Journey to Yesterday (27 page)
Read Journey to Yesterday Online
Authors: Madeline Baker
Shaye placed her hand on her father’s arm, her heart beating
in anticipation. Today was her wedding day. Though she had adamantly declared
that she didn’t want a church wedding, when the time came time to pick a place,
she found that she did, indeed, want to be married in a church with all the
trimmings. She wore an old-fashioned gown made of ivory antique lace and a
shoulder-length veil, and carried a bouquet of white roses and baby’s breath.
It was a small wedding, with just her parents, her boss, a
few coworkers, and Clark McDonald in attendance. She had called Clark when they
got to L.A. He had been surprised to hear from her, relieved that she was all
right, amazed by her story. But, just as she had known he would, he had
believed every word.
It had been more difficult to convince her parents that her
future husband was from the past. They had been certain it was some kind of
joke, but after talking to Alejandro and seeing the photographs Shaye had had
developed, her parents had come to believe the truth. It had been, Shaye
thought, the pictures that had really convinced them. The photos had come out
bright and clear: the picture of Alejandro, taken in his room; a view of Main
Street crowded with people and freight wagons taken from Alejandro’s hotel room
window; another picture of Main Street; one of the Queen of Bodie; three of the
mine; the photo Alejandro had taken of her; a picture of the two of them, taken
outside the mine; eight pictures of the Fourth of July parade; three of riders
trying to pull the rooster out of the ground. The other two rolls of film were
pictures of the ghost town as it was today. The differences between the town,
old and new, were too obvious to deny.
Shaye peeked around the corner. She could see Alejandro
standing at the altar, looking more handsome than ever in an old-fashioned
frock coat made of fine black broadcloth, black trousers, and black cowboy
boots.
Fake ID for Alejandro had been a lot easier to get hold of
than she had thought it would be, thanks to her father, who still had some
connections with some rather shady characters he had arrested a time or two
when he worked for the police department.
Yesterday, they had gone to the library and there, in a
chapter on Bodie in an old history book, they had found a reference to
Alejandro.
“One of Bodie’s more colorful characters was Alejandro
Valverde, a professional gambler by trade. Valverde was convicted of killing
Daisy Sullivan, known prostitute and former business partner. Though he
professed his innocence to the last, Valverde was hanged on July 15, 1880.
Several hundred people witnessed the hanging, which took place as a violent
windstorm swept through the town. When the dust settled, the body was gone.
Ironically, a suicide note written by Sullivan was found immediately after the
hanging. For a time, Valverde’s ghost was said to haunt the town…”
Shaye smiled as the organ began to play.
“Ready?” her father asked.
“Oh, yes,” she replied tremulously.
Alejandro stood in front of the altar, unmindful of the
guests in the church, only dimly aware of his surroundings as he gazed at the
vision walking down the aisle toward him. Never had she looked more lovely. Her
gaze met his, and a swarm of emotions flowed through him: admiration, desire,
anticipation, gratitude to whatever Fate had sent her to him, but most of all a
deep surge of love. She was every dream he had ever had, every hope, every
desire.
He stepped forward, taking her hand in his, hardly aware of
the words the minister spoke until it was time for him to say the words that
made Shaye his wife.
“I, Alejandro, take thee, Shaye…”
He looked into the depths of her beautiful green eyes as he
spoke the solemn, heartfelt words that would bind them together for now and all
eternity, and knew that he had come home at last.
* * * * *
Ever After
The explosion of my soul
now freed into her keeping
carried us into reality
where we had dreamed
where I had
wished…
to hold her close
to fly through time
as one
skin so easily tasted with kisses
from lips so eagerly awaiting
my touch
My hands raised with freedom
life coursing through my veins…
come with me, my love
our travels now begin
we fly into the clouds
never looking back
never looking down…
for time has healed its mistake
and folded you into my embrace
now my arms
stronger than bars of iron
will hold you close
keep you near
for now and
evermore
The End
Madeline Baker started writing simply for the fun of it. Now
she is the award-winning author of more than thirty historical romance books
and one of the most popular writers of Native American romance. She lives in
California, where she was born and raised.
Madeline welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website address on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
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Madeline
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Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Journey to Yesterday
ISBN 9781419936135
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Journey to Yesterday Copyright © 2014 Madeline Baker
Cover design by Dar Alber
Cover photography by alexbutscom, Alta Oosthuizen, magann,
Fotomicar, and CURAphotography
Electronic book publication August 2014
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