A Thousand Miles

Epilogue

"Keep 'em closed, now."

A frigid gust made JoLynn shiver, but she kept her eyes shut tight and clutched Shane's hands, letting him lead her.

"It's just a little bit further." He had to raise his voice over the sound of rushing water. "OK, here's the spot." He placed her hands on a cold, iron guard rail, then positioned her just so. She smiled when he snuggled up behind her and wrapped his arms around, insulating her from the chilly air.

Though she could hear the water's roar, and feel the cold spray of it on her face...though the thrill of standing on this spot, viewing one of God's most awesome natural wonders made her explorer's soul resonate, it was the man standing with her—her husband—who made her heart pulse. The wedding had been in September, four weeks ago, and just a little over a year after he had come to her in Odessa. And this day—this moment served as the culmination of their honeymoon trip exploring the highlights of the East Coast.

They'd been gone a month, and yet the whole trip felt like a whirlwind. And, oh, the places she'd seen. Places she'd only ever read about in magazines and seen on television. Cities like Savannah and Charleston; historic sites like Jamestown and Monticello. Shane had taken her to Washington, D.C., where they'd spent an entire week—three days at the Smithsonian, and she could have easily explored it for three more, but next on their agenda were Boston and New York City.

Monday they would head back to Texas. The trip home would be a fairly straight shot devoid of sightseeing. But this weekend they would spend here in Niagara Falls, Canada...just so she could say she'd been out of the country.

Shane leaned in close and kissed her cheek before saying softly into her ear, "Open your eyes."

She squeezed her eyes, bracing herself for the view, then opened them drawing in a slow gasp at the sight before her. They stood at the precipice, where the Niagara River poured out millions of gallons which plummeted over the edge of the Horseshoe Falls. The spectacular sight rendered her speechless, as had Arlington National Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and countless other sites they'd visited.

"What do you think?"

JoLynn shook her head slowly in response to his question, unable to put her impression into words. "Wow," she finally managed to say. "Just wow."

She glanced up at him and he smiled.

"There's a museum down the road a bit." He nuzzled in close to her ear. "Let's go there next. So you can see all the crazy people who've gone over. There's one story about a lady who went over in a barrel with her cat."

She laughed. "Seriously? With a cat?"

"Yeah. The story goes that the cat went in black and came out white."

"No way." She turned to look at him.

He raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"Did the woman survive?"

Shane shrugged and tightened his hold on her. "Can't remember." He glanced back out over the water, taking in the sight with awestruck wonder, as if for the first time even though he'd seen it before.

JoLynn turned around to face him, reaching up to smooth a stray lock of his hair and finally tracing the line of his jaw with her fingertips. Then she pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. His lips captured hers, and he drew her into his arms, kissing her with a slow tenderness that seemed to contradict the powerful surge of the river below. Still, her heart pounded as if she were the one falling over the edge.

Her father expected her back in the office by Thursday of next week, so their return trip wouldn't leave much time for excursions. But she would savor every second of this last honeymoon weekend before the mundane details of everyday life began to intrude and take their toll. She would stand here—at the point where so many had tempted fate, jumped in, and let the waters run their course—and let Shane kiss her senseless. She would stroll along beside the river, holding his hand on the way to the museum where he would show her the story of the cat that went over the falls. And she would thank God with each step they took that they were together; that he had come to Odessa and risked her rejection.

Applause and whistles from a group of teenagers a few yards away broke the spell, and JoLynn pulled her mouth from his, glancing their way and smiling at the group's thumbs up. Shane grinned and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Oh, wait." JoLynn reached for her phone. "We need a picture."

She raised her phone, pressed her cheek to Shane's and took the photo. It came out perfect with their smiling faces framed in the center and the falls spectacularly displayed in the background.

A few scrolls and touches and she's sent the photo off to Curtis and Mel.

"They're going to be sick of hearing from you." Shane teased her.

"No, they're not. They love hearing from me." She tucked the phone back into her pocket and reached for his hand. "So, where to next?"

"Let's check out the museum first."

JoLynn nodded.

"Then we'll get a bite to eat. And there's an IMAX movie we can check out later. If we get bored." He pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

She grinned. "I meant where to next, after Niagara Falls? Is there anything we should stop and see on our way back south?"

Shane took a deep breath and pushed it out easily, shaking his head. "Well, maybe sometime we can go west. If you like this, you'll love the Grand Canyon. But for now..." His voice trailed off and he gave a shrug, turning to lead her downriver. "I think I might like to just go home."

JoLynn nodded, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm. "All right, then. Home it is."