A Hope Beyond (48 page)

Making their way on board with the others, Carolina gripped James’ arm very tightly, almost afraid that if she let go she would suddenly find that it had all been nothing more than a dream.

A blast of the steam whistle sent a thrill through her and caused her to tremble noticeably.

“Frightened?” James asked in disbelief.

“Never!” Carolina declared, meeting his gaze. “I’m too excited.”

Taking their seats, he grinned. “Me too. It’s been a long time in coming, and I have to admit there were times when I thought it would all fall apart. But we kept sight of the dream and brought it into existence.”

“I felt the same way about us,” she murmured softly as the train whistle sounded two more times and the band began to play loudly from the platform outside her window.

The locomotive strained to pull that first bit of weight, then slowly, like a billows pumping life into a fire, the wheels groaned and turned and pulled them forward. Inch by inch, yard by yard, they passed the station and headed west over the Carrollton Viaduct.

At last it seemed to Carolina that she was not only touching her dream but actually being welcomed to participate and share in such things. How very like God, she thought, for surely it was He who gave her the dream in the first place. And without a doubt it was He who gave her a hope beyond. Looking away from the window and into the face of her husband, Carolina offered silent thanks for her blessings.

“I love you,” she whispered.

James pulled her close, defying social proprieties. “And I love you, Mrs. Baldwin. Forever and always, I will love only you.”

With special thanks to:

Herbert Harwood, Jr.
Author of books on American railroading,
including
Impossible Challenge II.

Anne Calhoun
Assistant Archivist,
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum.

Books by
Judith Pella

The Stonewycke Trilogy
*
Texas Angel
(2 in 1)
Mark of the Cross

D
AUGHTERS OF
F
ORTUNE
Written on the Wind
Somewhere a Song
Toward the Sunrise
Homeward My Heart

P
ATCHWORK
C
IRCLE
Bachelor’s Puzzle
Sister’s Choice

*
with Michael Phillips

Books by Tracie Peterson

www.traciepeterson.com
A Slender Thread • What She Left For Me
Where My Heart Belongs

S
ONG OF
A
LASKA
Dawn’s Prelude

A
LASKAN
Q
UEST
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights • Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest
(3 in 1)

B
RIDES OF
G
ALLATIN
C
OUNTY
A Promise to Believe In • A Love to Last Forever
A Dream to Call My Own

T
HE
B
ROADMOOR
L
EGACY
*
A Daughter’s Inheritance • An Unexpected Love
A Surrendered Heart

B
ELLS OF
L
OWELL
*
Daughter of the Loom • A Fragile Design • These Tangled Threads
Bells of Lowell
(3 in 1)

L
IGHTS OF
L
OWELL
*
A Tapestry of Hope • A Love Woven True • The Pattern of Her Heart

D
ESERT
R
OSES
Shadows of the Canyon • Across the Years • Beneath a Harvest Sky

H
EIRS OF
M
ONTANA
Land of My Heart • The Coming Storm
To Dream Anew • The Hope Within

L
ADIES OF
L
IBERTY
A Lady of High Regard • A Lady of Hidden Intent
A Lady of Secret Devotion

R
IBBONS OF
S
TEEL
**
Distant Dreams • A Hope Beyond

W
ESTWARD
C
HRONICLES
A Shelter of Hope • Hidden in a Whisper • A Veiled Reflection

Y
UKON
Q
UEST
Treasures of the North • Ashes and Ice • Rivers of Gold

*
with Judith Miller

**
with Judith Pella

JUDITH PELLA has been writing for the inspirational market for more than twenty years and is the author of more than thirty novels, most in the historical fiction genre. Her recent novel
Mark of the Cross
and her extraordinary four-book DAUGHTERS of foRTUNE series showcase her skills as a historian as well as a storyteller. Her degrees in teaching and nursing lend depth to her tales, which spin a variety of settings. Pella and her husband make their home in oregon.

Visit Judith’s Web site:
www.judithpella.com

TRACIE PETERSoN is the author of over seventy novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling HEIRS of MoNTANA and ALASkAN QUEST series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.

Visit Tracie’s Web site at
www.traciepeterson.com