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150 pages

English

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Bestselling author Lori Copeland (Walker's Wedding and Outlaw's Bride) sets her brand-new story in North Carolina the months after the Civil War. In the midst of chaos, there is also a sense of possibility and the hope of love when:Sisters Beth and Joanie run from a vindictive uncle toward healingTrella, a pregnant young slave, leaves a plantation for freedom Gray Eagle, a Cherokee military scout, finds refuge for the young womenCaptain Pierce, a quiet man of faith, heads for a plot of land and a new lifeSamuel, a black soldier, longs to follow his father's preaching legacyThe intersecting lives and tales of these engaging characters and those they meet along the way create an uplifting story of tested faith, growing seeds of love, and the challenge and gift of believing God's promise of a future.

Sujets

Historical romance

Romance

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers
Date de parution	01 août 2011
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736941679
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0480€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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The One Who Waits for Me
Lori Copeland

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon
Cover photos Masterfile / Alamy / iStockphoto / Shutterstock
Published in association with the Books Such Literary Agency, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370, www.booksandsuch.biz .
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
THE ONE WHO WAITS FOR ME Copyright 2011 by Copeland, Inc. Published by Harvest House Publishers Eugene, Oregon 97402 www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Copeland, Lori.
The one who waits for me / Lori Copeland.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-7369-3018-5 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4167-9 (eBook)
1. North Carolina-History-1865-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3553.O6336O55 2011
813 .54-dc22
2010050021
All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 / LB-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In Memoriam
My brother, Joseph Patrick Smart 1936-2011

My aunt, Madge Pottenger Martin 1914-2011

Willow and Ditto, two very special cats who gave amazing love to their owner 1988-2010 1994-2010
I am God, and there is none like me .
I SAIAH 46:9
Contents
In Memoriam
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Discussion Questions
About the Author
Love Blooms in Winter
Other Books by Lori Copeland
Harvest House Website
Prologue
Roanoke, Virginia, summer, 1865
Y ou can t be serious, Pierce said. If we take the west road, it ll take days longer to get there.
Serious as a rusty nail, replied Preach. He stood back and traced the narrow line on the map running from Richmond to North Carolina with a lean, tanned finger. The men stood in the dirt road with a hot sun baking their backs. I agree it s the longer route, but the roads are better kept and we ll make faster time.
More discussion broke out among the men: Second Lieutenant Samuel Preach Madison, twenty-six, and First Lieutenant Gray Eagle, reportedly the finest scout in the 212th Company. Gray Eagle was twenty-five and Cherokee. Both men had fought for the Confederacy. Captain Pierce Montgomery, twenty-four, had fought for the Union, though neither Preach nor Gray Eagle held it against him.
The war was declared over last spring when General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, but it wasn t until General Stand Watie rode into Doaksville on June 23 that the last Confederate officer surrendered his command. The shaky cease-fire held, but the stench of war still permeated the soft Southern air.
The soldiers had met some two hundred miles back at a crossroads. Pierce and Gray Eagle had ridden the first hundred miles together, and when the pair bumped into Preach at a trading post, he accepted the invitation to join them on the long trek home.
Everywhere the men looked they saw a country struggling with upheaval and plagued with instability as newly freed slaves sought to find work and shelter for their families. The old adage safety in numbers rang true, and the men heeded common sense.
Straightening, Pierce flashed a white grin sheathed in sun-bronzed features. So what say ye, gentleman? Do we choose the shorter route with admittedly bad roads and more rivers and streams to cross, or do we take the west trail that s longer but with supposedly fewer headaches?
Preach removed his hat and studied the map again. Trust me. We ll make faster time if we ride west.
Pierce shook his head. And I say we take the shortest route available. Let s just get home.
Gray Eagle stepped up, his black eyes solemn. Tall and heavily muscled from long hours in the saddle, he was a striking man. Shall we flip a coin? The Native American s precise English was in stark contrast to his looks. Taught by his white mother, the Confederate scout had the highest education among the group.
Well, I suppose that s fair, Pierce conceded. But I still say the shorter way is better.
Removing a coin from his leather pouch, Gray Eagle rested it in his hand. Who calls?
The captain, Preach said.
Pierce shook his head. I thought we d agreed that the war is over. I was captain on the field. Here I m just Pierce.
Sorry. Preach s white teeth gleamed in his glistening mahogany features. A man gets used to takin orders, and it sorta feels like mutiny not to let a superior officer lead.
Shaking his head again, Pierce said, Flip the coin. I call heads.
Gray Eagle looked at the other two. Heads, we take the shorter route with bad roads and more rivers to cross. Tails, we take the longer route but make better time.
The black man grinned. Either way, I shore do want to get home as fast as possible. I can taste those hot biscuits baking in the oven now. Flaky and dripping with butter and blackstrap molasses. Umm, umm.
None of them had seen butter in years. Or hot anything.
Their eyes were focused on Gray Eagle s nut brown hand as the Cherokee tossed the coin. It twirled in the air, over and over, and then landed in his palm. Closing his fingers over it, his normally serious features broke and he smiled. What will it be? Heads or tails?
Just look at it, Pierce said, snappishly. He removed a bandana from around his neck and mopped at the sweat now rolling down his temples.
Gray Eagle s eyes twinkled. Oh? Is the captain anxious to get home? Got a lady waiting for him?
No lady. Just a fine piece of land. Despite the heat, he couldn t help grinning. Bought me a small tract not far from my pa s plantation. Pierce patted the vest pocket where he kept the deed close. He had spent every last cent he had in the world on that land. He was going to eventually build a home, raise a few cattle, a little cotton, and maybe consider taking a wife-some fine filly with a longing to serve her man. Grow fat and lazy. He d had a bellyful of fighting. He was never going to lift a hand in violence for the rest of his life. A man could shoot him in the back, and he wouldn t return fire. He d lie down and die with a sigh of peace, that was how sick he was of turmoil. Once he got to his land, he was going to sit back and drink pitcher after pitcher of sweet tea, something he hadn t enjoyed in years.
Preach couldn t help smiling as well. I m with you, sir. I can t wait to smell the magnolia blossoms in the front yard and eat Ma s sweet potato pies. How come you bought that passel of land, Captain? Didn t you say your pa has thousands of acres?
That s Pa s land. I want my own. Pierce patted his pocket one more time for reassurance. In a few days he d see his land. Pa would most likely be upset that his son had bought property nearby without consulting him first, but when Pierce had seen the advertisement for the acreage in the Savannah Daily News and Herald , he d wired the money and became a landowner faster than a loose woman could wink her eye.
Same goes for me, Peach said. A roof to call my own. I can t wait to sleep in a decent bed.
And take a bath, Pierce added. Hot water and clean towels.
Sissies, Gray Eagle said. Clean beds, hot food. Didn t the war make men out of you?
Look at the coin! the other two shouted.
Grinning, Gray Eagle began, Now, gentlemen. You re-
Pierce reached for the scout s hand and pried open his palm. Three pairs of eyes focused on the coin.
Tails.
Pierce groaned. Flip again.
Sorry. We ride west. Gray Eagle slid the coin back into his pouch. Don t worry. We probably won t be delayed more than a couple of days at most.
Saddling up, Preach said, You could take the shorter route, Captain. A coin flip doesn t mean we have to stick together.
You certainly could go your own way if you were a fool. Grinning, Gray Eagle reined in beside his friends. Which you aren t. Right, brother?
Sometimes Pierce wondered, but he knew the wisdom of the scout s words. He d counted the hours till he d be back home since he d ridden away five years ago, and it irked him to waste even a day. Delay was pure aggravation. Tightening his hold on the reins, he said quietly, Okay, but we pick up the pace. If the roads are better and we have fewer rivers to ford, we should be able to make it in the same amount of time.
Preach frowned. You re sure anxious to be home.
I thought you were too.
I am, but a couple of days isn t going to sour the milk.
Pierce nudged his mare s flanks. No, but there s no point in delaying.
Nodding, Preach shifted in his saddle leather. Okay. Let s go home.
Pierce fell in behind the two men and the group started off again.
Home.
Peace and quiet. Thank You, God .
He was sure he d seen the last of misery.
One
J oanie?
Beth s sister stirred, coughing.
Beth gently shook Joanie s shoulder again, and the young woman opened her eyes, confusion shining in their depths.
Pa?
He passed a few minutes ago. Trella will be waiting for us.
Joanie lifted her wrist to her mouth and smothered sudden sobbing. I m scared, Beth.
So am I. Dress quickly.
The young woman slid out of bed, her bare feet touching th