Love Aboard the Titanic/Billy the Kid's Wife (Timeless Romance Shorts)

By R. Barri Flowers

Love Aboard the Titanic & Billy the Kid's Wife (Timeless Romance Shorts) are two heartwarming love stories that transcend time and place by bestselling novelist R. Barri Flowers.

"Love Aboard the Titanic" is a 5,000-word tale about an ill-fated historical romance aboard the Titanic. After spending a year studying at Oxford, an American female boards the luxury liner for passage back to America. She meets and falls for a fellow American, leading to a night of passion. When the ship runs into an iceberg, a promising future for the young couple is anything but certain.

"Billy the Kid's Wife" is a 10,927-word time travel romance. When a modern day historical romance writer rents a cabin in Sky Creek, Colorado to complete her next novel, a strange dog shows up, along with a handsome man and young boy. She soon comes to realize that the man is the onetime outlaw known as Billy the Kid, and that the corridors of time have merged, offering her two very different lives. She has an important decision to make in following her destiny.

Bonus material includes excerpts from the author's upcoming relationship novels, Forever Sweethearts and The Muralist.

PRAISE FOR R. BARRI FLOWERS:

"Gripping, tightly woven tale you won't want to put down. Author neatly contrasts natural beauty of tropical paradise with ugliness of murder and aftermath." -- John Lutz, Edgar winner and bestselling author of Mister X on MURDER IN MAUI

"A police procedural of the highest order, mixing equal parts Sue Grafton and Jeffrey Deaver with a sprinkling of Patricia Cornwell." -- Jon Land, bestselling author of Strong Justice on MURDER IN MAUI

"Flowers once again has written a page-turner legal thriller that begins with a bang and rapidly moves along to its final page. He has filled the novel with believable characters and situations." -- Midwest Book Review on STATE'S EVIDENCE

"A model of crime fiction... Flowers may be a new voice in modern mystery writing, but he is already one of its best voices." -- Statesman Journal on JUSTICE SERVED

"An excellent look at the jurisprudence system...will appeal to fans of John Grisham and Linda Fairstein." -- Harriet Klausner on PERSUASIVE EVIDENCE

“MURDER IN MAUI is terrific. Gripping writing, wonderfully rounded characters you really care about, and vivid locations--this novel is a real and rare treat.” -- Peter James, international bestselling author of DEAD SIMPLE

"A clever mystery with many suspects.... Vividly written, this book holds the reader's attention and speeds along." -- Romantic Times on JUSTICE SERVED

"An interesting blend of classic film noir and rough, modern cinema... Quick action and tight dialogue make it a jolting thriller, but it's also got the psychological tightness of a good mystery puzzle." -- Robert A. Sloan, author of Raven Dance on DEAD IN THE ROSE CITY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

R. Barri Flowers is an award winning and bestselling novelist. His titles include MURDER IN MAUI: A Leila Kahana Mystery, PERSUASIVE EVIDENCE, JUSTICE SERVED, STATE'S EVIDENCE, DARK STREETS OF WHITECHAPEL: A Jack the Ripper Mystery; and young adult novels GHOST GIRL IN SHADOW BAY, DANGER IN TIME, and CHRISTMAS WISHES: Laura's Story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R. Barri Flowers
• Release date: Feb 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466184046

R. Barri Flowers

R. Barri Flowers is the award winning, bestselling author of mystery and thriller novels, true crime books, relationship fiction, young adult mysteries, and children's books. Follow R. Barri Flowers on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and YouTube. Learn more about the author on Wikipedia and www.rbarriflowers.com.

Book preview

LOVE ABOARD THE TITANIC

&

BILLY THE KID'S WIFE

(Timeless Romance Shorts)

By R. Barri Flowers

Copyright 2012 by R. Barri Flowers at Smashwords. All rights reserved.

Cover Image Copyright 2012 by djgis

Used under license from http://www.shutterstock.com

Love Aboard the Titanic & Billy the Kid's Wife (Timeless Romance Shorts) is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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 recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

ALSO BY R. BARRI FLOWERS

NOVELS

State's Evidence (A Beverly Mendoza Legal Thriller)

Persuasive Evidence (A Jordan La Fontaine Legal Thriller)

Justice Served (A Barkley and Parker Mystery)

Murder in Maui (A Leila Kahana Mystery)

Dark Streets of Whitechapel (A Jack the Ripper Mystery)

Dead in the Rose City (A Dean Drake Mystery)

Killer in the Woods (A Psychological Thriller)

Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay (A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery)

Danger in Time (A Young Adult Time Travel Mystery)

SHORT STORY COLLECTION

Edge of Suspense: Thrilling Tales of Mystery & Murder

* * *

To my one and only mermaid.

To the memories of those who perished aboard the Titanic.

And to fans of good old-fashioned love stories and taming of the American Old West.

* * *

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Love Aboard the Titanic

Billy the Kid's Wife

Forever Sweethearts - Bonus Excerpt

The Muralist - Bonus Excerpt

About the Author

LOVE ABOARD THE TITANIC

My story begins with arguably the grandest luxury liner ever to take to the seas: the Titanic. Certainly it was the most impressive of its time. Built in 1912 by a British shipping company called the White Star Line, the Titanic was eleven stories high, four blocks long and equipped with the very latest in safety devices. Indeed, she was billed as unsinkable thanks to a double bottom construction and sixteen watertight compartments of which two could actually flood without the ship sinking.

With this imposing backdrop, on April 10, 1912 the Titanic set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York. The passenger list included such prominent names as Allison, Astor, Thayer, and Carter. In all, these prominent people represented about $250 million.

My entry into the picture did not begin until April 11, when the Titanic stopped at Queenstown to pick up more passengers, including me. A native of Detroit, Michigan, I had spent the last year attending Oxford as a graduate student of linguistics. For the return home, I couldn't resist the challenge of saying I was there when this mighty ship first crossed the Atlantic. And so with the help of a distant cousin, I gathered my meager savings to purchase a second class ticket for this once-in-a-lifetime journey. I was one month removed from my twenty-fifth birthday.

When the Titanic left Queenstown at 2:00 p.m., it carried 1,316 passengers, 891 crew members, and perhaps just as much excitement and anticipation for what lay ahead.

I was roomed with a twenty-six-year-old Irish woman named Kathleen McMurphy. This was her first trip to America where she hoped to find work in New York as a dressmaker.

What happens if there are no such openings? I asked her with dread as we lay on our tiny beds in our small room.

She laughed. I expect I'd have to set up me own business. I'm told anyone can do anything in America if they try hard enough.

I sneered. You wouldn't want to do just anything, Kathleen. Without trying to scare you half to death, many young, overly ambitious women—and men—come to the States with great expectations only to end up selling their bodies just to survive.

You mean hookin'?

Yes.

She laughed again. Aye, maybe that wouldn't be so bad, especially if they're good looking blokes.

I widened my eyes. You can't be serious?

I'm not, she teased. And don't you be either. I'm a survivor. What's meant to be will be.

In less than a day, I felt as if we had known each other for years. I wished I could be more like Kathleen—brave, funny confident, and shapely—instead of shy, serious, uncertain, and far too thin for my liking.

* * *

After dinner that evening, we went for a walk on the promenade deck to mingle with others and enjoy the fresh, chilly air.

Isn't it funny, whispered Kathleen, how much alike we second classers look. Do you suppose those filthy rich people up there or the filthy poor ones below us share a similar resemblance?

I chuckled. Only in the money they have or don't have.

Class lines on the Titanic were clearly drawn, giving the very real appearance of three different worlds within one. The first class passengers were wealthy, prominent members of the upper class and used to being catered to; third class, or steerage passengers, were primarily immigrants moving to the U.S. or Canada, and likely happy just to be on board. The second class passengers probably reflected the norm of the early 20th century—having just enough money for respectability, but desiring more.

Our stroll along the deck was interrupted when I literally bumped into a man, or perhaps it was the other way around.

Excuse me, he said with an East Coast American accent. I suppose it's hard for me to look and walk at the same time.

Perhaps you shouldn't try then, I suggested and smiled at Kathleen.

Perhaps you're right, he said, chuckling. However, it was the only way I could think of to get to talk to someone I've been admiring from afar. A half smile played on his lips.

My instincts told me that he must be referring to Kathleen. Then, looking directly at me, he said, Hello. My name's Henry Patterson.

He was tall and slender with pronounced features, deep blue eyes, and dark wavy hair. He wore a suit, white shirt, and string tie. I guessed him to be in his late twenties.

I'm Judy Gladers, I said, and this is Kathleen McMurphy.

Nice to meet you both, he said, though his gaze rested solely on me.

Aye, I'm getting kind of hungry, Kathleen told me with a wink. I think I'll go fetch a bite and then meet you back in the room.

I felt rather awful to see her go, but would have done the same were the situation reversed.

That was decent of her, said Henry candidly. Did you come on board together?

I told him of our first meeting in cabin B-87.

I met my own cabin mate in London, he said. We hit it off well and decided we could put up with each other at least till we arrived in New York. He put his hands in his pockets. Shall we walk?

If you like, I said awkwardly.

You know, I really have been admiring you from a distance. I saw you when you first came on board and immediately thought to myself: she's an attractive one and doesn't seem to be taken. He lowered his eyes at me. Are you?

I am certain my face reddened like a ripe apple. No, I admitted, but I'm afraid I'm not very experienced when it comes to men—

"I think