Take Me Home (9781455552078)
Page 28
“Well, I’ll be,” John said, checking his pocket watch. “Looks like they’re a couple minutes early. I hope this leaves your mother with enough time to get supper ready. If it doesn’t, I reckon I’ll get blamed for it,” he said with a chuckle.
There was a time Olivia would have agreed with her father, but not now.
After their home had been burned down by Otto, the Marstens had rebuilt. Because of John’s position and popularity in town, there had been so many volunteers that help had been turned away. Elizabeth had been right in the thick of things, distributing both lemonade and words of encouragement to friends and neighbors. The experience seemed to have changed her for the better. Though she could still be judgmental and short with her daughters, there was more genuine warmth and affection as well. Nowhere was this more evident than in her relationship with Grace. The fire had changed Olivia’s sister; the rambunctious girl had grown up a bit. She still preferred spending her days tromping through mud puddles looking for frogs, but nowadays Grace was always clean and on time when meals were served.
Strangely, chaos had brought order to Olivia’s family.
Before the train had shuddered to a stop, clouds of steam hissing as the engine settled, Olivia was already outside. The wind was bitterly cold, making her blond hair swirl around her shoulders, but she paid it no mind. She ran along the platform and peered into windows, hoping for a glimpse. But then, two cars ahead of her, Peter stepped down the stairs. He wore a dark peacoat turned up at the collar and a duffel bag was slung over his shoulder; ironically, Olivia’s first thought was that he looked just like a soldier returning from war. He turned toward her; when he saw her, he smiled.
Unable to control her happiness, Olivia hurried to him as tears began to fall down her cheeks. Before she reached him, Peter dropped the bag at his feet, then swooped her into his arms, holding her tight as he swung around in a circle.
“I can’t believe it!” she cried into the crook of his neck. “I can’t believe that you’re here!”
“I made a promise to you,” he said, setting her down. “And I’ve kept it.”
Olivia rose up and kissed him. It was sweet, tender in all the right ways, something that had been many long months in coming, and it nearly made her swoon. Everything about him was as she remembered it; how he looked, his smell, the sound of his voice, the way his lips felt pressed against hers.
No, it was better.
Once she was certain where Peter was, Olivia had begun to write him letters. Every night, she sat down with paper and pen to tell him about her day and how badly she missed him. Slowly, a few letters had trickled her way in return. He never burdened her with the life he faced in the camp, but instead he asked questions about her family, encouraged her to stay positive, and above all else, told her how much he loved her. Unfortunately, not all of Peter’s news had been good.
In November, Peter had learned that his mother had passed away back in Germany. Fortunately, she had died peacefully in her sleep rather than in a bombing raid or some vindictive Nazi act. Peter was sad to have lost her, but saw it as another sign that his life was to have a new beginning.
“Look at you,” he said, rubbing the redness that colored Olivia’s cheeks. “You must be freezing.”
“I’m fine,” she replied. “For the first time in far too long, I’m fine.”
“You’re more beautiful than I remember.”
Olivia blushed.
Peter smiled. “So much time has passed since I saw you last that I can’t take my eyes off you. I want this moment to go on forever.”
“It will,” she said, and meant it with all of her heart.
Once Peter’s release had been granted, the process had begun to formalize his new citizenship; because his father had been an American and a veteran, they hoped it wouldn’t take long to be granted. But Olivia was impatient; she wanted them to be married sooner rather than later. Whenever she thought about their future, of the children she hoped to have and the incredible story she and Peter would someday tell them, Olivia was filled with wonder.
“You look just like I remember,” John said warmly as he shook Peter’s hand. “Seems like only yesterday you were here.”
“It feels a lot longer to me, I’m afraid.”
“I reckon it would.”
“I want to thank you, sir,” Peter said. “For everything that you did.”
“Don’t worry,” Olivia’s father replied with a smile. “I might just have a way for you to repay me.”
John was still in need of a deputy. After Huck’s death, the sheriff had made do with a ragtag group of part-timers, but hadn’t hired anyone on a more permanent basis; Olivia suspected that her father held out hope of Peter’s someday taking the position. Once his paperwork was finished, they’d just have to see.
While John went to get the car, Olivia stood with Peter inside the depot. Since she’d first thrown herself into his arms, Olivia had yet to let him go. She also hadn’t stopped smiling; it was as if she could finally exhale.
“I love you, Olivia.”
She looked up to find Peter staring at her; his expression was serious, yet warm, even a bit playful. Olivia thought about all that had happened, about the accident that had brought them together, the adventure that they had shared, and especially the romance that had bloomed from it. She even thought about his deception. “You’re not lying to me, are you?” she asked.
Peter grinned. “I may not have always told you the truth about my life,” he said, “but I have never lied about my feelings for you, and I never will.”
“Do you promise?”
Gently, he kissed her forehead. “With all my heart.”
And that was just fine with her.
Special Thanks
To Ulrike Carlson for all of her help with the German language. It is truly wonderful to have a dear friend who is a native speaker.
About the Author
Dorothy Garlock is one of America’s—and the world’s—favorite novelists. Her work consistently appears on national bestseller lists, including the New York Times list, and there are over fifteen million copies of her books in print translated into eighteen languages. She has won more than twenty writing awards, including an RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction for A Week from Sunday, five Silver Pen Awards from Affaire de Coeur, and three Silver Certificate Awards—and in 1998 she was selected as a finalist for the National Writer’s Club Best Long Historical Book Awards. Her novel With Hope was chosen by Amazon as one of the best romances of the twentieth century.
After retiring as a news reporter and bookkeeper in 1978, she began her career as a novelist with the publication of Love and Cherish. She lives in Clear Lake, Iowa. You can visit her website at www.dorothygarlock.com.
Books by Dorothy Garlock
After the Parade
Almost Eden
Annie Lash
By Starlight
Come a Little Closer
Dreamkeepers
Dream River
The Edge of Town
Forever Victoria
A Gentle Giving
Glorious Dawn
High on a Hill
Homeplace
Hope’s Highway
Keep a Little Secret
Larkspur
Leaving Whiskey Bend
The Listening Sky
Lonesome River
Love and Cherish
Loveseekers
Midnight Blue
The Moon Looked Down
More than Memory
Mother Road
Nightrose
On Tall Pine Lake
A Place Called Rainwater
Promisegivers
Restless Wind
Ribbon in the Sky
River of Tomorrow
River Rising
The Searching Hearts
Sins of Summer
Song of the Road
Stay a Little Longer
Sweetwater
Tenderness
This Loving Land
Train from Marietta
Under a Texas Sky
Wayward Wind
A Week from Sunday
Wild Sweet Wilderness
Will You Still Be Mine?
Wind of Promise
Wishmakers
With Heart
With Hope
With Song
Yesteryear
HEARTFELT PRAISE FOR
DOROTHY GARLOCK
AND HER UNFORGETTABLE NOVELS
“Garlock is a master.”
—Booklist
“A gifted writer.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“One of America’s most endearing historical fiction authors.”
—RT Book Reviews
UNDER A TEXAS SKY
“Garlock is a masterful storyteller who recognizes what her audience craves and consistently delivers a sweet, nostalgic read that conveys the reality and romance of the era…There is enough depth of emotion in Under a Texas Sky to satisfy her fans.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Who could resist a romantic summertime read from the ‘Voice of America’s Heartland,’ especially with ‘Texas’ in the title?”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX)
“The latest from romance doyenne Garlock mixes light suspense with traditional romance for an entertaining effect.”
—Booklist
BY STARLIGHT
“Few authors can recreate the atmosphere of a 1930s small town as beautifully and faithfully as Garlock. She imbues each story with a classic American aura while creating a touching, realistic plotline peopled by authentic characters.”
—RT Book Reviews
“An emotional tale of two people in an almost impossible situation…Dorothy Garlock has made the early twentieth century her own and has another winner in her latest novel.”
—RomRevToday.com
“This is an entertaining Depression-era romantic suspense that brings to life Prohibition in Big Sky Country. The lead couple is a delightful pair…the speakeasy with mobsters, customers, employees, and Prohibitionists [make] for an enjoyable Americana.”
—GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com
COME A LITTLE CLOSER
“Few authors capture the atmosphere and voices of the heartland during the mid-twentieth century like Garlock. She completes her Tucker family trilogy with a tender, realistic look at small-town America after WWII and what war can do to those who fought and those who waited at home. Crisp prose and simple words cannot hide the powerful underlying lessons of loss, friendship, brotherly love, family ties, and the simple acts of kindness that bind a community.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Another winner for Dorothy Garlock…a wonderful romance.”
—BestsellersWorld.com
“This delightful post-WWII thriller stars a strong small-town cast struggling to move past the war. The tenuous relationships between Tyler, Holden, and Christina make the tale fun to read while Dorothy Garlock paints a vivid backdrop of 1946 Wisconsin.”
—GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com
KEEP A LITTLE SECRET
“Garlock is a master at developing characters through their actions and evoking settings so real they transport the reader back in time…All the elements that keep Garlock’s fans coming back for more are here.”
—Booklist
“Four stars…[Garlock] takes readers back in time with her simple prose and likable characters, making them able to believe they are witnesses to the story. Not only is Garlock a premier Americana writer, but she is one who touches chords in readers’ hearts.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Excellent…enjoyable and compelling…eminently readable…engaging characters, romance, suspense, and small-town America in an era gone by.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
STAY A LITTLE LONGER
“Heartwarming…love blooms.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Touching…[a] poignant, engrossing story of life, death, and second chances…Well written and swiftly paced, this story brings to life a time period that is seldom used in romance.”
—Library Journal
“An emotional…profound Americana tale [with a] strong ensemble cast…fans will relish this terrific historical.”
—GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Epilogue
Special Thanks
About the Author
Books by Dorothy Garlock
Praise for Dorothy Garlock
Newsletters
Copyright
This book is a work of historical fiction. In order to give a sense of the times, some names of real people or places have been included in the book. However, the events depicted in this book are imaginary, and the names of nonhistorical persons or events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance of such nonhistorical persons or events to actual ones is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Dorothy Garlock
Cover design by Diane Luger
Cover art by Tom Hallman
Cover copyright © 2014 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Grand Central Publishing
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First ebook edition: July 2014
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ISBN 978-1-4555-2731-1
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