Gem of Truth (Secrets of the Canyon Book #2) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Kimberley Woodhouse

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

156 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Escaping her shattered past is much more difficult than she imagined.Julia Schultz has a reputation for being a storyteller, or as others see it, a liar. But with her dark and painful past, stories are all that have kept her company throughout her life. Longing for a fresh start and a second chance to earn real trust, Julia takes a job as a Harvey Girl at the El Tovar Hotel, where she's challenged to be her true self.Learning the trade of a master jeweler is hard work, but Christopher Miller takes pride in running his family's small shop and earning the respect of the people around him. But when he discovers that he has six weeks to buy his building from his landlord before it is sold, he must find a way to save his grandfather's legacy.United by the discovery of a legendary treasure, Chris and Julia find hope in each other. But when Julia's past catches up with her, doubt creeps into Chris's heart. Can he really trust her and her stories?

Sujets

Historical romance

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	20 septembre 2022
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493439157
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0408€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Half Title Page
Books by Kimberley Woodhouse
S ECRETS OF THE C ANYON
A Deep Divide
A Gem of Truth
Books by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse
All Things Hidden
Beyond the Silence
T HE H EART OF A LASKA
In the Shadow of Denali
Out of the Ashes
Under the Midnight Sun
T HE T REASURES OF N OME
Forever Hidden
Endless Mercy
Ever Constant
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2022 by Kimberley R. Woodhouse
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2022
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—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3915-7
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
This is a work of historical reconstruction; the appearances of certain historical figures are therefore inevitable. All other characters, however, are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Cover design by Create Design Publish LLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota/Jon Godfredson
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to Garry Hogan. My amazing dad. The guy my kids lovingly called “The Walking Encyclopedia.” A man of science. A man of theology. Chemistry Professor. Genius. Pastor. Husband. Dad. Grandpa. Great-Grandpa. You taught me what it was to love the written word. By starting me on The Word.
It hasn’t been a fun year for you. In fact, the past few haven’t been all that great. But to hear you praise God through it all challenges me to be a better child of God. So . . . here’s to you, Dad. A man who loved to read the manuals for everything. A man who loved knowledge and learning. A weaver of stories. I learned so much from you. I’m still learning from you. I love you. Keep on keepin’ on.
Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Kimberley Woodhouse
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Dear Reader
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Epilogue
Note from the Author
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Dear Reader
I’m so excited to have you join me for another journey back to El Tovar, the Grand Canyon, and the inimitable Harvey Girls.
This time, we not only go back to 1907 and the height of the Harvey Empire, but the story brings in a legend from 1540. The legend is purely from my imagination, but it was inspired by a very true story—the history behind the Spanish exploration that brought a small band to the Grand Canyon by accident almost five hundred years ago.
Cibola. ( National Treasure: Book of Secrets , anyone?)
There’s a lot surrounding the legend of Cibola. Because the Spaniards conquered the Aztecs and the Incans and took what was an immense amount of wealth, the legend of vast cities of gold has been fueled for hundreds of years. What happened to the treasure? To think that this expedition of men abandoned a sight such as the Grand Canyon in search of gold completely blows my mind. But they did.
Unfortunately for them and their pockets, they never found Cibola.
It was this rich and fascinating bit of history that inspired my own legend that I use in this story.
So, of course, I used a bit of artistic license to bring this to life. But rest assured, I did the same amount of intense research that I always do for my stories, and I hope you enjoy A Gem of Truth .
For more details about the history included in this story and interesting facts, make sure you check out the Note from the Author at the end of the book.
Lastly, I have to mention a best friend from my childhood, Julie Schultz Leavitt. We were thick as thieves decades ago until my family moved away, but I have carried around beautiful memories of her. Then, one day, a few years ago, she came to one of my book events, and we reconnected. She is such a lovely, amazing woman with the most incredible family (four gorgeous daughters!). Thank you, Julie, for allowing me to name my heroine after you. And for not clobbering me when I dragged you to sing in front of the church.
Enjoy the journey, Kimberley
Prologue
J UNE 1889 D ENVER , C OLORADO
No child should ever witness a scene as gruesome as the one in front of her.
“Mama!” The scream tore from Julia Schultz’s throat, threatening to rip her in two. Tears gushed from her eyes as she bounced along the road, dust stirring in a big cloud and, for a moment, wiping away the scene. “Daddy!” She choked on the word. The ground rumbled beneath the hooves of the horses and the wheels of the wagon. As if it couldn’t wait for them to be away from the chaos.
“Hush now, child. They’re gone.” The words held impatience. And a bit of disgust.
A wiry arm tried to yank her from her kneeling position. The tailgate of the buckboard bit into her hands as she held on with every ounce of strength she had. But it was no use. One more tug and splinters filled her fingers and palms as her backside hit the hay. The burning and stinging produced even more tears. But the pain in her hands was nothing compared to what she felt inside. Her gut twisted in knots, and a deep gnawing made her want to scream.
Clamping her eyes shut, she tried to erase what she’d seen. Just like washing the blackboard in the schoolhouse. She’d always been good at that when Teacher asked. Probably because she was good at making up stories and daydreaming, which helped the job pass faster. Maybe she could do that now.
But she didn’t want to make up a new story. Didn’t want to daydream about picking apples, or playing dolls, or running by the stream.
The horror of what had just happened couldn’t be real. She needed it to go away. To vanish from her mind’s eye. She wanted her mama and daddy back.
But that wasn’t possible . . . was it?
Imagining an endless blackboard in front of her, she visualized herself with a giant bucket of water and a rag. Every time she doused the rag, she swiped at the pictures in her mind. Until it was all black.
There. That was better. At least she didn’t have to see it.
For several minutes, the blank slate behind her eyes helped her to calm down. The tears stopped. She gulped big breaths until her breathing slowed and her limbs stopped trembling.
But then she opened her eyes. Her imagination couldn’t change what happened. Or where she was. The road behind the wagon stretched back to where her parents drew their last breaths. She couldn’t see them anymore. Couldn’t hear the crowd. Couldn’t smell the flowers she’d just picked for her mama.
Instead, the smell of sweaty horses did nothing to mask the scent of the woman beside her. She smelled like liniment and sour milk. Nothing like the sweet smell of her mama.
And the man driving. Well, he was scrawnier than any man she’d ever known, with a mustache too big for his face. He hadn’t said a word. Just drove the wagon. Away.
Far away.
Risking the ire of the woman, Julia went back to the tailgate and gripped the rough wood.
Another hard yank brought her back to the hay. “I told ya to sit. Ain’t nothin’ you can do about them now.”
“But it’s not right to leave . . . it’s not.” She clenched her jaw as hard as she could. She had to be the strong one. There was no one else left.
“The sooner you learn about how hard life is, the better. Your parents are dead. Gone.”
She dared a look into the woman’s eyes. What made her so hard? So unfeeling? She was nothing like her mother, who had always been so full of smiles, hugs, and laughter. Dread built in Julia’s stomach. “What’re you gonna do with me?” She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
The harsh woman let out a huff. “Never you mind. You’re just another orphan that needs feedin’. Just keep your mouth shut and your head down. Do what you’re told and maybe some family will take you in permanently.”
The woman prattled on about rules and such and what a burden it was to have another mouth to feed, but Julia was still caught up on the word orphan . An hour ago, that word didn’t apply to her. It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be.
She knew what happened to kids who didn’t have parents. Unless some new family wanted them, they were tossed aside. Sent to orphanages. Or worse, left on the street.
The woman before her said she had babies at home and that she needed help. At least that’s what Julia had overheard her tell the preacher man when she agreed to take the child . Her. But what would happen after that?
Julia didn’t want to stay with these people. They weren’t nice.
They weren’t even happy.
But most of all, they weren’t her parents.

F OUR MONTHS LATER
The pillowcase in Julia’s hands held everything she owned in this world. That, and the clothes on her back.
As yet another wagon bounced down another strange road with another set of bedraggled people taking her away, she gripped it tighter.
She slid her eyes closed and made a list of the contents.
A small tintype of her parents that Mama had shoved at her in those last minutes. Two sets of underclothes. One dress. One nightgown. A hairbrush.
If she had any money, she’d take her meager belongings and run away. But where?
Why didn’t anyone want her? At eight years old, she was tall and strong. She worked hard. She had good manners. Tried to fit in with each family. But that was just it—they already had families. And she wasn’t a part of them.
She was