HT02 - Sing: A Novel of Colorado
Page 30
“They’re all safe, ma’am,” said the man, averting his gaze as if embarrassed to look upon her burns, her hair. Moira ignored it. She was too relieved that her family was all right to care about it now.
“Bannock’s dead,” he said. “His men all captured.”
“Dead,” she repeated in a whisper. She turned and ran inside the house. “Daniel, Daniel,” she said trying to elicit a response. He lay on the couch, hot, as if with a fever, and didn’t move. He hadn’t moved in the past hour. “He’s gone, Daniel,” she whispered, leaning her head into his chest. She gently pulled the rifle from his hands. “It’s over. Now we just have to take care of you.”
Cassie moved in with a bucket of water and cloths, as if Daniel were a spill to clean up. But Moira was too weary, too weak to do any more herself. She sank down on the floor to watch. Cassie unbuttoned Daniel’s shirt and pulled it away.
Moira gasped at the blood-soaked bandage beneath it, but Cassie turned to her and said, “Ma’am? Can you come and help me?”
Moira moved, and held the unconscious man as the girl indicated so she could unwind the bandage. When it was off, Cassie peered over his shoulder and grunted. “Wonder if he stayed put long enough to let a doctor fish it out, or if he took off after you.”
“After me,” Moira said dully. Shot because of her. Risking his life to come after her again.
“Lay him down, Miss Moira,” Cassie said.
Moira did, trying to ease the big man back, but he was heavy, and he fell to the settee with a groan. “Do me a favor, Moira,” he said, his eyes still shut, “and never become a nurse.”
She laughed, so happy was she to hear his voice again. “I’ll do my best,” she said, “to try and avoid that.”
“Is the bullet still in there, Daniel?” Cassie asked.
He waved her off. “No, no,” he mumbled. “It’s out.”
“Good. At least the man showed some sense.” The girl dipped the cloth in water, wrung it out, and then washed away the blood, the farthest away from the wound first, then moving in, dabbing as she got closer. He fell unconscious again, but moaned when she was directly atop the bullet wound.
Cassie reached for some strips of cloth, couldn’t quite reach them, and then looked again to Moira. Moira moved over and handed her the cloth. “How do you know how to do this, Cassie?”
“Five brothers. Two of them have had bullet wounds.”
Moira frowned and looked her in the eye. “How’d that happen?”
“Tomfoolery. Mother says that it would’ve served ’em right, dying. She didn’t mean it, o’ course, but boy, she was mad. ’Specially with the second one. But that was a hunting accident.” She looked at Moira doubtfully. “Think you can hold him upright again?”
“I-I think so,” Moira said. She reached around to hold Daniel around the torso, keeping him upright. His head hung to the side. He was so broad and finely muscled …
“He’ll live, Miss Moira,” Cassie said. “Gotta get the doc out here, o’ course, but he’ll be okay. He’s just weak from loss of blood. And his wound is festerin’ a bit, givin’ him the fever.”
Moira nodded, taking strange comfort in her words. If anything happened to Daniel … on account of her—
“Fine-looking man,” Cassie interrupted her thoughts, still wrapping. “Lift up your arm there. That’s it. Now I got it. This ’un yours?”
“Mine?” Moira asked blankly. “Why, no. I have no claim on him.”
“But he came all this way to get you back from that Bannock?”
“He did,” she said softly, easing back to look at him and giving Cassie room to wind the bandage around again. “And more. He did much more for me,” she whispered. She thought of Daniel’s many kindnesses to her, how he had saved her aboard ship, always treated her with respect, even after she had told him of her indiscretions and her pregnancy.
They had just covered him with a blanket when Odessa and the rest entered, a mass of excited conversation. Bryce and the men were intent on taking the prisoners to Westcliffe. “There’s no sheriff or deputy, but there’s still a jail. They can sit in there until the judge can get to us,” Bryce said.
Odessa was moving across the floor to Moira, and Moira to her. The sisters embraced. Odessa, weeping, reached back for her husband, pulling him into their circle. “Oh, Sissy, do you know how I’ve longed for you? Missed you? Wondered about you?”
“I’m so sorry, Dess. Sorry about Reid, about everything. There’s so much I have to tell you—”
“And there will be time, plenty of time,” Odessa said. “You aren’t going far from me again, not if I can help it.”
“It’s all right then, if I stay a while with you?” She held her breath, fearful of the answer. After all she’d done … not done …
Odessa lifted her head and looked at her, still holding on to her as if she’d never let her go. “Don’t you know, Moira? Having you here, the thought of being together again … it makes my heart sing.”
A singing heart. Moira puzzled over that a moment, then felt her own skip a beat at her sister’s wide, beautiful smile. Odessa loved her, after all this time. Regardless of where she’d been, what she’d done. Regardless of how she appeared or what she did in the future. She was loved. Could she learn to know what a singing heart meant? Perhaps, in time.
But for now, this feeling of homecoming, the first step of restoration, made her want to hum. Hum a song her mother had taught her as a child.
Do you see us, Mama? She imagined their mother, standing on the stairs, looking down at them. She had been so beautiful, but remembering her now, Moira thought the most beautiful thing about her was the love she always held in her eyes.
I see you, baby. I’m so glad you’re all right.
But we’re not all right, Mama. We’re damaged, injured. Hurting.
Best you’re home now, then. Where you can heal.
But I’ve lost everything that you and Papa worked for. All the money.
It wasn’t the money we worked for. It was for you. Remember that. Your father and I loved you. Stay with Odessa. Remember how you were raised, what you were taught. Rest in the memory of love.
Rest in love. Moira looked to Odessa, wincing as she squeezed her again, forgetting her burns. And she glanced to Daniel, blinking back to consciousness again, smiling shyly at the sisters, the sorrow in his eyes momentarily gone.
And for the first time in a long time, she remembered what it was to have hope.
… a little more …
When a delightful concert comes to an end,
the orchestra might offer an encore.
When a fine meal comes to an end,
it’s always nice to savor a bit of dessert.
When a great story comes to an end,
we think you may want to linger.
And so, we offer …
AfterWords—just a little something more after you
have finished a David C. Cook novel.
We invite you to stay awhile in the story.
Thanks for reading!
Turn the page for …
• An Interview with Lisa T. Bergren
• Discussion Questions
AN INTERVIEW WITH LISA T. BERGREN
Q. This is mainly Moira’s book, but you also focused on Odessa’s growth and relationship in this novel. Why’d you think that was important?
A. Moira seems to steal every scene she’s in (Nic too!). But I wanted to show how Odessa, now physically healthy, still has some emotional growth ahead of her—like we all do. We’re all continually evolving, learning, changing.
Q. Is that why you were so tough on these characters in this book?
A. I think it’s easy to be a Christian when things are good. You show what your faith is made of—and possibly discover new depths—when you encounter the bad. Or you walk away. I was glad to see these three getting closer to God, but Nic obviously has a ways to go.
Q. You talk about the characters as if they have mi
nds of their own.
A. [Laughing.] They do! That’s the fun of fiction. I have one idea, but then a certain spin occurs and casts them in a different direction, and I discover new things with them as if I’m riding along, observing. I always start with a rough outline, knowing some key things that will happen, and the ending I’d like to see, but I leave it to the characters to take it from there. When I’m invested in the scene, feeling it as if I’m in their skin, sensing their emotions and mind-set, the plot often turns.
Q. Why the title?
A. We often sing contemporary songs at church that make me think—phrases like “I will sing in the troubled times” and “praise You in the storm”—a pretty big challenge for most people. But learning how to do that makes the good, easy times even sweeter, and the rough times somehow bearable. It’s so important that we all find that deep assurance that God is with us, regardless of what is happening in our lives, good or bad. And when we do, the only proper response is to sing praises in His name. There’s a reason that heaven will be full of singing. They already understand what we’re still trying to get, down here.
Q. We’re in 1880s Colorado. It surprised me when we got to the conquistador gold—what inspired that?
A. The third novel I ever wrote was a romance called Treasure, in which the heroine was seeking Spanish gold as a nautical archaeologist. I think if I’d had half the chance, I would’ve loved the opportunity to be a treasure hunter myself. Indiana Jones and all that, you know. Childhood fantasies. So I always note treasure-ish things I come across, and I read about an actual legend of lost conquistador explorers, who left behind a bounty of gold when they got separated from the rest of their troops in the Sangre de Cristos. Reportedly, two lost hikers came across the cave in a snowstorm twenty years ago, marked it when the storm ended, intending to come back, but could never find it again. They spent years of weekends searching for that cave. Isn’t that fantastic novel fodder? Love stuff like that.
Q. What can we expect in Claim, the third book in this series?
A. Resolution is always nice, though I don’t like things tied up in perfect little bows. Life isn’t like that. But I’m striving to leave my readers satisfied and hopeful, right along with the St. Clairs. I think love is the key for all three. That’s all I’m telling ya. You’ll have to read the big conclusion for yourself.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Do you think that God answers our pleas at times with thoughts we don’t recognize as guidance? Why, or why not? Have you experienced this?
2. Consider how you might have felt toward Reid, were you a character in this novel? Is it ever right or justified to wish pain, or even death, upon another? Why, or why not?
3. Scripture encourages us to sing God’s praise, every day, regardless of circumstance. Do you think we must praise Him, even when things are bad? Why or why not? How do you tend to react when faced by adversity?
4. What lessons do you feel Odessa and Bryce were learning in their marriage?
5. Have you experienced division in your marriage? Have you ever thought you were on the brink of separation or divorce? If so, what brought you back together?
6. What should someone do when faced with the temptations Odessa and Robert faced? Do you feel it was right or wrong for Odessa not to tell her husband of his brother’s advances? Why?
7. All three siblings are seeking something. What do you think each one really is hungering for?
8. Manuel told Nic of his need for God—has anyone ever done the same with you? What was that like? And if not, how would you respond if someone spoke so plainly to you about your faith?
9. Moira imagines her mother in the room with her, time and time again. Why is that? Who do you think her mother represents?
10. Why do you think Moira fell in love with Gavin? What impact will her scars have on her future?
SING
Published by David C Cook
4050 Lee Vance View
Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.
David C Cook Distribution Canada
55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5
David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications
Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England
The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.
All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, resold, or distributed by or through any print or electronic medium without written permission from the publisher. This ebook is licensed solely for the personal and noncommercial use of the original authorized purchaser, subject to the terms of use under which it was purchased. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights..
The Web site addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a
resource to you. These Web sites are not intended in any way to be or imply an
endorsement on the part of David C. Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.
This story is a work of fiction. All characters and events are the product of the author’s
imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible,
New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
LCCN 2010920349
ISBN 978-1-4347-6707-3
eISBN 978-0-7814-0437-2
© 2010 Lisa T. Bergren
The Team: Don Pape. Traci Depree, Amy Kiechlin, Sarah Schultz,
Jaci Schneider, Caitlyn York, and Karen Athen
Cover Design: DogEared Design, Kirk DouPonce
Cover Photos: iStockphotos
First Edition 2010
Photo by Ashley Photography
LISA T. BERGREN is the best-selling, award-winning author of over thirty books, with more than 1.5 million copies sold. A former publishing executive, she now splits her time working as a freelance writer and editor and parenting her three children with her husband, Tim. She lives in Colorado Springs.
www.davidccook.com
DavidCCookFiction.Blogspot.com
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
AfterWords
AN INTERVIEW WITH LISA T. BERGREN
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS