Under the Summer Sky , livre ebook

Harvest House Publishers - Lori Copeland

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129 pages

English

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This romantic new book from bestselling author Lori Copeland portrays God's miraculous provision even when none seems possible.1893-A man who goes only by the name of "Jones" isn't looking for trouble when he happens across Miss Trinity Franklin at the riverside. He is simply on his way to North Dakota to seek the advice of Tom Curtis, a former CN&W Railroad land purchaser. But when Jones spots a lady who is about to become the victim of a marauding band of thugs, he quickly follows his instincts. A handy barrel and a nearby river seem the perfect getaway solution...how was he to know she couldn't swim?Thus begins an adventure beyond what either could have anticipated. After Jones again rescues Trinity-this time from the river-they find their destination is the same: a small town in North Dakota. A seemingly coincidental beginning comes to a delightful and charming ending when orchestrated by the One who can put the pieces of any lost and broken life together.

Sujets

Westerns

Western (genre)

Romance

Western

Informations

Publié par	Harvest House Publishers
Date de parution	01 janvier 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736942874
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.

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon
Cover photos Shutterstock / Jim Parkin, Christo, auremar, Paknyushcha
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.
UNDER THE SUMMER SKY
Copyright 2013 by Copeland, Inc.
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Copeland, Lori.
Under the summer sky / Lori Copeland.
p. cm.-(The Dakota diaries ; bk. 2)
ISBN 978-0-7369-3020-8 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4287-4 (eBook)
1. North Dakota-History-19th century-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3553.O6336U53 2012
813 .54-dc23
2012028997
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.
To Ella Parker Copeland
The newest light of our lives
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Discussion Questions
About the Author
Love Blooms in Winter: Chapter One
Love Blooms in Winter: Chapter Two
About the Publisher
One

Near Piedmont, South Dakota, 1893
D on t put me in that barrel!
Do you want to die, woman?
No! That s why you can t put me in the barrel-I can t swim! She had gone to the river for a simple bucket of water when this beast had swept in and captured her. She loved the good Lord, but she wasn t ready to meet Him face-to-face. The sound of rushing water overwhelmed her senses as iron hands gripped her waist. War whoops filled the air as three riders poured over the hillside. She pounded the solid wall of flesh that enveloped her. Let me go !
I m trying to save your life, lady.
The stranger heaved her over to the barrel and unceremoniously dumped her inside, stuffing her head between her knees before he slammed the lid down on top.
I can t swim! Her muffled voice echoed in her ears. Was he deaf? Mad? What kind of man would put a woman in a barrel and send her over the rapids when she couldn t swim? She banged on the wooden sides. Let me out!
All bedlam broke out, and even through the barrel Trinity could hear grunts, shouts, and the sound of bare fists meeting flesh. Her heart hammered in her chest. She willed herself to be still, but she could feel the barrel shifting underneath her, teetering at the water s edge. Don t let me fall in, don t let me fall in, she whispered. A flour mill sat downstream, but if she reached it she would be too late. A few minutes in the turgid waters and she would drown.
Grunts. More fists.
Please, God. Please, God.
She swallowed back the urge to shout. Calling out would mean certain death. Her brother, Rob, had written tales of rebels, both Indian and white, banding together to plunder and commit unspeakable acts, but never in her wildest dreams would she have thought to encounter one of the lowlifes. A gunshot-then another. Trinity s heart crowded her throat as the fighting grew fiercer. The barrel shifted again.
Don t let me fall in. Don t let me fall in.
A deep rumble. A shove. Trinity s heart sputtered. She was close-too close. She could almost smell the cold, rushing water. She heard the shuffle of men s boots-though now it sounded as though there were fewer of them. Maybe two? Against overwhelming odds, the stranger appeared to be winning.
Rapids rushed in the distance. Relax. That beast of a man is strong. He still faced formidable odds, but it sounded as if he were besting the enemy. Trinity felt the tension draining away from her. The ruckus would be over soon and he would release her from her wooden prison.
And then she would demand to know who he was and how he d had the audacity to risk her life!
Locked in a duel, the men s groans filled the air as they strained against one another. The sheer force in their tones made her cringe. Then-the unthinkable. A boot caught the edge of the barrel and sent it toppling into the churning water.
Trinity screamed as the current caught the barrel and bounced it downstream. Terror-stricken, she watched the water seeping through the cracks in the wood. The rapids were only two hundred yards downstream-she had to be getting close.
She was going to die. Rob had perished far too young, and now she was going to join him. And it was all her fault. She should never have left her nice, safe caf job in Sioux City and come to this rugged land. She had refused to accompany Rob a year earlier when he d pleaded with her to join him and help him settle Wilson s Falls, the plot of land their family had owned for generations. She should have held to her belief that no good would come of her visiting this remote country for even a short time. No amount of money on earth could keep her safe now-not even the handsome sum the railroad was likely to offer for the family s parcel of land.
The trip was supposed to be brief. Never once had she thought her journey would end at the Pearly Gates.

Jones whirled when he heard the barrel hit the water. The man locked in his grip took advantage of the distraction and landed a blow that took Jones to his knees. He swung wildly, landing a punch that momentarily staggered his opponent.
His eyes swung back to the barrel. Only a few moments before it went over the rapids. The other thug came at him and he managed a hard right and then his signature left, the knockout blow. His opponent slumped to the ground and Jones took off running down the bank. His boots thrashed through a heavy thicket as his eyes followed the bobbing container. When he reached a wide spot, he dove in and surfaced just within reach of the barrel.
Hold on! I m here! he yelled.
The girl s reedy voice came back. I can t swim! Get me out of here!
I m trying! He lunged, his hand brushing the barrel in vain. Charging again, he only managed to hurry the barrel along. It flew over the rapids and he heard her screams until the roar of rushing water snatched them away.
Shoot. She was going to be mad as a wet hen.
Are you still there? I can t hear you!
He couldn t imagine why not. She was yelling loud enough for them to hear her all the way to Canada.
I m here! Just hang on!
I can t swim!
Like he hadn t heard her the first eight times. Closing his eyes, he dove under the swift current.

The thin wood split as the water and rocks smashed the barrel into kindling. Trinity gasped for air, her breath lodged in her throat. The wind and water whipped wildly about her. Where was he?
Anger churned with panic as she bumped along. Objects blurred as she choked, struggling to right herself. She went down, down, down, thumping and bumping over rocks. This was it. This was the end. She d never done anything worthwhile in her nineteen years. Nothing but wait tables and serve others-but that was good. To her knowledge she d never caused anyone an ounce of trouble, so she could meet her Maker in good faith.
Now she would draw her last breath-gurgle it, more like-but she broke the waterline, choking. A strong hand latched onto her hair as she went under again.
Pain blinded her-pain the likes of which she d never experienced. Her very roots were being ripped out. She struggled to break the fierce hold, and did, momentarily, but then something snared her and yanked her back to the surface.
Stop fighting me! a male voice demanded.
She saw him then-the man who d stuffed her in the barrel. At the moment it didn t matter what he d stuffed her in; he was an anchor in the storm. Her efforts ceased. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.
He was a strong swimmer, but she was dead weight. Dragging her through the water, he reached a ledge and paused to catch his breath. Paralyzed with fear, her heart threatened to pound out of her chest, and for the first time in her life she couldn t find the words she wanted. His arms around her were powerful, and the feel of his prickly dark beard against her cheek brought a blush to her face. She d never been this close to a man before-except Rob, of course. When she poured coffee at the caf she bent close, but never this close. She could smell him, hear his ragged breath in her ear.
Sorry I scared you, he said, swiping his face to clear the water out of his eyes. I didn t mean for the barrel to go over.
She nodded, still not able to find her voice. She was in the middle of a rushing rapid, standing in the arms of a stranger, finding her brush with death very difficult to comprehend.
Hold on. He hitched her up and swam the remaining distance to shore. Throwing her on the bank like a landed carp, he crawled out and collapsed beside her. For a moment they lay in the warm sun, gasping for breath. In a novel the moment might have been romantic, Trinity thought. Instead it was wet and cold and ghastly.
Who are you? she asked, finally finding her breath. Since she could speak she should probably thank him-it was only polite-though at the moment she wanted to throttle him for putting her life in danger in the first place.
Doesn t matt