Only
one thing stands between her and the man she loves…gold
Eden
Montgomery arrived in the lawless territory of Whistle Creek as a
newlywed, but she quickly lost her husband to his mistress…gold,
and the claim he called The Golden Angel. When a premature blast at
the cave killed her husband, and took the life of her unborn baby,
Eden closed the mine…for good. Now she runs the local supply store,
and in her bitterness, looks down on the men who shirk familial
responsibilities in pursuit of something as meaningless as gold.
Joseph
Benton knows the crime, filth and disease of a mining camp is no
place for a child. So when his young son Christopher suddenly arrives
at his tent, he turns to Eden Montgomery to care for the boy. But the
uppity and righteous Eden refuses. Joseph is shocked at what he
thinks is her lack of maternal instinct. Now he’s torn between his
need to strike gold…and his desire to be a father.
When
a ruthless speculator encroaches on the camp, threatening Joseph and
the other miners, Eden knows she must do the one thing she vowed
never to do…for the one man she vowed never to love.
BOOK
EXCERPT
It
took several moments for Joseph to comprehend not only a female’s
voice in the camp, but one calling out a Mr. Benton. By the time he
got his bearings on the notion, his name had been called three times.
Intrigued, he turned toward the whimsical voice and said with caution
and curiosity, “I’m Joseph.”
In
an instant, his heart fell like a stone as his eyes went from the
shopkeeper to the little person at her side. Surely, his mind was
playing with him and being cruel. It wouldn’t be the first time
lack of nutrition did things to his head. But the apparition
continued to move toward him. Then he heard a frightful word come
from the boy.
“Pa!”
He
nearly choked and staggered backward. Questions assaulted him. Where
was Katherine? Francis? Why is the storeowner frowning at him like
she wanted to hurt him? And definitely, the man with her looked like
he would carry out the deed.
“Christopher?”
The
woman gave his son a small nudge forward.
Christopher
ran, promptly wrapping his arms around his thighs. Joseph threw a
confused glance at the woman, while planting his palm on top of his
son’s familiar head. Before he could help it, he flung himself down
and held on tight, likely to never let go. “I don’t understand,
son. I was going to come home to you—why did you come?”
The
woman emitted a sound of pity and Joseph looked up to see her turn
away. Was she crying? Alarm shot through him. “Christopher, where’s
your ma?”
“She’s
gone and died, Pa. Her and Baby Nell.”
Baby
Nell? Who was Baby Nell? He sat hunched on his heels, unable to
speak, and buried his face into his hands. What had he done?
He
became aware that the rest of the camp was now at a standstill—a
woman and child coming into their midst was highly unnatural. Now all
attention was on him and he didn’t like it. Imploringly, he pierced
the woman with a look as she began walking away with the man.
He
found his voice and choked out, “Wait!”
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Sarah
Jae Foster has a desire to portray a raw brand of inspirational
stories. While she believes there is a purpose for guidelines of
inspirational works, she also believes in portraying the reality of
life, as it is today.
Sarah
Jae is a Christian, a wife, and a mother, wholeheartedly yet
imperfectly, loving God since she was a child. She wants to share
stories about characters with faith who mess up big time due to the
seductions in society. In doing so, she's willing to take a risk and
be on the cutting edge of writing for the inspirational market,
sharing what's in her heart and in the world today.
CONNECT
WITH THE AUTHOR
Debra thank you for having Sarah on your blog. Much appreciated.
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