“Listen to this.” Darkness had settled over the land, but inside the cabin, with a cozy fire burning, Josh and Grace sipped coffee while she shared with him some words from one of her mother’s letters. “My darling Grace, one of my greatest fears is that, without a mother’s love, you will spend a lifetime just passing through . . .”
She sucked in a breath. “It’s what I’ve been doing, Josh. Don’t you see? All this time, I’ve just been passing through.” She lowered her head and continued reading: “. . . instead of living your life to the fullest. Remember this, my darling. Each moment should be savored, for each moment we’re on this earth is a treasure. And the richest treasure of all is having someone to share the moments.”
“A wise woman, your mother.” Josh topped off Grace’s cup and his own, before settling on the sofa beside her.
Grace reached into the manila envelope and withdrew a stack of photos. “It’s such a thrill to finally be able to see what my mother looked like.”
As she sorted through them, Josh had quick glimpses of baby Grace in a young woman’s arms, of a laughing baby in a bathing suit at the beach, of a happy baby clapping her hands and reaching out for the string of a balloon.
Finally Grace came to the one she’d been looking for. “This is my favorite. The one in my father’s album had been torn in half. Always, I’d only been able to see him looking at an empty space. But now I can understand the intense look on his face. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Josh stared at the photograph of the gorgeous golden-haired woman in a fairy-tale wedding gown, standing beside a stern-looking man in a morning coat and tails. But it wasn’t the scene that captured his interest; it was the woman.
“This is your mother?”
At the sharp edge of his tone, Grace glanced over. “What’s wrong?”
He tapped a finger on the photo. “That’s my passenger.”
She couldn’t seem to absorb his meaning. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s the woman who mysteriously showed up just before my plane went down.”
“You mean she resembles the woman in this photo.”
“I know what I saw, Grace.” He snatched the photograph from her hand to study it more carefully. “It doesn’t just look like her. It was this woman. This hair. Even this dress. She was all in white. Dazzling as the sun.”
Grace was instantly on her feet, backing away from him. “Why are you saying this?”
“Do you think I’m making it up? I’d never do that. I’m telling you that my passenger was this woman.”
Though Grace tried to reject it, her heart knew. She felt it give a sudden hard bounce as her eyes filled with tears. “Did she say anything?”
He struggled to recall the words. “She said don’t worry, Josh. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
“You said you’d never seen her before. How did she know your name?”
He shook his head. “I figured she was a groupie, hoping to get her fifteen minutes of fame by stowing aboard a celebrity’s plane.” His voice lowered. “I never dreamed . . .” His voice took on a more practical tone as he began to wrap his mind around the reality of it all. “Now we know why her remains were never found.”
“I don’t under . . .”
“She was already dead, Grace. Like Wyatt. And for some reason, they both made themselves known to us.”
Grace turned away and buried her face in her hands. “None of this makes any sense.”
He went to her and gathered her close. “I know what you’re thinking. I’m thinking it, too. But we’re not crazy, Grace. And it’s not some sort of contagious mass hysteria. We’re sane, sensible people. But we both know what we saw and heard. Wyatt was here. We both saw him and listened to his tale.”
“But why? What possible reason could he have for . . . coming back?”
“I don’t know. Maybe to explain about the legend of the lake.” Josh began to pace. He turned suddenly. “Didn’t Wyatt say his name meant ‘guide’? Was he guiding us toward something?”
Grace sighed. “I have to admit that hearing about the legend gave me insight into what my mother and father may have gone through. But what about Barnaby?” She glanced over at the dog, whose head came up at the very mention of his name. “How do you explain him?”
“I can’t. Maybe he’s been surviving alone in these woods and needed a home.”
Grace mulled that. “Wyatt said that Barnaby loved the forest and that he’d make a fine companion.”
“And he seemed pleased when we both took to the dog.” Josh knelt and Barnaby hurried over to lick his hand. In a softer tone he added, “He’s the very dog I wanted as a kid. Right down to his color. Maybe that has something to do with his being here.”
“All right. So we found some things we’ve both been searching for. You’ve got your dog, and I’ve got my mother, but that still doesn’t explain . . .”
He stood and framed her face with his hands. “You’re forgetting about the most important thing we both found.” He leaned close. “Love. I love you, Grace. You’re exactly what I’ve wanted in my life. The part that’s been missing all these years.”
At his words, she blinked back the tears that threatened. “I love you, too, Josh. I don’t know how it happened. I certainly never expected anything like this, but here it is.”
“Here it is.” He lowered his mouth to hers. “So what are we going to do about it?”
“We could hide out here for the rest of our lives.”
He nibbled her lower lip. “It’s tempting. We could shut out the world and create our own little paradise.”
Barnaby suddenly raced to the door and began barking.
Grace and Josh stepped apart. With his finger to his lips he shoved her behind him and picked up the fish knife before opening the door.
Barnaby rushed out and began racing along the dock, barking furiously.
When Josh stepped outside, Grace hurried to catch up. “Whatever is out here, you’re not facing it alone. We’re together now, remember?”
“I don’t want you hurt, Grace.”
“I’m not going back inside without you.” She took hold of his hand.
When they reached the end of the dock, they paused beside Barnaby. The dog had gone eerily silent and was staring at the lake.
And then they saw the light, dancing across the dark waters, heading directly toward them.
Grace’s hand tightened on Josh’s as the light began to shimmer and glow, before it assumed the figure of a woman. As she drew closer, they could see her gown, dazzling white, and her hair, a glorious cascade of red-gold curls.
“Oh, I have waited so long for you. So long.” Her musical voice was as clear as a bell. “I could not take my rest until I fulfilled my heart’s desire to see you happy.”
“Mother?” Grace said the word haltingly and wondered why it sounded so right. So perfect. It was the first time she’d ever said it aloud. She took a deep breath and said it again. “Mother.”
The woman smiled. “I have waited a lifetime to hear my daughter say that word. It is the sweetest sound ever created.”
“How long have you been . . . gone?” Grace couldn’t bring herself to speak of death.
“In the world it would be a year or more. It is a mere moment in this place, where time is of no consequence. My love for you burns brighter than the sun, Grace. Far too bright to be dimmed even by death.”
Grace was so moved by those words, she couldn’t find her voice. She stood, tears streaming down her cheeks, drinking in the vision that was her beloved mother.
Beside her, Josh draped an arm around Grace’s shoulder to offer his strength. “How does Wyatt Eagle fit into this?”
“Wyatt is my guide to the Great Beyond. It was he who taught me that great love can wield great power.”
“And so you went through all this elaborate scheme”—Grace’s hand swung to include Josh and the dog at their feet—“just to make me happy?”
“Your happiness has been my greatest concern. It was necessary for you to know how deeply you are loved, Grace. Without that knowledge, you would be incapable of fully giving love.”
“But why Josh? How did he happen to get caught up in this?”
The woman turned to Josh. “Your father was . . . dear to my heart.”
Grace turned to Josh, and knew, by the stunned look on his face, that his thoughts mirrored her own. His father had been a warrior who had given his life in battle.
“He was here once, wasn’t he? That’s his army blanket I found in the shed.”
The woman nodded. “He and I were here together once, in that long ago time. And then, all too soon, he was gone.”
“Why can’t I see him? Why isn’t he here, too?” Josh’s voice rose in anguish.
“As much as he wanted to show himself to you, he ceded his power to me. My need was greater, because my daughter never knew me. You know your father, Josh. So well, in fact, that you have striven to emulate him all the days of your life. And he remains with you forever.”
Her smile grew radiant. “He and I hoped, by bringing the two of you together in an idyllic setting, you would open yourselves to the love that is possible. Now that you have found it, the rest is up to you. But remember this. Love so easily found in paradise can be lost or squandered when the realities of the world intrude. Only the two of you can decide the final outcome.”
Before the last word was spoken, the woman’s image began to shimmer and fade.
“Wait. There’s so much more I need to know.” Grace reached out a hand, but like wisps of fog, the image dissipated and began drifting back across the dark waves until it was nothing more than a distant light.
As they continued to watch, the light flickered, then faded as it disappeared beneath the waves.
Before they could say a word they heard the sound of a plane coming in hard and fast.
The sky lightened, and they were startled to see the sun hanging low on the horizon. It was no longer nighttime, but late afternoon.
Grace was the first to speak. “That isn’t my supply plane.”
Josh stared in astonishment. “It’s one of ours. The one that’s been missing for days.”
The plane made a perfect landing on the water and rolled up to the dock. As soon as the door opened, Josh strode forward.
Marty was the first to step out, followed by the pilot, Brady Stewart, with the rest of the crew spilling out behind him.
“Where’ve you been?” Josh strode forward to meet them.
“Following you, buddy boy.” Marty removed his sunglasses and pointed. “Didn’t you hear us applauding you? That was a hell of a fine landing.”
“Landing?” Josh stared beyond the plane to see his own, bobbing in the water, tethered neatly to a buoy just offshore.
For the space of a heartbeat he couldn’t find his voice. When at last he spoke, his tone was incredulous. “Are you saying I just came down?”
Marty glanced at his watch. “Not five minutes ago.”
Josh looked at his own wrist and realized that his watch was now working perfectly. It read four-ten.
Grace stifled a cry and turned away, running blindly, with Barnaby following.
Brady Stewart chuckled. “Your agent warned us you’d manage to find some gorgeous model even in the wilderness. How’d you smuggle her in here?”
“We’ll talk later.” While the rest of the crew milled about, setting up camera equipment, Josh made a dash toward the cabin. When he stepped inside he saw the dog lying by the fire.
Grace was pacing the room. She looked up as he entered, and he saw the tears before she flew into his arms. Her words were muffled against his chest. “I was afraid I’d only imagined you as well.”
“Yeah. I had the same fear.” He ran a hand over her hair, down her back, as though to reassure himself that she was indeed real.
“What happened to us, Josh? Was all of this a dream?”
He gave a quick shake of his head. “We’ll need some time to figure it all out. But this much I know. It was no dream. Barnaby is real. So are those letters and pictures of your mother.” He took her mouth in a hot, fierce kiss. “And so is this.”
She returned his kiss with one of her own. On a sigh she stepped back. “But what do we do about it?”
He shrugged. “You heard your mother. Now we deal with our feelings in the real world.”
“But how can our love possibly survive? Our careers take us all over the world.”
He nodded. “That’s right. I have a contract to fulfill. A journey to take through the wilderness. And you have a photo essay to file.” He grinned. “I’ll be curious to see how you describe the mysterious legend of the lake now.”
She was silent a moment, imagining the possibilities. Her breath came out in a long, deep sigh. “With all these responsibilities, where does that leave us?”
He could hear the director shouting orders, and the voices of the crew drawing closer, and knew that there was precious little time left.
“If you’re willing, why not meet back here when we both complete our assignments? We’ll plan our future.”
“Our future.” At a sudden thought she glanced at the dog drowsing by the fire. “And Barnaby?”
“You heard Wyatt. He’ll make a boon companion on my journey. And when you and I are married, he’ll make a boon companion on our journey together.”
“Our journey together.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Oh, Josh. I never thought I’d welcome those words. But it’s what I want.”
Josh could hear Marty shouting for him. He gave her a quick, hard kiss. “You’ll be here when Barnaby and I return? No matter what?”
“No matter what. Count on it.”
“I love you, Grace Marin. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Against his mouth she whispered, “And I love you, too, Josh Cramer. Forever and always. Please take care of yourself. I’ll worry about you until we’re together again.”
“Don’t worry. We have angels watching out for us, remember?”
After one final kiss he whistled up the dog, and the two of them walked out the door.
Grace stood staring at the closed door, her head spinning. There was so much she didn’t understand and probably never would. But this much she knew without question. Through a series of events far stranger than anything she’d ever imagined, whether by magic, or mysticism, or simply the power of love, she’d just been granted her fondest wish. Now it would be up to her to write her own happy ending.
It would be a challenge. The world would do its best to intrude on paradise. But Grace didn’t have a doubt in the world that she and Josh would be up to the task. After all, they had some pretty amazing ancestors showing them the way. Best of all, they had love. As her mother had made perfectly clear, true love could overcome any obstacle, even death.
Feeling as strong as any warrior woman, she picked up her camera. Time to complete her assignment. No more would she be just passing through this world. She intended to get down to the business of living her life to the fullest. With Josh’s love as the beacon, the journey ahead was bright with promise.