Too Long a Stranger (Women of the West Book #9) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Janette Oke

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131 pages

English

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She made the difficult decision with only her daughter's best interest in mind . . . but did she sacrifice too much? When her husband dies, Sarah Perry is left with no way to support herself and her daughter, Rebecca. Reluctantly, she takes over operation of her husband's freight-hauling business, managing to save enough money to send Rebecca east to a boarding school-- to an easier life and a future Sarah could not provide.With the boarding-school fees consuming Sarah's savings, there is no money left for trips home. Over the years, the chasm between mother and daughter becomes much more than geographical distance, and when Rebecca finally returns home, it seems that she and her mother are from different worlds. What hope is there of breaking down the enormous barriers between them?

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Christianity

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 octobre 2006
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781585587353
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0259€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Too Long a Stranger
Books by Janette Oke
Return to Harmony Another Homecoming Tomorrow s Dream
A CTS OF F AITH *
The Centurion s Wife The Hidden Flame The Damascus Way
C ANADIAN W EST
When Calls the Heart When Comes the Spring When Breaks the Dawn When Hope Springs New
Beyond the Gathering Storm
When Tomorrow Comes
L OVE C OMES S OFTLY
Love Comes Softly Love s Enduring Promise Love s Long Journey Love s Abiding Joy Love s Unending Legacy Love s Unfolding Dream Love Takes Wing Love Finds a Home
A P RAIRIE L EGACY
The Tender Years A Searching Heart A Quiet Strength Like Gold Refined
S EASONS OF THE H EART
Once Upon a Summer The Winds of Autumn Winter Is Not Forever Spring s Gentle Promise
S ONG OF A CADIA *
The Meeting Place The Sacred Shore The Birthright The Distant Beacon The Beloved Land
W OMEN OF THE W EST
The Calling of Emily Evans Julia s Last Hope Roses for Mama A Woman Named Damaris They Called Her Mrs. Doc The Measure of a Heart A Bride for Donnigan Heart of the Wilderness Too Long a Stranger The Bluebird and the Sparrow A Gown of Spanish Lace Drums of Change
www.janetteoke.com
* with Davis Bunn

1994 by Janette Oke
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.
E-book edition created 2011
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, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-5855-8735-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
To all mothers and daughters-
May God bless your relationships, Heal any wounds, Enhance understanding, And multiply love in your hearts.
JANETTE OKE was born in Champion, Alberta, to a Canadian prairie farmer and his wife, and she grew up in a large family full of laughter and love. She is a graduate of Mountain View Bible College in Alberta, where she met her husband, Edward, and they were married in May of 1957. After pastoring churches in Indiana and Canada, the Okes spent some years in Calgary, where Edward served in several positions on college faculties while Janette continued her writing. She has written forty-eight novels for adults and another sixteen for children, and her book sales total nearly thirty million copies.
The Okes have three sons and one daughter, all married, and are enjoying their fifteen grandchildren. Edward and Janette are active in their local church and make their home near Didsbury, Alberta.
Contents
1. Sarah
2. Sorting It Through
3. The Solution
4. First Day
5. Adjustments
6. Difficulties
7. Making It
8. Going On
9. Sharing the Plan
10. Plans and Parting
11. Moving On in Faith
12. Rebecca
13. Changes and Chances
14. Growing Up
15. Passing Years
16. Hired Hand
17. Rights of Passage
18. The Lesson
19. Homecoming
20. Beginning Again
21. Hard Days
22. Making Do
23. The Clash
24. A Difficult Decision
25. Stubborn Will
26. The Awakening
Chapter One
Sarah
I ve got to think. I ve got to-to plan.
Sarah lifted a trembling hand to press the palm against her brow. Her delicate face looked pinched and pale. Her lip quivered in spite of persistent efforts to keep it under control by holding it firmly between evenly spaced teeth. She brought the hand at her forehead down and clasped it with her other in hopes of stilling the tremors.
Her world-her whole secure world-had come tumbling in upon her. She needed to think, to make some sense of it all, but her mind failed to work. What will I do? Where will Igo? whirled around in her thoughts. She had to make plans-but her brain refused to cooperate.
A soft cry came from the room next to her own. Rebecca. Rebecca needs me. That much she could still understand.
She left her bedroom and went quickly to the little room that was Rebecca s nursery. They had been so proud of the room. So excited about fixing it up to welcome their newborn. They had teased each other about choosing the color. Michael had insisted that the new baby would be a boy, and Sarah had been just as strong in her resolve that it was a girl. Both of them knew it did not matter. Any child would be more than welcome in this little room, in their lives and hearts.
But as Sarah entered the room and crossed swiftly to the cradle, she did not think of the decor. She thought only of the small child, little more than a year old, and now without a father.
It had been so unexpected, Michael s death. He had been so strong. So independent. Sarah still couldn t believe it was really so-that she and her baby were now alone in the world.
Mama s here, she whispered to her little one, a catch in her voice as she lifted the infant from the cradle and held her tightly against her shoulder.
But your papa will never be here again , her heart cried. To Sarah s memory came the image of the tall, strong young man who had been Rebecca s father, bending over this same small bed to lift his tiny daughter up against his own shoulder. Even with her eyes squeezed shut, she could see him. The imprint of his face was as detailed and real as if he were standing before her. His firm, square chin. His slightly crooked nose. He had broken it as a twelve-year-old determined to ride one of the bulls on his father s ranch. Over the years the incident, and the nose, had become the butt of many little jokes on the part of his friends. Michael had not seemed to mind, laughing along with them.
But Sarah had scarcely noticed the nose when she first met the tall young man. She had been much too fascinated by his eyes. Brown eyes, framed with long, dark sweeping lashes.
His eyes look like melted chocolate, she had gushed to her closest girl friend, and Jane had giggled at her remark and later embarrassed her by telling some others. Even now Sarah blushed at the remembrance.
She lifted her chin slightly in stubborn defiance. He did have beautiful eyes, she murmured softly as though defending herself. Then her own eyes filled with tears and she pressed little Rebecca closer to her. Those brown eyes so filled with love would never look on her or on their baby girl again.
I must get hold of myself, Sarah chided quietly. I must. I have to plan. For the sake of Rebecca.
The baby squirmed in her arms, and Sarah realized she had been holding her too tightly. She blinked away her tears as best she could, swallowed the difficult lump in her throat, and forced a smile to her lips before she turned the child to where she could look into her face.
Are you hungry? she managed, her voice sounding remarkably controlled. Mama has your dinner waiting for you in the kitchen. You ve had a nice long nap.
In answer, Rebecca squirmed again and grinned at her mama. Then she reached for a handful of her mother s shiny dark hair and gave a tug. To Sarah s dismay the pins pulled loose and soft curls were soon spilling over her left ear.
Now see what you ve done, she scolded gently, but Rebecca squealed and reached for the mass, tangling her tiny fingers in the softness.
It was my fault, Sarah conceded as she carried the child toward the small kitchen at the rear of the house. I pinned it carelessly. She sighed and her slim shoulders seemed to sag with a sudden weight.
Don t eat it, she told her young daughter, who was trying to stuff a fistful of the tresses into her mouth.
You think everything is to eat-don t you? she continued, smiling wanly as she tried to ease the hair from the tightened fist. It was a difficult task, for Rebecca had the strands all entangled in tiny fingers.
Sarah finally deposited her daughter in her high chair and, bending over her, tried to finish the task of freeing her hair from the little one s grasp.
There, she said at last, able to straighten up again and reach to pin the hair haphazardly in place. Then she went to the cupboard for Rebecca s meal and moved to the wood-burning stove to reheat the mashed vegetables and gravy.
Rebecca squealed. She was never patient, which was especially true where her dinner was concerned.
Mama s coming, Sarah assured her. You don t want your dinner cold, do you?
But Rebecca was in no mood to wait. She thumped on the tray of the chair and squealed loudly again. Sarah knew if she didn t hurry, the child would soon be crying-and then screaming. What was it Michael had said? That she was an angel-until it came to food. Then she suddenly turned into a little terror. In spite of her aching heart, Sarah smiled. The child s papa had known her well.
Rebecca began the second stage of her protest, and Sarah hurried toward the high chair. The food would have to be served as it was. She felt she could not endure a childish tantrum now. In her present state her nerves were raw, her heart near breaking, and she feared she might find herself screaming and crying right along with her offspring.
You shall have it, she informed her small daughter. If it isn t quite warm enough-then you ve yourself to thank.
But Rebecca did not complain as Sarah spooned the food into her small mouth.
At first Sarah was absorbed in her task, but gradually troubling thoughts came back to fill her mind and heart again.
What will I do? I must make some plans.
Her whole person staggered under the weight of decisions to be made, but she seemed no nearer to any answers.

What do you plan to do?
It was Mrs. Galvan who asked the question. Sarah had regarded Mrs. Galvan as a pleasant neighbor-nothing more, since she was at least thirty-five years Sarah s senior. According to the neighborhood report, the woman had borne six children. She had lost twins, one after the other, soon after their birth, and her only