Sarah wakes, her cheeks damp with tears. Like a dust devil in a dying windstorm, all traces of her handsome rescuer vanish with a farewell kiss and the annoying blast of an alarm clock...until he appears at her door as a new neighbor. Will Sarah find a way to win the love she tried so hard to capture in her dream without being declared insane, or will the sexy woman living an apartment away beat Sarah at her own game?
Previously published as Sarah's Heart and Sarah's Passion, this edition combines both stories.
Sarah Collins struggled to open her eyes against the
glare, but the pounding pain in her head urged her to keep them closed. She
swept the tip of her tongue across cracked lips, her mouth as dry as the
feathers in her pillow—yet she felt no downy softness beneath her, only an
uncomfortable jabbing in her back. Her palms groped along something gritty.
Where was she?
Suddenly patchy memories flooded back. The taste of
bile filled her throat. She struggled to sit, groaning as she pushed herself up
from the dusty ground and the offending stone stabbing at her spine. Her eyes
misted with tears, and fear clutched at her chest as she surveyed what remained
of the wagon train.
Grasping her constricting throat, Sarah stood,
scanning the eerie site. The bodies of her new friends lay scattered amongst
the smoking ruins, some oddly contorted and others positioned just as they’d
fallen. Her heart ached for the mother who sat propped against a wagon wheel,
clutching her baby to her breast—both obviously dead. Sarah covered her mouth
to stifle a scream. Oh sweet Jesus, why kill a defenseless infant?
Was she the only survivor? As evidenced by an
attacker’s body lying a few feet from her, someone had interceded and saved her
life. There had to be someone else alive. There had to be! The hair on the back
of her neck bristled.
If not for the carnage, the day would be
beautiful—wispy clouds floated in a powder blue sky, and an endless sea of
waving prairie grass announced the arrival of spring. The only sound came from
water bubbling in the nearby stream as it traveled over a rocky bed.
Sarah remembered everything now. They had just made
camp when war cries sliced the air. A few hours of daylight remained, but one
family’s illness prompted the wagon master to halt travel for the day. Supper
fires hadn’t even been lit when a band of whooping Indians with painted faces
stormed the group. There must have been twenty or more on horseback. The last
thing Sarah recalled was running to fetch her rifle.
She dusted off and inspected her body for injury.
Other than her throbbing head, she assumed she was all right until something
warm trickled into her eye. Her fingertips reddened from touching a sticky
substance on her temple, and she flashed back to the terror of looking into the
scarred face of the brave whose tomahawk struck only a glancing blow. Recalling
those hate-filled eyes sent a shudder through her.
Her bonnet dangled down her back, its ribbon
annoyingly tight across her throat. She pulled at the ties, easing the choking
feeling, and then inspected the stained head covering. After wiping her
bloodied hand on the yellow gingham, she tossed it to the ground where her
body’s partial outline still etched the dirt.
The sun hadn’t risen very high above the horizon. She
must have been unconscious all night. Releasing a pent up breath, she lifted
her dress and ripped a piece from her petticoat, folded the cloth and held it
to her wound. Fear clutched at her core, and unbridled tears ran down her
cheeks as she prayed to see another living soul. Surely she was no better than
the rest of these simple folk who were trying to find a new start. Why would
God spare only her?
“Hello, can anyone hear me?” She called out in a
faltering voice, then scanned the campsite and listened, but no answer came.
Nothing moved.
****---Want More????
Of course this book is still available for download on Amazon for the amazing price of $2.99
http://amzn.com/B00LRZD3NI
1 comment:
Intriguing excerpt, Ginger. Thanks for tempting us.
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