“I’ve been praying all day with my best friend. I’ve just come from the church and we’ve a blessing bestowed on us, but you’ve got to do exactly what I say.”
“What do you mean ‘blessing’?”
“You are leaving town on the 9 AM train and heading straight to Oregon.”
“What?”
“Ol’ Nicholson is still sore I wouldn’t allow him to court me all those years ago- but this time I hold the upper hand. His wife is my best friend and if he doesn’t go with this plan, he will rue the day that they ever married.”
“Mama, what are you saying?”
“I’ll leave you the letter to read and you work on getting acquainted with your upcoming bride, but I won’t take no for an answer. You are leaving in the morning and you’ll be married before the week is out. If you can’t live a life here, you’ll live one there in Oregon and I will be happy knowing that you still walk this world.”
If Garrison thought he prayed hard last night, it was nothing compared to the prayers he was screaming silently in his mind as he stood there trying to look brave on the wooden gallows that had been constructed. He could see the watermarks from other people that had come before him. One of the men in the jail cell suggested he use the bedpan in his cell before they walked him out there to keep a bit of pride. Swallowing hard, he realized that if his mother’s scheme didn’t work, he’d be meeting the Lord shortly and contributing to those watermarks on the weathered wood.
It was taking all his might not to soil himself as they put the rope over his head and adjusted the noose. He had no doubts he’d be going to Heaven because he’d always tried to live life as a good man- despite the accusations laid upon him. The rope was scratchy and chafed his neck, but he didn’t want to focus on that…he only hoped as time ticked by it would lead to a lot LESS chafing- and not MORE of it.
“Get him down!” he heard faintly over the thumping of his heartbeat that was pounding in his chest. They might not have to hang him at this rate, he might have a heart attack or asthma attack instead. “You heard me, get that boy down!”
Judge Nicholson, a woman he didn’t recognize and his mother were cutting a path through the crowd and heading towards the gallows. He could see his mother’s pale face staring at him and the pleading, hard look in her eyes. If they didn’t hurry along and someone kicked the chair, he’d be a dead man regardless of her plans.
Garrison did exactly as his mother instructed late yesterday evening, the letter lay against his chest under his shirt. He was absolutely silent. He was pretty sure it was glued to his skin at this point with the sweat that was oozing out of every pore from rampant fear.
“Are you deaf? Get this boy out of the noose- there was a… mistake,” Judge Nicholson hollered and Garrison let out his breath in a whoosh as they pulled the rope from him. He was unshackled and walked to the edge of the gallows. The judge walked over to him and looked him dead in the eye.
“Don’t you ever come back, you hear? You miss that train – get the next one or I will hang you.”
Nodding, Garrison had approximately two seconds to hug his mother before he was pushed into a buggy bodily. His mother shoved the ticket in his hands and threw a small bag into the cab of the buggy.
“I love you!” she hollered as tears rolled unabashedly from her eyes. She was waving with both hands before she turned. The moment his mother turned, he knew she was about to unleash fury on someone. Her arm reared back and slapped Judge Nicholson square across the face when he rounded the corner. Garrison wanted to laugh and someday he might do just that, but for now he was simply too stunned at the turn his life had taken.
He was bound for Silverpines, Oregon.
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Lawfully Challenged
Officer Cindy Lance had waited eagerly for a K-9 position to open up in the small town of Mayhew, Texas. Her career choices were driven by personal tragedy and shaped her life. She vowed to make a difference in the community. She accepted the challenge that being a K-9 officer could bring but that hadn’t been the tough part. It was dealing with the arrogant instructor!
“Mad-dog” Enoch Wesson had no intention of taking it easy on the pretty blond officer that was selected to attend K-9 training class. Her career was full of promise, yet she had the nerve to challenge him at every turn in front of the others. He wanted nothing more than to make sure she knew who the boss was at the training facility.
Cindy strived hard to gain the respect of her handsome instructor and worked diligently with her dog, Duchess. She wanted to make sure she was ready to resume her career with the force. But when an assignment hits too close to home, she finds herself bonding with the one person she thought hated her most of all, only to find that maybe they aren’t so different after all. Can she find the strength to perform a job that could break her heart and crush her soul? Could he overcome his own personal nightmares and be the man she needs?
About the Author
Ginny Sterling is a Texas transplant living in Kentucky. She spends her free time (Ha!) writing, quilting, and spending time with her husband and two children. Ginny can be reached on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or via email at [email protected]
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Blessings of Love, Copyright © 2019 by Ginny Sterling
These books are works of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of these books may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without express written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Thank you for supporting the author’s rights.
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