“I love you, Sara.”
“And I love you,” she admitted as he set the dials and she climbed onto the pallet. The machine hummed. Kendar’s tears fell freely, and Sara closed her eyes knowing that the sorrow of losing him would haunt her for the rest of her life.
And then light flashed. Sara had no reason to be certain of what time or place the machine would send her to. She hoped the damn aliens had calibrated their device to direct her to the right place and that she didn’t end up on Mars before mankind had colonized it. But if she landed somewhere without oxygen or air pressure, her death would be instantaneous, and then at least her heart would stop its awful ache.
Finally, after taking a few deep breaths that proved she had enough air to survive, Sara found the courage to open her eyes. And blinked. She was still on Mars.
Kendar was turned away from her, as if he hadn’t been able to bear watching her vanish. His shoulders shook with deep sobs, and he had yet to realize she was still there. That he cried over losing her touched her deeply, but she had to block out how much she wanted to comfort him. She had to find out why she had failed.
She spoke softly, “Kendar.”
His head jerked up. His reddened eyes found hers. “Sara?”
“Something went wrong.” Yet, her chills were gone and she felt strong once again.
Kendar’s beautiful chiseled tear-streaked face broke into a wide grin of happiness. “Something went right.”
He was in denial. Had he accidentally set the dial incorrectly? No, he was too careful to make that kind of mistake. “We should try again. Unless you think we used the machine too soon?”
“The machine worked.” He stepped to her and scooped her into his arms. “You’re well. Your color is back. Your cheeks are pink and the dark circles under your eyes are gone.”
He sounded so certain, and oh, how she loved being in his arms. Yet she was afraid to hope. “But I’m still here.”
“Yes, but your heirloom isn’t. The machine sent the box back. Apparently, your presence wasn’t required.”
History only required that the box go back in time—not her? Could he possibly be right? Could she be that lucky?
Heart racing, hopes brightening like a soaring comet in the Martian sky, Sara flipped on her communicator to the news channel. The DJ made no mention of the women’s illness. It was just as Kendar said—as if nothing had gone wrong.
She certainly felt well and sent a signal to Terry, who soon answered in a normal voice, “Yes, Sara?”
“How are you feeling?”
She yawned. “You woke me in the middle of the night to ask how I’m feeling?”
Grinning, Sara couldn’t hold back a happy laugh. “Sorry, Terry. Go back to sleep.”
Smiling through his drying tears, Kendar twirled her around the chamber. “Satisfied?”
Sara flung her arms around Kendar’s neck. “We did it. And you know what the best part is?”
“I get to kiss you?”
“What else?”
“I get to stay here?”
They were going to have a future she’d never thought possible. She had fully expected to return with the heirloom to her ancestor’s time. She’d never been happier to be so wrong. This was her time. She belonged here and the alien time machine had made the necessary calculation to keep her with Kendar.
“Mmm. What else?” she snuggled closer.
“You tell me.”
“We can spend time together. Days. Months.” She nestled her head under his chin, pressed her cheek to his chest, close to his heart. “Years?”
“Decades, Sara.” His arms tightened around her and his tone told her that this man was here to stay. The time machine had brought him to her and she thanked her good fortune. “And if I can talk you into a century that would be even better.”
“One hundred years has a nice ring to it.” And then she kissed him, knowing they had all the time in the world.
Everything you love about romance… and more!
Please turn the page for Signature Select™ Bonus Features.
Bonus Features:
Author Interviews
Jacquie D’Alessandro
Julie Kenner
Susan Kearney
The Legend of the Hope Chest
The Writing Life
Sneak Peek
—ON THE EDGE
by Susan Kearney
BONUS FEATURES
THE HOPE CHEST
Conversations with the authors of The Hope Chest
Jacquie D’Alessandro
How did you begin your writing career?
My writing career sprang from my love of reading. I grew up loving mysteries and romances, and one day it just struck me that I’d like to follow in the footsteps of the authors I admired and write my own book. I began scribbling on napkins and various scraps of paper. I soon invested in some notebooks, and eventually I had notebooks placed in every room of the house so I could jot down ideas as soon as they hit me (a big improvement over those napkins!). After purchasing a computer, I started compiling all those notes into stories. When my son began school full-time, I started writing full-time.
Do you have a writing routine?
Yes. After seeing our son off to school, my husband and I take a walk and have breakfast together, then I head to my home office and write. I have a set number of pages that I try to accomplish each day. Some days I make it, some days I don’t. The number of pages I need to produce each day depends on how close to deadline I am. Some days (good days) it takes six to eight hours to get the pages done. Other days (not so good days) it takes twelve to fourteen hours. I’ve pulled some all-nighters getting the pages finished.
When you’re not writing, what do you love to do?
So many things! Our son is in a marching band and we love to attend his performances. I love reading, shopping, going to the movies, spending a relaxing day at the lake, playing tennis (I’m not very good, but it’s a great calorie burner!), preparing family meals and traveling. We like having “house picnics,” where we’ll spread a blanket on the living-room floor and have an indoor picnic while watching a movie.
What or who inspires you?
My family inspires me. They are incredibly supportive and proud of me, and that gives me such incentive to keep going, to keep trying, to keep doing my best.
If you had a hope chest, what would be in it?
I actually do have a hope chest—the one my parents bought me as an engagement present. It’s filled with things that are special to me—some beautiful baby items my mother knitted and crocheted for both me and my son, favorite baby outfits my son wore, my husband’s and my high school and college yearbooks, and lots of photo albums. My hope chest is filled with happy memories that I’ll pass along to my son someday so he can look back and smile.
What are your top five favorite books?
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught, Rising Tides by Nora Roberts.
If you could travel across time, what time period would you whisk yourself off to first?
Definitely Regency England. I love writing about that period—to me it’s just so romantic, with the lords and ladies and balls and country estates. I’d love to spend a day in the period that Jane Austen immortalized in her wonderful books, and if I were given the opportunity to meet Jane herself—what an incredible honor that would be!
Julie Kenner
How did you begin your writing career?
Honestly, the real question is what took me so long to begin my writing career. Until last summer (June 2004) I was a practicing attorney. Prior to that, I studied film instead of creative writing. But I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer. I used to sit in my dad’s study and pound out “books” on the typewriter. This was before I could really read, and long before I could type, so the books were, of course, gibberish. And then I used to do the sam
e thing on an IBM Selectric. Now, that was a thrill (really, a computer keyboard just doesn’t compare). I guess I’m just addicted to stories…and always have been. When I was living in Los Angeles I wrote a few screenplays with a friend (unproduced, though one is still occasionally shopped around!) and tinkered with writing a legal thriller. But it wasn’t until a friend hooked me up with romance novels that something in me clicked. I tried my hand at an historical novel, realized at about ninety pages that I was failing miserably, then tried short contemporary, specifically Harlequin Temptation, because that was my favorite line. My first manuscript didn’t sell, but my second one (which became Nobody Does It Better) sold to Harlequin Temptation. And a new career was born!
Do you have a writing routine?
Before I quit my day job, I had a strict routine of writing in the evenings (and in the evenings after my daughter went to bed once she was born in 2001—that made for some pretty late nights.). Now that I’ve quit, I’m still working on developing a new routine. Mostly, I write during the day while Catherine is in day care, then pick her up relatively early and spend the afternoon with her until her dad gets home. I’m trying to wean myself off working on the weekends so that I can spend time with my family!
When you’re not writing, what do you love to do?
Play with my daughter! Travel with my husband and daughter! Shop! Watch movies! Rummage in flea markets and thrift stores with my mom! And always, read, read, read!
What or who inspires you?
Oh, lots of things. A fabulous sunset or a view of the mountains inspires me, but not to any particular goal. But it still fills me with a deep sense of respect for beauty and creation. A movie like Star Wars inspires me (and makes me think I’m a hack!) because of the brilliant (in my opinion, anyway) way in which mythic structure melded with enduring characters. My critique partners, Kathleen O’Reilly and Dee Davis, inspire me with their wonderful characters and plots and writing styles, and make me grateful every day that we found each other. And of course, the arrival of the monthly bills inspires me to write, write, write!
If you had a hope chest what would be in it?
All of my favorite children’s books, the ones that I stayed up late to read when I was a kid, or that kept me glued to the couch when my friends were outside playing. I’d collect them all and keep them nice and pristine for my daughter and her daughter, and so on and so on.
What are your top five favorite books?
This is an incredibly hard question, and on a different day you might get a different answer. Let’s see: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
If you could travel across time, what time period would you whisk yourself off to first?
Hmm. Well, here’s where my paranoid, analytical side peeks out. Because the answer is, I can’t think of an answer. Go to the past, and I no longer have my daughter or my husband. (I’m assuming I’m traveling by myself, and it sounds dangerous enough that I wouldn’t take my daughter! I mean, I’m paranoid just flying her to California this Christmas.) And what if I accidentally changed something and messed up the future (my present)? Or what if I got stuck? The past sounds all well and good, but go too far back and you don’t have indoor plumbing and allergy meds and the Internet. And life without a cell phone? Without Starbucks? I managed in the eighties, but, really, I’m not sure how. And the future’s not much better. Again, it’s the getting stuck thing. Miss watching Catherine grow up? I don’t think so.
I guess I’m a content-in-my-own-time kinda gal. I’ll take my time travel in novel form! A good book, a nice bright lamp, and I’m all set to go anywhere you’d care to take me. And so long as I’ve got my coffee and my phone and my plumbing and my electricity, then I have to say that life is good.
Susan Kearney
How did you begin your writing career?
I’d always been a reader, and when I read Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey I thought it was a great book. And I was so excited that I wanted to try to write stories like hers—ones that combined romance and other worlds. I’ve written historical romance, contemporary romance and futuristic romance and I admit that although I love them all, the ones set in the future are my favorites. So I was so excited to write this story for Harlequin.
Do you have a writing routine?
Six pages a day, six days a week is my writing routine. All the extras, proposals, revisions and copyedits are completed after I write those six pages.
When you’re not writing, what do you love to do?
I’ve always liked sports, especially the kind that require concentration. In college I was a three-time all-American diver for the University of Michigan. Later I earned a brown belt in karate. Currently I’ve taken up figure skating and hope to land my first Axel soon.
What or who inspires you?
My inspiration comes from internal motivation. I’ve discovered that striving toward a goal makes me happy. It’s not so much achieving the goal, but attempting to attain it that gives me pleasure. So although I try to plan to go to great destinations, it’s the journey that’s the fun part, and celebrating the little steps along the way to my goals with my family keeps me going.
If you had a hope chest what would be in it?
Books and chocolate.
What are your top five favorite books?
Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein, Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey, The Challenge by me.
If you could travel across time, what time period would you whisk yourself off to first?
I’d like to travel to the future. We already know what’s happened in the past, and a life without indoor plumbing, restaurants and air-conditioning sounds like a hardship to me. I’d like to go to a time when we can readily visit other planets, a time where we’ve discovered other life beyond ours. Soon we will have cars that are fueled by hydrogen batteries, armor that’s made with nanotechnology to repel bullets and medicines that could keep us alive for centuries. Just thinking about an extended lifetime and what we could accomplish with those extra years excites me.
Marsha Zinberg, Executive Editor of Signature Select, spoke with Jacquie, Julie and Susan in the fall of 2004.
The Legend of the Hope Chest
Hope chests have been in existence as long as furniture itself. The “hope” revolved around a young woman’s future as a wife. The tradition involved her collecting items such as clothing, linens, china, silverware and other valuables in the hope of marriage. These items were lovingly stored in the chest, and when she married, the chest was taken to her new home and life. In order to preserve the delicate materials, many chests were constructed of cedar. Decorations on the outside varied, from plain to ornate, and inlaid wood designs. In some instances the hope chest was considered a dowry, the contents used as a way of enticing a man into marriage.
Because of the number of bulky items stored in it, hope chests were large, often doubling as a place to sit in many homes. So if we happened upon a chest that was only the size of a loaf of bread, our first thought wouldn’t be that it was a hope chest. But we all know that things are not always what they seem….
Such as a loaf-sized box displayed in the window of an antique shop. With its unusual glossy surface, intricate inlaid wood design and silhouette of a mysterious woman on the lid, the box appears to be nothing more than an attractive decorative piece. Except for some unusual carvings on the inside, the box is empty. Or is it?
Certain things—like hope—don’t always take the form of clothing, linen, china, or silverware. Sometimes it’s invisible, intangible and seemingly just beyond our reach. We know we’re hoping for something, but we’re not always sure exactly what that something is. Until we see it. And then, in a heartbeat, we know that what—or who—we’ve been hoping for has been found. And if the desire to purchase a decorative box in an ant
ique shop brings two people together—a man and woman who otherwise would never have met, a man and woman both lonely and searching, hoping for something—well, then I think we’d see that hope comes in all different shapes and sizes. It can dwell in boxes, but the most important place it lives is in our hearts.
All in a writer's life…
We asked all three authors to tell us a bit about why they write in the time periods they do. Their answers might surprise you…
Jacquie D’Alessandro
I write in the Regency period because I think it’s very romantic, and since I write romance, that works very well! The thought of a faraway place with lords, ladies, fancy balls, magnificent country parties, horse-drawn carriages and spies (those wars, you know!) is utterly fascinating to me and a huge inspiration to my imagination. I like working within the strict confines of England’s Society, especially the strict limitations placed on women. My stories explore how those limits affect my characters’ lives, and how they overcome the difficulties imposed upon them. Yet after spending several months immersed in the past to write a Regency historical, I then like to switch gears completely and write a contemporary story. It’s a rhythm that works well for me, and so far I’ve managed not to have my historical characters end up with a cell phone or my contemporary characters dancing the quadrille.
Julie Kenner
I took the contemporary tale in the anthology because, frankly, I tend to write stories set in contemporary times. In this case, though, the real thrill for me wasn’t the time-setting so much as it was the NASA trappings I was able to bring to the story. That element came into being when Susan, Jacquie and I were brainstorming the overall story thread, and we realized that Susan’s story was taking place not only in the future, but on another planet. Jacquie’s story was in the past, and mine was a bridge. I saw it not just as a bridge in time, though, but also as a bridge from the earth to Mars. And what better way to hit that topic than to have one of my characters somehow involved with NASA?
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