One Perfect Honeymoon (Bellingwood) by Diane Greenwood Muir Read Free Book Online Page A

looked up into the sky and then pointed. "There's the Big Dipper, but I've never seen it like that. It's so bright. Look at all of the stars surrounding it."
    He hugged her tighter. "Thank you for waking me up. We'd have missed this if we'd stayed in bed."
    A few other cars had pulled into the parking area, yet there was quiet as they took in the beauty of the morning. As the sun came up, layers of pinks and blues hovered above the canyon walls until light brought them to life.
    "The colors are amazing," Polly said. She leaned into his chest. "I'm so glad I got to experience this with you."
    "I don't think Mom and Dad have been here yet."
    "But they're so close."
    "Dad said they had plenty of time to come up here, but they just haven't done it."
    She shook her head. "Why would you wait?"
    They stood and watched the sun rise in the sky and when the initial impact had worn off, Henry pulled her close. "Are you ready to head up to Monument Valley? I can't wait to see those formations."
    "I suppose," Polly said. "I'm a little surprised you know what it is."
    "Anyone who watched old John Wayne movies knows about Monument Valley," he said, laughing.
    Polly kept the blanket and jumped back in the truck, thankful they'd left it running with the heat on. She was frozen.
    When Henry had buckled in and pulled back on to the road, she asked. "John Wayne movies? I didn't know that about you."
    "You didn't watch those with your Dad?"
    "No. Honestly, we didn't watch that much television when I got older and hardly ever when I was a kid. There was too much to do."
    "Even in the winter when he wasn't in the fields? What did he do?"
    "I don't know. He read books and magazines after he finished the paper. I always had school activities and homework and I also read a lot."
    "Weird."
    "What's weird?"
    "That explains why you're a librarian."
    "Maybe. So, back to you. John Wayne movies?"
    "Yes. Don't make fun of me."
    "I wouldn't dare. Did you watch them with your dad?"
    Henry looked at her and smiled. "Dad watched the movies, but Mom was the John Wayne junkie. You know he was born in Iowa, don't you? She dragged me down to Winterset to see that little tiny house more than once. I think she was in love with him."
    "That's awesome. Your mom has amazing depths."
    "Yeah. I can't wait to show her pictures of this place. Before I left, she asked me if I knew what 'Fort Apache,' 'The Searchers,' 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon,' and 'Red River' all have in common."
    "I suppose those are John Wayne movies."
    "Uh huh. And John Ford directed them. And they were all shot here in Monument Valley."
    "That's kind of strange to think about. It's a real live movie set."
    He drove on for a while and Polly shut her eyes. The sun coming through her window warmed her until she could barely stay awake.
    "Polly?" he said quietly.
    "What? Do you need me to drive?"
    "No. You have to see this. I think you'll be sad if you miss it."
    She sat up in the seat and looked out at an immense plain bordered by a row of red cliffs that stretched as far to the right and left as she could see.
    "Oh my," she said. "Everything out here is so vast. You look and look and there is no end to it."
    "It's been that way for a while."
    "Thank you. Have you seen any of the monuments yet?"
    "Just some small things. We should be there any minute, though."
    They crested a rise and before them were immense stone monuments jutting up from the flat plain, rising high into the sky.
    "I can't imagine what the earth was going through when these things were created. And to think we're able to see it all of these millions of years later," she said.
    "Look at that one," Henry said. "That's from 'The Searchers.'"
    "How do you know this?"
    "It's a little familiar," he said, chuckling. "As many times as I've seen that movie, I recognize these landmarks. And look there, that's where John Wayne hid in a cave."
    "Seriously?"
    "I should shut up?"
    "No, we should pull over so you can get some photographs for your Mom. She'd