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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  A Fort Before Time

  Also by Kathryn Kaleigh

  A Wedding on Time

  A Misplaced in Time Short Story

  Kathryn Kaleigh

  Chapter 1

  I fiddled with the skirt of my organza wedding gown.

  The stylist at the bridal store called the color ivory. To me it was white. And very traditional.

  It had a long flowing skirt with a light gauzy layer over the top. The long sleeves and high neck were also made of the same light material.

  Though it was August, I wasn’t the least bit hot.

  It helped that there was a light breeze coming off the Cumberland River. It also helped that we were standing beneath the shade of a large oak tree.

  Almost everyone else gathered in the park was wearing shorts.

  I pushed away the feeling of being out of place.

  I was doing this for all the right reasons.

  My fiancé stood next to me.

  Thomas.

  Thomas was a good guy.

  He would take care of my sister.

  He’d already signed the paperwork.

  My attorney assured me that it was ironclad.

  From this point on, everything was in place.

  I didn’t have to worry.

  That’s what everyone said.

  I did worry, of course.

  It’s what big sisters did.

  It was that sense of responsibility that had gotten me here.

  Standing in the park. Wearing a wedding dress.

  Thomas was obsessed with the night sky. He wasn’t an astronomer, though he should have been.

  It was that love of everything stars and moon, that he’d picked today for our wedding.

  It just happened that his friend was a justice of the peace who’d agreed to come out today in the middle of the day to marry us. His name was Milton something. I couldn’t remember his last name.

  The three of us stood here waiting.

  Waiting on that hour when the “Great American Eclipse” would happen.

  This was a once in a lifetime thing.

  And I was lucky to get to experience it.

  Everyone had on big dark glasses.

  Me included.

  It didn’t do much for my fairy princess look.

  I was starting to get tired.

  Not unusual. I was always tired in the middle of the day.

  But today there would be no nap.

  I lifted my big white rimmed sunshades and looked across the park.

  I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed that it was getting a little bit darker.

  The children had stopped running and had joined their parents.

  Milton looked at Thomas.

  “It’s time,” Milton said.

  Thomas took my hand and together we turned to stand in front of Milton.

  It was unfortunate I felt no spark with Thomas.

  He really was a kind man.

  He’d been wanting to marry me forever. He’d waited for me through boyfriend after boyfriend.

  But when I got sick, he was the one who was there.

  The guilt was something I would have to live with.

  But he was the one who’d offered to take care of my little sister.

  Forever.

  I’d always heard that caregivers often tended to get sick before those they were taking care of.

  Turns out, in my case, they were right.

  I’d been so busy taking care of my sister that I’d neglected taking care of myself.

  My immune system had suffered.

  And here I was.

  The doctors said I could get better.

  With rest.

  And exercise.

  There was a fine line between the two.

  A balance I had yet to put my finger on. Apparently it was a moving target.

  At any rate, I was no longer able to care for my sister.

  I was on the verge of putting her in an institution when Thomas stepped up and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

  It was starting to look a bit like late afternoon.

  We hadn’t brought any family with us. It was what I thought of as a planned elopement.

  Under other circumstances, it could have been rather fun and even romantic.

  I smiled up at Thomas.

  He smiled back and squeezed my hand.

  “Ready?” he asked for my ears only.

  I shook my head, then nodded.

  I didn’t see any other options.

  Not any viable options anyway.

  And I had to do something.

  Milton was talking now. Winding up for the traditional vows.

  But he paused as it became twilight.

  No one was talking now.

  The quietness added to the eeriness of the sudden sunset in the middle of the day.

  Thomas let go of my hand so he could shade his eyes with both his hands.

  I suddenly needed to sit down.

  I took a step back and leaned against the tree. The rough bark would snag my dress, but it couldn’t be helped.

  I closed my eyes for just a moment.

  Took a deep breath.

  If I could just rest for a minute, I could get through this.

  When I opened my eyes a few seconds later, it was even darker.

  Intrigued, I pushed away from the tree and watched the sky.

  It looked like nightfall.

  That time just before dark.

  It was like a sunset, only faster.

  The breeze from the river fluttered my dress and tossed a lock of hair into my eyes.

  “Mikala?” Thomas asked from behind me.

  Right. I was supposed to be getting married.

  I turned around and looked at him in the rapidly increasing darkness.

  He looked so… hopeful.

  I couldn’t do it.

  I couldn’t marry him.

  Chapter 2

  It was dark now.

  And my eyes hadn’t had time to adjust.

  There was a low murmur coming from the people who’d gathered in the park to watch the eclipse.

  Both young and old seemed to be spellbound by the sudden darkness.

  I was a little bit dizzy, but that was nothing unusual.

  Dizziness and fatigue were constant battles these days.

  Maybe if I just left.

  Now.

  While it was dark.

  It would be hard to make a scene when there was no light.

  I gathered up my skirts and turned around to do just that.

  But I couldn’t do it.

  I couldn’t not marry Thomas.

  He’d already agreed to take care of my sister.

  I fisted my hands in my skirts and stood my ground.

  Milton was speaking, just as planned.

  “Do you take this man…”

  Thomas reached out for me.

  I took a step backward towards the sturdy tree trunk, my nails digging into the rough trunk.

  Then it was dark.

  I couldn’t see anything.

  My eyes didn’t have time to adjust to the darkness.

  Then just as quickly, it was light.

  It was so suddenly bright, it was like someone shined a flashlight in my face.

  I put a hand over my eyes.

  “Are you alright?” a man asked.

  Squinting, I opened my eyes.

  There was a man standing in front of me. Not Thomas. Not Milton.

  A man I’d never seen before.

  He was a clean-shaven man with short dark hair. He was about my age. Maybe a few years older.

  He wore a formal suit. Very formal, in fact. More like a tuxedo. Only more old-fashioned.

  “Mikala?” he asked, his expression concerned.

  He was quite handsome. His eyes were the bluest I’d ever seen.

  “I ‘um… I don’t know.”

  He took my hands in his. Smiled.

  My heart was pounding ninety to nothing.

  Where had this man come from? And how did he know me?

  I tugged my gaze away from his and looked on either side of him.

  I didn’t see Thomas or Milton.

  And behind them, I didn’t see any of the sightseers who’d been there a minute or two ago.

  The river was still there, but instead of people wearing big, oversized sunshades and shorts, they were wearing formal attire.

  Much like I was wearing.

  The ladies were wearing long dresses. Long full dresses. All of them.

  In fact, their dresses belled out around them.

  And the men were all dressed formally.

  “I think we can continue,” the man said.

  I followed his gaze.

  A priest stood in front of us.

  A priest.

  Where was Milton? The justice of the peace?

  The priest looked at me questioningly.

  My eyes widened.

  When I didn’t answer, the priest began to speak.

  “Charles, do you take Mikala to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her, forsaking all others until death do you part?”

  “I do,” the man holding my hands—Charles—said.

  He didn’t hesitate. He was looking at me as though we’d known each other forever.

  The priest began talking again, his voice smooth and clear, but I kept my gaze on Charles.

  “And Makala, do you take Charles to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and obey him, forsaking all others until death do you part?”

  I looked to my left. There were two rows of people sitting on benches. They looked happy and tearful all at once.

  I pulled my gaze to Charles’s.

  He didn’t look hopeful like Thomas had. No. He looked confident. This man, whom I’d never seen before, expected me to say yes.

  His hold on my hands was strong.

  If I thought to pull away from him, I was fairly certain that I wouldn’t be able to.

  Perhaps I was dreaming.

  Whatever it was, it appeared that I had no choice here. But for different reasons than with Thomas.

  “I do,” I said, the words slipping out before I could catch them.

  Charles smiled and the priest began talking again.

  Perhaps I’d had a stroke. Or something.

  Whatever it was, it appeared to be real.

  His hands were firm on mine.

  The smell of honeysuckle was thick in the air.

  I knew of no studies that correlated the smell of honeysuckle with any kind of medical condition.

  The people around us appeared to be real.

  And the sunlight was warm on my back.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  Married. To this man named Charles.

  “You may now kiss the bride.”

  I gasped softly.

  This man was going to kiss me.

  Right here. In front of everyone.

  His lips pressed softly against mine. And held.

  Married. To this incredibly handsome man.

  The feel of his lips on mine sent shock waves through my body.

  It occurred to me in those fleeting seconds that I wasn’t dizzy. I wasn’t tired.

  He pulled back slightly and looked into my eyes.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  My breath hitched.

  It had been so long since I’d heard those words.

  Before I had time to process the words or anything else, he turned, pulling me with him to face the audience.

  The next few minutes were a blur.

  Strangers came up and congratulated us.

  I put a smile on my face and went through the motions.

  I waited for someone to realize I wasn’t who they thought I was.

  For someone to ask me something that I couldn’t answer.

  To be identified as the imposter that I was.

  Then after a whirlwind of well-wishing, Charles led me away from the crowd, toward the river.

  There was no park here. Just a path down to the bank. I assumed there was a house or a church somewhere nearby, but I hadn’t seen it yet.

  We stood on the riverbank watching the sluggish water flowing past.

  “What’s troubling you?” he asked.

  Chapter 3

  I hadn’t expected Charles to be the one who discovered that I was an imposter.

  He seemed to know me. So certain.

  So confident in our wedding vows.

  He was looking at me with perplexed concern.

  “I’ve never seen you quite like this,” he said.

  “I’ve never felt quite like this before,” I said, feeling the first inkling of amusement I’d felt in… forever.

  “Well,” he said, kissing the palm of my hand, sending little shivers up and down my spine. “You’ve never been married before.”

  “That is true,” I said. “Have you?”

  He laughed softly and wrapped me in his arms.

  “We’ll get through this,” he said, running a hand through my hair. “You and me. Right?”

  Get through this?

  “Right,” I said, my mind racing to figure out what it was we were going to get through.

  “You’re a beautiful bride,” he said, tucking my head beneath his chin.

  “What are we going to do now?” I asked. I needed to know something. Anything.

  “The way we talked about,” he said. “One day at the time.”

  That wasn’t helpful.

  “How?” I asked.

  I could feel his heart beating beneath my cheek.

  It was odd how this could feel so right.

  It was also odd that I didn’t feel the least bit tired. I felt almost… normal.

  He rocked me in a gentle sway.

  “I know you don’t want me to go,” he said, his breath warm against my ear.

  “I don’t,” I said. And indeed I wanted him to stay. I wanted to stay close to him.

  It didn’t matter that I’d just met him.

  This was what I’d been missing with Thomas. This is the reason I’d put Thomas off so long. The reason I could barely bring myself to go through with the wedding.

  And somehow I hadn’t married Thomas.

  Instead, I’d married this man.

  This was the spark I’d been holding out for.

  “I’ll be back before you have time to miss me.”

  “I don’t think that’s possible,” I said.

  Then I pulled back and looked at him.

  “Tell me again where you’re going,” she said.

  “I’ve been assigned to head south. I don’t know where I’ll go from there. But you know that General Lee has a plan.”

  “General Lee…” I wasn’t a history major, but I knew enough to know who General Lee was.

  But knowing who he was didn’t help me sort this out.

  “Yes, Darling,” he said, pulling me close. “The General of the Confederate States of America.”

  I stood very still. My arms were wrapped around Charlie’s lean waist and he held me close.

  He was telling me that he was in the Confederate Army.

  If that was true, then it would be 1861.

  My brain couldn’t wrap around the idea.

  Maybe I’d somehow stumbled into a reenactment.

  That would have been a good explanation, but it didn’t explain how there were people all around me, including my fiancé and a justice of the peace.

  Then in a blink, they were gone.

  Not just that, but the eclipse had been real.

  I took a deep breath.

  The wedding had been real.

  I was married to a Confederate soldier.

  The thought made my knees tremble.

  Or maybe it was the way he swept a finger across my jaw, then gently placed his lips against mine.

  The world spun around us, leaving me feeling a bit off-center.

  That gentle kiss, the feel of his lips against mine, told me that things were going to be different now.

  I had the odd sensation that my life was never going to be the same again.

  He shifted back. Looked into my eyes.

  I lost myself in those deep blue eyes.

  His lips were turned up at the corners.

  “Ready to go back?” he asked.

  I nodded. No.

  I wanted to freeze this moment.

  To make it last forever.

  He took my hand and we turned back toward the wedding guests.

  But I held back, keeping my feet firmly on the ground. I needed to know more.

  “Charles,” I said. “I think something’s happened.”

  He took both my hands in his.

  “What is it, Love?” he asked.

  “I think…’um.” How was I supposed to tell him that I didn’t know him?

  He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

  Patient. He seemed patient and understanding.

  “I think I’ve lost my memory,” I said softly. The words bringing a lump to my throat as my thoughts bumped against the possible repercussions of my statement.

  I expected alarm. Disbelief.

  Instead, his expression remained loving.

  “I know,” he said.

  “How?” I didn’t understand. How did he know?

  “You were in an accident,” he said. “You were in the carriage, traveling along the river road. With your father,” he said, his expression sobering.

  “What happened?” I asked, holding my breath, a sense of dread settling over me.

  “Your father didn’t make it,” he said.

  A bird fluttered overhead, settling on a branch of the oak tree.

  The scent of honeysuckle was strong.

  My father.

  He steadied me by my elbows. I hadn’t even realized that I was feeling unsteady.

 

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