Out of the Ashes (The Heart of Alaska Book #2) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Tracie Peterson

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166 pages

English

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After the death of their father, Collette and Jean-Michel Langelier are no longer tied to post-war France. While his sister dreams of adventure, Jean-Michel is hoping to finally escape reminders of the horrors he faced in the war. When Jean-Michel receives an unexpected invitation for them to visit Alaska and the Curry Hotel, it seems an opportunity for a change he needs. Katherine Demarchis is a young widow who does not grieve the dangerous husband she was forced to marry. Now she just wants to retreat to a quiet life, content to be alone. First, though, she's agreed to accompany her grandmother on a final trip, but never expects to see a man from her past. Katherine and Jean-Michel once shared a deep love that was torn apart by forces beyond their control. Reunited now, have the years changed them too deeply to rediscover what they had? And when Jean-Michel's nightmares return with terrifying consequences, will faith be enough to heal what's been broken for so long?

Sujets

Historical romance

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	02 janvier 2018
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493413607
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	3 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0461€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2018 by Peterson Ink, Inc., and Kimberley R. Woodhouse
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2018
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 978-1-4934-1360-7
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 authors’ imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Cover design by Dan Thornberg, Design Source Creative Services
Kimberley Woodhouse is represented by the Steve Laube Agency.
Dedication
This book is lovingly dedicated in memory of:
Raymond Earl Frappier
My beloved grandpa.
Married for seventy years to an equally amazing lady, father to five children—who’ve all served in full-time ministry, grandfather to twelve, great-grandfather to a continually expanding number (and soon to be great-great-grandfather), godly example, prayer warrior, WWII veteran, Bronze Star recipient, lover of mashed potatoes and gravy and all things sweet, jokester, and all-around wonderful man.
You never hesitated to be there. Whether it was in the middle of the night when I had growing pains in my legs and you sat with me at the piano for hours to keep my mind off the spasms, or the times you told me a silly story when I needed cheering up, or when you sent notes of encouragement before big competitions, or made me cry at my own wedding, there are a million beautiful memories of you being there.
But the biggest and most marvelous gift you ever gave was your prayers.
You and Grandma prayed for me—and every single member of our big, beautiful family—every day, without fail, for hours on end.
What a legacy you have left us. Thank you. I love you and miss you, oh, so very much.
—Kim
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
A Note from the Authors
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
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
Dear Reader
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Other Books by the Authors
Back Ads
Back Cover
A Note from the Authors
W elcome to the second novel in T HE H EART OF A LASKA series— Out of the Ashes .
As we go back to Curry, Alaska, in the 1920s and the Curry Hotel, we journey with some very broken people. Like so many of us today, they experience pain—physical and emotional—that only our great God can help us endure and overcome. But that’s the beautiful part—He is there. Amidst all the junk.
During the writing of this book, Tracie and I both went through some very difficult circumstances. I had an adventurous two-hour ride in an ambulance that led to numerous surgeries and a long road to recovery. Tracie’s beloved nephew suffered a seizure, and they ultimately had to say good-bye to a family member who was all too young. It all happened within the same month. And we feel that the title of this book is even more significant in our lives—as we’ve come out of the ashes ourselves to see the beauty only God can make.
In the Shadow of Denali , book one, started this series in 2017. It introduces the reader to Curry from its inception and tells the love story of Allan and Cassidy, whom you’ll see again in this story. Each book in the series is designed to stand alone. You don’t have to read each one to enjoy the series; however, reading each in order will definitely add to your enjoyment.
In this story, we have used real historical details and real people intermixed with our fictional characters. And since we didn’t know the people personally, we’ve had to use our imaginations along with our historical research to depict some of their personality traits. Please see the Dear Reader letter at the end of the book for more details, links to pictures, and our own research.
Many of our readers have written in asking about visiting Alaska. We definitely recommend taking a trip to the Last Frontier if at all possible. The Alaska Railroad is a wonderful way to see Alaska and the only way to see the remains of Curry at milepost 248.
Denali is just as magnificent as ever and one of the most beautiful sights to behold, but be prepared for him to shroud himself in clouds for weeks on end. While in Alaska, if you hear the beloved phrase “The Mountain is out,” make sure you chase the mountain that day in case you don’t get the chance again. Take lots of pictures, because it will be a treasure to show your friends and family.
And now, we head back in time to Curry. Our prayer—as always—is that you see the beauty of redemption in this story. But most importantly, we hope you see that God can take our worst circumstances—our shattered pieces—and transform the ashes into an exquisite masterpiece.
Enjoy the journey,
Kim and Tracie
Prologue
A UGUST 1925 A L -M AZRAA , S YRIA — ROUGHLY 100 KM SOUTH OF D AMASCUS
H orrific, gut-wrenching wails brought Jean-Michel Langelier awake. Face-first in the hot sand, he tried to push up from his prostrate position but couldn’t lift his head. Where was he?
Syria.
He took a few deep breaths. He’d been stationed in Syria to serve out the rest of his term in the French Army.
The army.
Blinking away grit and sand, he worked to remember his surroundings and all that had happened. He’d offered to serve his country in hopes of helping stabilize Europe after the Great War, the war that had devastated them all. But who was he kidding—in all honesty, he’d run off after the love of his life left France without a good-bye. Not that he’d expected one. Once her father had forbade them to marry, all communication was cut off.
So he found himself in the army. And it brought him to Syria.
All had been peaceful.
Until a rebellion of Druze tribes and Syrian nationalists rose up against French rule little more than a month ago. No one expected it. In fact, the French had been pulling out troops.
But now the rebellion was fighting against the French troops that were left. Jean-Michel shook his head again to clear the fog. Hadn’t he heard screaming?
Turning to take in his surroundings, he realized that their ammunition convoy had been attacked as they’d approached the village. Some sort of blast must have rendered him unconscious, which accounted for the pain in his head. He wiped his eyes, hoping to clear them of the grit and smoke. Every muscle in his body protested as he pushed to all fours, and the ringing in his ears grew louder. Blinking against the bright light, he forced himself to focus. But sounds were indistinct—almost muted against the drumming and rushing of his own blood pumping as he pushed himself to stand and move.
Jean-Michel looked down at his torn uniform. There were splotches of blood here and there, but upon inspection he found it was nothing serious. Just small lacerations, no doubt from the explosion.
The explosion. What had caused it? Where was George? And Luc? The two younger men had become dear to him. As their commander, Jean-Michel had earned their respect. However, over time something more had developed—a deep, abiding friendship.
Rapid gunfire and explosions erupted around him. The ringing in his ears gradually subsided, but the pounding pain in his head increased. He staggered to the right, still trying to assess the situation. He was in command, but he couldn’t even focus on what should be done.
Desperate screams brought his attention around. Flames engulfed a building several hundred meters north. A bullet ripped past him, bringing Jean-Michel’s attention back to his own precarious situation. He staggered toward the small structure that was a gathering place for the women of the area. The desperate cries and screams of those inside made his stomach roil.
Someone had chained the only door in and out. They were trapped!
Jean-Michel tried to pull away the heavy chains, but they had been secured with a lock. He struggled to think amidst the conflict and noise. He had to get help. He needed something to cut the chain. He started off across the compound toward the supply depot.
Just then another explosion sent him to his knees. Looking back, he saw that now the back of the building was on fire. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. He’d spent a lot of time around the Syrian people. Earning their trust.
And for what?
He struggled once again to his feet and turned in a circle to survey the world around him. It was as if everyone had gone mad and time stood still. Were those French soldiers igniting other buildings around him? His soldiers? No. It couldn’t be. Not when there were innocents inside.
Jean-Michel didn’t understand what was happening and why they were fighting. So far, all he’d had to do was follow orders and pass them on to his soldiers. But as he watched the flames grow, he couldn’t fathom who would order such outright evil.
A figure Jean-Michel recognized all too well strode around the building, a torch in his hand and a sneer on his face. Phillippe.
Phillippe hated the Syrian people. Hated being posted here. Hated being under Jean-Michel’s command when he was fifteen years Jean-Michel’s senior. The motivation behind the abhorrence was clear, but his actions were so barbaric Jean-Michel found it difficult to believe. What had made the man snap like this?
This new “war” ob