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    Dreams From The Past
    Dreams From The Past
    Dreams From The Past
    Ebook165 pages2 hours

    Dreams From The Past

    By Linda Wisdom

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    About this ebook

    Who could have guessed? When model Kelly James went to Australia it was to fulfill her father’s dying wish by seeing the woman who had been his first love, Maureen Cassidy. All she had to do was deliver the long ago letters Maureen had sent to Kelly’s father.

    How could she have known that in Maureen's son Jake she would find a love to last forever? Cattle rancher Jake was everything she had ever wanted in a man, and she longed to be the wife he turned to. But how could she convince him that she was the one woman for him when he insisted on seeing her as the playgirl she had never been?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLinda Wisdom
    Release dateApr 10, 2017
    ISBN9781370580477
    Dreams From The Past
    Author

    Linda Wisdom

    Linda Wisdom has published more than 70 novels with 13 million copies sold worldwide including traditional, paranormal, humor, action/adventure romance, and romantic suspense. Her bestselling books have been nominated for Romantic Times awards and the Romance Writers of America Rita Award. She lives with her husband in Murrieta, California.

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      Book preview

      Dreams From The Past - Linda Wisdom

      Dreams from the Past

      by

      Linda Wisdom

      * * * * *

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Linda Wisdom on Joyride Books

      Dreams from the Past

      Copyright © 2017 by Linda Wisdom

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

      * * * * *

      Dreams From the Past

      Chapter One

      The hospital corridor was deserted as the young woman wearing a cashmere coat hurried toward one of the rooms at the end of the hall. Spying a man lounging against the wall, she halted in front of him, an anxious expression marring her elegant face.

      Kyle, how is he? she asked breathlessly, touching the man's arm with delicate fingers.

      It’s not good, he replied grimly. That's why the doctor asked us to come. He doesn't think Dad will last through the night. This last attack was a bad one.

      The young woman pulled off her tan-colored fur hat and unbuttoned her coat, shrugging it off. Long, wavy honey-colored hair cascaded freely to her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face and highlighting her luminous turquoise eyes.

      Her oatmeal-colored wool dress clung to her slender curves, showing just enough slender leg encased in dark brown suede high heeled boots. A coffee brown soft leather belt hugged her trim waist, with an ornate gold pendant as her only jewelry. Even with the evidence of strain. And tension on her face she was still breathtakingly beautiful. Her expressive eyes shimmered with unshed tears at the thought of the vital, warm, and loving man, her father, lying helpless in a nearby hospital bed.

      Kelly. The young man took her out of her thoughts. Dad's been asking for you for the past hour. He wants to talk to you alone.

      Kelly smiled fondly at her twin brother, Kyle. When they were together, their easy grace and unusual coloring always earned them a second glance from passersby. She moved slowly to the door, turned the handle and walked quietly into the hospital room. Her heart sank as she gazed down at the dark-haired man lying waxen against the white sheets. What happened to her strong vibrant father?

      Hello, princess, he said feebly, holding out a hand. I thought you'd be in Jamaica by now, lying in the sun and breaking all the men's hearts.

      Now, why would I want to go to Jamaica when I can stay here with my favorite man? Kelly asked lightly, sinking down into the chair next to the bed. I thought you had promised us you’d stay away from hospitals for awhile. I was hoping you would come to Jamaica with me so you could lie in the sun yourself and get away from all of this horrible snow.

      Ross James viewed his daughter with loving eyes. To this day I still wonder if the hospital made a mistake with you and Kyle, he murmured. No one else on either side of the family has eyes that color.

      You shouldn't talk so much, she chided; Not when I'm finally sitting down with a captive audience and can chatter away to my heart's content.

      Her father smiled, knowing only too well that his daughter could never be described as an idle chatterbox. I have something to say; then you can talk-my ear off, if you'd like, he told her: First, why don't you bring me that manila envelope on that table over there.

      Standing up, Kelly walked with fluid grace to the table her father had indicated and looked down at a dog-eared and discolored envelope. Picking it up, she carried it back and handed it to her father.

      Family secrets? she asked with a smile.

      More like ancient secrets, considering your tender years, Ross replied: He struggled to sit up, and his daughter hurriedly-assisted him. His expression was unreadable as he looked down at the envelope in his hands. As you know, during World War Two I convalesced in an army hospital in New Zealand. That land-mine explosion had done quite a bit of damage and I was laid up for a long time. But there's something I never told anyone. Until now.

      Kelly sat quietly, waiting for her father to continue.

      During that painful period when I was learning to walk again, I was not the easiest patient to deal with, I can assure you, Ross said wryly. In fact, the only thing that kept me going was a saucy nurse's aide who worked in the hospital several days a week.

      His eyes were looking far away into the past.

      Maureen Kilpatrick….Irish from the top-of her glossy dark head to the tips of her toes. When I was finally released from the hospital, I spent my leave in New Zealand with Maureen, and I fell in love with her. As far as I was concerned, being with her was the next best thing to being in heaven. It didn't take long for me to realize I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and I asked her to marry me.

      Did something happen to her, Daddy? Kelly asked in a low voice, laying her hand on her father's arm.

      No. He sighed. Well, not exactly. It also didn't take long for us to discover we had equally stubborn natures; we had a foolish argument where neither of us would give in to the other. We said words that couldn't be taken back. Maureen went away to her family's home, and I was shipped back to the States to receive my medical discharge. Kelly sat quietly as her father paused for a moment. When I returned home, I realized how silly our argument had been and wrote to Maureen, begging her to reconsider and marry me. I loved her too deeply to give her up. And for six months I waited vainly for her reply. When I didn't receive one by then, I figured that she had only thought of me as a wartime romance and had already forgotten me. It wasn't long afterward that I met your mother and married her. He shifted uncomfortably in his bed, a spasm of pain crossing his features. It was then that I finally received Maureen's letter. For some insane reason my letter had been delayed in the mails, and so had her reply. She wrote that she loved me very much and still wanted to marry me.

      Oh Daddy, Kelly whispered, gripping his hand.

      Ross smiled faintly. I didn't know what to do. I loved your mother, but I still loved Maureen, too. The hardest thing I ever did was to write to her about my marriage. I was feeling pretty low as it was, what with the war in full swing and me home, still suffering from a game leg. Five months later I received a short note saying that she had married a cattle rancher and was moving to New South Wales. She wished me the best of luck with my marriage. The rest you know. Michael was born; then; some years later, you and Kyle came along.

      You never forgot her, though, did you? Kelly asked softly.

      Maureen was very special to me. Ross smiled. I kept track of her through the years because, for whatever reason, I hated to lose sight of her completely. Her husband died five years ago. She has two sons; one is in charge of the ranch now, and doing very well.

      Why didn't you contact her? Go see her? Mother was gone; there wouldn't have been any harm in it now. We would have understood, she said gently.

      I was afraid Maureen wouldn't see me or, worse yet, would have forgotten me, he said wryly. A lot of years have gone by. But lately I've thought more and more about her. That's why I want you to do something for me: He opened the envelope and pulled out a photograph, handing it to Kelly. Maureen, Ross said simply.

      Kelly studied the black-and-white photo, which showed a smiling young woman of nineteen or twenty looking up at a younger version of her father in an army uniform. The expressions on their faces told her everything else she needed to know; they had loved each other deeply.

      There are also some letters Maureen wrote to me. She couldn't bear the thought of my not receiving mail while I was in the hospital, so she would write me every night. I kept the mail. I also have her present address in there. Ross took the photograph back from his daughter. Kelly, I'm asking you to take these letters back to Maureen. They’ll show her that I never forgot her, even after all these years.

      Do you really think that's a good idea? Kelly asked hesitantly. It's been so long perhaps you'd be better off burning them, or just mailing them back to her.

      No, I want them returned to her in person, he said firmly. Kelly, I'm not just asking you; I'm begging you to do this for me. We both know there's no way I'll be able to go there, myself. Go to Australia, see Maureen, and give her letters back to her.

      Wouldn't Kyle be better at this? she asked. He's the diplomat in the family, not me.

      Ross gave a faint smile. Kyle may have a way with words, but he's also very fickle when it comes to the subject of women and romance. He'd never understand how strongly I feel about this.

      Kelly returned his smile, knowing all too much about the long succession of girlfriends her twin had had in the past few years.

      Please, Kelly. Ross's eyes pleaded with her. Go to her. See her.

      Well, I'll see what I can do. She reluctantly accepted the envelope her father held out to her. Silently, she wondered if she was doing the right thing in bringing up memories that were almost forty years old.

      *****

      Some hours later, Kelly was looking out at the falling snow from a window in her father's small house. Her cheeks bore traces of recent tears as she thought that he would never again see his home, whose rooms he had filled with antiques and fireplaces and his own irreplaceable warmth.

      I wonder what we should do now. Kyle's quiet voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to look at her twin.

      We can't think of ourselves now, Kyle, Kelly replied.

      Kyle flopped down a careless sprawl in a large chair, draping one long leg over the arm. His honey-blonde hair, usually so carefully styled, showed signs of the agitated fingers that had raked through the thick strands, yet his cream-colored slacks and navy V-necked sweater were as impeccable as they had been when he put them on eighteen hours earlier

      Although his features were definitely masculine, he was a mirror image of Kelly, his large, expressive, deep turquoise eyes framed with dark, thick lashes just as hers were. Kyle picked up a magazine and flipped rapidly through the pages. He stopped at one page and flicked a finger against the shiny paper.

      What about this, sister dear? He arched a questioning eyebrow at her.

      Kelly walked over and picked up the magazine, gazing down at the picture Kyle had pointed out, a picture that was so familiar to her. The early evening sky formed a back drop for a winged horse, flying off toward the rising moon, while a young man and woman, dressed in the colorful clothing popular with the clubbing set, walked along the beach. Kelly and Kyle, looking as if they didn't have a care in the world.

      Pegasus for today. She took in the bright yellow lettering at the bottom of the page and read the caption aloud. It's amazing how something as silly as this can sell clothing all over the world.

      We are what sell those clothes, Kyle drawled lazily. People buy them hoping they'll look like us. Women hoping to catch a gorgeous guy like me.

      Conceited lout, Kelly said affectionately. She dispassionately viewed her reflection in the ornate mirror that hung on the wall behind her. There was no vanity in her gaze. Kelly knew she was beautiful, but she also knew that outer beauty wasn't as meaningful as inner beauty, no matter how many clothes the former was capable of selling.

      Her honey-colored hair was skillfully cut to frame her face before falling past her shoulders in a careless style, but it was still long enough to be coiled back and out of the way in a smooth knot. Her skin was golden, and her brightly shining turquoise eyes were her trademark.

      "Now, as to this request of Dad's, you're not really going

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