She squeezed her eyes shut, then glanced at her baby, who slept contently in her arms. As far as she was concerned, Chris was his father. He’d brought him into the world, and had been the first to hold him.”
“Your papa is a good man,” she murmured to her baby. “All he ever wanted was to do the right thing, and each time, it cost him so much.”
She turned away from Cissie and walked back to where Noah waited with the buggy. Dizziness overtook her and her legs trembled. Noah had been right. Perhaps she shouldn’t have left the house so soon, although her mother’s friend had returned to working in the fields the day after she’d delivered her baby.
Noah reached for her arm to help her back into the buggy.
“Frannie, wait.”
Cissie’s excited call from behind made her stop. Frannie turned to see the woman holding her watch in her hand, staring at it. She raised her head to look directly at Frannie. Noah shot her a puzzled look, too.
“The hands, Frannie. The hands are moving.”
Frannie’s heart leapt in her chest. “That means he’s coming back?”
Cissie looked at the watch again. She shook her head. “No, it can’t be. Once they stop moving, that person can’t return, unless . . .” Her eyes widened as she looked at Frannie. “This time, the watch is moving because of you. It looks as if I’ll be sending you to the future.”
“The future?” Frannie echoed. She glanced at her baby. “What about my son?”
“You can bring him. As far as I know, that shouldn’t be a problem. I believe that if someone is holding on to the one who is supposed to time travel, then both will be transported.”
“Send me to him,” Frannie said without hesitation. She followed Cissie into the boarding house, and down a narrow corridor into the backroom.
“This is the room that will send you to the future. Once I leave this room, just sit on the couch and it will happen within a few minutes. When you get there, my counterpart in the future, Moira Lockhart, will be there. She’ll know what to do to help you find Chris.”
Frannie nodded, and sat on the couch, holding on to her son. Thankfully, the baby had stopped fussing after his earlier crying spell. A bright flash of light blinded her momentarily, and then it was as if she’d woken up from a deep sleep. The room she was in no longer looked the same, but it was definitely the same room. Strange furnishings replaced the simple desk and settee.
She adjusted the baby in her arms. He was asleep. The door opened, and Frannie’s head snapped up. A woman who looked like Cissie appeared. She was dressed in trousers that hugged her legs and a shirt that left her arms bare. Her auburn hair flowed freely down her back.
Frannie stood, blinking away the momentary dizziness.
“I’ve never received a time traveler so quickly after the last one,” the woman said. Her eyes widened. “And definitely not one with a newborn baby.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Frannie stammered. “I’m Francine Eaton, and Cissie Durham sent me. She said you could help me.”
The woman’s eyes widened even more. “I don’t believe it,” she said. “You’re the reason Chris Hawley got sent to the past.”
Frannie nodded. She expelled a relieved breath. “I was sent to find him.”
Moira Lockhart laughed. “This is definitely different.” She glanced at her watch. “Chris came back two days ago. He told me he wasn’t planning on staying, that he had something to take care of, and that he’d be back the next day. I warned him he might run out of time. He borrowed my car and took off.”
“He was supposed to come back to my time, but Cissie said the watch stopped working, and that he wouldn’t be able to return. Then the watch hands started moving again, so she sent me here.”
Moira nodded. “Chris was devastated when I had to call him and tell him that he was too late. He came back to Heartsbridge anyway, but looked like he was ready to die.”
“Where is he?”
“He left again after I told him there was nothing I could do to send him back to the past.” She smiled. “Let me call him. He’ll be so relieved.”
Frannie paced the room when Moira left. The baby started fussing, so she sat and fed him. His linens needed to be changed, but she didn’t have any clean ones with her.
Moira came into the room. She didn’t look pleased. “He didn’t answer his phone. I called several times and left a message each time. I hope he didn’t do something stupid.”
Frannie didn’t ask what all the words the woman used meant. She understood the last part. What would Chris have done if he’d believed that he’d now lost her as well as his friend and unborn child?
“Can I get you something to eat or drink, Francine?” Moira looked worried. Frannie shook her head. At the moment, she had no appetite.
“I’ll try calling him again.”
Once again, Frannie was alone. She held her son, patting his back and pacing the room. What if Chris couldn’t be located? The baby must have sensed her growing fear and trepidation. He began to fuss and cry, and no amount of pacing and rocking consoled him.
She stood by the window, looking out at a foreign world from what little was visible. The buildings looked nothing like they did in her time, and the vehicles that moved along the road were downright unearthly looking and moved at incomprehensible speed. Not even a steam engine moved that fast. There wasn’t a single horse anywhere.
She shifted the baby in her arms when the door behind her opened. Perhaps Moira had received word from Chris.
“Francine.”
Frannie spun around at the familiar voice. Her eyes widened, and her heart sped up.
“Chris?”
The man she loved rushed up to her. He wrapped her in his arms, then thought better of it and let her go when the baby between them wailed even louder. His hand cupped her cheek and he kissed her with the urgency of someone deprived of food and water.
“I thought I’d lost you.” His voice was hoarse against her lips.
“I thought I’d lost you, too.” Frannie smiled at him, despite the baby crying in her arms.
Chris returned her smile. His gaze dropped to her son, and he reached out his hand to stroke the baby’s cheek.
“He missed you, too,” Frannie whispered, the tears rolling down her cheeks.
Chris took the baby from her. The infant looked so tiny, nestled against Chris’s chest. He quieted almost immediately.
“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to name him Eric,” Frannie said, raising her eyes to look at Chris.
He met her gaze, staring at her for a moment, then nodded. “It’s a good name.”
“Did you accomplish what you needed to do?”
Chris nodded again. “Eric’s folks know they should be proud of their son.”
Cradling the baby in one arm, Chris pulled her up against him. “Francine Eaton, will you marry me now?”
Frannie laughed. “Yes, I will marry you. Are we staying here, or are we going back to 1880?”
“We’re going back.” He chuckled. “I know there were Hawleys in Montana and Kentucky in 1880. Who’s to say there wasn’t one in Texas, too? I still have to call my folks. It’ll be difficult to explain where I’m going, but I’ll have to try.”
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Chris nodded. “You’re my life now. I may not be able to fully explain it to my folks, but I know they’ll want me to be happy, and I’ve found that happiness in the past.”
He dipped his head and kissed her again. “I love you, Francine. Moira will send us home to where we both belong. I’m ready to start my future in the past as a healed man.”
Epilogue
One year later . . .
The creek gurgled noisily as the water splashed over rocks. Crickets chirped their endless songs, and frogs sang their evening chorus. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the meadow and path that led along the water’s edge.
“Foggie.”
Chris raised his head to the so
und of a little child riding on his shoulders. Pudgy little hands obstructed his view as they clasped his face from behind. Chris lifted his son from his shoulders and set him on the ground, keeping a firm hold of his hand. The little boy wobbled on unsteady legs, then took a tentative step forward.
“You’ll be running and catching frogs in no time.”
“He’s already trouble underfoot. I dread the day he can walk fully on his own.”
Chris grinned at his wife walking next to him. Their eyes met, and she smiled the soft smile that always made his heart swell with love.
“He’s a boy. He’s supposed to cause trouble.”
“Well, I’ve got my work cut out for me, keeping you two boys in line.”
Chris lifted Eric on one arm, then grabbed Francine around the waist with the other and pulled her up against him. She let out a squeal, which he silenced with a kiss.
“You wouldn’t like us very much if we didn’t cause a little trouble every now and then, Mrs. Hawley,” he murmured against her neck.
She moaned softly, leaning into him. “Perhaps you’re right,” she whispered back.
Eric pushed his hands between their faces and squirmed, a reminder there was a third person present. He eased his arm away from his wife, and set the boy down again. Chris held him by one hand, and Francine took the baby’s other hand, and together they continued their evening stroll along the creek toward the house.
Several horses grazed in one of the pastures in the distance. A few more stood in their corrals by the barn. They were the ones he kept penned up so he wouldn’t have to chase them every day when he was out training them. Brownie and three other mares stood head to tail under a large tree, swishing at the evening bugs while their foals lay in the tall grasses, exhausted from a long day of play.
“By next year, I’ll be able to fully pay off the loan I took out from Mr. Paine. We’re way ahead of schedule repaying it.”
Francine glanced at him from the side. “I was nervous when you took out that loan, but I’m confident you’ll make good on it. The colt brought in a nice sum of money, and look at all the horses you are training for other people.”
“I’m looking at the future, and within five years, this place will run itself, and I won’t have to take on any outside work.”
Francine stopped and faced him fully. “Today is a year since you came here.”
Chris grinned. “The best day of my life, even if you had me tied up in the barn.” He winked. “Maybe we should try that again sometime.”
A rosy blush crept up her cheeks. “I think not. I also remember why you were tied up and how sick you were for a while. I wouldn’t want you to go through that again.”
Chris chuckled. “Neither would I.”
He picked up Eric and set the boy on his shoulders again. Reaching for Francine’s hand, he intertwined his fingers with hers, and together they walked to the house. Chris set Eric on the ground to play with his wooden blocks, then pulled his wife fully into his arms.
“I don’t regret a minute of our time together this past year,” he murmured after kissing her.
“You don’t wish sometimes that you’d become the doctor you wanted to be in the future?”
Chris shrugged. “I don’t know that I ever really wanted to be a doctor. I think I left Montana and my parents just to see what else was out there. I never dreamed it would lead me to the past, but it’s the best decision I’ve made in my entire life. I may not have been born a Hawley, but growing up in that family certainly left its mark. I’m perfectly happy making a living working with horses, like my folks and their relatives.”
Francine wrapped her arms around his neck. “I hope I make you happy, too.”
Chris grinned. “You make me more than happy, Mrs. Hawley. I hope I’m the kind of husband you can tolerate for a long time.”
She leaned up and touched her lips to his. “You know full well that I love you and I couldn’t ask for a better man to call my husband.”
Chris led her to sit on the porch swing, and together they gazed out at the sunset, while their little boy babbled happily and worked to stack his blocks.
“He’s going to want a little brother or sister one of these days.”
Chris smiled at Francine when her eyes lifted at his words. She dropped her gaze almost instantly, and stared at their entwined hands.
“What if I told you that day may come sooner than you think?”
Chris shifted his position on the swing and stared at his wife. She slowly raised her eyes to meet his gaze.
“You’re . . . we’re expecting?”
She smiled, and nodded. Chris pulled her onto his lap, eliciting another squeal from her, followed by laughter. He kissed her soundly on the lips. The past year had brought nothing but happiness into his new life, and while the losses from his past would always remain with him, the woman in his arms possessed the timeless healing that kept him hopeful for the future.
Thank you for purchasing and reading TIMELESS HEALING. I hope you enjoyed the story. To help other readers such as yourself discover new books, please consider leaving a short review on Amazon.
The next book in the Timeless Hearts Series is called Timeless Storm, written by Sandra E. Sinclair, and will be available March 19, 2017. Scroll down for a preview. You can find all the books currently available in the Timeless Hearts Series here:
Timeless Hearts Series Page
Join my list of readers, and be treated to exclusive content, specials, giveaways, behind-the-scenes along with new book releases.
You can read more about Chris Hawley’s family in 1880’s Montana in IN HIS EYES (Blemished Brides, Book 1), and the 1880’s Kentucky Hawleys in EMMA: BRIDE OF KENTUCKY
For a complete list of my books, including more time travel and western Historical Romance, please visit my
Amazon Author Page
About the Author
I am an award-winning, best-selling western historical and time travel romance author of the Yellowstone Time Travel Romance Series, Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series, Teton Romance Trilogy, and the Blemished Brides and Wilderness Brides Western Historical Romance Series. When I’m not writing about Yellowstone, the Tetons, or the old west, I’m out hiking the trails, spending time with my family and pets, or catching up on much-needed sleep. I am happily married to my high school sweetheart, and we have two boys and a menagerie of animals including dogs, cats, horses, chickens, guinea pigs, and bearded dragons.
I wish to thank my editor, Barbara Ouradnik, for the countless hours helping me perfect the story, not only fixing my grammar and wonky sentences, but also ideas and insights for making the characters and story stronger and the best it can be.
Also, my group of beta readers for this book - Heather Belleguelle, Lisa Bynum, Sonja Carroll, Shirl Deems, Becky Fetzer, Cissie Patterson - who were the first to get their hands on my chapters, and who supply me with their insightful comments and let me know what works and what doesn’t.
Preview of Timeless Storm
Chapter 1
The sensation of being held down, slowly seeped from his body. He stood and faced the door as it opened. A woman came through it, same face, different person, wearing clothes of a fashion he vaguely remembered—blue jeans and a T-shirt. Good, he was back in Heartsbridge in 2017 and not much seemed to have changed since he'd been away. He'd expected more. Excitement coursed through him. He was back. Cissie said it was a different time but this room looked almost, but not quite, as he’d remembered it.
The only difference was when he saw this room for the first time, it had been through the eyes of a frightened boy, shivering behind a couch until he'd fallen asleep. The memories came flooding back as if a faucet was cranked open in his mind. It shook him. He took off his hat, ran a shaky hand through his hair, and fanned his face with it. He never suspected he would feel the force of his past so strongly. Maybe coming back was a mistake.
The woman spoke and shook him out of his musing.
&
nbsp; "Hi, I'm Moira, I'm here to help with the transition into this century." He stared blindly at the hand she offered him, then back to her face.
"I know who you are."
She smiled and said. "Well, it seems you have me at a disadvantage, and your name is?"
"Ryder. Ryder Lucore." He took her hand.
"So what would you like to know before you go outside? Everything here is very different from what you were used to."
"Nothing, I've been here before."
"You have? When was that?" she asked her eyes widening.
"In 1989. I was born in a house not too far from here in 1977.” He put his hat back on. “I guess I'll be taking my leave."
"But you can't go, where will you stay?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, hindering his progress.
He gently removed her hand and smiled down at her. “I have family in the area. I’m sure they’ll put me up.”
Her hand returned to his arm. “I have a vacant room above the diner if you need it.”
“I don’t think so. For now, I think I can make my own way. However, you can help me figure something out." He reached into this pocket, to break contact with her and to pull the device out. "Do you know what this is?"
"It's a cell phone."
"Well, it sure don't look like any cell phone I remember.” He tipped the phone this way and that in his hand. “How does it work?"
Moira took the device out of his hands, and tried to switch it on but nothing happened. “It's dead. Where did you get it?” she asked, handing the cell phone back to him.
He took it from her and shoved it back into his pocket. "It's Raven's. I brought it back with me. I didn’t think it was right to leave it behind. I had to get rid of all the stuff I’d brought with me from the future when I was sent back in time. So I guessed I needed to do the same with Raven's.”
They stood there looking at each other. Ryder got the impression she wasn't very good at what she was doing with this time travel thing. It was as if she was searching for what to say to him next. Maybe she could use a list of questions, and one for dos and don'ts, for when a traveller gets here, like the Moira in 1866 had. That woman had been prepared. All he could do for now was stare back at her, wishing she'd get out of his way.
Timeless Healing (Timeless Hearts Book 4) Page 14
