by Verna Clay
"I'm smiling because I'll never forget the happiness of this day."
"Lie beside me," he said as he stretched out.
She curled into his arms and he bent to kiss her cheek. "Happy Anniversary, Princess." She placed her head against his heart and he touched his lips to her ear. "I've been feeling the call of Uluru."
"I know. I feel it, too."
"Why don't we ring up Paul and Joanie and ask them to meet us there, and then let Yileen and Pengana know we're coming. We'll pack up the twins and head out for vacation, and when we get back, we'll be inspired for our new album."
"I think that's a wonderful idea." Zoe reached for Davide's hand and placed it on her belly. "And I think our baby needs to be introduced to the magic of Uluru long before he's born."
As Davide processed her surprise, she lifted her head to gaze steadily into the depths of his sparkling eyes and reached to smooth a lock of hair from his forehead. When his mouth touched hers, he whispered, "Princess, you have made me the happiest Prince that ever lived."
ZOE'S SONG
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To hear Zoe's Song, please go to this link:
http://www.vernaclay.com/zoes-song-from-shapeling-trilogy.html
Davide and Zoe Beowolf encourage you to download their song and share it with others.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Thank you for reading the last book in the Shapeling Trilogy. I'm both happy and sad that the trilogy is finished; happy because the characters negotiated their way through life's storms, and sad because it's time to say goodbye to those who have lived in my mind for a long time. However, new characters are waiting to tell their tales.
My current project is a contemporary romance series with a swirl of fantasy titled, Finding SOMEWHERE. The first book is SOMEWHERE by the Sea.
Finally, but most importantly, I want to thank my sweet husband, Gary Clay, for his beautiful music. Zoe's Song is track three (Releasing Creativity) from his Album Ascension.
NOVELS AND NOVELLAS BY VERNA CLAY
WESTERN ROMANCE
Contemporary
Romance on the Ranch Series
Dream Kisses
Honey Kisses
Baby Kisses
Candy Kisses
Christmas Kisses
Rock Star Kisses
Forever Kisses
Forgotten Kisses
Angel Kisses
The Last Kiss (2017)
Oasis Series
Stranded in Oasis
Branded in Oasis
Crashed in Oasis
Historic
Unconventional Series
*Abby: Mail Order Bride
Broken Angel
Ryder's Salvation
Joy's Return
*2014 Gold Medal Winner Readers' Favorite Int'l Book Contest/Historical Romance
Finding Home Series
Cry of the West: Hallie
Rescue on the Rio: Lilah
Missouri Challenge: Daisy
Red Rocks Trilogy: Past Present Future
Healing Woman of the Red Rocks (Past)
Song of the Red Rocks (Present)
Spirit Tree of the Red Rocks (Future)
FANTASY ROMANCE
Shapeling Trilogy
Roth: Protector
Fawn: Master
Davide: Prince
Finding SOMEWHERE Series
SOMEWHERE by the Sea
SOMEWHERE to Spend Christmas
SOMEWHERE for a Hero to Hide (2017)
Jazmine
YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE
(Verna Clay writing as Colleen Clay)
Fragile Hearts
AUDIO BOOKS
Abby: Mail Order Bride
Broken Angel
Cry of the West: Hallie
Dream Kisses
LARGE PRINT BOOKS
SOMEWHERE by the Sea
SOMEWHERE to Spend Christmas
SOMEWHERE for a Hero to Hide (2017)
SOMEWHERE by the Sea (excerpt)
Finding SOMEWHERE Series
Two: Owen
On her return trip along Ocean Boulevard Faith pulled into the public beach parking lot and parked her Toyota Camry in a space next to a family of four unloading beach paraphernalia from a van. Two boys, the oldest who looked to be around nine and the youngest six or seven, were squirting each other with water pistols, and their mother stopped what she was doing to chastise them. "Robbie and Lonnie, if I have to warn you one more time, you'll both be grounded from swimming for an hour!" She glanced at Faith who was exiting her car. "Boys!"
Faith gave her a fake smile and nodded. She needed to get away from this family. If she didn't, she might burst into tears. Stashing her purse in the trunk, she grabbed a water bottle and towel and hastened to the beach. Walking past the pier she had viewed so many times in her tabletop picture book, she couldn't believe she was actually here. Three fishermen were scattered across the pier and a man walking his dog reached to pet him.
Being a weekday the beach wasn't overly crowded and Faith followed the shoreline. She spotted a boulder that lent shade from the sun and spread out her towel. She then discarded her T-shirt in favor of the tank top beneath and rolled the cuffs of her shorts higher. Leaning back on her elbows she watched waves ebb and flow. The beach was perfect for children and the family she had parked beside was now walking past her. The young mother waved at Faith and smiled, as if they were friends. The father, carrying an umbrella and beach chairs, laughed with his boys and even started to awkwardly chase them, hampered by his cumbersome load.
For a moment Faith visualized herself as the mother and Hammond as the father walking the beach with Charlie. She closed her eyes and listened to the family's laughter, pretending all was right with her world. Seconds later she opened her eyes and stared blankly at nothing. All was not right. Her husband and son were dead and she was sitting on a beach in Oregon two thousand miles from the home they had lived in, and wondering what to do with the rest of her life. Her house in St. Louis was on the market because living there day in and day out with the imagined voices of her loved ones, was making her crazy. Every time a floor creaked or a shutter banged, she turned, expecting to see her husband or child—expecting they could somehow feel her misery and would appear one last time to say goodbye. The very fact that she'd been unable to say goodbye compounded her sadness exponentially. She closed her eyes again seeking peace in the sound of the waves, and unexpectedly felt something nudge her foot.
She jerked her eyes open. A large red dog, probably a collie mix, was pushing a Frisbee against her toe as he retrieved it. For a moment she forgot her sadness and reached to pet the dog that had paused to watch her. "Hello there. Aren't you a handsome fellow?" She gazed around for the owner and saw a boy of maybe nine or ten wearing a blue ball cap approaching her. Her heart twisted.
"Hello, ma'am. I'm sorry about my dog bothering you."
Faith swallowed against the lump in her throat. "He didn't bother me."
The dog returned to the boy who was only a few feet away and laid the Frisbee at his feet.
Against her better judgment, Faith said, "What's your name? My name is Faith."
The boy picked up the Frisbee and said, "Owen." He tossed the toy down the beach and the dog ran after it.
"Do you live in Somewhere?" she asked.
"Yes."
He didn't say anything else so Faith volunteered, "I just arrived today. I'll be staying at the Hope Bed & Breakfast for a while."
The boy's face lit up. "Miz Gabby is a really nice lady and she bakes the best cookies. You'll like her."
Faith's mouth lifted in a smile. "Oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite. I hope she bakes them."
"Oh, she does. She makes all kinds of cookies. She even sells them at Mr. Lucky's Grocery. The store is only two blocks from Miz Gabby's house and I work there part time. Mr. Lucky pays me to help him stock shelves after school." The boy stopped speaking when his dog returned with the Fris
bee and again dropped it at his feet. Owen bent to retrieve it and said, "Guess I better go. But I'll see you again and maybe we can help each other." He turned and ran down the beach.
Faith didn't understand his parting words, but watched him for a long time before lying back on her towel and covering her eyes with her forearm. It was a struggle to keep from crying.
An hour later she strolled along the shoreline enjoying the feel of wet sand beneath her feet. When the sun was past its zenith her stomach growled and she started walking back to the boulder to retrieve her towel. She needed to check in at the bed and breakfast which would begin a new phase of her life, but for some reason she was reluctant to do so. Would doing so distance her from Hammond and Charlie? Would their memories begin to fade? She didn't want them to fade.
She passed a volleyball game in progress and the participants were the family with two boys. The mother whacked the ball, lost her footing, and tumbled laughing onto the sand. She smiled up at Faith. "Hello again."
Faith returned her greeting and added, "You have a beautiful family."
The woman opened her mouth to reply, but Faith was already rushing away. She didn't want to be drawn into a conversation about anyone's family.
Three: Gabby
Returning to the intersection of Main Street and Ocean Boulevard, where Hope Bed & Breakfast was the last business on Main Street, Faith followed the driveway of the B & B to a parking lot at the back of the Victorian manor. For long moments she sat in her car and gripped the steering wheel. Her lengthy, cross-country journey was about to end and she wondered if her emotional journey would also end, or at least get better. She had all summer to find out. After making the decision to come to Somewhere she had called the B & B and worked out arrangements for a long-term stay, and although expensive, it was much less than the nightly rate. And even if she hadn't gotten a break on the cost she would have stayed for a few weeks anyway, before finding a less expensive place. Her husband's life insurance policy had been more than adequate and now it was time to fund her new life.
The back door of the home opened and Faith watched a tall man, probably about her age, mid thirties, with short-cropped black hair, carry a bag of trash to a green painted enclosure that blended with the surrounding foliage. On his way back to the house he paused when he saw her, nodded, and then continued to the door. Faith wondered if he was the custodian or maintenance man, and then discarded that notion. There was something commanding about his presence, as if he were a man of some stature in the community. Perhaps he was the owner of the B & B. Soon she would find out. Garnering her courage she reached for her purse and decided to retrieve her suitcase later, just in case her escape from her former life was a mistake and she needed to hightail it back to St. Louis. In her heart she knew that wouldn't happen, but just knowing she could run was comforting.
She stepped from her car and followed a pink, azalea bordered pathway that led to the main entrance. She paused when she reached the porch steps and the wheelchair ramp beside it. Inhaling a calming breath she whispered, "Hammond, I'm here. Let's see if this home is everything we dreamed of." She climbed the steps and again paused at the screen door. The inside door was open and she could make out a foyer. Beside the entrance was a sign that read:
WELCOME TO HOPE BED & BREAKFAST
A HAVEN FROM THE STORM
Faith's eyes got stuck on the word "HOPE" and started to sting. Immediately, she entered the B & B to keep her emotions from overpowering her yet again, and stopped short. She turned in a circle studying the lavender walls, moss green panels, and sunflower yellow molding of the foyer.
"The colors are unexpected, don't you think? I always get the same reaction from people who haven't been here before."
Faith turned to face a woman who had obviously been part of the hippie movement. She was smiling widely and stuck out her hand. "Hello, my name is Gabby Hope and I'm the proprietress of this monstrosity. Are you Faith Bennison?"
"Yes. How did you know?" She shook Gabby's hand.
My son, Baxter, was just taking some trash out and saw your car. He noted the license plate was from Missouri, and since you registered with an address in that state, I took a wild guess."