Train Through Time Series Boxed Set Books 1-3 Read online

  Train Through Time Series

  Boxed Set

  Books 1 - 3

  Bess McBride

  Train Through Time Series: Books 1-3

  Copyright 2013 by Bess McBride

  A Train Through Time

  Copyright 2012 by Bess McBride

  Together Forever Across Time

  Copyright 2013 by Bess McBride

  A Smile in Time

  Copyright 2013 by Bess McBride

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  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 are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to the publisher and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Cover Art by Tamra Westberry

  Formatted by IRONHORSE Formatting

  Contact information: [email protected]

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To my loyal reader friends who let me know that they enjoy the Train Through Time books and want the series to continue.

  To the crews of commercial trains and the volunteers of vintage steam trains who keep them running for our enjoyment and nostalgia. The world would be a sadder place without passenger trains.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for purchasing the Train Through Time Series Boxed Set Books 1-3. This boxed set is a collection of the three books in the Train Through Time Series which are A Train Through Time, Together Forever Across Time and A Smile in Time. All three titles are currently available for sale individually, however, the boxed set is discounted. The series will continue, and I am writing book four at the time of release of this boxed set.

  Thank you for your support over the years, friends and readers. Because of your favorable comments, I continue to strive to write the best stories I can. You know I always enjoy hearing from you, so please feel free to contact me at [email protected], through my web site at www.BessMcBride.com, or my blog Will Travel for Romance.

  Thanks for reading!

  Bess

  Table of Contents

  A Train Through Time

  Together Forever Across Time

  A Smile in Time

  Books by Bess McBride

  About the Author

  A Train Through Time

  Bess McBride

  Dedication

  To Cinnamon, Mike and Lily, who waited for me at the library while I did the research, and to Les, for listening to the story as it unfolded.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for purchasing A Train Through Time. A Train Through Time was my first time travel romance, and seems to be a favorite of many of my readers. It’s one of my favorites too! I love Robert Chamberlain almost as passionately as Ellie Standish does. When I decided to embark on a new adventure in publishing, I knew A Train Through Time was the first book that had to be re-released. If this is your first time travel romance with me, I hope you enjoy the story. It’s short and it’s sweet! And for those of you who liked A Train Through Time the first time, I hope you continue to enjoy the book. The story is the same, but the cover has changed. And isn’t it a beauty?

  Thank you for your support over the years, friends and readers. Because of your favorable comments, I continue to strive to write the best stories I can. More time travel romances are on the way! I’m dreaming of them all the time.

  You know I always enjoy hearing from you, so please feel free to contact me at [email protected], through my web site at www.BessMcBride.com, or my blog Will Travel for Romance

  Thanks for reading!

  Bess

  Prologue

  “I’m not going to marry an eighteen-year-old girl, Grandmother.” Robert turned away and strode to the bay window, where he stared down onto the city below.

  “Robert, be reasonable. You need to marry sometime. Don’t you want a wife? One young enough to give you children? Any one of your sister’s friends would be quite suitable.”

  “I’m afraid not, Grandmother. I’m waiting.”

  “Waiting for what?” Mrs. Chamberlain demanded.

  “The right one. She will come along. I know it.”

  “For goodness sake, Robert. Where will you find her? You never appear even to look.”

  Robert continued to stare out the window with his hands clasped behind his back. “I do not think I have met her yet, but I feel certain that I will know her when she does finally appear.”

  “Robert, what nonsense! You are usually so sensible in all matters, except when it comes to this subject. It seems my son’s wife raised a silly romantic,” the older woman muttered.

  “Perhaps she did, Grandmother. Perhaps she did,” he murmured with a soft smile.

  “Give me great-grandchildren, Robert. I cannot live forever.”

  He turned away from the window and grinned at the frail-appearing, silver-haired woman resting on the green velvet settee.

  “Yes, you will, Grandmother. You will outlive us all.”

  “Hmmppff.” She looked away. “The house is quiet. We need children in it once again.”

  “Perhaps my sister can do the honors in a few years, Grandmother. All she lacks is a suitable husband.” He consulted his pocket watch.

  She eyed him with a piercing stare. “Have you become a confirmed bachelor, Robert? Has time passed you by, then?”

  Robert laughed and bent to kiss his grandmother’s pale cheek.

  “I hope not, madam. I did not intend to remain a bachelor for the rest of my life.”

  “Then why do you wait? Give me a practical reason, none of your romantic musings.”

  He straightened and grinned. “I can only assure you once again that I wait for the right woman. I know it sounds foolish, but it is the truth.” He turned toward the door. “I must go into the office to see to a few things before we leave tomorrow. I look forward to riding the train. I always do.”

  Chapter One

  “Look at the mountain goats, Mom! Can you see them? Hurry, look!”

  Ellie heard the boy’s excited prattle from behind her seat and looked out the train window in time to catch sight of three white mountain goats perched precariously on a rock shelf on the craggy hills bordering the tracks. One brave goat nimbly jumped down to a lower ledge on the seemingly sheer cliff front. Ellie caught her breath and held it. The goat made a successful landing and immediately began nibbling on some tender morsel growing on the rock front.

  “Did you see that, Mom? I can’t believe it didn’t fall. I wish we were coming here to Montana to visit, instead of going to Seattle.”

  A woman’s voice murmured, “Shhh. Maybe we will, John. Maybe we will. Lay your head on the pillow and get some sleep. We’ll be in
Seattle in the morning, and then you can see Grandpa.”

  The view of the mountain goats receded into the dusky distance behind tall pine trees, and Ellie turned away from the window to stare down at the book in her lap, attempting once again to focus on the latest published papers on women’s studies.

  The voices behind her seat quieted, and she sighed. She agreed with the boy and wished she were coming to visit the magnificent Rocky Mountains instead of hurtling past to attend yet another boring seminar in Seattle.

  “Women in the Pacific Northwest, Turn of the Century.”

  Ellie jumped slightly. Her elderly seatmate was a quiet gentleman who had spoken very little since she boarded the train in Chicago. His cultured voice startled her.

  “That seems like rather heavy reading for a vacation.” He favored her with a friendly smile.

  Ellie glanced down at the book in her hand again, then up to his face with a sheepish grin.

  “It isn’t holding my interest, I’m afraid.”

  She studied him from under veiled lashes. Dark corduroy slacks flattered his charcoal turtleneck sweater. A silver watch adorned his left hand, which boasted a silver-colored wedding ring...the same silver that streaked his hair. Startlingly bright emerald green eyes met hers.

  “Are you a student?”

  She gave a quick shake of her head and nodded toward the book. “The teacher, I’m ashamed to say. I’m finding the book dull going. How can anyone take a vibrant era such as the turn of the century and make it so dull?” She shook her head and chuckled. “I’m doing some advance reading for a seminar I’m attending in Seattle.”

  She clamped her mouth shut, chatty soul that she was.

  “Really? What kind of seminar?” He raised an elegant eyebrow.

  She nodded toward the book again with a grin.

  “Women’s Studies, Turn of the Century America.”

  “So you teach women’s studies?”

  “Yes, at Chicago Community College.”

  “I see. How interesting.”

  “Not really,” she demurred. “And what brings you onto the train today?” She eyed him with interest.

  “Oh, I’m heading home. I’ve just been on a visit to my daughter and grandchildren in Washington, D.C.”

  The passing vista of snow-capped peaks atop rocky mountains dotted with evergreen trees caught her eye once again. The sun had set, and the mountains turned a hazy purple in the waning light. She sighed at the beauty of the scenery before her.

  “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”

  He looked past her out the window. “It is. One of the reasons I prefer to take the train.”

  She flashed him a quick grin. “Me, too. I love trains. I’d take them all the time if I could. They just don’t have enough routes anymore,” she ended on a wistful note.

  “They certainly had more when I was a boy, that’s for sure. My folks traveled everywhere by train in the thirties. My grandparents, too. They took us to Glacier National Park. But people have such busy lives today and no longer have time for the slower mode of travel.” Green eyes twinkled as he gave her a whimsical smile.

  Ellie nodded. “It’s true. Every time I travel by train, I have to take extra time from work, but I do love it.”

  “So, why women’s studies, may I ask?” He nodded toward the book in her lap.

  Warmth tinged her cheeks. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve always found the subject interesting. Well, I would, of course. I’m a woman.” She smiled crookedly. “I guess I’m what you would call a feminist. I don’t really like the term, but you get the idea. I like the subject of women, their importance in history, their value in the world, and I want to pass that enthusiasm on to others, so I teach.” She gave him a small self-deprecating smile. “I’m especially fascinated by women’s lives at the turn of the century, but I’m finding this book a bit dry.” She wiggled the book and wrinkled her nose.

  “May I see it?” he asked.

  She blinked and handed it to him.

  He opened the cover and perused the index, stopping occasionally to smile.

  “Corsets: Curves or Curses.” He chuckled as he read the chapter heading aloud. “Well, that certainly doesn’t sound dry.” He handed the book back to her.

  She grinned. “You should read the chapter titled “Hair: Halo or Hell on Earth.” I can’t believe women tortured their hair as much as they did in the name of fashion.” Ellie virtually spat out the last word, then reined in her unruly tongue, though not before she saw the twinkle in her companion’s eyes.

  “Perhaps not all women in those days had your lovely brown hair.” His appreciative glance brought a blush to her cheeks, and she tossed her head as if to shake off embarrassment.

  “Thank you,” she murmured, completely thrown off her feminist seat for a moment. She gave him a sideways glance. He appeared to be in his mid-eighties, but his full head of silver hair and bright green eyes left no doubt he’d once been a very handsome man—and still was, for that matter.

  His eyes...

  The twinkle continued, and for a moment, she had the craziest notion she’d seen those eyes before.

  “Have we met? Have you been to Chicago? This may sound strange, but you seem familiar to me in some way.”

  “No, I don’t think so. I’ve never gotten off the train in Chicago.” He drew his brows together in a puzzled expression. “You know, I have to say you look familiar, as well. I wonder where we could have met.”

  Ellie shook her head slowly, searching his face for a clue. “I don’t know. It’s odd, isn’t it?” She reached out a hand. “I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. Ellie Standish.” She grinned.

  “Edward Richardson. It’s nice to meet you.” He gripped her hand in a surprisingly firm, warm clasp.

  “And you,” she murmured, reluctantly pulling her hand from his grasp, aware of an inexplicable desire to let it linger there a while.

  Though handsome for a man his age, he had to be nearly fifty years her senior, and she found her blossoming attraction to him somewhat uncomfortable. Kyle would laugh, she thought, arrogantly unable to see that his fiancée might find other men attractive—even older men in their eighties. She dropped her eyes to the book in her lap, feeling slightly foolish and hoping she hadn’t developed some sort of father fixation on her seat companion.

  “Are you from Chicago?” Edward cocked his head to the side in a charming inquiry, eyes attentive with apparent interest.

  “No, I’ve lived in many different places. I moved to Chicago to take the job at the college after I graduated from university.”

  “How do you like Chicago?”

  “It’s a big city,” she sighed. “Fast paced. Probably too fast for me. It seems all I have time to do is go to work and come home, go to work and come home.” She raised her eyes to his sympathetic face.

  “I know what you mean. Washington, D.C. is hectic, as well. Although Seattle is a big town, I do find it a bit more relaxing. It has grown tremendously since I was a boy.”

  “Have you always lived in Seattle?”

  “All my life, since 1921.”

  “I can’t imagine living in one place that long,” Ellie sighed wistfully, “but I often wonder what it would be like.” She turned to look out the window as statuesque dark evergreens guarded the darkening hills above the moving train.

  “Do you move a lot, Ellie?”

  The intimate sound of her name on his gentle voice startled her. The question embarrassed her. It always did. She had no Romanian blood, as far she knew, but her gypsy soul would not sit quietly still...much to her regret.

  “I do. I can’t seem to stay in one place for long. I’ve been in Chicago for three years now, and I’ve got itchy feet. These little breaks to travel to seminars help ease the pain of trying to stay put.” She gave the older man a quirky grin. “My fiancé, Kyle, is the only thing keeping me from dashing off in search of a new life, a new adventure.”

  “Your fiancé?” Edward’s expre
ssive eyebrows rose. “Congratulations. When are you planning to marry?”

  Ellie’s eyes flickered away from his before she replied airily. “Oh, we haven’t set a date yet. I’m busy and so is he. He’s an investment banker.”

  “How did you meet?”

  She colored. “At a bar, of all places. I was out drinking with a few friends. He was there with friends.” She shrugged carelessly. “What about you, Edward? Are you married?” Her eyes traveled to the gleaming silver band on his left hand.

  His eyes followed hers. With his right hand, he gently caressed the band, the gesture suggesting love.

  “I was. I feel like I still am.” Green eyes met hers. “She passed away last year.”

  “Oh, Edward. I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you. It’s been difficult.” With a brief smile in her direction, Edward turned away to gaze out the window on the other side of the train.

  Ellie surreptitiously studied his profile, open and friendly only a moment ago, now closed and somber. She didn’t take his withdrawal personally. The working of his jaw revealed emotions he struggled to control. She still couldn’t shake the familiar feeling she’d seen him before.

  Forcing herself to turn away, she picked up her book again with a renewed earnest determination to make some headway in her reading. She stared at the words on the pages, each one blending into the next, unable to concentrate on the task at hand.

  A glance from under her lashes to the left revealed Edward’s eyes were closed. He appeared intent on sleep. She sighed and turned toward the window. Her pale face, softly highlighted by the overhead lights, reflected in the glass. The passing scenery faded into darkness with only an occasional twinkling light visible in the distance. She leaned her head against the cool glass and closed her eyes.