"I guess that makes sense," she said, smiling tolerantly at him. "And they are so right for each other. Although ..."

  "What?" he asked.

  "Well, I guess their relationship is like the old adage that says opposites attract. I mean, Stone's an old-fashioned, laid-back..."

  "...my-wife-belongs-in-the-kitchen-barefoot-and-pregnant sort of guy," he broke in. "And Tess believes a woman has a right to a life of her own, as well as being a wife and mother."

  "Well, they will have to make some adjustments. But that has to happen in any marriage. Stone's going to have to realize that Tess hasn't given up her own identity just because she's taken his name."

  "I agree," he said.

  "But I've dealt with humans longer than you have, Michael. Sometimes people get married and forget they fell in love because of the way that person was while they were courting. They set out to change the other person, or things that they think won't bother them about one another grow from molehills to mountains over time."

  She paused and tried to smile reassuringly at Michael. "Surely Stone and Tess won't be like that. You heard Tess saying that they had to discuss things with each other."

  "She didn't discuss that deal she and Mandy Calder cooked up back with those other Clover Valley women with Stone."

  "How could she? He made it clear he didn't want her poking her nose into his problems."

  "See what I mean?"

  "Oh, dear," Angela said.

  "Like you've said before, Angie, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. When are those Indian women going to get done with Tess?"

  "Don't get impatient. A woman wants to look her best on her wedding day."

  "Stone's the one who's impatient. Look at him."

  Angela peered over the side of the pew and giggled. "He's trying to look so solemn. But he can't keep his feet still, and he's clenching and unclenching those fists like his hands are trying to go to sleep."

  "He's scared to death," Michael said. "Look, here comes Tess—over on the edge of the camp. Boy, is she beautiful. She's gonna scare him even more."

  "That's the dress Silver Eagle's wife wore when they got married," Angela informed him. "He kept it all these years. While Tess was going through the Indian purification ceremony before her marriage, Flower told Tess that her grandfather would be honored if she would wear it."

  "I missed that part, 'cause I wasn't gonna watch them wash and dress Tess. But that sounds nice," Michael mused. "I wish we had some music. Doesn't seem right not to have music at a wedding."

  "The Indian drums fit the ceremony down there better," she said. "But we could have our own music up here, since they won't be able to hear it."

  She waved her hand, and a chorus of voices filled the air. Smiling, she settled back against the pew. Michael lifted his hand and the pew tilted slightly forward, so they could see the scene below them better.

  The whole camp had turned out for the ceremony, all wearing the finest clothing they owned. As Tess moved through the throng of people, they quieted and watched her pass. Even the children left their games and joined their parents, the smaller ones hiding behind the various buckskin and cotton skirts of their mothers, peeking out in awe at the pretty woman walking by.

  Michael sniffed at the aromas rising from the camp. "They've been cooking down there all day, getting ready for the wedding feast," he murmured. "Almost makes me wish we could join them to eat."

  "We don't have to eat."

  "Who said anything about having to? We can if we want to. I used to thoroughly enjoy wandering over to our heavenly kitchen and sampling some of the dishes when I wasn't busy." He patted his paunch and winked at her. "How do you think the cooks on earth come up with new, divine dishes? Why, they're tried out first to see if they're worth the trouble of inspiration."

  "Now, Michael. Don't give in to temptation."

  "All right." He sighed. "Sometimes it's a drag always being on the edge of everything."

  "Oh, watch!"

  Angela leaned forward even farther as Tess walked up to Stone and he took her hand in his.

  They turned to face Silver Eagle, and the shaman's strong voice rose, blessing both of them and wishing them a life filled with joy as they shared it together. And—with a little smirk—a fruitful union, with many children to care for them when they grew old.

  Angela sighed as she watched Stone and Tess gaze into each other's eyes, seemingly unaware of anything but themselves, their love, and the voice of the shaman, whose words were making them man and wife. Just before Silver Eagle said the final words of the Indian ceremony, he paused and spoke to the gathering, explaining that Stone and Tess also wished to pledge themselves to each other in their own words.

  Both Angela and Michael listened raptly as Stone placed one hand on Tess's waist and cupped her cheek with the other.

  "I, Stone," he said in a husky voice, "take you, Tess, for my wife. What I have is yours to share, now and forever. You are the light in my life, the part of me that makes me whole. I pledge you my fidelity and love forever, throughout all time."

  Angela and Michael saw Tess blinking back tears as she kept her gaze on Stone's face. "I, Tess," she said, "take you, Stone, for my husband. With you I've found the true meaning of love, and I shall cherish that always. I give you my trust, my heart, and my faith in the rightness of our love. I pledge myself to you, my darling, now and for all time."

  Stone bent and tenderly kissed Tess, then turned and motioned to Rain and Flower to join them. Rain held out a slightly grubby hand as soon as he approached, and Stone took the ring he had traded one of the Indian craftsmen for in his fingers.

  "This ring is for you to wear as a symbol to the world that I love you," he said. "But it's also from Flower and Rain, as a symbol that we're a family now—that you're part of us and we're part of you. Now and always."

  A tear slipped down Tess's cheek as Stone placed the ring on her finger and kissed it. He dropped her hand, and Flower and Rain each grasped one of Tess's hands as Stone completed the circle by taking each child's hand.

  "The circle of the ring will always remind me of the circle of love in our family," Tess promised.

  She smiled into Stone's eyes, then hugged the children. Flower moved to Tess's side, while Rain stepped to the other side of Stone. Clasping hands again, Stone and Tess faced Silver Eagle.

  "You are one now," the shaman said. "For now and forever, you will walk this earth as two, but you shall be as one."

  Stone swept Tess into his arms and kissed her soundly as Rain let out a whoop that was quickly echoed by several of his young friends. The crowd began to break up and head for the cooking pots, but Stone held Tess close after he broke the kiss.

  "Hello, Mrs. Chisum," he said.

  "Hello, husband," Tess said dreamily.

  Michael propped his elbow on the side of the pew and settled his chin on his palm. "Seems a shame we can't go down there and wish them happiness—maybe kiss the bride."

  "And sample all that food." Angela laughed. "I can tell what you're thinking about. You know, I haven't seen Rain or Silver Eagle eat all day. They camped out up in the hills together last night and just came back in time for the ceremony this evening. And now Rain's not eating with his friends. You don't think he's getting sick, do you? He's always had a huge appetite."

  "He's probably just too excited about Tess becoming his mother to eat," Michael said. "But you wouldn't think even that could hurt a growing boy's appetite, would you?"

  Rain and Silver Eagle began walking away from the camp, and suddenly the wind rose. The church pew started moving as though following Rain and his grandfather, but when Angela glanced down, she didn't see a stir of wind on the ground.

  "Michael, stop that," she said. "We're supposed to stay with Tess. And I want to watch the rest of the celebration."

  "I'm not doing anything," he replied. "Come on. Let's get off this thing."

  "I can't," she gasped. "I can't get up. And my wings won't unfold."

  "Neither will mine. What the danged blazes is going on here?"

  Thirty

  The church pew floated to the ground on one side of the dead campfire, and on the other side sat Silver Eagle and Rain.

  "You figured out what's going on here yet, Angie?" Michael whispered.

  "Not entirely," she replied quietly. "But I'd guess that Silver Eagle's powers are pretty strong. I'm sure we could break the spell if we really wanted to, but he's gone to an awful lot of trouble to try to talk to us. That must be what he and Rain were doing up here on this hill last night—preparing themselves spiritually to speak to us. Let's see what he wants."

  "All right," Michael agreed. "Guess Mr. G probably wants us to talk to them, or He wouldn't have let Silver Eagle's powers bring us here, instead of us staying with Tess."

  "It's their wedding night, Michael. We weren't going to stay there all night anyway."

  "Yeah, I know that. And this seems like it might be a lot more interesting than watching the Indian dances." Michael laid an arm across the back of the pew and propped his ankle on his knee. "Think Silver Eagle can see us yet?"

  Silver Eagle took a pipe from the pouch hanging on his belt and placed the stem to his lips. Rain reached up and flicked the lighter Tess had given him, and his grandfather drew on the pipe until the tobacco in the bowl caught. He glanced at the lighter.

  "That is a good thing to have," he said. "Even better than the white men's matches."

  Rain placed the lighter back in his pocket and stared at the spirits again. "When can we speak to them, Grandfather?"

  Silver Eagle puffed on the pipe. He blew smoke in all four directions, then took another puff and handed the pipe to Rain.

  "It is time you learned to smoke with me, Grandson."

  Rain took a deep drag from the pipe and quickly blew the smoke out. His eyes watered and his chest heaved, but he managed to control himself and not cough like a child. He started to hand the pipe back to Silver Eagle, but the shaman nodded across the ashes.

  "Oh, Michael, you can't!" the woman spirit cried.

  "It's part of the ceremony," the man spirit said with a grin as he reached for the pipe. He took it from Rain and inhaled deeply. "Ahhhh," he breathed as he quirked an eyebrow and offered the pipe to the woman.

  "No, thank you," she said primly.

  The man shrugged and handed the pipe to Silver Eagle. "Women don't smoke in your ceremonies anyway, do they?"

  "Not unless they wish to," Silver Eagle replied. "We have never been able to find a ceremony that will let us control a woman's mind."

  "You never will, either," the golden-haired woman said with a huff. "And I'll thank you to remember that just because I'm outnumbered by the males in this group, I'm not going to be overlooked."

  Silver Eagle smiled. "We would never try to do that."

  "Well, let's get cracking here," the man said. "What did you want to talk about, Silver Eagle?"

  Rain jumped to his feet. "What are your names? Where have you come from? Why can't anyone see you except me—and now Grandfather? How does it feel to fly? Can I... can I touch you?"

  Rain saw his grandfather shake his head and wink at the man. "Grandson," he said in a slightly exasperated voice, "we have time. You need not ask it all in one breath."

  Rain sank back to the ground, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Grandfather. I forgot. I didn't mean to act like a... a child."

  "It's all right, Rain," the woman soothed. "You've been watching us for weeks now, and I'd be surprised if you didn't have a whole lot of questions to ask."

  His grandfather placed an arm around Rain's shoulder and pulled him closer. "You have done well, Grandson. You followed our customs and acted with reverence toward the spirits. You prepared yourself, and I am sure they know you are respectful. We will ask them if they are permitted to answer your questions."

  "I'm Michael," the man said when Silver Eagle looked at him. "This is Angie."

  "Angela," the woman corrected.

  "Okay, Angela." The man shrugged. "Angie and I are Tess's guardian angels. We're here to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't get hurt."

  "But she broke her ankle," Rain said.

  "Yeah. Well... a..."

  The woman nudged the man in the ribs. "Go ahead, Michael. Explain that to Rain."

  "You think I can't, don't you? Well, I've been thinking about it. I think it was meant to be. You see, Rain…" Michael shifted and re-crossed his legs. "You see, if Tess hadn't broken her ankle and started to fall off that mountain, and if I hadn't sneezed just then, she wouldn't be here with you all right now. She wouldn't have met your pa, and you wouldn't be a family."

  Angela gently clapped her hands. "Good going, Michael. And I really think you're right."

  "Thank you." Michael turned to her and nodded his head regally.

  "My grandson has told me that your Tess is from the future," Silver Eagle said. "I would know how this happened."

  "Like I said, with a sneeze," Michael replied, laughing. "I lost my concentration, and the roots of the bush Tess was holding on to pulled free. She fell through a time warp that neither Angie nor I knew was there until we looked over the cliff to see what had happened to Tess."

  Suddenly Michael snapped his fingers and held out a cigar to Silver Eagle. "Say, would you like one of these? It's a real Havana. Some of the human spirits that come to live with us tell me it's better than a pipe, and they splurged on them when they were alive."

  "Alive?" Rain whispered as his grandfather accepted the cigar. "They... have to die to be with you? Then, you... you're dead, too?"

  "Yeah, well, Rain, you just haven't thought about that end of it, have you?" Michael asked. "'Course we're dead. Well, sort of. I mean..."

  Michael gave the woman a helpless glance, but she calmly folded her arms and sat back on the pew. Silver Eagle was busy reaching into Rain's pocket for the lighter when Michael looked at him. The shaman pulled out the lighter and studied the mechanism. He flicked the wheel and lit the cigar. Then he blew out a long stream of smoke and lifted his brows inquiringly at Michael.

  "Well, it's like this, Rain," Michael began. He cleared his throat, shifted his crossed legs again, and said, "Angie and I aren't really dead, as you think of the word. See, to be dead we'd have had to have been alive at one time, like the human spirits who once lived on earth, then come to stay with us. But Angie and I have always... well, always been, ever since the beginning."

  "Beginning of what?" he asked in a confused voice.

  "The beginning of time," Michael explained. "You see, that's the difference between angels, like Angie and me, and the human spirits who live with us."

  For the next half hour Michael tried to explain to him the intricacies of life and death—human spirits and guardian angels. He started with creation, when the angels originated, and told of the war, which resulted in a split between the powers and the angels. He told of the different hierarchies and explained his previous duties before he decided to become a guardian angel, rather than a spirit guide.

  Michael also attempted to answer a thousand and one other questions tumbling from Rain's mouth. His grandfather listened attentively, now and then relighting his cigar when he became so involved in the conversation that he forgot to draw on it.

  Rain noticed at one point that the woman appeared a little put out at his directing all his questions to Michael. After all, he recalled, she had been the first angel he had seen. When he asked his next question, he looked at Angela to see if she wanted to answer it.

  No, she responded eagerly. Human spirits don't become angels after their souls leave their bodies. The only angels were the ones who were created at the beginning. However, there were many other things for human spirits to do in their afterlife.

  Rain wasn't too interested in that. He had years and years before he faced the prospect of dying. So he tried another question. "How can this be happening now," he asked, "and other things going on where Tess used to live? How can she be here, with us, when she isn't even born yet in our time?"

  Twin shrugs of white-robed shoulders greeted his query. Silver Eagle waited patiently, but Rain saw his grandfather's brown eyes twinkling as he watched the angels shift uncomfortably on the pew.

  "Uh..." Angela finally began, "I guess there are some things that just can't be explained, Rain. That's where faith comes in."

  "But I thought faith was what we were supposed to have while we're alive—for those things that happen, though we can't figure out why."

  A few more long seconds crawled by, and suddenly Rain said, "I know. It's like you said, Michael. Tess came here because that's what was supposed to happen in her life. So it doesn't really matter now what's going on back there, because she's here with us. We needed her worse than they did back there, and what's happening now is what's supposed to happen in her life."

  "Makes sense to me," Michael said, looking relieved. "How about you, Angie?"

  "Huh?" Angela said, a frown creasing her face. "I guess so."

  "What about flying?" Rain asked, satisfied with his own explanation as to Tess's presence in his life. "Will I be able to do that when I live with you?"

  "Maybe even before," Michael replied.

  Angela nudged him. "I don't think we should tell him about the future."

  "Shoot, Angie, he's already aware of some of the things in the future. Remember all that stuff Tess brought in her backpack? And this is 1893. Why, old Bill Henson's had his patent on that steam-powered plane in England for over fifty years. And the Wright Brothers will make their flight in nine years here in the United States. Rain will have plenty of chances to fly during his life."

  "Could I try it now?" Rain asked in a partially pleading, partially awestruck voice.

  When Angela glanced at Michael, he looked overhead, then shrugged and said, "I don't see why not. You want to take him, Angie?"

  "I'd love to," she said. "If we can get up now."

  Michael stood and held out his hand to Angela. She joined him and flexed her wings wide, reaching for Rain's hand when he scrambled to his feet, filled with excitement.