She met his eyes. "But how did you escape from Sheriff Pat Garrett? The history books indicate you were killed."
Will ran a hand the length of his chin. "It was a shootout and I got away," he said simply. "I suppose it was in Garrett's best interest to say I'd been killed. I saw no reason to dispute it. I took a new identity and started a new life."
By all accounts it seemed like it had been a crime free life, thought Trina, where he had become a pillar of the community. But what about his past deeds?
"Is it true that you killed more than twenty men?" she had to ask.
"It is not true," he said succinctly, happy to put to rest some misconceptions about Billy the Kid. "Clearly the historians saw fit to exaggerate my actions. I killed exactly four men—all in self-defense. As far as my other crimes—most of them were minor. Even then, I'm not proud of some of the things I did during my wild youth. I put that behind me even before I met you."
"I believe you," Trina said. She could see it in his handsome face and hear it in his deep voice. "I'm sure your son is proud of you and looks up to you as a role model."
"Our son," Will corrected her. "We brought him into this world together and he's just as proud of you." He could tell that she was still confused; as if unsure she truly was his Catherine.
He put his hands on her shoulders. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you, too," Trina admitted, as it somehow felt right. "But there is still here and now..."
Will did not give her the chance to finish, putting his lips to hers, savoring the kiss which he found to be sweeter than the sweetest wine. She seemed to melt in his arms, telling him that she was indeed as powerfully drawn to him as he was to her.
He finally forced himself to pull back, peering into her eyes. "There is also the then and there," he said, even if he did not understand how time worked to allow for parallel existences simultaneously. "Come home with me, Catherine," he said softly.
Trina touched her swollen lips, knowing in her heart that she did belong to him and their son. "How?" she asked.
Will had not thought that far ahead, having no idea how to reverse the forces that brought him there. Then something occurred to him.
"Sunny," he said. "She somehow found her way here to you. Maybe through her we can find our way back."
"I only wish it were that simple," Trina told him. "I have no way of knowing how to contact Sunny. She just showed up."
Will had an idea. He began to whistle for the dog. "Where are you, girl? Come to us." He whistled again for her.
Trina couldn't help but smile at the effort, but somehow doubted it would work. She feared they might both be stuck in the present, which might not be so bad, except that they would be without Christopher, Lucille's father.
Then Trina heard the familiar barking, then whimpering. She turned to Will. "Do you hear that?"
He smiled. "I sure do."
She opened the door and looked out. At first Trina didn't see her. Then all of a sudden the dog seemed to materialize out of thin air and was at her feet. "You came," she said, amazed.
Trina hugged the dog, who seemed to welcome it, before running inside to Will.
"You must have heard me, Sunny," he said, hopeful that the dog could lead them back through the corridors of time. "Now how do we all go home?"
The dog broke free of his grasp and ran upstairs.
Will took Trina's hand hopefully. "Let's go."
Trina gladly followed him up the stairs while wondering if this could all possibly play out like a dream, sending her to the past. Or would the dog simply vanish, never to be heard from again?
They arrived at the half story upstairs bedroom and saw the dog sitting there staring back at them. The room looked exactly as she had left it earlier. She hadn't gotten around to making the bed. They definitely hadn't been transported to the nineteenth century.
"I'm sorry," she told Will, noticing the disappointment in his face. "Apparently this isn't something we can control."
Will was still holding her hand, as he looked her in the eye. "I can see that. What's most important is that I've found you and don't intend to lose you again."
Just then, Sunny bolted past them and down the stairs.
"Where's she off to this time?" Will asked.
"Maybe back to whence she came," Trina said, fearful that the dog had no more control over moving back and forth through time than they did.
"Better see if we can catch her," Will said, leading Trina back down the stairs. He figured that Sunny's presence had to be a sign that all was not lost in his desire to return home with Catherine.
Trina had assumed Sunny had gone outside, till she heard her bark and saw her sitting near the fireplace. That weird shaft of light she'd seen before suddenly seemed to surround the dog and then fill the room itself.
Will saw it, too. He put his arm around Trina, somehow sensing that they had traveled back in time. Or was it just an illusion?
The light suddenly vanished. At first, Trina wasn't sure whether she was in the past or present.
Then Sunny ran into a downstairs bedroom and came back out with Christopher. His eyes lit up. "You're back," he said excitedly. "Both of you!"
He practically leapt at Trina, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Yes, we are," she said, hugging the boy. "We're glad to be home."
Christopher looked up at Will. "You found her, Papa. Just like you said you would."
Will grinned. "That I did." He was determined not to lose Catherine ever again. But could he control that? And would she embrace being Catherine instead of Trina?
Reading Will's mind, Trina removed Christopher's hands that didn't seem to want to let go of her. She smiled at him. "It's all right. I'm not going anywhere."
It seemed to put the boy—her son—at ease.
She turned to Will, taking his hands. "I mean it. I'm here because I want to be. This is where I belong, with you and Chris. And let's not forget Sunny. Maybe time had to sort itself out before we could be together as a family again."
A big smile played on Will's lips, believing somehow that everything had indeed come together as was meant to be. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that."
"I believe I do," Trina told him. She was ready to take on this new and old life as a happily married woman and mother. "We're going to have a lot of stories to pass along someday to our granddaughter, Lucille."
Granddaughter? Will cocked a brow, recalling the name of her landlord. It all made sense now, sort of. "I imagine we will at that," he said.
She smiled. "And we have a few things to catch up on ourselves."
He met her eyes. "Throughout this experience, I never stopped loving you, Catherine."
Trina was overcome with joy in feeling so wanted by someone. She tilted her head and waited for Will to kiss her. He did not disappoint, taking her in his arms and bringing their mouths together passionately.
Suddenly Trina remembered everything about her life as Catherine Bonner and the man who had given her everything, including a son. She relished their kiss that left her seeing stars before pulling back. "I love you, too, Will Bonner."
Will's face lit up with satisfaction. Hearing those words from her touched him like never before. He angled his face and kissed Catherine again, knowing they had a wonderful life ahead of them.
Trina melted from the searing kiss. She welcomed this romantic adventure in time she was about to embark on with the man once known as Billy the Kid, knowing it had been her destiny all along.
# # #
The following is a bonus excerpt of the bestselling relationship novel
FOREVER SWEETHEARTS
By R. Barri Flowers
PROLOGUE
September 2013 — Maui, Hawaii
Taylor Mitchell sat on the park bench on this bright, sunny day, watching happily as her two grandchildren played with each other as if to see which one could impress her the most. As far as she was concerned, they were equally
the apples of her eye and she was thrilled to be able to spend time with them. Just as she was when their mother was a little girl and had commanded her full attention.
So much time had passed since Taylor was a young mother and wife. And even more time had gone by since she was a college student experiencing love for the first time. She could scarcely believe the twists and turns her life had taken over the years, many of which she could never have predicted.
Most people were in the same boat, not always knowing what was in front of them, and often wishing they had more control over what had brought them to this point.
She was now in her mid-fifties and on her second marriage to a man she had known for more than thirty-five years. If she could only turn back the hands of time, they might have had a chance to do things differently. Or was that just wishful thinking on her part? Maybe there were no shortcuts in life and things would have turned out exactly the same no matter what.
If so, Taylor was certain that she would go through it again and again if it would bring her to this point in her life where everything seemed right and she couldn't be more happy.
She focused again on her grandchildren, thinking about the long life they had ahead of them where they would have their own choices to make in determining their future.
It would always come by virtue of the past.
Taylor's thoughts drifted back to ten years ago when a simple phone call set into motion a chain of events that would change her life forever...
CHAPTER ONE
September 2003 — East Lansing, Michigan
"May I speak to Taylor Braxton," the caller said.
Taylor froze when she heard the name. The caller had referred to her as Taylor Braxton—not Taylor Holland, a woman married for nearly twenty years with a nineteen-year-old daughter. No, she thought, it had to be an echo from the distant past when she still used her maiden name. But who would be calling her? She hadn't kept in touch with many people from the early 1980s and before, which was obvious here, since the caller was not speaking to her as the forty-six-year-old woman she was today.
A flutter of nervous anticipation kept Taylor on edge as she held the phone close to her ear, trying to see if she could recognize the woman's voice, but to no avail. She fretfully hand-brushed away strands of her frosted blonde hair, stylishly cut to just above her shoulders, that had found their way in front of her uniquely bold green eyes.
How did she get this number? Taylor asked herself, stumped. The last I knew it was unlisted.
Was this someone's idea of a practical joke? she wondered.
Taylor speculated on what the odds were that the caller could have dialed the wrong number wishing to speak to a lady who just happened to be named Taylor Braxton. How about a million to one, she thought, quickly dismissing the notion.
Taylor suspected all would be answered in due time. But first she had to recover from her shock long enough to respond to the caller. She switched the handset to her other ear and stood up from the brass bed, glancing briefly at the window. The basswood shutters were barely open, but enough for the sun's glare to nearly blind her on this late September morning.
"This is Taylor Braxton," she uttered. Even then, Taylor felt funny saying it. Much like a chicken calling itself an egg again. "Actually, I'm now..."
Taylor was cut off as the caller said: "Taylor Holland. I knew that. I am so sorry. I was thinking about your maiden name and somehow it just stuck, and..."
This time it was Taylor's turn to break in. "Can you tell me what this is about?" She didn't want to sound rude but, frankly, her life was too busy for solicitations—even if they were intriguing ones.
"Ms. Holland," the woman said abruptly, "my name is Sarah Knight. Are you familiar with the hot new reality TV series called Forever Sweethearts?"
Who isn't? Taylor thought. Not unless you'd been living in a cave the past year. Next to Survivor, it had proven to be the second most successful reality show on television of late, amongst a throng of them that had hit the airwaves over the last five years and showed no sign of disappearing anytime soon. And while Taylor had not watched Forever Sweethearts—and actually didn't personally know anyone who had—she couldn't help but see the frequent promos during other shows, along with a blitz of appearances by participants on entertainment programs.
"Yes, I've heard about the series," Taylor said tentatively, wondering exactly where this was going.
Sarah seemed to perk up. "Well good—that's a start. I'm an assistant for the producer of the show. The reason I'm calling is because your former sweetheart—Vaughn Mitchell—contacted the show. Of course, it takes two to reunite, so he told us what he knew about you, which wasn't much, and we took it from there—"
Taylor's knees were suddenly shaking so badly that she quickly sat down on the bed's tapestry coverlet before she fell.
Vaughn Mitchell.
The memories suddenly came flooding back as though Taylor had just stepped into a time machine and landed squarely back in 1978 again. Vaughn Mitchell was a name she had tried her best to forget over the years, but it had been about as impossible as forgetting that she was once Taylor Braxton.
Taylor and Vaughn had been college sweethearts. But what they had actually went much further. Vaughn was her first true love and the guy who took her virginity at the relatively tender age of twenty when he was a year older. They had planned to get married—or at least she had. Instead, he broke her heart in seemingly a thousand places and, for the longest time, Taylor felt as if it would never heal.
This unwanted trip down memory lane suddenly hit a roadblock when Taylor's mind and body reminded her that it was now 2003. It had been twenty-five years since she'd last seen or heard from Vaughn Mitchell. What on earth had possessed him to want to reconnect with her now? They had said their goodbyes so long ago that Taylor couldn't imagine what he would gain by going through it again, and in a public arena no less.
She believed that, all other things aside, they had both gotten a bit too old to stir up memories that couldn't possibly result in anything meaningful for either of them at this stage of the game.
"Are you asking if I want to come on your show to be reunited with Vaughn?" Taylor asked with incredulity.
The mere thought made Taylor's heart race, though she was not quite sure why. Whatever they once had was over and done with and there was no going back. No way in hell.
Not in this lifetime.
"Well, yes, that is the plan," Sarah said hopefully. "I know it sounds intimidating, but—"
"But I'm a forty-six-year-old married woman with a daughter in college," Taylor announced, as if to remind herself. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I would be the ideal person to appear on your TV show."
"I disagree," Sarah said in earnest. "You're exactly what we're looking for. The show isn't about trying to get couples back together, per se. It's about putting closure to a relationship where there were unresolved issues left behind. We simply provide the setting and separate rooms for two days at a fabulous hotel in New York City. It's up to the couples to come to terms with where things went wrong and to right them, if possible, so they can move on. Of course, our cameras would follow your every move, but you're totally in control of how you choose to bring closure to this past relationship." After pausing, she asked tentatively: "So what do you think, Taylor? Does this sound like something you might be interested in doing?"
Instinctively, Taylor wanted to say loud and clear: No, I am definitely not interested in becoming part of reality TV and meeting twenty-five years later the man I once loved and thought I'd spend the rest of my life with. I have a life today that doesn't include him in any way and this might only end up somehow hurting the ones I do love and cherish with all my heart.
The part of Taylor that felt she was twenty all over again and wanted to remember a different time when everything she'd ever wanted seemed within her grasp, but was snatched away by fate and a certain someone, did want some answers that she'd never received to her
satisfaction. Maybe this would be the only chance she'd ever get to confront him and let him know just how much he'd hurt her. Maybe then she really could put the past and Vaughn Mitchell to rest once and for all.
On top of that, Taylor thought, her life today was not exactly what dreams were made of. At least her marriage wasn't. But that was something she'd chosen to ignore for the most part, simply because it was easier to. For the sake of their daughter. Taylor had come to believe that there was no knight in shining armor or Prince Charming in real life. Certainly not in her life. So you just settled for less and focused on what did work.
Taylor turned her attention back to Vaughn Mitchell and the offer to appear on Forever Sweethearts. She had the feeling that her decision would forever impact her life.
* * *
Immediately after the conversation, Taylor called her daughter Audra who was attending St. Hughes College at the University of Oxford. She lived on campus and was in her second year majoring in English. When Audra was admitted to the program, beating out thousands of others from around the world, it had been one of Taylor's proudest moments. At times like this, she missed her daughter immensely, and wondered if it had been wise to allow her to attend college on the other side of the ocean. But, overall, she knew it was the right thing. Audra had wanted to follow in her father's footsteps by attending Oxford and experience life and other cultures, which he had wholeheartedly encouraged.
Who am I to deny her the opportunity, Taylor thought, especially when Audra seemed happy there and showed no sign of regret. She wished she could say the same when she thought back to her college days at Michigan State University.
"Hello," said the lazy—or was it sleepy?—voice.
Taylor quickly did the arithmetic for the five-hour time difference between Michigan and England—making it just after two p.m. there.
"Hello, Audra," she said. "I'm just checking on you." And wishing you were five again and home so I could cuddle you in my arms, Taylor thought.
"Mom!" Audra's voice rose with enthusiasm. "I was just thinking about you!"
"You were?" Taylor was surprised that her daughter actually had time to think about her.
"Yeah," Audra said. "You just popped in my head and then you called. Isn't that weird?"