As if a hole had been cut in the sky by the violent thunder, the noise of the rain suddenly doubled, then tripled. Celia gasped. “I didn’t think it could rain any harder!” She went to the window and looked out, laughing lightly. “It looks like there’s a thousand garden hoses going at once.”
Eric grabbed the candle. “Where are those blankets?” His voice was gruff.
“Under the stairs.” She pointed vaguely. Her attention was focused on the deluge. It excited her. A part of her wanted to run outside into that beating, pounding rain, just to feel it and taste it. Nature run amok, she thought. Humans were helpless in the face of it. A savage kind of joy raced through her at the thought.
“Come on, woman,” Eric growled. “Won’t take Jezebel long to flash her eyes now.”
Of course, she probably wanted to live through whatever was coming. Time enough to observe the drama when everything was safely prepared.
Celia tried to ignore the ripple of excitement that passed through her at the thought of observing the drama with Eric Putman nearby.
Acknowledgments
This book was a very long time in gestation, as some books just seem to need. It was born one hot afternoon in St. Louis, when James Samuel, a black man in his seventies, began to tell me about his experiences in Italy in World War II. Until he told me, I had no idea that the United States fought Hitler with a segregated army. It seemed so astonishing, so hypocritical, I found myself inhaling every detail I could dig up about the subject. Ultimately, I found my story in the moment the American army became DE-segregated, at the Battle of the Bulge, a moment that led irrevocably to the desegregation of the South. Isaiah’s story is only one possible journey—there are many thousands of others, and they are well worth reading. One book I found invaluable for tone and progress was Fighting in the Jim Crow Army, by Maggie M. Morehouse.Many other people played a part in the gestation and writing. Sharon Lynn High Williams for early reads and encouragement, Barbara Keiler for another critical read later, and Deb Smith, my editor at BelleBooks, for believing in a romance novel like this one. I also want to thank my Samuel relatives, who were heavily in my thoughts as I wrote, especially James and Lurelean, whose stories helped flesh out my understanding of the south in the 30’s and 40’s. Their values of honor, truth, and hard work shaped my life and that of their grandchildren, my sons Ian and Miles. We would all be lesser humans without your influence.Finally, thanks to my readers, who so willingly follow me wherever my imagination decides to go, from the middle ages to WWII to the current day. You have no idea how grateful I am for each one of you, and I love to hear from you. Please send me email at [email protected], or friend me on Facebook:
facebook.com/BarbaraSamuelONeal.
About The Author
Barbara Samuel is a multiple award-winning author with more than 38 books to her credit in a variety of genres. She has written historical and contemporary romances, a number of fantasy novellas with the likes of Susan Wiggs, Jo Beverley and Mary Jo Putney. She now writes women’s fiction about families, dogs, and food as Barbara O’Neal.
Her work has captured a plethora of awards, including six RITAs; the Colorado Center for the Book Award (twice); Favorite Book of the Year from Romance Writers of America, and the Library Journal’s list of Best Genre Fiction of the year, among many others.
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