Gift of Hope Read online

  She might not have imagined it, or expected it, but she’d fallen in love with a handsome man. One with a soft, tender heart.

  “Well, Mrs. Gaffney, I think you could use a little pampering and spoiling,” Grady said, pulling her into his arms and holding her close. His breath warmed her ear when he spoke. “Just let me enjoy celebrating the first of many Christmases with you and the little ones.”

  “You’ve been so good to us, Grady, and I’m so grateful to you for your friendship and for your love.” Gia felt a sob welling in her throat as emotion threatened to swamp her. “I love you so much, Grady. I don’t ever want to be apart from you.”

  “Gia,” he said on a ragged whisper, picking her up in his arms and carrying her into their bedroom, toeing the door shut behind them. He sat on the edge of the bed with her cradled on his lap and held her for several long moments. “Look at me, darlin’.”

  Gia lifted her head from his chest, her gaze tangling with his. She could see love and promises brimming in his eyes and took comfort in it, in him.

  “I know you’ve been lonely for a long time, Gia, but I can promise you now, you won’t ever be lonely again. I may not be beside you every hour of the day, but I’ll always be with you, in your heart. I’ll always be thinking of you. And I’ll always do my best to put your happiness and that of the children first. No matter what comes, you’ve got a set of strong shoulders to cry on, and a husband you can trust to always come home to you.” Grady tipped her chin up and kissed her with such tenderness, she thought her heart might completely melt. “I love you, Gia, from the depths of my soul and with all that I am. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas, Grady. I love you, too, and I’ll do my best to show you each day how very much you mean to me. Thank you for loving me, for loving my children, and blessing us with your love. Thank you for all the gifts you’ve given us, but especially for giving me back hope.”

  He grinned at her, in that boyish way, oozing with charm that she found impossible to resist. “How about you start showing me right now how much you like me, my sweet, tempting tigress.”

  “Tigress?” she asked, pulling back from him slightly. “What in the world does that mean?”

  He lifted one of her golden curls and wound it around his finger. “Between your tawny-striped hair, those mesmerizing eyes, and a figure that makes my mouth water, you’ve reminded me of a tiger since the first time I met you. You’re like an exotic, gorgeous creature, and I can’t quite believe you’re all mine.”

  Gia smiled, settling her hands around the back of Grady’s neck and toying with the hair that barely touched the top of his collar. “I’m all yours, Grady. Forevermore.”

  Recipe

  Although Gia lacked the ingredients to bake Christmas goodies, if she had them, I’m sure a bread similar to this delicious recipe would have been one she created.

  Cherry Christmas Bread

  2 cups flour

  ½ cup sugar

  1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  ½ cup butter (cold)

  1 cup ricotta cheese

  1 cup dried cherries

  1 cup chopped pecans

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 large eggs

  Glaze

  1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

  3-5 tablespoons heavy cream

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Layer a large cookie sheet with a piece of baking parchment then lightly grease the parchment.

  In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender or a fork, cut in butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Mix in ricotta, dried cherries, pecans, vanilla, and eggs until well combined.

  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough into an oval approximately eight by ten inches. Fold oval lengthwise, bringing the top half and tucking it in so the bottom of the dough extends by about an inch.

  Place bread on cookie sheet and bake about an hour until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool then top with the glaze before serving.

  For the glaze, stir cream, one tablespoon at a time, into the powdered sugar. When it reaches your desired consistency, stir in vanilla extract. Mix well and drizzle over the bread.

  Author’s Note

  I’m so grateful to you for coming on another reading adventure in the Gifts of Christmas series. I hope you enjoyed meeting Grady and Gia. For those familiar with the Baker City Brides series, you’ll recognize Grady (better known as Gaffney to his friends) from previous stories in the series. If you haven’t yet read any books in the series, start with Crumpets and Cowpies.

  The small town of Baker City exists just off I-84 in eastern Oregon. Back in the 1800s, it experienced not one but two major gold rush periods. This story takes place during the second gold rush when advances in mining technology made it possible for large and small mines to dot the landscape during the 1890s.

  It wasn’t unheard of for miners to leave their families in Baker City or one of the other towns that popped up during the gold rush while they went off to work in a mine.

  The idea of a miner coming across an abandoned family has been playing in my thoughts for a while. Grady seemed like the perfect character to come to the rescue of Gia, Matty and Gwennie.

  One thing I really enjoy about the Baker City books is that the women in each story are so spunky and independent. Gia certainly fits that description.

  And I had such fun envisioning her little ones and how they would react to various situations, like finding a strange man in their home.

  Truly, I hope you enjoyed this story along with the theme of hope and what a precious gift it is to both give and receive.

  To read more about the mining in Baker City, please look at Dumplings and Dynamite that goes into more detail about the history of mining in the area (and there is a fun romance involved, too!).

  And if you are enjoying this series, be sure to read Gift of Faith.

  My heartfelt thanks to Shauna, Leo, and Katrina for their help in adding polish to the story.

  If you’d like to see more of the visuals that inspired me while I wrote the book, please visit my Pinterest board.

  As always, thank you for coming along on this reading journey.

  May all your holidays be full of blessings, hope, and love!

  Thank you for reading Gift of Hope. I hope you enjoyed meeting Grady, Gia, and the other characters. If you have just a moment, would you please leave a review so others might discover this book? I’d so appreciate it!

  If you haven’t yet read them, check out the other books in the Gifts of Christmas series! Each book can stand on its own so you can read them in any order.

  Please hop over to my website and read more about the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund and how your book purchase helps a rodeo athlete in need of a hand up.

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  Gift of Faith

  Gift of Faith (Gifts of Christmas Book 3)

  When their faith is tested

  Will Christmas bring a miracle?

  Handsome and engaging, Marc Rawlings could have his choice of girls, but he only has eyes for gentle Amy Madsen. Ready to begin a future with her, he instead asks her to wait for him while he heads off to war. Bound by his duty to his country, Marc leaves his heart with her, counting on the day they’ll be reunited.

&nbs
p; Amy Madsen spends her days working in her family’s bakery and her nights gazing up at the sky, hoping her fiancé knows she’s thinking of him. When tragic news arrives, Amy refuses to believe it, clinging to her promises to Marc and her faith that he’ll return to her.

  It will take a miracle and a unique gift of faith to bring a happy holiday during a wartime Christmas in 1942.

  Gift of Faith is the third book in the Gifts of Christmas series, a collection of heartwarming, wholesome historical romances, featuring precious gifts given straight from the heart.

  Please continue reading to enjoy a sample of the story.

  Chapter One

  May 1942

  Pendleton, Oregon

  “Don’t cry, baby. Please?” Marc Rawlings pleaded, his voice tender as he spoke into a petal-shaped ear before he buried his face into a mass of soft sunshine-hued curls. He breathed in the aroma of light, floral perfume, blending with the lingering scents of vanilla and cinnamon from a morning spent working in the bakery. He drew in a second lungful, wanting to imprint the smell so deeply in his system, he’d never forget it. Never forget the incredible woman in his arms.

  A ladylike sniffle and a hug so tight he thought she might actually crush a rib was the only response to his request.

  He kissed her temple and drew back, knowing his time for bidding goodbye to Amy Madsen, the girl who’d captured his heart, was about to run out.

  “I wish you didn’t have to go,” Amy said, staring up at him with big blue eyes that always made him think of a china doll his grandmother had given his sister years ago. Now, those lovely eyes glimmered with tears, but she somehow managed to work up a smile for him, a real one, not just one to try and make him feel better about leaving. “But I’m proud of you, Marc. So proud.”

  “Thank you. That means a lot to me, Bella.” His use of the nickname he gave her on their second date made her swallow hard and nod her head against the wave of emotion clearly about to tug her under in its wake. The tip of his finger grazed across her cheek, skimming away an errant teardrop. “I’ll miss you every single day I’m gone.”

  “I’ll miss you, too. And I promise I’ll write often. You’ll always be in my prayers,” she said, taking a step back and squeezing his right hand between both of hers. She caressed her thumbs over his work-roughened knuckles. “I just can’t believe you’re leaving. I hoped…” Her unfinished sentence hung between them.

  “What, Bella? What did you hope?” he asked, brushing a silky lock of hair behind her ear that had slipped out of the victory roll she wore. The style looked quite fetching on her. His fingers toyed with a curl as he concluded Betty Grable had nothing on his girl.

  “I hoped the war would end before you had to leave.” She glanced down, not meeting his gaze. “I don’t want you to leave, Marc. I don’t want you to go away and never come back.”

  “I’ll come back, Amy Amelia Madsen. You can count on it. It’s not every fella who has a swell girl like you to come home to.” He offered her one of his charming grins, hoping to infuse a bit of levity into their parting. “I will come home to you, and when I do, you better be ready to walk down the aisle and say ‘I do.’ You aren’t going to let someone else turn your head while I’m gone, are you?”

  “Never!” She shot him a reproachful look. “You should not even have to ask such a question. Why, Marc Rawlings! What kind of girl do you take me for? One of those fickle nitwits that chase anything in pants?” She turned and started to march away from him toward the back door of the home where he grew up. Her skirts swished around her legs and indignant fury accentuated each step.

  He chuckled and tugged her into his arms, sweeping her around the corner of the carport, out of view of the house. “I do not, Miss Madsen, think you are like those girls. If you want the truth, I think you’re perfectly wonderful.” He raised her left hand to his lips and kissed the engagement ring he’d placed on her finger just two weeks ago. “I love you, Amy.”

  “And I love you, you infuriating, teasing, obnoxious…”

  Marc captured her lips in a passionate kiss before she could say another word. Her arms twined around his neck and he lifted her off her feet, holding her so close, the buttons on the front of her dress threatened to poke permanent holes into his chest. Neither of them cared as they poured out their love, fears, hopes, and wishes into the kiss.

  Birds twittered in the trees overhead, a breeze danced around them carrying the scent of lilacs from the bushes blooming along the side fence, while the sun beating down on his shoulders held the promise of another spectacular spring day.

  But he didn’t notice any of that. The world was lost to him, except for Amy and how good it felt to hold her in his arms.

  “They’re at it again,” a childish voice proclaimed from behind him.

  “He’s gonna suck her lips right off her face. Ewww!” a second voice chimed in followed by a round of giggles.

  Their kiss abruptly ended when Amy jerked away with a startled gasp. She’d taken three steps away from him before he caught her, sliding his hands around her waist. He refused to let her pull away as he rolled his eyes at the untimely arrival of his twin brothers. If they weren’t such cute little grasshoppers, he might have strung them up by their toes in the big maple tree at the back of the yard.

  He rested his forehead against Amy’s, trying to ignore the whooping sounds Rory and Rogan made in the background. The screen door slapped shut and he glanced up at his mother as she stood on the back-porch step, shaking a finger in the direction of the twins.

  “I told you two to leave them alone and I mean it. Now, scoot back in here or you’ll both get another day of doing the dishes added to your chore list,” their mother scolded. “At the rate you’re going, you’ll both be married with hooligans of your own and have to come here every night to wash my dishes.”

  “We’re coming, Mom!” Rory shouted as he and Rogan raced across the yard.

  “You should have seen him, Mom,” Rogan hollered. “Marc looked like one of those fishy things Grady Hill showed us that have lips like this.” The boy stuck out his lips in an exaggerated fashion and made kissy-faces.

  Marc considered letting go of Amy long enough to chase down his brothers and teach them a lesson about spying on people, particularly when the individuals were kissing, but decided he’d rather hold his fiancée a little longer. Stupidly, he thought he might get a few minutes of privacy with Amy before he had to leave. He should have known two pesky eight-year-old boys couldn’t stay away for long.

  “I’m sorry about that,” he said, caressing Amy’s rosy cheeks. Her skin felt like velvet, especially when his fingers trailed along her jaw and down the long column of her neck. Maybe he’d lost his mind to leave her behind and join the Marines.

  Regardless of his feelings for her, of how much he wanted to stay, he knew he had a duty to his country. After Pearl Harbor, he’d felt a driven need to do something more to help, to join the battle against forces that were filled with such evil. No doubt in his mind existed that he’d eventually be drafted, so he decided he might as well join a branch he liked under his own terms.

  His grandfather had talked until he was out of breath, telling him he didn’t have to go. Gramps insisted his work as a police officer in Pendleton was just as important as going off to war, but Marc had set his mind to do what he saw as his patriotic duty. He wouldn’t waver from his decision, no matter how much Kade Rawlings pleaded.

  Marc’s dad, who had run off with his uncle to serve in the Great War when they were just sixteen, had been oddly silent about his plans to head off to war. His father never talked about his experiences during those challenging days, or how it had changed him from a carefree boy into a stoic, responsible man. It wasn’t until last night his father had taken him aside and told him he’d see and do nightmarish things he couldn’t even begin to imagine that would haunt him forever. He’d warned him to stay alert, to always be on the lookout for the enemy, and then he’d given him a long hug, as
suring him he’d pray every day for his safe return home.

  From his work on the police force the past four years, Marc had seen more than many his age. He’d even been shot at a few times, so he figured he was better equipped than some to head off to war.

  Even if the woman he loved clearly didn’t want him to go.

  “Let me get one more look at you before we head to the depot.” Marc set her on her feet and took a step back. He studied her golden head that always made him think of the wheat fields so abundant around Pendleton when they neared harvest time. Her heart-shaped face could have belonged to a pixie princess, especially with those gorgeous blue eyes framed by thick lashes. Her figure, though petite, had ample curves that made him think any number of things he shouldn’t.

  However, his favorite feature was her smile. When Amy smiled, it was like the sun bursting from behind a bank of clouds or a light flickering on in a darkened room. Brilliant, warming, welcoming, and sincere—he loved seeing her smile. How he would miss it in the months to come.

  “You are so beautiful. Is that a new dress?” he asked, noticing for the first time she wore a dress he hadn’t before seen. The bright blue fabric with a subtle floral pattern set off the color of her eyes and the blossoms in her cheeks.

  “It is new. Helen let me borrow the pattern and helped me make it. She made a new dress, too.”

  “Is Reece leaving today?” Marc asked, aware Amy’s brother-in-law also planned to enlist. Perhaps the two sisters making dresses together helped divert their attention from their men preparing to depart for basic training.

  “He is. Helen said they’ll meet us at the depot.” Worry flashed across her face before she chased it away with another smile. She stuck her hand in her pocket and held out something small, wrapped in tissue and tied with a piece of royal blue ribbon. “I hope you don’t think this is silly, but I want you to have this, to take it with you.”