Freeing Lost Souls (The Family Tree Series Book 1)

by Tracy Kincaid

  “We love you, too,” Mom answers as I close their door.

  Bruce is sitting, waiting for me. “So what did they say?”

  “They are fine with everything and want to help. I told them we’ll get everyone together in the morning to talk.” I sit down next to him and he puts his arm around me. “What did Benny say?”

  “Oh boy, is he excited.” Bruce laughs. “He’s got all kinds of crazy ideas in his head.”

  “What is he up to now? Bachelor party?”

  “No, he has all kinds of ideas for the actual wedding. He was beside himself when I told him we were getting married Civil War style. Only God knows what he will do.”

  “I should call Sally.” Buc lifts his head at the sound of her name. Silly dog. “I’m calling her on the phone, Buc.” I roll my eyes when he puts his head back down. Bruce hands me his phone and I make the call. “Hey, Sally, it’s Sarah. I want to ask if you are willing to be my maid of honor?” I pull the phone away from my ear when she starts squealing. Even Bruce pulls away a bit, she is so loud. When she finishes I inquire, “So is that a yes?…are you available this Sunday?…all right, Bruce has asked Benny to be his best man, so if the two of you can make it over to the house for a meeting, say ten o’clock tomorrow morning, we will start figuring out what we need to do…okay, talk then.” I hang up the phone. “Well, I guess she’s excited.” We laugh.

  “I guess so. It’s getting pretty late, and we have a busy day tomorrow. Should we go to bed?”

  “Yes, I think that sounds like a great idea. I can’t believe we are getting married in less than a week.” I shake my head.

  “It will be fun. I love you, future wife.”

  “I love you, future husband.”

  Chapter 28

  Bruce wakes me up in his usual way. “How did you sleep?”

  “Ugh, not good at all. I kept thinking about all the things we need to do before the wedding.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Come on, get up. Everyone will be here soon.”

  “If I have to,” I announce as I roll out of bed. I shower quickly to wake myself up a bit. I can smell coffee from the kitchen, so when I’m dressed, I make my way downstairs.

  Mom is doing a crossword, while Dad is reading the sports page. “Good morning,” I announce as I head for the coffee pot. “Where’s Bruce?”

  “I’m right here,” he announces from the porch. I walk to the door to see what he’s doing.

  “Why are you out here?”

  “I just got off the phone with Mary. She said to start sending people over right away. She also said she has the perfect dress for you. She would like you to come over today so she can make adjustments, if any are needed.”

  “Wow, you have been busy.”

  “I want to eliminate some of your worries, if I can. You don’t need to lose sleep over this.”

  “Thanks.” I kiss his cheek and sit down next to him before I take a sip of coffee. We’re not sitting long when we hear Buc bark, look up the driveway, and see Benny’s truck. I look at my watch. “Boy, they waste no time!” We laugh as we stand to wait for them to park, and I brace myself as Sally jumps out of the truck and pulls me into a bear hug.

  “I’m so excited that you asked me to be your maid of honor. Put me to work!”

  “Let’s go inside and talk it all out.” Bruce opens the door and follows us in. Benny slaps Bruce on the back before coming into the house. “Have a seat. There are coffee and some pastries from the diner, if you want anything.” We all pick up food and drinks before we join my parents at the dining table.

  “First off, thanks for coming on such short notice. We’ve decided to have the wedding this Sunday. That gives us a few days to get everything done. So we’ll need all of your help.” Bruce takes a sip of his coffee before continuing. “I’ve called Mary down at the Rusty Musket Costume shop, and she is preparing uniforms for the men and dresses for the women. She wants us to get as many people to the shop as soon as possible. She has a special dress for Sarah, so DiAnne and Sally could go with you. That would be three dresses started.”

  “No problem,” Sally and Mom accept.

  “Food. Randy, would you like to choose what we eat? I can point you in the direction of the good stuff,” Bruce directs.

  “Works for me,” Dad replies.

  “Sarah, you and the girls go over to the bakery after the dress fitting to choose a cake.”

  “You know we will never turn down sweets.” We giggle.

  “Guest list. I will compile my list, and Sarah, you make up yours and if you,” he looks at my parents, “have anyone that you would like to add, please create your list, too. We can go over them all later today to get a final head count.” We all nod our heads. Bruce is really good at this stuff.

  “Benny, you and I will go over to the Antebellum Party Supply and figure out what we’ll need from them. We’ll get everything ordered and have them deliver it all here on Sunday morning. Randy, if you want to catch up with us at some point, give me a call on my cell. The three of us can go together to get our costumes for the wedding. Sarah, you should set up appointments for you, your mom, and Sally at the Butternut Salon for your hair and nails. They are really good at doing period hair styles.”

  Sally is writing in a note pad everything that Bruce is saying. Good thing she is, because I can’t focus. There’s just so much to do in such a short time. Bruce rattles off a few more things that need to be done before we break to tend to our chores.

  Bruce comes over and wraps his arms around my waist as I’m standing at the coffee machine again. He kisses my ear before saying, “You all right with what we are doing today?”

  I lean my head back onto his chest. “We have so much to do in such a short time. How are you so calm?”

  “It’s in my blood, Sarah. I’m always the one in charge. My dad used to tease me and say I would have won the war before they even got to Gettysburg if I had been around.”

  “I wish I could have met them.”

  “I do, too. They would have loved you.”

  My mom and Sally come back into the kitchen. “You ready to start, Sarah?” Mom asks.

  “The faster we get started, the faster we’ll be done,” I explain as I down the rest of my coffee and give Bruce a kiss. I collect my purse, and we are out the door.

  * * *

  At the Rusty Musket, Mary has closed the shop so she can focus on us. She’s really good at picking outfits for Mom and Sally. For my mom, she has chosen a union blue and white dress; its petticoat makes it flare at the hem. It has long sleeves that flare at the ends. Mary will have to make a minor adjustment to the length of the dress.

  The dress she chose for Sally reminds me of something from ‘Gone with the Wind’. It’s all union blue, the top drapes off the shoulders into short puffy sleeves. She looks beautiful in it. Sally has one of those Barbie Doll bodies and fits into everything perfectly. “I thought you didn’t like dressing up like this!” I tease her.

  “This is different, and you know it.” She giggles.

  “I know. Thanks for doing this, Mary.”

  “It’s my pleasure. I don’t get to do many weddings. If you don’t mind, I would love pictures so I can post them around the shop.”

  “I don’t mind at all.”

  “Sally, let’s get you out of this dress. I don’t have anything to do to it, so if you would like to take it with you, you may. You can bring it back sometime next week. Sarah, are you ready to see what I have for you?”

  “I think so.” I’m a bit nervous. My mom and I help Sally get out of her dress while Mary goes to the back to get mine.

  “Now, I want you to know that this dress has been here for some time. I’ve kept it in this bag since I found it.” She hangs the dress bag up and unzips it. I cannot believe how beautiful the dress is when she pulls it from the bag.

  It’s an ivory dress with a Union blue flower design at the bottom of the skirt. The shoulders drape like Sally’s, but the sleeves ar
e a bit puffier than hers. “It’s incredible,” I exclaim in awe. Mary, Sally, and Mom help me get into it.

  “It fits like a glove,” Mary announces.

  “Oh, Sarah,” Mom says as she starts to cry.

  “Mom, please don’t cry. You’ll get me started.”

  “I’m sorry; you’re so beautiful.” Sally hands her a tissue.

  “Where did you say you got this dress?” I question.

  “I got it at an auction when I first opened the shop about twenty years ago. From the stories I’ve heard, it had been handed down several generations. The last person who was to wear it had gone missing. No one wore it after her. It was locked in a trunk all that time. It should be in the museum, but for some reason I kept it.” Mary shrugs.

  “She went missing? When?” I quiz. This is freaky; it can’t be.

  “I’ve heard different stories over the years. I think she was engaged to a soldier who died in the Civil War, and she disappeared the same day he died. It’s a terribly sad story. Who knows if any of it is true, of course. How do you like it?” Sally and I look at each other, neither of us believing what we are hearing.

  I snap out of it and comment, “I love it. How old do you think this dress is?” Can it be Elizabeth’s dress?

  “I did have the fabric and thread tested a few years back. They figured it must be at least one hundred fifty years old or so. They wanted to take it from me, but like I said, I felt I needed to keep it.”

  “Are you sure I should be wearing it?” I’m not sure if anyone should be wearing it.

  “The person who looked at it for me said that it would be fine. It was made with the best fabric and thread from the time. They don’t make clothes like this anymore. I don’t think we will need to make any adjustments to this dress either. You are making this too easy for me.” She grins.

  “Mary, would you be willing to let me buy this dress from you?” I inquire.

  “Sarah, Bruce has taken care of it already. He said that if it fit and you liked it, he would buy it so you could hand it down to your daughters.” I look at her, stunned.

  Mom chimes in, “Oh, honey, you have yourself a very special man.”

  “I know, Mom. He really is.”

  “Well, I think you three are all set for Sunday. DiAnne, I’ll make the adjustment, so if you don’t mind coming tomorrow to check, I will try to have your dress ready. I’ll give you a call as soon as I finish working on it.”

  “That will be wonderful. Thank you, Mary,” Mom answers.

  “Let’s get you out of the dress, and I’ll put it back into the bag for you to take.” The three of them help me out of my dress, and I get dressed. “You’re all set. If you don’t mind letting Bruce know to send the next group over, I’ll get started on the men. Congratulations, Sarah. I know that you and Bruce will be happy together. Have fun with the rest of your day.” She hands me my bag as we leave the shop.

  “You don’t think she was talking about Elizabeth, do you?” Sally asks.

  “Who’s Elizabeth? Your ghost?” Mom asks and I nod.

  “It has to be. Who else has a story like that? I can’t believe it! Wait until Bruce hears about this one.” I shake my head in disbelief.

  We put the dresses in the Jeep before stopping by the Butternut Salon to set our appointments. From there, we head over to the Goober Pea Bakery to order the cake. I love their motto: “We’re not just a bunch of peanuts!” It makes me laugh every time I see it. Everyone has been really easy with the short time frame we are giving them. They are all so laid back here. I love it.

  The cake I choose will be Union blue and ivory, and will be three tiers high. The way the cake is decorated has the bottom of each layer being blue with an ivory wave at the top. Within the blue will be small ivory flower blossoms. It will be beautiful when it is done.

  * * *

  After a long day, we finally arrive back home. The men are not back yet. After hanging my dress bag in one of the extra bedrooms, Mom goes to her room to lie down before dinner, and Sally goes home. I let Buc out to run in the front yard while I sit on the porch swing to enjoy the peace and quiet. He brings me his ball, and we play toss.

  I’m not alone for long when I hear Bruce’s truck coming up the driveway. “Buc, come,” I call. Buc runs over and sits beside me, waiting for our man to park. Bruce parks the truck and my two favorite men in the world come up the porch steps. “So how was your day? Hi, Dad.”

  “Hi, honey.”

  “Busy,” Bruce says before leaning down to kiss me on the cheek. “We got our costumes. Benny’s was the only one that needed anything done to it. We also arranged with the party supply store to deliver decorations, and your dad met with the caterer. How did you do?”

  “Sally and I were able to bring our dresses home. Mom’s needed a few minor adjustments. We got the cake and made hair appointments. We haven’t been home very long. Mom is taking a nap.”

  “I’ll go check on her,” Dad announces as he heads inside. Bruce joins me on the swing.

  “Did Mary tell you about my dress at all?”

  “No, just that she had one in mind. Why?”

  “Well, she told us quite the story about that dress.” I tell Bruce the story Mary had told us, and when I’m done, he is speechless. “Pretty shocking, huh?”

  “What are the chances that it’s Elizabeth’s dress?”

  “I don’t know, but how many times have you heard that story? It has to be.”

  “Well, if that’s the case, we should be playing the lottery.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Maybe this is all a sign from Elizabeth and Edward. A ‘thank you’ perhaps?”

  “I have no idea.” We sit quietly a while longer on the porch, pondering over our good luck of finding all of Elizabeth’s things: first her, then the ring, and now her dress. “Maybe Elizabeth wants us to have what she couldn’t? Maybe she will be living her wedding through us.”

  “No way of knowing, I guess.”

  “I guess not.”

  Chapter 29

  This week has flown by. I cannot believe I’m getting married tomorrow. Bruce has sent Sally, my mom, and me to a day spa just outside of Gettysburg. He said he wanted us to go and have a great time today and not think about wedding plans at all. I won’t see him until tomorrow, when we meet at the altar. Tonight he’ll stay at Benny’s condo, and Sally will stay at the house with my parents and me, so we are together to get ready in the morning. It was characteristically thoughtful of Bruce, but his plan really is not settling my nerves at all.

  “What’s wrong, Sarah?” Mom wonders. We are lying on lounge chairs by the pool. We’re tanning. It would be relaxing, if I could relax.

  “Why do you think something is wrong?” I question.

  “Because you are tense and haven’t relaxed at all since we’ve been here.”

  “I’m fine, Mom. I think it’s just nerves.”

  “What are you nervous about? You love him. Everything for the wedding is done. What are you thinking?”

  I sit up in the chair and use my towel to dry my face off. “I don’t know. I do know that I love Bruce. I guess I’m just worried that something will happen.”

  “What could happen? Sarah, you do this with whatever you are planning. Stop stressing. Nothing will happen. Your dad and Benny will watch over Bruce to make sure he doesn’t get cold feet. Do you really think Benny would let Bruce miss the wedding? I think he may be more excited about your wedding than you are. Benny will make sure Bruce gets to the house on time.”

  I laugh because she’s right. Benny is crazy excited about the wedding. “I know. I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll try to relax.”

  Sally comes over to us from the pool. “Everything all right?” Her brow is knitted.

  “Yes, I think I need to take a swim.” I get up and dive into the pool and swim some laps. The water is a perfect temperature. Maybe I have excess energy that I need to get rid of.

  Once I’m done swimming laps I rejoin Mom and Sally and collec
t my towel. As I’m toweling off, I inquire, “Hey, are you guys getting hungry?”

  “I could eat,” Sally says.

  “Food would be nice. We could eat at the little café they have here. I was looking at the menu earlier, and it looks like they have a little bit of everything.”

  We gather our things and head for the locker room, where we shower and change for lunch. The café is a bit fancier than the one we go to back home. I think that’s the first time I’ve thought of Gettysburg as home. That is exactly what it feels like now: home.

  As we wait for our food, Sally asks, “So where is Bruce taking you on your honeymoon?”

  “I think we are going to wait until I’m between my Historical Society jobs before we do anything. I only have the one battlefield left to do. I hope to get it done without any other haunting experiences.”

  “Which do you have left to do?” Sally asks.

  “Just the Wheatfield, where it all began. I just hope to be able to finish it this time. Once I get it done, we’ll decide where to go for our honeymoon.”

  “Well, where do you want to go?” Mom asks.

  “I would love to go on a Caribbean cruise. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a cruise, and you don’t have to prepare much for it,” I explain.

  The waitress brings our food, and we eat over small talk. My head is all over the place today, bouncing back and forth between the wedding and the Wheatfield, but there is nothing I can do about either at the moment. After lunch, we return to the house to rest up before dinner. I want to be sure I have everything we need for tomorrow.

  * * *

  The afternoon and evening fly by. We all decide to get to bed early so we are rested and ready to party tomorrow. When I’m finally alone in my room, I lie in bed thinking through all that has happened over the past year, from finding love to settling into a place to call home. In all my life, I never thought that would happen to me. I always imagined I would be alone forever.