The True Love Travels Series Box Set

by Poppy Pennington-Smith

  Blake gestured to Beth’s watch. “We better get a move on. Doors open at eight a.m. and the ceremony’s at nine.”

  “Right. And how far is the church from here?”

  “Not far. Mike’s minister buddy is sending two cars to pick us up at eight thirty. So that Mike and Dot can travel separately.”

  “Dot? Do you have to give everyone a nickname?”

  “Only people I like.”

  Beth gulped down her coffee and swung her legs out of bed, trying not to blush. “Okay. Well, I better go find Dot and help her get ready then, hadn’t I?”

  “You sure had. See you at the church?”

  “See you at the church.”

  Three hours later, their small silver taxicab pulled up outside a small stone-built church with a triangular roof.

  Beside her, Doris wasn’t even looking a tiny bit nervous. Her hair was loose, hanging in beautiful silvery curtains around her face, and her outfit was simple – a plain beige skirt with a cobalt blue blouse, a pearl necklace, and low-heeled pumps.

  Beth had chosen a black dress with blue shoes that matched Doris’s blouse and, as always, her birthstone pendant.

  In the doorway of the church, Blake was waiting for them. When Beth saw him, her heart did a little skip and a jump, and she instantly felt herself begin to blush.

  “My, my,” whispered Doris. “He scrubs up well, doesn’t he?”

  Beth couldn’t reply; her mouth was dry and her tongue felt too heavy.

  Blake waved and stepped forward to take Doris’s arm. “Morning ladies. Dot, you look absolutely beautiful.” He glanced over Doris’s head at Beth and smiled sincerely at her, capturing her eyes with his and not letting them go. “So do you, Beth.”

  What Beth should have replied was, My goodness. You are stunningly handsome, because Blake was wearing dark grey trousers, a white shirt, and a thin black tie. He looked so good it was almost as if he’d just stepped straight off a movie set. But she didn’t. Instead she said, “The shirt got an upgrade, I see.”

  Blake smiled at her cheekily. “Purely for your benefit, Greenwood.”

  At the door to the church, they stopped and Doris patted Blake’s arm. “Now, please don’t feel you have to agree to this. But I was wondering whether you might accompany me down the aisle? I’m a little worried my legs will give way with all the excitement.”

  Blake’s lips spread into a pearly-white grin. “I would be honoured, Dot.”

  And so, Beth went inside and waited in the pews at the front, just behind Mike, until the doors opened and Doris entered. Slowly, with Blake steadying her, she walked towards Mike. All the while, smiling as if she was looking at the love of her life.

  At the altar, Blake kissed her on the cheek and passed her hand to Mike. Then he stood beside Beth.

  As Mike and Doris said, “I do,” Blake reached out for Beth’s hand, and she let him hold it. Because what they were witnessing was beautiful, and he was the only person in the world she could imagine experiencing it with.

  16

  From the church, they were whisked back to the about-to-depart train, where they sat in the dining car together and ordered champagne.

  All four of them were almost giddy with excitement, and after lunch Beth persuaded Doris and Mike to let her take some wedding pictures of them out on the viewing platform and in the lounge car. In the centre of the car, Blake announced to the other passengers that these two sprightly young souls were newlyweds, and asked all the ladies present to gather and catch the bouquet.

  Reluctantly, Beth handed him her camera and slipped into position. With her back to them, Doris said, “Ready, ladies? One... two... three...” then tossed her small lace-tied bunch of roses over her shoulder. A woman to Beth’s right caught it and looked gleefully at her partner, who smiled and tutted, “Don’t go getting any ideas.”

  As Beth took her camera back, Blake rolled his eyes at her and said loudly, “Dot, I told you to aim for Beth. What are you playing at?”

  Somehow, amidst the laughter and the celebrations, the day quickly disappeared. And before they knew it, they were sitting in the lounge after dinner and Doris was yawning. Beside her, Mike was asleep with his head resting on her shoulder.

  “Mike,” she nudged. “Michael. Time we retired and left the youngsters to it, I think.”

  “Indeed,” muttered Mike, gingerly getting to his feet. “Goodnight you two. And thank you.”

  At the door, Doris paused and turned back. “Have a good evening my dears... and don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.”

  Beth and Blake glanced at one another. “That doesn’t leave us with many options, Dot,” Blake replied, winking at her.

  “Precisely,” she said, winking back.

  Slowly, as the sky outside darkened, the lounge car began to empty until it was just Blake and Beth.

  Beth sat back and smoothed down her dress. “I really should go change. This isn’t particularly train-friendly.”

  “It looks gorgeous, though.”

  “Is this you being friendly?” Beth asked, tilting her head to one side.

  “Of course,” he replied.

  “And holding my hand in the ceremony...?”

  “It was an emotional moment.” Blake was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, but still smiling.

  Beth looked up at the clock. “I might head to my cabin and edit these photos.”

  “Good idea. It’s been a long day.”

  “A great day.” Beth smiled, standing up and putting her camera strap over her shoulder.

  “Can I escort you back, Ma’am?” Blake extended his arm and wiggled it at her.

  “I suppose so.” She looped her arm through his.

  At their cabin doors, they paused and Blake let go of her. “Goodnight, Greenwood.” The corridor was dark, except for the moonlight that was streaming in through the windows beside them.

  “Goodnight, Blake.” She was trying not to think about how good he looked in his crisp white shirt. They were standing close, so close she could smell his cologne and feel the warmth of his hand as it lingered close to hers.

  They were swaying gently from side to side, jostled by the motion of the train, and as it lurched over a join in the tracks, Beth felt herself almost lose her balance. Blake steadied her. He was holding her by the elbows. Her hands were by his waist. She wanted to slide her arms around his back and pull him closer. But then, a few doors down, someone’s cabin door opened and light flooded out into the hallway.

  Beth stepped back and unlocked her door. “See you tomorrow, O’Brien. I’ll look forward to being reunited with the checked shirt.”

  Day Ten - The Canadian

  The day after the wedding, Beth stayed in her cabin until mid-morning writing her next article. Of course, it was about Doris and Mike so before submitting it she wanted to make sure they didn’t mind. She wasn’t sure either of them had told their children or grandchildren and didn’t want to make the news public until they had.

  For a while, after she woke, she’d expected Blake to arrive with a coffee. But he hadn’t. Perhaps he was doing the same as her – enjoying watching the scenery go by and trying to write.

  Beside her, her phone vibrated. It was her mum; she’d emailed over some pictures last night and was dying to hear what she thought of Doris and Mike’s whirlwind romance.

  What a superb story, Beth. How romantic. And wonderful to know that love can still blossom later in life. There’s hope for me yet!

  Beth paused with her thumbs above her phone’s keyboard. Was her mum hinting that she wanted to find someone? Beth had never really thought about her mum being with anyone else and the idea niggled at her.

  Putting the phone down, she slipped her shoes on and ventured out into the corridor.

  She tapped on Blake’s door, but he wasn’t there. Eventually, she tracked him down in the sky carriage. Similar to the one on the Rocky Mountaineer, it was on the upper level of the train, with glass walls and a glass ceiling that all
owed you to take in the spectacular views as the train trundled on through the Canadian wilderness.

  Blake was sitting at the back with earphones in, staring absentmindedly out of the window.

  Beth sat down beside him and nudged him.

  “Morning,” he said, turning off his music. “Nice lie-in?”

  “I was writing,” she replied. Then, because for some reason she just needed to talk about it and Blake was the only person she wanted to talk with, she said quickly, “I think my mum wants to start dating.”

  Blake frowned at her. “Okaaay?”

  Beth showed him the text message. “See?”

  Blake squinted at the phone screen. “Beth, I’m not sure this means she’s ready to get back out there. But if she did, what’s wrong with that?”

  Beth felt herself bristle and sat up straighter in her seat. “I don’t know. I suppose I just...”

  “Thought she’d be alone forever?”

  “She loved my dad.”

  “And I’m sure she still does. But she’s human, Greenwood. We crave companionship. She might not find the same kind of love she had with your dad, but you don’t want her to be alone forever do you?”

  Beth folded her arms in front of her chest. She knew she was pouting; she’d wanted Blake to say, Wow that’s a little soon, or, I’m sure she’s just joking around, she’ll never be with anyone else. But, despite feeling annoyed at him, she knew he was right. “No. Of course I don’t want her to be alone.”

  Blake furrowed his brow and then started to smile. “Hang on... did you mean to say, ‘You’re absolutely right, Blake. How wise and emotionally astute you are…’?”

  “No.” Beth was trying to stop herself from smiling. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “I most certainly didn’t.”

  “Hmm. Funny. Because it sounded like–”

  “Okay. You’re right. I was being childish and self-centred.”

  Blake softened a little and leaned closer. “It’s not childish to feel weird about it. Don’t beat yourself up for having feelings. But don’t let them hold your mom back from being happy. Okay?”

  “When did you get so wise?”

  “I’ve always been wise. It just took you a while to get past my good looks and see me as something other than a piece of eye-candy.” Blake wrinkled his nose at her and flexed his muscles.

  Beth stood up and rolled her eyes at him. “Right. Well, thanks for the chat. I need to find Doris and Mike. You coming?”

  “Nah. I’ll stay and enjoy the scenery. See you in a bit.”

  Downstairs, Beth found Doris and Mike in the lounge car and showed them her article. They were thrilled with it and adored the pictures, but all the while they were chatting to her and asking her questions about the competition, she couldn’t take her mind off Blake. This whole trip, he’d been keen to follow her wherever she was going and do whatever she was doing. Almost every morning, he’d appeared out of nowhere with coffee and chatter. But this morning, he’d decided to do his own thing. And she wasn’t sure she liked it.

  Was it because she’d pulled away from him last night? Or did he just want a little alone time?

  All day, she kept asking herself the same questions. A couple of times, she went back up to the sky carriage. The first time, Blake was dozing and didn’t wake up and later he wasn’t there.

  By the time dinner rolled around, she’d spent so much time mulling it over that she’d lost her appetite. So, she went back to her cabin, finished her article, and went to sleep.

  She’d been asleep a few hours when the jolting of the train woke her. It was just past midnight, but she couldn’t get back to sleep.

  She couldn’t get Blake out of her head because, as much as she was trying not to admit it to herself, she’d missed him.

  After ten days of being in one another’s company almost twelve hours a day, she had felt lost without him. She’d tried to enjoy sitting by herself, spending time on her article, watching the rivers and mountains go by.

  But the whole time she’d felt like something was missing.

  And if she felt like this now, how on earth would she feel when their trip ended?

  Maybe it was a good idea to try and put some distance between them.

  Maybe it was sensible.

  After all, friends didn’t feel the need to be by one another’s side all the time, did they? Friends didn’t feel lost and twitchy and a little hollow without one another.

  Tomorrow, she resolved, she would be better at it. She’d do her own thing, and let Blake do his. And by the time they reached Toronto, she’d be totally prepared for saying goodbye to him.

  17

  Day Eleven –Approaching Toronto

  Beth’s last day aboard the train began with a gloomy view. Until now, they’d had nothing but spectacular weather – cold at night and in the mornings but sunny and almost cloud-free during the day. Today, however, as if the sky was reading her mood, it was sullen and misty.

  Eventually, she persuaded herself to go for breakfast and found the newlywed Doris and Mike enjoying toast and porridge in the dining car. They gestured for Beth to join them so she did, purposefully not looking around to see if she could spot Blake.

  “Are you quite alright, dear? You seem a little distracted.” Doris was pouring tea from a small white teapot and looking at her intently with her watery blue eyes.

  Beth tucked her hair behind her ear and put down her toast. “Just thinking about what my next article should be about. We’ve got to submit another tomorrow night but there’s nothing on the itinerary when we reach Toronto. Not until our last day and Niagara Falls. So it needs to be about the train really...” Trying to make herself sound more light-hearted than she felt, she continued, “And, after featuring you two love-birds, I’m just not sure what should follow it.”

  “Well,” Mike said slowly – he always spoke as if he was choosing his words very, very carefully. “Why don’t you talk to some other passengers? The wonderful thing about travel, to me, is the folks you meet on the way.” Pausing, he looked at his wife and patted her hand. “And when you get talking, you realise that people have all sorts of marvellous stories to tell.”

  Beth bit her lower lip, contemplating what Mike had said. Then she felt herself start to smile; she could already see the article taking shape in her mind. “That, Mike, is an absolutely brilliant idea.”

  Proudly, Doris stroked Mike’s forearm and said, “He doesn’t say much. But what he does say is usually worth the wait.”

  “Thank you. Both of you.” Beth stood up and gave Doris a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

  “And if we see young Mr O’Brien... should we tell him you were looking for him?” Doris looked up and there was a glint in her eyes that said she knew exactly what Beth had been distracted about.

  “No, no need. Thanks.” Beth smiled, and before she could sit back down and say, Help me, Doris, I don’t know what to do, I can’t stop thinking about him… she strode towards the other end of the dining car and through to the adjoining part of the train.

  She spent the rest of the day, as Mike had suggested, making her way from one end of the train to the other, talking to the other passengers, taking their photographs, and making notes.

  She met two very Canadian brothers in their fifties who’d never before ventured further than their hometown in Alberta but who had always promised one another that they’d see Canada by train before they turned sixty.

  She met a young couple on their honeymoon, a family from England, some American backpackers, a French author, a tour group from Germany... and every single person she spoke to had a different reason for travelling, a different reason for wanting to see Canada by train, a different perspective on what the experience meant to them.

  Later, back in her cabin, she uploaded the photographs to her iPad and converted them to black and white. As she scrolled through them, an excited flutter in her stomach told her that this would be her best article yet.
>
  Thinking about it, she found herself glancing towards the wall that separated her cabin from Blake’s. She wanted to tell him about it. She wanted to show him her pictures and tell him her ideas. She wanted to see his face, hear him call her ‘Greenwood’, and watch those ridiculous dimples of his when his lips spread into a cheeky grin.

  All day, she’d expected to bump into him. She’d even kept her phone close by in case he texted her to ask where she was and if she wanted to have lunch or dinner together. But she’d heard nothing. And seen nothing. For almost twenty-four hours, she’d been utterly Blake-less. And she hated it.

  Sighing and tidying away her things, she decided she needed to shower. At least that way she might be able to wash Blake out of her thoughts. Their en-suites were far too small to contain showers, but there was one at the end of the corridor. So, she grabbed her wash bag and her towel and padded barefoot towards it.

  After three whole days on the train, she’d almost become accustomed to the swaying and rocking. But mid-shower, an extra-large bump on the tracks made the tiny shower cabin rock wildly from side to side. As she looked up, brushing water from her eyes, she realised that the clothes she’d hung on the back of the door had fallen off and – because the entire room was a wet-room with no shower tray, just a central drain in the middle of the floor – they were now soaked through with soapy shower water.

  Reaching for the towel which, thankfully, she’d draped over the wash basin, Beth picked up her sodden clothes. “Oh flip,” she muttered, tutting at herself.

  Wrapping the towel around her still-damp body, she gingerly unfastened the door. Her cabin was mid-way down the corridor. It was ten p.m. The lights had been dimmed. She was pretty sure she could make it without anyone seeing her.

  So, she bundled her wet clothes under her arm and made a run for it. She was looking behind her, checking that she hadn’t dropped anything on the way – like underwear or socks – when she felt herself career into something solid. Instinctively, she put her hands out... and realised it was a person. A clothes-less person.