looked up at him, her eyes slightly moist, but he knew she would mourn the loss of his gifts and status more than him. Snapping the box shut, she stood abruptly and picked up her purse.
“Call me if you change your mind.”
“I’ll do that,” Doug said, not bothering to rise. “Jerry will drive you home.”
He wasn’t so much of a bastard that he’d leave her at the restaurant with no way home. Watching her leave, he resolved not to bother settling again when it came to love. Picking up his wineglass, he motioned the waiter over, requesting Trisha’s place cleared away. Ordering dessert, he ignored the whispers from the other diners while waiting for Jerry to return.
As he walked into his apartment an hour later Doug decided a nightcap was in order before turning in. It had been a long evening and hadn’t ended the way he’d originally planned. Sitting down in a wing chair next to the gas fireplace in his den, he considered the important people in his life. His parents were already gone, and his sister had her own life. More than anything, he wanted a family of his own and the sense of belonging it brought.
Downing his drink, he thought maybe he’d go back to Vermont. A change of scene might do him good.
The ringing of his cellphone startled him out of his thoughts. He glanced down at the caller ID.
“Hey sis,” he said, “why are you calling so late?”
Laughter greeted him across the receiver.
“Hey big brother!” His sister Daphne’s voice sounded happy and just a little tipsy. “Guess what?”
“You’re coming out for a visit?” he asked, mentally kicking himself as soon as the words left his mouth. He didn’t want his sister to suspect he might be lonely.
“I’m engaged!” she screamed into the phone, making Doug wince and hold the receiver away from his ear. “Isn’t that fabulous?”
Doug grinned at her enthusiasm.
“Yeah sis, that’s great,” he said. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. The wedding will be next summer, and I want you to give me away.”
Doug swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.
“Of course, sweetie,” he said after realizing she couldn’t see him nod. “I’d be honored. Jackson is a lucky guy.”
A few minutes later he hung up, feeling more alone than ever. His baby sister was getting married. It wasn’t just them against the world anymore, not that it had been for years, but she’d always been a phone call away. While he was genuinely happy for her, he couldn’t help feeling a little jealous she’d found someone and had taken steps to starting her own family the same night his own plans had fallen apart.
Staring into the fire and feeling a little tipsy himself, Doug made a decision. He was done living his life according to others’ ideas of what he should be doing. He was going to return to the house his parents had left him in Vermont and become the country doctor he’d once planned before getting trapped in the Hollywood bullshit. He’d started to feel like he had been caught in an undertow and couldn’t breathe. Making the decision to leave it all behind lifted a weight from his shoulders he hadn’t realized had been holding him down.
Heading up the stairs to bed, he decided he’d tell Alan tomorrow it was over and wrap up his remaining projects. If all went well, he could be in Vermont by the end of the month. Shucking off his clothes and falling into bed, it wasn’t long until he was asleep and dead to the world.
While he slept, Doug had strange dreams that didn’t make any sense. He was in a misty place, and a beautiful woman stood nearby. She looked distressed, as if she’d lost something and seemed to be searching for it. Needing to comfort her, Doug tried to move nearer but found he couldn’t get close enough to touch her. She abruptly turned and stared directly into his eyes. The intensity of desire in that look hit him like a blow to the stomach.
She reached for him with outstretched hands, with a smile of joy he knew was meant for him. He ran toward her with his hands extended, but as he was about to touch her she disappeared, the old woman from the restaurant in her place.
Grabbing his hand before he could pull back, she surprised him with her strength. He felt her pulling him but couldn’t tell where they were going. It didn’t feel like a dream any longer.
He was alone in icy-cold blackness and slowly turned to see a silver light spilling out from some type of door. Just for a moment he caught a glimpse of the woman he’d been trying to reach, and it was enough to make him run toward the door. By the time he arrived she was gone again, and as he followed her through the doorway his whole body jolted as if from an electric shock.
It was the strangest dream he’d ever had, even more so because of how real it had seemed. Shivering, he pulled the covers up over his head, realizing the air outside the blankets was freezing cold.
Chapter 4
1868
Skipping into the house after grooming her horse and discussing breeding bloodlines with her uncle, Elizabeth stopped short at the sight of her aunt’s disapproving face.
“Elizabeth, must you wear that improper attire?” Aunt Mabel shook her graying head.
Elizabeth wore a pair of faded boys’ trousers which had once belonged to her uncle and a big old white shirt that puffed out around her. Her long, annoyingly curly blond hair was pulled back into a tight, practical bun on the top of her head, topped with a straw hat. She looked more like a boy than a woman, and no one would recognize her as the proper niece of John and Mabel Gates.
“It’s easier to work in, Auntie.” She grinned impudently. “Besides, think of the wear and tear I save on my dresses!”
“Well, I suppose it is practical for working in the stable, but I won’t have you eating supper at my table improperly attired. I insist you go upstairs and change before we sit down to eat.” Aunt Mabel was adamant. “Why your uncle ever encouraged you to wear men’s clothing, I’ll never understand. You are a lady, not a man, and it’s high time you remembered as much and started dressing the part!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Elizabeth said with a sigh, feeling a bit deflated as she turned toward the stairway.
Aunt Mabel was constantly airing her fears that Elizabeth would never find a husband. “Who would put up with a woman wearing men’s clothing?” she often asked. But Uncle John would laugh it off, saying that any man worth his salt wouldn’t care what she wore. So Elizabeth wore what she wanted.
Had her aunt protested more, Elizabeth would have caved to her wishes, but Aunt Mabel wanted her to be happy. While she didn’t exactly encourage her dress, she usually didn’t nag her about it, either. Elizabeth wondered what had sent her aunt in a tizzy about her attire when she normally turned a blind eye.
“Elizabeth, you have a visitor,” Aunt Mabel said. “That’s why I called you in early. I’ll entertain him while you change.”
That explained Aunt Mabel’s manner. It wasn’t that she was asking her to change–it was how nervous her aunt seemed. She kept glancing back in the direction of the parlor as if their mysterious visitor
