world. Her California Series, starting out with Winter Interlude, are all set in the Bay Area.
Sandy is now an empty nester. Time Will Tell is the first in a series of connecting historical romances as well as a couple of contemporary romances. To date, she has published eight books besides Time Will Tell—four contemporary romances and four romantic mystery/suspense /thrillers. She strives to come up with fun characters—people you would love to call friends. And we all know friends have their baggage and when we discover what makes them tick, we come to love them even more. She doesn't skimp on the romance. And because she loves puzzles, she doesn't skimp on intrigue, either. Yet whether romantic suspense or contemporary romance, she always tries to weave a warm love story into her work, while providing enough twists and turns to entertain any reader.
Bonus Read #1
Games – Book Two in the Timeless Series
Below is an excerpt of Games, a historical set in Kentucky in the months preceding the first running of the Kentucky Derby.
Simon led Giselle into the library and over to the table with four chairs in one section of the large room.
While walking to the bar, he asked, “What game would you like to play?”
Giselle giggled and Simon grinned. “Maybe I should rephrase my question. Before I do, though, would you like a glass of sherry?”
“Non,” she said, bestowing a wide smile and a firm shake of her head. “I want what you are drinking.”
Lifting an eyebrow, Simon met her gaze. “Isn’t that a bit strong?”
“Non, you forget I lived in Paris. I have come to love French brandy. Bourbon is not much different.” At his scoff, she countered, “What? You do not believe me?”
“No. It’s not that.” He laughed and poured two stiff drinks. “I believe you. I just wonder how well you hold your liquor.”
“Why not bring the drink over here, Simon, and I will show you. Bring the bottle, too. We may need reinforcements.”
Her comment earned another laugh. “My, my! I’m learning all kinds of things. Imagine a little French lush. I never would have guessed.”
He placed the drinks along with the bottle on a tray and strode toward her. With a minimum of movement, he put the tray on the table and handed one drink to her while picking his up.
He sat down next to her just as she spoke.
“You know, I should not be in here with you.”
He glanced at her, and took a drink. Then he set his glass on the table and began shuffling the cards. “All right, I’ll bite. Why not?”
Eyeing his actions, she brought her glass to her lips and took a lengthy sip before answering.
“Because you are a bold one, Simon Harrington. And I do not know what to make of you.”
His rich laughter rose up and filled the air. “And you amuse me, Giselle. Why is that? I can’t remember laughing so much or enjoying a woman’s company since the last time I was with you.”
She smiled coyly. “So that is why you ignored me during dinner. Because I amuse you?” she asked, keeping her smile in place while her eyebrows shot up.
“No.” He began dealing the cards. “I ignored you at dinner to have your company after dinner. It appears my ploy worked. Didn’t it?”
Giselle picked up her cards, rearranging them before setting them down and taking another drink. Suddenly she burst into laughter. She shook her head, grinning. “That is simply too devious.”
While arranging his cards, Simon lounged back in his chair, allowing a nonchalant expression to move over his face. “One does what one must,” he said offhandedly.
“No wonder I find you so entertaining.” At his shrug, she asked, “So, what are we playing?”
“I thought we’d play poker, since you seem so familiar with male vices. Five card draw.”
“I have to warn you. I am pretty good at poker,” she countered. Her grin returned, reaching her eyes.
“Naturally,” he murmured, giving in to the urge to curl his lips into a wide grin.
“What are we betting with?” She leaned toward him, clearly getting into the spirit of the game.
“I don’t know. We can use matchsticks if you’d like. Or money?”
“Playing for matchsticks sounds rather boring.” Giselle’s smile turned smug when she added, “And I have no need of money. Why not raise the stakes and play for something we both really want from the other?”
Her provocative dare drew his attention. Something about her expression didn’t bode well. He straightened, clearing his throat
. He hesitated. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“What is the matter, Simon?” she whispered, her voice challenging. Hell, everything about her challenged him. The gleam in her eyes, the secret smile she flashed, even the way she held her head when she goaded, “Are you losing your boldness?”
He shook his head, working to ignore her taunting ways. Trouble was, he couldn’t ignore her for long. Not the enchanting woman he glimpsed in front of him, dressed so provocatively, throwing out challenges.
His amusement grew. Knowing he only wanted one thing from her right now and also knowing if she knew what it was, she’d run for her life, he grinned. “Are you going to push until I get it back?”
“Of course,” she said slyly, more laughter bubbling up.
The minx was enjoying herself immensely. Watching her, he tamped down a desire to wipe clean the teasing gleam emanating from her eyes, replacing it with one of passion. Not his best idea. Though stuck, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get unstuck. Shrugging, he said, “Very well. I’ll play it your way. What’s your bet?”
“My company after dinner tomorrow night. If I win, you do not have it. If I lose, you have it. Now, what is yours?”
Simon was silent as ten seconds ticked by, then another ten. With his eyes on hers, he mulled over his options for dealing with the chit and wondering at the craziness of actually considering his bet.
“A kiss,” he said, backing down at the last minute.
Her trill of light laughter danced in the air around him, mocking him.
“Oh, Simon, I am disappointed in you. That is hardly worth playing for.”
He held his tongue while discarding three cards, then looked over at her with a raised brow. “How many?”
“One. Would you like to raise the bet?” she asked mischievously, her eyes alive with humor, still mocking him.
Biting back his smile, he tried not to be amused. “Not when you only take one card, I don’t.”
