Clean Inspirational Romance: Escape to Paradise (Inspirational Happy Sweet First Love Second Chance Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Love Inspired Holiday Short Stories) (24 page)

The crowd cheered after the dancers bowed on top of the stage. It was the final act of the day. Now, the dancers would make their rounds around the tables and try to get clients for the night. Jane, however, looked pretty anxious. She had spotted Brian from on top the stage, and quickly rushed to his side. The sight of her long, brown hair waving behind her made him forget everything about his worries. From now on he only had to worry spending time with her.

“There you are then. My own, Private hero,” she giggled on the little pun she accidentally made. “Well, how about a dance to thank you properly?”

Brian wasn’t in the mood for a dance, but he also wasn’t able to let her down. He nodded, and the small girl suddenly pulled him close to the wooden stage. A bunch of men were being pulled on the stage by the other dancers. Soon, it was crowded enough up there that nothing could stay secret between the tenants.

“So, where have you been, soldier? I’ve been looking for you for ages.”

Brian smiled at her. “I just got inside. Why you were looking for me? Did something bad happen to you?”

“No, not at all. I just wanted to see you. I never had the chance to thank you properly back there. I was exhausted last night and just fell asleep. By the time I woke up, you were gone.”

“Well, I can’t abandon my duties back in the fort. I had to go back.”

“Yeah, of course. I just wanted to see you sooner, that’s all. Also, I hope I didn’t cause you any trouble.”

“No, not at all.”

After Brian said that, Jane seemed to feel bad that she kept him by her side for so long last night. But Brian hadn’t finished talking yet. “But, don’t worry. My friends were in worse position than me. I had something to think about during the whole day, someone that kept me going on, and they didn’t.”

“Who was that?”

“You. The fact I’d probably see you tonight. That’s all I wanted. It made the day so light.”

They were looking each other in the eyes, their faces ever getting closer. Soon, Brian could feel her breathing in his thick mustache, and their noses were touching each other.

“Will it be rude if I kiss you right now?”

“You will be rude if you
don’t
kiss me right now,” Jane said and suddenly pulled him closer to her, their lips pressing. Their kiss felt so natural, like the next step of a dance. When their lips parted, Brian was left breathless. He was hungry for more, but Jane stopped him.

“Let’s get outside. I don’t want the rest dancers seeing me kissing with you. It’s kind of...unprofessional.”

They walked for hours, talking about many things. Jane shared more details of her life—her early years with her ex-husband, and how she dreamed of being a singer. She was always a good dancer, and her voice was good enough for people to ask her sing for them, but after marrying, her husband wanted to start a family.

But, on their way to her husband’s hometown, her husband saw the fort of this town, and got swept up in dreams of greatness. That’s why one morning, Jane woke up to an empty bed. Her husband had left her behind, trapped in strange town, far from her home.

Brian, on the other hand, was a simple man, one that felt the need to protect his country. He was still unmarried, and his parents were long dead. He had spent his whole life to a small village in the north, and after a particularly harsh winter, his parents didn’t survive. So, he was pretty used to staying alone with his thoughts, even before war started. But, after seeing all the problems a war can cause to humanity, he started being even more shut in himself.

Well, until he met her the other day. Since then, he seemed never to get enough of her talking.

“That’s so sweet, and you’re a sweet man. But, we can’t be together. I’m a dancer and you’re a soldier. What will people say?”

“I don’t care about people. I only care about you. Until yesterday you didn’t even remember my name, not even after sharing it with you only hours before that incident, but today it seems like it’s the sweetest thing that comes out of your mouth.”

Her eyes gleamed in his sayings, feeling really emotional towards him. However, Brian was not over yet.

“I haven’t shared everything with you yet. My commanding officers asked me to return to the front, this time as a corporal. They want me to guide a company of privates there, train them and prepare them for battle. I’m thinking of accepting. It’s a great honor for me, and I can’t turn it down. But, if you asked me, if you want me to stay here, then I would be willing to sacrifice my will and my wishes and follow you.”

She was standing with her hand clenching her mouth. “You...you’re asking for too much Brian. I can’t decide your fate, not after knowing you for just a couple days. After all, a soldier’s honor it’s his best trait. I can’t take that away from you. But also, I can’t love you if you’re gone. Why do you have to leave again? Can’t you stay here and just be a private? You’ll also be safe and you won’t have to risk your life every day.”

“You’re right, I don’t want to go, I don’t want to return to the battlefield, but by refusing now it’s like I’m accepting a fate worse than defeat. People will call me a coward, and even as I remain a soldier of the union army, I won’t have any future here. But, I won’t care as long you’re by my side.  Maybe it is too soon, but I just wanted to let you know before anyone else.”

Jane sighed. She wasn’t sure how to reply to him. “How long before you let them know of your decision?”

“Hours. Just hours. And if I accept, I have to leave at first light.”

“It’s not fair! I just met you!”

Her emotions swirling, she suddenly slapped him. The sound of her hand hurting his face echoed around. Without saying another thing, she just ran back into the saloon.

*****

When Two Hearts Meet

The next morning, Brian was waiting in front of the heavy gate of the fort with a big bag of things on his back. Prepared for a long journey ahead, he was standing with his back straight and tense.
It seemed like ages ago that I first passed through this gate to get here. Now, so soon after, I leave again.

Corporal Jones and Sergeant Daniels were waiting for him there. “I’m really glad you decided to accept our proposition Corporal. I can’t think of a better man to undertake this job than you.” Jones and Brian were now of the same rank, so the latter didn’t have to salute him every time they talked.

“Thank you sir. Your words truly honor me. I hope I do them justice.”

“I’m sure you will. Be careful though, and be sure to come back safe from the front lines.” The man saluted him, a sign of honor between two same ranked officers. Brian saluted him back.

Sergeant Daniels started talking now. “I don’t know you well, Corporal Campbell, but from what I’ve seen, I’m sure you’ll do a damn fine job there. Go on now, I don’t want to keep you from your journey.” They saluted each other and then Brian turned his back and started his journey.

He knew that he was a long way from the front lines, but this time he was prepared for what lay ahead. In fact, he was almost prepared from what lay ahead.

Walking towards town, Brian was thinking of what happened last night. After Jane slapped him, Brian thought of following her back inside. However, while they were talking to each other, Brian figured that he had already decided what he had to do, even before meeting with Jane.

He didn’t have any choice at all. Either he stayed with her and condemned her to live a life on the move, going from town to town while trying to find a job and start a family; or fulfill his duty and try to return back home alive, with his honor intact.

Walking away from the fort, it was time for him to head towards the town. It was still too early for people to wander on the streets, but you could spot a couple of men already rushing to their jobs.
It seems life will goes on without me.
At times like this, Brian couldn’t help but feel the sting of jealousy inside his heart. After all, he was the one who had chosen to leave everything behind for honor. But right now he wasn’t so sure if that was the right choice.

At war, conviction can be a lethal weapon, but also a mighty shield, and Brian wasn’t feeling that conviction inside him anymore. Especially while he was passing in front of the saloon. His gut wrenched after seeing the shady building for the last time. Without even realizing it, he was standing right in front of it, not able to make another step.

What would happen if I went in and asked her to come with me? We could run away, and no one would chase us. Probably they’d think that I died on my way there, in an ambush of some sort. Things like that happen all the time. What then?

He sighed, trying to calm down and think it out clearly. Brian was barely holding back from taking one step closer to the saloon, but he knew that if he did that, then it would be no turning back. It was either moving forward, or side-tracking to the saloon and away from his duties. But, at the same time, he couldn’t move.

You have to decide. It’s now or never. Either you stay with her and run away together, or you run away from her and don’t ever turn back. It’s simple as that.

“Brian...”

He heard a woman’s voice coming from behind him. Usually, he wouldn’t fuss about it, but this particular voice had something special.

He turned and saw her, standing there with black circles below a pair of slightly red eyes.
She must have spent her night crying.
Brian threw down his bag and quickly rushed to her side. He hugged her like never before, his hands embracing not only his body, but also her soul.

“Jane, what are you doing here?”

Her voice was shattered, weak. “I...I didn’t want to let you go without a proper goodbye.”

Brian felt a warm feeling on his chest. “Are you...crying? Is everything okay? Did something happen?”

“Everything happened. Everything and nothing. You came here and made me fall for you, and now you leave so soon, never to return. I can’t say a thing to you, I can’t make you change your mind, but do you realize what have you done to me? My job is to entertain men like you, to seduce them and ask them for money to buy my affection. But, how can I keep doing that if I’m in love with a man on the front lines? Can you answer me that Brian?”

Jane started hitting him in the chest, slowly making him feel bad. “I don’t have an answer to give you Jane, I only have a promise. I promise that I’ll stay alive, and one day come back to you and free you from this prison. I promise that I’ll keep thinking of you every day while I’m away, on the battlefield. I’ll count the days until we meet each other again.

“I know that what I give you is not too much. And I know that a promise is only words and words are easily forgotten. But for me it is more than that. It’s like our hearts met each other yesterday, and when two hearts meet, they both leave scars on each other, scars that are simple signs of love. I’ll keep those signs deep into my heart and come back to you. That, I promise.”

Jane had stopped crying. She was just looking him in the eyes, until she suddenly pulled him closer to her and started kissing him. Like the night before, their kiss was full with emotions and sentiments of love and passion. But this time, Brian could also taste the saltiness of her tears in their kiss. When they stopped, she looked at him and smiled.

“I hope I will see you again.”

She also smiled at him and replied: “You’d better, since if you don’t, I’ll come and find you.”

After half a day’s walk, he arrived at the same place they had camped last time. He couldn’t keep his tears from running, but this time he clearly knew that things were different. He wasn’t crying because he was heading to the battlefield, but because he had found his conviction once again. The conviction to fight, the conviction to protect and love. That was his weapon and his shield this time, and he knew that because of it, he would return to his Jane alive.

Right then, Brian realized that the last time he was there, he felt so fond of his other home, the one he had to leave when he enlisted in the army. But this time things were different. This time, he also realized that he had found a new home, one in the middle of nowhere, in a thriving city behind a strong fort. Brian finally realized that his new home was next to Jane, protecting her and cherishing her.

So, before leaving from that place he called home, he grinned at the mountains that were beyond town, taking a good look at them. With his heart now free from its burdens, Brian started his trip to the front lines.

Until I see you again, my love.

The End

Bonus Story 7 of 10

The sound of clapping was distant, the music as if it were a dream. The people moved in blurs, the color of the dresses and suits a complex stroke of paint on a canvas. I knew they all laughed and spoke in delighted tones. The candles all burned low in their holders.

But as I stood there, fixated to the wall like a crystal sconce, there was only one face, one shape, that I saw. Her gait was light and easy, and her smile put the brilliance of the stars themselves to shame. I shifted uncomfortably as she laughed heartily, spinning around, the music guiding her along.

And then she glanced over the head of her partner, and her eyes met mine. Eyes bright like the color of the night sky as the sun dips below the horizon. She beamed, and I felt myself return the gesture, unable to control it. It was just so contagious, so perfect.

And so familiar.

Miss Grace Fletcher was always a bit unorthodox. She would climb trees in the orchard in the summer, her bare feet dirtier than my own. She would chase the chickens from the coop just so she could laugh at the way they ran from her. The maids never knew who it was that continually stole bread from the windowsills, but she would take it in order to feed the ducks at the pond behind their estate, insisting the ducklings were famished.

I smirked as she clapped along with the other guests as the song came to an end. A loose auburn curl hung from her tightly wound plait behind her head, but she didn’t notice or care. And even if she did, I knew that she wouldn’t attempt to right it. 

It won’t matter; my hair is entirely rebellious. I could simply cut it all off of my head and it would still find a way to be out of place.

She wound her way through the crowd until she had reached me, bowing at guests as she passed by them. I folded my arms over my chest and smiled as one particularly obstinate guest pursued her, detained by a particularly oblivious group of women who were caught up in an excited discussion. Entirely oblivious to it, she came to my side and collapsed against the wall, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

“Well aren’t you just the picture of tall, dark, and brooding?”

I smiled. “Whatever do you mean? Do my garments not please the lady?”

“Not when the color of them and your hair are one in the same. Did you bathe in ink before you arrived here this evening?”

I shook my head, unable to suppress a laugh. I turned my attention back to the room. The gentleman still struggled with the obstacle, and his face grew more and more distressed. “Your father must be pleased with the turnout this evening.”

Her playful smile was quickly replaced with a scowl. “Not unless he gets his way–”

“Miss Fletcher!” The young man reached us finally and folded himself into a low bow. She glanced up at me, a small smile disappearing from her lips the moment that he looked up at her. “Miss Fletcher, I hoped that I might have the next dance with you.”

I tried not to laugh as she replied with a wide smile. “My good sir, I greatly appreciate your offer, but I am weary from the last few dances, and must apologize that I am already spoken for this evening.”

I felt the soft touch of her gloved hand as she placed it against the sleeve of my jacket.

“Truly, I am honored that you asked me,” she added.

I reached over and placed my hand over her gloved one, a small sign of affection. Those who knew us would recognize it as an innocent gesture of our childhood friendship; those who did not would assume it to be more.

How often had we enacted the same scenario? Time and time again, when participating in these grand balls that her father arranged, we silently aided one another when approached by a possible suitor. It frustrated her father to no end, since the entire point of these balls was to find a proper husband for her and her sisters.

You can’t hide behind Oliver forever, my dear, he would say. Someday you will be married, and you will have to say goodbye to him.

But she would just laugh and kiss him on the cheek, her long hair hanging loosely over her shoulders and walk away. He would look up at me, and sigh. I understood. She was just not to be reasoned with.

The suitor blinked a few times at her before regaining his composure. He bowed his head once more, far less extravagantly than before. “I see. Well, thank you, my lady, for your time.”

And then he turned away, and made his way back through the crowd.

She sighed once more and blew a stray curl from her face. “I do wonder if there is an end to all of these men my father has found.”

I smiled. “Who was this one?”

She shook her head. “I believe this was the banker from London with a garden as big as our entire estate.” She watched as he continued to walk away, her brow furrowed. I allowed a few moments of silence to pass.

“What are you thinking, dear lady?” I questioned.

She slowly looked up at me.

“When was the last time you called me a lady? I’ve now heard you speak the word twice in a matter of moments!” she retorted.

I laughed. “Well you certainly are playing the role well this evening,” I replied. And she was. Her dress was a pale yellow, like a tulip in late April. It was simple, which she would have demanded of her seamstress, and was adorned with ivory ribbons and lace. “You look quite handsome.”

Suddenly I saw a six-year-old Grace staring up at me, her face contorted into an expression of playful shock. “Such unabashed flattery, Mr. Gale. How dare you lie to me so?” She laughed into her gloved hand, the sound as familiar to me as my own breathing. “Truly, those are kind words. Thank you, Oliver.”

“There you are!” Grace and I turned, and discovered a haughty looking Mrs. Fletcher standing before us. She barely came up to my shoulders, with dark hair like freshly tilled soil tied behind her head in a tight knot. Her cheekbones were prominent on her wide face, giving her the appearance of an irritated bird.

“Mother,” Grace said flatly, and curtsied slightly. Her mother’s brow furrowed.

“Why, pray tell, have you turned down yet another man? Your sister said the mason was such a pleasant fellow. Your father insisted that he was amiable and the heir to a large sum!”

It was with obvious effort that Grace refrained from rolling her eyes. “Mother, my dear father has introduced every man he wishes me to marry in such a manner.”

Mrs. Fletcher scoffed at her daughter. “Really now, you act as if there is a line out of the door of suitors for you.” She sighed and tucked a loose dark curl behind her ear,  She looked down at the embroidered kerchief in her small hands. “At least you can still be introduced to the banker –”

“I’m sorry, Mother, but I have met him as well.” She tensed slightly as she awaited her mother’s response.

Having known the Fletcher family for as long as I had, prepared me for the interactions gone awry with Grace’s mother. Her eyes had grown wide.

“When did you meet him?” Her voice remained calm, however I assumed it was due to the number of guests in the room.

Grace looked up at me for a moment. “Just a moment before you came to speak with me.”

The restraint was evident on her mother’s face. “And what about him was not agreeable?”

Grace shrugged her shoulders, her eyes not fixing on any particular place. “He’s not the right type.” She hesitated. “His hair was too neat.”

Mrs. Fletcher blinked once, then twice. “I beg your pardon?” Her cheeks grew red.

Grace folded her arms across her chest. “It was too perfect. Surely he then must execute that level of care on many levels, and then he would expect it of me as well. There is no earthly way I can live up to such stands. I’m far more fit for a lowly farmhand who expects little and has little.”

Exasperated, her mother threw her hands into the air. “You cannot be serious!”

“Perfectly,” Grace replied, the picture of composure.

Even I was not certain if Grace was simply toying with her mother.

A few moments passed where the only sound was the general hum of the voices of the guests and the music mingling together. Mrs. Fletcher cleared her throat, and surprisingly, turned to address me.

“Mr. Gale, it has come to my attention that you are acquainted with a certain physician who lives in Brighton?”

My heart skipped. “I believe that you are speaking of Mr. Montgomery?”

Mrs. Fletcher beamed, her recent frustration fading like the mist on a bright morning. “The very same. Your mother informed me of his presence here this evening, and of his temporary residence with you and your family.”

It was puzzling; if she already knew him, then why did she ask me?

She turned back to Grace, who had become quite still, her eyes fixated on the hem of her dress.

“And, I have been happily informed that he is also single.”

Grace’s eyes snapped up, her hands curling into fists. “Mother, you haven’t.”

“Whatever do you mean, my dear?” Her mouth curled into a wry smile. “He seems very interested in meeting Oliver’s old childhood friend.”

Grace looked indignant.

“Come with me, he is waiting with Mrs. Gale over with your father.” And she promptly grabbed Grace’s hand and pulled her along back through the crowd of people.

I felt a sudden, tight grip on my own wrist, and before I fully realized, I was being pulled along after the two of them. Grace looked over her shoulder at me, her eyes wide and her mouth in a taut, thin line.

*****

As she dragged me along through the guests, entirely without her mother’s knowledge, I realized that Mrs. Fletcher must have anticipated Grace’s refusal of all of the men they had lined up for her to meet this evening. I realized that it must be why she had set up an introduction with Mr. Montgomery, and why she wasn’t giving her a choice.

Her cunning knew no bounds, I thought. For all of the things she did not understand about her daughter, she certainly was perceptive of her evasive nature, and of her opinion of men in general.

I felt Grace’s grip on my wrist tighten as her father came into view in the corner of the large ballroom. A grouping of lounges surrounded a round glass table, with thin glass flutes of golden wine scattered around. Her father, a tall, thin man with a balding head sat beside my mother, a short, blonde woman wearing a dress of unconventional red. They laughed at something the handsome, green-eyed man had said. He appeared as if he had just arrived from Ireland.

He was a man very different from me, and not just in the way we looked. He was poised, successful, and naturally gifted in the art of socializing. He traveled, and he had experienced many other cultures. Women always seemed to be drawn to his amiable character. He was by no means a simple man.

So it surprised me when Grace’s hold on my wrist slackened.

As we approached the settees, the three who sat rose to their feet.

“Ah, there is my dear friend!” Edwin said and held his glass up to me. “Where have you been hiding all evening? There have been so many nice young ladies to dance the night away with!”

All those gathered laughed, and I smiled. But Grace remained silent. Her eyes were fixed on Edwin’s face, and for the very first time in my life, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

Mr. Fletcher crossed to us, even as Edwin did, and gestured to the gentleman beside him. “Mr. Montgomery, may I present to you my daughter, Miss Grace Fletcher.”

Grace presented her hand, and Edwin took it in his own. He was gentle, and smooth. He bowed down until his face was just above her hand. But his eyes were fixated on Grace’s face. And Grace never looked away from him. He ever so softly kissed the top of her hand, and smiled a wide smile.

Something in the pit of my stomach tightened.

“It is an honor to meet a lady of such high regard,” he said.

Grace’s face split into an easy, relaxed smile, and I could only stare at her. What on earth was happening?

“Truly the honor is mine, Mr. Montgomery.” And I could not detect even the smallest amount of sarcasm or hesitation in her voice. She seemed genuinely…pleased.

I was baffled, and I could not understand why. The gentleman certainly was handsome and very charming. There were few who met him who were not affected by his ability to make others feel comfortable. Even I had instantly found him a perfectly decent companion when we first had met. We had spent quite a few winters together when his parents came up from the coast to be able to wait out the cold months away from the icy ocean winds and weather. He was a hard worker, and would help me with whatever work had to be done when he was around. And he was someone I genuinely enjoyed spending time in the evenings with after spending the dark, cold days in town when the women desired to stay in.

Edwin stood up and straightened his jacket. He clapped me on the shoulder, which took me entirely off guard.

“Mr. Gale, how have you not introduced me to your delightful friend before now?” He gestured to Grace who stood beside me. She smiled again. And was that…color in her cheeks?

Something was very peculiar.

I turned my attention back to Edwin. “I – I don’t quite know. I suppose that we just never crossed paths, nor had it crossed my mind.”