Conjuring Sight (Becky Jo Chronicles Book 1) (28 page)

“I would jump off this horse and walk home if I wasn’t so frightened,” I say, not amused by his sense of humor.

He smiles. “You just called my mansion ‘home.’”

I give him a dirty look. Maybe I’m not so frightened of the horse after all. I look around for the easiest way off until Colonel Blair urges the animal into a fast gallop.

“Let me off this beast!” I scream.

“What a beautiful day it is for a ride!” he replies with delight over the sound of rushing air.

I close my eyes and hold on tight.

The horse gallops for several minutes before suddenly stopping.

“You can open your eyes now,” Colonel Blair says softly.

Before us is a seemingly endless, rocky desert. The cloudy sky meets brown ground. The only noticeable movement is the wind blowing dark clouds across the sky.

“I come here and pretend the desert is the Atlantic,” he whispers. “I pretend I am surrounded by green. On rainy days, I can almost taste the Louisiana humidity.”

He closes his eyes and opens his mouth, inhaling.

The thought is tempting. I get so tired of brown. Looking over the desert, I pretend it’s the ocean. I pretend I hear the waves breaking against the shore. Then I inhale. For the briefest second, I taste South Carolina in the air.

At that precise moment, the storm clouds release their precipitation. Droplets of water shower down on us. I forget I am on the back of a horse. I lift my arms to the heavens. Colonel Blair’s arm tightens around my waist.

“Marry me,” he whispers in my ear.

“I’m leaving on the twenty-first,” I reply, relishing the raindrops falling on my face.

“Do you have any objects to our union other than your departure?” His warm breath tickles the skin on the back of my neck.

“Of course not,” I automatically answer, still enjoying the rain.

“Then marry me,” he pleads.

“But I
am
leaving on the twenty-first.”

“You do not have to leave.”

“I do have to leave.” I sigh, pulling my attention from the rain. I hold tightly onto him again. “We should go back. I have to prepare for the charity concert.”

We ride back to the Mansion in silence as rain falls down on us.

Once inside the stable, Colonel Blair helps me down from the horse. He disappears in a side room for a moment, returning with a large blanket. He passes it to me.

“You are drenched. This will keep you warm until you remove your wet things. I’m sure Clara and Ida are waiting.” He turns his back to me and begins to unsaddle the horse.

I take the blanket, but I think of the puddles I will leave on the floor. I don’t want to create a mess in the house. I put the blanket on a pile of clean straw and remove the wet blanket and my cloak. My dress is just as wet as the cloak, so I also take it off. I cover myself with the dry blanket.

My eyes go to Colonel Blair. His back is to me. Not realizing I’m still in the stable, he whispers soothingly to the horse while drying it with rags. Taking meticulous care, he rubs the animal down before leading it to a prepared stall. The horse helps himself to an apple while Colonel Blair pats his muzzle. I don’t know why but, in this simple, quiet moment, I feel a powerful magnetic pull to him. My mind tries to get my body to turn around, but my body isn’t listening.

Colonel Blair glances up from the horse. “Rebecca?”

The instant my eyes meet his, the pull becomes unbearably strong. It’s like I’ve gone brain dead. It’s in this state that I rise to my tiptoes and put my lips to his. As they touch, my heart feels as though it’s going to beat out of my chest. I put that emotion into the kiss, making it anything but innocent.

He is paralyzed by shock for a split second, but it’s only a split second. His strong arms pick me up, and he eagerly returns the kiss.

I wrap my arms around his neck. I’ve never kissed anyone before, but I’m pretty sure first kisses aren’t supposed to be like this. We kiss until we are both gasping for air.

He pulls away, calming his breathing before saying, “Rebecca, the time has come for us to put aside the formalities. You have properly refused my proposals. We can proceed to a formal engagement.”

In my time, a kiss can mean many things. In his time, a kiss is a lot more official. I keep on doing all the wrong things! I should have left good enough alone.

“Colonel Blair, please forgive me my rashness,” I whisper with embarrassment. “I should not have kissed you. Regardless of my feelings for you, I must leave.”

“If you must return to South Carolina, I will accompany you. It is not safe for you to make such a journey by yourself, and you would be much safer traveling as my wife.”

I fight back a smile. The journey I made to 1875 was much more dangerous than a train ride to South Carolina. I clear my throat. “When I leave, there will be no way for you to follow.”

“Do not say such things.” He puts a finger to my lips. He whispers, “I will follow you to the ends of the earth.”

I move his hand. “I want to be completely honest. I can’t marry you. Not now, not ever.”

“Yes, you can. I will escort you to Charleston, and we will find your sister.”

I shake my head. “No, I will travel by myself.  We just have to accept the fact that we aren’t meant to be together.”

He lets the words linger in the air. I think he’s furious until he stuns me with a forceful kiss. My stomach does a summersault, and the magnetic attraction I feel for him is stronger than before. It feels as though I’ve been hit by a bolt of lightning, and Colonel Blair must feel the same way. He sucks in a deep breath before resuming the kiss.

“Marry me,” he whispers, kissing down my neck.

“I can’t,” I reply, running my fingers through his beautiful hair. I feel like I can’t get close enough to him.

He lays me in the straw, kissing his way back up to my lips. “I love you. I will always love you.”

“I love you, too.” The words shock me as they come out of my mouth, but I know they’re completely true. I love Colonel James Blair! Stupid me, I’ve fallen in love with the blasted man!

He traces my neck with the back of his hand.

I lift my face to his, gently putting my lips to his. The underlying emotion I feel for him is evident in every breath and touch.  We kiss for several minutes. We are still in the midst of this passionate kiss when he undoes my corset and tries to remove it.

“Hey!” I wriggle out from under his large frame. I immediately reattach the corset.

“Rebecca,” he says, taking my hand in an attempt to draw me back to him.

I withdraw.

“You owe me an apology, Colonel Blair!” I snap, getting to my feet.

“No, I refuse to apologize.” He moves the hair out of his face. “You are the one who kissed me. Moreover, all you need do is say the word, and I will marry you, but as you refuse, I have little choice. I assume you have refused me because you lack your sister’s approval, so there is only one option open to me.  If you were carrying my child, the decision would be taken from your sister.”

“You want to get me pregnant?” I am stunned. This is something guys in my time would never do. They want to run away from responsibility, not towards it. I shake my head.  I roar, “I thought you were a gentleman!”

He also gets to his feet. “You are only half right. I am a man, and I will do anything to marry you. Can you not see my desperation? I cannot lose you! Since my father died, I have lived a half-life. With you, I feel as though I’m alive once more.”

I grab the blanket, not listening to his words. I’m still stuck on him trying to get me pregnant. I so do not get nineteenth century guys!

“Rebecca…” He reaches for my arm at the stable door. I turn and slap his face. He doesn’t even flinch.  He pleads, “Please…”

“Stay away from me!” I yell, running through the pouring rain into the Mansion.

“Rebecca, what done happen?” Rose questions as I storm through the kitchen.

I don’t stop to answer. I head directly to my room, climbing the stairs as quickly as possible. I am dashing down the hallway when I catch a glimpse of Colonel Blair through a small window in the hallway. He has fallen to his knees in the mud outside the stable. Rain is pouring on him, but he doesn’t seem to notice. His face is hidden behind his hands. His shoulders are slumped, and his head is bowed. Even as a ghost, Colonel Blair never looked defeated. I’ve made his life worse than it was before. I fill with sorrow and guilt.

Just then a warm, sweet, peppermint-smelling breeze blows up the stairs. It whirls around me, blowing my hair and tickling my skin.

I think someone has left a window open until a voice says so softly I can barely hear, “Jump, Baby Girl.”

The breeze simply disappears as though it never was.

Tears roll down my face. There is only one person who has ever called me Baby Girl and smelled like peppermint. I finally understand my dreams. All this time Mama’s been trying to tell me something, and I’ve been too thickheaded to decipher her message.

Have thine own way, Lord, Have thine own way; Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mould me and make me, after thy will, While I am waiting yielded and still,
I think the words of A.A. Pollard as I force myself to walk.

Moving slowly, I can scarcely think due to fear. I know what I must do, but it’s very difficult. I don’t remember the walk down the stairs or out the kitchen door but, somehow, I make it to the stable. I force myself to breathe as I kneel in the cold mud next to Colonel Blair. I remove his hands from his face, finding his eyes filled with despair.

I swallow and nervously lick my lips before saying, “Yes.”

He blinks in confusion until he understands what I’m saying. He jumps to his feet.  “Really?”

I nod, trying to control my breathing. “Yes, but you must remember that I will leave on the twenty-first, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.”

He picks me up in blissful exuberance. “I would rather spend one glorious day with you than a lifetime with anyone else!”

He immediately puts me back down, putting a hand in his pocket. He withdraws the ring he purchased for me. Taking my hand, he slides it over my ring-finger. It’s too big. He places the ring on my middle finger.  It fits perfectly.

“You are so small. We will have it fitted after the wedding.”

I look at the beautiful ring. In the center is a large, round diamond. It’s surrounded by several smaller diamonds.

“I had it set in silver. I thought it was only fitting,” he says, apprehensively watching for my reaction.

“It’s perfect,” I say, and I mean it. The ring is absolutely perfect.

“Ahhhh!”  A scream makes us turn. Rose’s eyes are on the ring. She charges, throwing her arms around us. “Thank da Lord Almighty!”

Her scream draws out the residents of the cabins and wikiups. She lifts my left hand above my head. When our diverse group of friends sees the ring, the air fills with riotous cheers.

*     *     *

“Colonel Blair, it’s late.” I yawn, pulling the blankets over my head to block out the candle light.

“I’m writing the last of our announcements so I can send a telegram in the morning.  Aunt Mary would disown me if I did not inform her of my marriage,” he says.

“Aren’t you being a little dramatic?”

“Not at all, she disowned Samuel for breaking one of her chairs.”

I hear paper shuffling, and I think of the countless announcements he’s written. “Can’t we just have a simple wedding?”

His face appears next to mine under the covers. He steals a kiss. “I want everything to be perfect.”

“Well, I’m going to sleep, Colonel Blair.” I close my eyes.

His fingers gently trace my lips. “Please call me by my given name.”

“Goodnight,
James
.” I turn over.

I hear him snuff out the candles. For the first time, he climbs in the bed under the blankets. He wraps his arms around me, kissing the back of my neck.

“Two days and you will be my wife,” he whispers.

I don’t want to get anywhere near a honeymoon. I can’t even handle the thought of having to deal with all the problems sex brings. I argue, “I still think we should marry on the twenty-first.”

“The twenty-first is the Sabbath. The twentieth is more appropriate.”

“I don’t think it’s enough time to prepare.”

He laughs. “Trust me; Rose will have a feast of southern foods prepared for Saturday.”

I turn around in his arms. “There are other preparations to be made. I don’t have a dress or…”

He interrupts me with a tender kiss. “We will finish the arrangements, tomorrow.”

“If we were to wait…”

Gunshots erupt in the night. A war cry follows.

James swears under his breath and jumps out of bed. “Stay here,” he orders. He grabs his shoes on the way out the door.

Of course I don’t stay in bed. I slip some shoes on and follow.

My body begins shivering the moment I step outside, but it’s not due to the cool night. Evil permeates the air, causes chills to run up and down my back. White Cloud, the Chiu family, and the Paiutes surround the Mansion. I cringe to see even the women and children are firing riles into the night. Gabe, Rose, Henry, and the other black residents defend the cabins and stable. James, ever the military leader, directs everyone.