Menlo Park, New Jersey — 1879
“You must think us dreadfully boring, being awed by such inventions as were in the exhibit. After all, I’m sure you’ve known about Edison’s light bulb and phonograph for some time,” Nicholas commented as they left the exhibition hall and walked into the bright afternoon.
“Of course I know about them, but since I’ve been here, I’ve come to appreciate the simpler life. I only wish I had the wherewithal to do the inventing. Imagine what I could show them.”
“Jaci—” He shook his head in warning, for they had decided on their wedding night that she would do nothing which might irrevocably change history.
“Well, it’s marvelous to see Amanda’s eyes light up at all the new wonders she’ll have in her lifetime. I can’t wait until she hits her teens and has access to Bell’s telephone. Now that Cameron has decided to stay in Philly and let others drive his ships, she can have a house full of modern conveniences.”
“Pilot, dear, not drive,” Nicholas corrected gently.
“Sorry. Speaking of pilots, they didn’t have an airplane in the exhibit hall, now did they?”
“I warn you,” Nicholas reprimanded, but his eyes twinkled.
“Papa! Penny, Papa, penny.” Four year old Cassandra came racing at her father and Nicholas scooped her high above his head, spinning her around in a circle. Jaci smiled as she remembered him doing the same to Amanda years ago. Now, ten year old Amanda followed in Cassandra’s wake at a much more sedate pace.
Nicholas tweaked his daughter’s nose. “What does my precious Cassie want with a penny?”
As Cassie tweaked her papa’s nose in turn, Jaci laughed, her hand sliding over her slightly rounded stomach. She had never expected to find happiness in a marriage, much less the incredible bliss she still experienced in Nicholas’s arms. Though Amanda was like their own child, she would soon be leaving to live with Cameron and attend school in the city. God had blessed them with Cassandra, and now she was pregnant with another. This time, she hoped for a son for Nicholas, to carry on the Westbrooke tradition. Not that Cassandra wouldn’t be capable, but Jaci longed to see her do something extraordinary — like become the first woman pilot, or President.
For now, her attention turned to where Cassandra pointed. “Me want to ride horsies, like Papa’s.”
If Nicholas’s free hand hadn’t already been holding Jaci’s elbow, he probably wouldn’t have been able to stop her from falling. As it was, he had to juggle her and Cassandra. However, she couldn’t stop the dizziness, nor the incredible sense of déjà vu that twisted like a knife in her heart.
“Nicholas.” Her voice came out a strangled whisper. She managed to keep from collapsing into a ruffled puddle, but leaned heavily on Nicholas as they stood in the middle of a busy walkway.
Straight ahead, not more than a hundred feet, a carousel glimmered, its horses and menagerie animals chasing each other round and round the platform. It wasn’t hard to pick out the lead horse, for he rose high above the rest, his mane and tail flying, one leg raised as he proudly stepped forward in all his midnight glory.
“It’s your horse.” Her voice was urgent. All the ghosts from hell had risen up and fluttered very close by.
Nicholas steadied her as he set Cassandra down and asked Amanda to watch her. He turned to her, and she frantically searched his face for the reassurance she needed. He didn’t fail her; just as he hadn’t any time before. His shoulders back, his feet braced, he exuded confidence. But it was his gaze that held her, for in his sweet, silver eyes she saw love — enough to last a lifetime and beyond.
“That horse is our destiny, Jaci. I promise you it will be all right.” He took her hand and stepped toward the carousel. She jerked back. He turned, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to focus only on him. “Do you love me, Jaci Westbrooke?”
“Yes, you know I do.” Her answer was automatic.
He grinned at her rapid response. It was a game they played, whenever she became over-anxious about her fate. “How much?”
“With my life,” she answered, and saw his love shining in his gaze. A great burden of worry seemed to lift from her shoulders.
Nicholas lifted Cassandra to one hip, took Jaci’s hand in his and began walking towards the carousel. “Then trust me.”
Jaci grabbed Amanda’s hand. She felt she needed all the anchors she could manage.
When the carousel stopped, a group of riders got off. Nicholas sat Cassandra on his replica of Wind Dancer and gathered Jaci and Amanda close. Jaci kept her gaze focused on Nicholas, holding her breath each time the platform jiggled.
“I thank God daily for seeing fit to send you to me,” Nicholas told her quietly, “and believe me, our love will surmount any obstacle.”
He held out his hand and when she placed her hand in his, encircling Cassandra, their fingers brushed the mane of the horse. An electric shock raced up Jaci’s arm, but she remained next to her husband.
Before the carousel began to move, a photographer called for their attention. Nicholas and Jaci laughed together, their daughter squealing in delight over riding her papa’s horsie, and the photographer’s camera flashed.
* * *
Dallas, Texas — present day
“We didn’t find anything, Miss Eastman. Witnesses said it looked as if your sister dropped down into the middle section of the carousel to help the old man.”
Mandy Eastman shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t understand. You mean she simply disappeared?”
“We’ve put out a missing person report,” the detective explained. “It’s the strangest, damn thing. I guess the gears on that merry-go-round weren’t adjusted right or something. Apparently once the children got off and the operator fell against the lever, it spun so fast some of the poles actually bent outward with the centrifugal force. But, that doesn’t help you any, does it? We’ll check back at the park later today and see if anything’s been reported.”
The police detective turned to leave. “Oh, I almost forgot. Your sister’s camera was still at the scene. It must have been set on an automatic timer, because the roll of film had been completed used. I took the liberty of having the film developed, for clues, but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Just photos of the carousel and some people.”
Mandy thought it odd that the detective said there were people in the pictures, because Jaci had wanted only the horses for her magazine layout. However, she thanked the police and closed the door behind them.
It had been five days since her sister’s disappearance, and nothing was known. Wearily she sat down on the couch, opening the envelope and spilling the pictures out on the coffee table. She smiled at the sight of the horses, seemingly so alive through her sister’s photographic ability.
One picture caught her eye, and when she picked it up, she gasped, for here was the horse she clearly recalled from earlier photos Jaci had taken. There was a blur of some sort behind the horse, and Mandy quickly shuffled through the other pictures looking for something similar. When she found it, she began to cry.
Standing behind the magnificent, black carousel horse was the man Jaci had originally photographed. Through her tears, Mandy saw Jaci standing beside him, their hands clasped around a darling little girl; another girl next to them. A smile touched her lips as she looked lovingly at her sister.
It was no wonder the police hadn’t recognized her picture. Her face was older, reminding Mandy of a faded photograph she had of their mother. Jaci’s hair was longer, worn in a bun no less, and she had on ruffles and lace that Mandy swore she’d never wear today. It was the expression on Jaci’s face, though, that set Mandy’s heart to rest.
The police would take their time to determine exactly what had happened that day at the carousel, and now Mandy wondered if it would ever be explained. To her, though, it no longer mattered. For whatever reasons there might be, her sister had found true love. From the look on her face, they were, indeed, living happily ever after.
The End
Barbara Baldwin books also published by Books We Love
Lost Knight of Arabia
Prospecting for Love