“Danke, Marlene, but I don’t need a thing.”
“You don’t? Oh.” She took a breath. “Well, how about I simply stop by for a chat? I’m worried that you’re sitting by yourself day after day.”
In the privacy of the kitchen, Amanda let herself smile. After all, she’d only been gone for two days. “I haven’t been sitting alone.”
“No?”
“Not at all. I’ve made friends with the family next door. Regina has, too. The Keims have a little girl named Lindy, and she’s almost exactly Gina’s age. They have become fast friends. We’ve got plans to get together with them later.”
“Oh.”
Amanda winced. That one sound held multiple meanings, for sure. Wesley’s mother loved her very much. But she also envisioned Amanda memorializing Wesley for the rest of her days.
“Thank you for checking on me, Marlene. I’m glad you called.”
“Me, too. Is Regina right there with you? Could you put her on? I’d like to say hello.”
“Gosh, I’m afraid she’s still asleep.”
“Still? It’s almost eight.”
“I know.” Purposely, Amanda left the conversation at that. No way did she want to try to explain their late nights to her mother-in-law.
“Oh,” she said again. “Well, then ... I suppose I’ll call you later.”
“I’ll be talkin’ with you then. Goodbye, Marlene.”
After hanging up, Amanda stared at the empty spot on the beach where she’d been sitting. She wished she were still sitting outside. Then she wouldn’t have heard the phone ring or picked it up.
She could’ve still been sitting quietly, giving thanks for the day and enjoying the antics of the seagulls as they flew in circles over the water.
Now? She was feeling guilty about rejecting her mother-in-law’s invitation and about letting Regina stay up late and sleep in.
And she couldn’t stop thinking about Roman Keim. The first man to tangle up her thoughts in years. For the first time in a long time, she felt a fresh slice of pain. Almost as if she was suddenly living again.
It was as if one of those rays of light from the rising sun had struck her skin and were blazing inside her.
Waking her up.
Sisters of the Heart series
HIDDEN
WANTED
FORGIVEN
GRACE
Seasons of Sugarcreek series
WINTER’S AWAKENING
SPRING’S RENEWAL
AUTUMN’S PROMISE
CHRISTMAS IN SUGARCREEK
Families of Honor
THE CAREGIVER
THE PROTECTOR
THE SURVIVOR
The Secrets of Crittenden County
MISSING
THE SEARCH
FOUND
Credits
Cover photographs © Stacey Putman/Alamy; Garry Black/Masterfile; Smit/Shutterstock Images
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
P.S. ™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
DAYBREAK. Copyright © 2013 by Shelley Shepard Gray. Excerpt from Ray of Light © 2013 by Shelley Shepard Gray. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
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EPUB Edition © FEBRUARY 2013 ISBN 9780062204417
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