Daring to Start Again: An Inspirational Historical Romance Book

by Grace Clemens

  Sarah shook her head slowly. “No, nothing like that. Just thunderstorms.” Her eyes widened. “Do you really think a… tornado will hit us?”

  Bobby regretted scaring the woman more, but he needed to warn her and reassure her at the same time. “I don’t know. It’s a possibility. It’s something that happens here in Oklahoma infrequently. That’s why we have a cellar to go to. We’re safe from the tornado there. If I feel like we’re in danger, you know I’ll come find you.”

  Sarah’s anxious eyes went back to the window. The sun had yet to set but it was a dark blue sky she was looking at through the running droplets of water on the glass. Bobby kept his own eyes on her, wondering if he would find the right words to comfort her and make her feel safe.

  “You don’t have to worry, Sarah. I’ll protect you.”

  “I’m sure you will try,” Sarah said, her nervousness obvious to Bobby and Sammy. “But weather can be real unpredictable.”

  Bobby nodded. “That it can. Which is why we got all the horses in and the farm animals and the dogs are in the barn. It’s okay. You’ll be safe here.” He used the calmest voice he could, hoping to ease her mind a bit.

  She was quiet for a moment, staring at the glass before turning her eyes to him. “How will you know if a tornado is coming?”

  “It makes a sound like you’ve never heard before!” Sammy said firmly. She’d been so quiet, Bobby had almost forgotten she could hear what they were saying.

  Sarah looked at the little girl. “Have you been through a tornado, Sammy?” She sounded surprised. Sammy shook her head and relief spread over Sarah’s features.

  “No, but that’s what Papa said to me about them. Because we might have one.”

  “There was one when she was just a baby,” Bobby said, remembering the terrifying time. “But we made it through just fine. Didn’t we?” He smiled at Sammy.

  The little girl’s returned smile was warm and loving. “I guess so, ‘cause we’re here now.”

  Sarah laughed softly. It was a pleasant sound, relieving Bobby’s tension. “You’re so smart, Sammy.”

  The next half hour was filled with small talk while the family ate. Bobby was glad Sarah didn’t seem so nervous, even when a slap of thunder outside made all three of them jump in their chairs.

  “My goodness!” Sarah said, her eyes wide, staring through the window at the hard rain. “I don’t think it’s ever going to stop.”

  “I’ve thought that a few times myself,” Bobby said. “But it will eventually.”

  She turned her eyes to him, sending a soft tingle through his body. “Before we’re all swept away?”

  He laughed, dropping his napkin on his plate after wiping the corners of his mouth. He sat back with one hand on his stomach. He was glad he hadn’t eaten too fast, because he’d eaten a lot. “It will, yes. On a night like this, when the food is extra good, I like to take a walk to let it settle.” He moved his eyes to the window. “I reckon that’s out for the night. What else can we do?”

  “You have a large ballroom back there, don’t you?”

  Bobby lifted his eyebrows. “It’s not that big, really. But yeah, I’ve got a room for dances and events. Why? You want to sing for us?”

  Sarah’s eyes widened. She stared at him. He gazed back, wondering what she was thinking.

  “I… I don’t know if I can sing or not. I don’t know the words to any songs.”

  Bobby lifted his eyebrows. “None?”

  Sarah’s cheeks reddened and she looked away from him. He felt a pang of sympathy and regret. Her time at the orphanage must have been a horrible experience. He’d have to find out the name and write a letter to the president to have it looked into. They were depriving the children of every bit of happiness and apparently treating them very cruelly.

  “Don’t you have instruments in there?”

  Bobby thought about it. He didn’t even know Sarah had gone into that room. “I… I reckon there’s a guitar and a piano in there.”

  She nodded. “Yes, and I think a violin. But it looks like it’s on display. I don’t know if you play it or not.”

  “That’s mine,” Sammy said. “I asked Papa to buy it and when I’m big enough I’m gonna learn to play it.”

  “That’s lovely,” Sarah exclaimed, beaming at the girl. “Maybe I will get one and learn along with you.”

  Sammy stared at Sarah. “Why would you want to do that? Do you like violin?”

  Sarah nodded. “I do. I’ve always wanted to play an instrument. I would love to learn with you.”

  Bobby watched their interaction with eyes filled with affection. His daughter turned her excited gaze his way.

  “Papa, will you get me and Sarah violin lessons? Please, please? I will be so good.”

  Bobby laughed, throwing his head back. “I wouldn’t be getting anything from that deal,” he said. “Because you are always so good.” He reached forward and tapped one finger on the end of Sammy’s nose. “But then again, I’d get the pleasure of watching you two do something you enjoy and maybe getting some future entertainment out of you both, too! That sounds like a good thing for me.”

  They laughed with him. It was a good day.

  Chapter 11

  The night air was cool coming through the window in Sammy’s room, Sarah thought it would be best to close it. She knew Sammy usually like to have it open, but not with the rain coming down the way it was.

  She went to the window and looked out at the dark sky. She could see flashes of lightning in the distance but heard only the rumbling of thunder far away. She watched it for a moment before closing the window and turning away.

  Sammy had already climbed into the bed and was waiting for Sarah, a large book open on her lap.

  “I want to read this book before bed,” she said, pointing at the pages. “This story. I like this story. It’s about a princess who talks to animals and she gets lost in the woods and the animals help her get home.”

  Sarah smiled, scooting herself onto the side of the bed at the top, where Sammy’s pillow was. She put one arm around the girl’s shoulders, resting it on the pillow so Sammy could lay back if she wanted to.

  “If you already know everything that will happen, why do you want to read it again?”

  “I like it a lot. And Papa always uses voices, so you have to do that, too.”

  Sarah was a little surprised by the girl’s behavior. She typically acted older than she was. But there were plenty of times when Sammy would go dashing through the foyer, spinning and dancing her way to the front door. She even had a habit of getting up during dinner, calling in Cookie, and dancing for her as a thank you for the good meal.

  “Do you like princesses? Do you want to be one when you grow up?” Sarah had never had those thoughts, herself. The atmosphere she was raised in didn’t give her many chances to think about princesses and princes.

  “No, I can’t be a princess,” Sammy said, softly, her eyes down on the book. “Daddy isn’t a king and I don’t know any princes.”

  “Maybe someday you’ll meet one.”

  The look Sammy gave Sarah at that moment made the young woman feel a tingle of nervousness.

  “No,” Sammy said, firmly. “I won’t.”

  Sarah recovered from the initial surprise and said, “Well, someday you will find a man who will be your prince, even if he isn’t a descendant of a king.”

  It took a few seconds of Sammy gazing at Sarah’s face before the girl grinned. “That will be nice. Is that what Papa is to you? Is he your prince?”

  Sarah lifted her eyebrows. “Well, I… I reckon he is… I…” She was so taken off-guard by the question, she couldn’t think of a good answer. She didn’t want the little girl to think she wasn’t serious about Bobby.

  Sammy giggled. Sarah realized the child had purposefully put her in the spotlight to see what she’d say. “Oh, you!” She laughed, forming a claw with her hand and tickling Sammy in the ribs. The little girl doubled over, attacking Sarah’s han
d with both of hers, laughing hard.

  “Stop! Stop!” the girl cried out, wiggling about under her quilt.

  Sarah pulled her hand back, her grin spread from ear to ear.

  “Let’s read this story about a princess and her animals and getting lost, then, shall we? But you know how to read, don’t you?”

  Sammy looked up at her through narrow, smiling eyes. “A little. But I can’t read all of this.”

  Sarah shook her head. “Nonsense. I’ll just bet you can read a lot of it. I’ll tell you what. How about you read some of the parts—in the right voices, mind you—and I’ll do other parts. I’ll try to use the right voices but if I don’t do one right, you just let me know. How does that sound?”

  Sammy beamed at her, blue eyes excited. “I want to do that!”

  Sarah nodded, curtly. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

  Sarah pulled the door closed quietly, waiting till she heard the click before turning away to go to the stairs. Happiness filled her chest, making her shoulders relax with contentment. She took the stairs slowly, one purposeful step at a time, her hand sliding gently along the carved wooden handrail. The sound of the rain outside had stopped.

  If there was one thing Sarah knew, it was that the air outside after a heavy rainstorm was one of the most beautiful scents she’d experienced. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she looked around. The foyer was empty. The doors to the parlor were open and she could see inside. A fire was burning.

  She went to the parlor entrance and looked in the room, searching for Bobby. The room was empty.

  She turned back to the foyer. “Bobby?”

  She went across to the dining room and looked in. No one was there.

  A wave of warmth passed over her, leaving her relaxed and happy. She turned her head to look at the front door. Was Bobby on the porch outside? Did he enjoy the rainy air as much as she did?

  Her heart beat hard in her chest as she went to the front door. Pulling it open, Sarah put her head outside and looked from one side to the other. Bobby was slumped down in one of the white iron chairs, his long legs stretched out in front of him, a cup of coffee resting on his chest.

  He turned his head to look at her. She pushed the door all the way open and came out, smiling at him. “It’s nice out here, isn’t it?” she asked as she took the seat on the other side of the little round table between them.

  His eyes were sharp, watching her settle in.

  “I reckon it is, lovely lady,” he said cordially. “But I’m out here to watch.”

  She gazed at him. “Watch? For a tornado?”

  He kept his eyes on her when he nodded. She could tell by the intensity of his stare he was wondering what she felt about that. She turned her gaze out toward the horizon and focused on the mountains in the distance. She could just barely see their outline.

  The moon was full but hidden behind dark clouds most of the time. She could always tell when it was uncovered because it was suddenly bright in the yard, a spray of white that lit up every sparkle of water on the grass and the leaves of the trees.

  She shivered. “Are you sure we will be safe? Do you expect a tornado?”

  “It’s always good to be cautious and prepared,” Bobby told her, in a voice that sounded like he expected these questions and had an answer to put her at ease. “We have an underground cellar, like I said earlier. You must not forget about that. That’s something you need to remember. When you see weather like this, you need to know what to do in an emergency.”

  Sarah nodded. “I understand. But do you expect a tornado?”

  Bobby hesitated, looking reluctant to answer. That was all Sarah needed to know what he was thinking. He did expect a tornado, and the realization covered Sarah in chills.

  “I think there’s a real good chance we’re gonna have one come through, yeah. I just don’t like the looks of that sky out there.”

  Sarah gazed at the horizon, thinking how beautiful it looked but how dangerous it really was. To her, it only looked like a bad storm. But she was willing to believe Bobby knew more than she did. He had much more experience than she at this kind of thing.

  “But you need to relax and not worry,” Bobby said quickly. “No matter what happens, I’m here, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  Sarah gave him a soft smile, surprised when he got up and approached her. He stood close to her, gazing down into her eyes.

  “Let’s sit on the swing. It’s… comfortable and… well, I’d like to be close to you for a little while, if you want me to be honest.”

  Sarah’s heart still thumped hard in her chest. She was strangely nervous, but she was married to this man. It was legal in the eyes of both man and God. It was okay for her to fall in love with him. She didn’t feel forced as she walked beside him to the swing and they both turned to sit down.

  Once they were seated, she gazed into his warm eyes and said, “I always want you to be honest with me, Bobby. Like with my cooking. I knew you weren’t happy about it, but you never did say anything. I think we both realized what was going on. I think, before…”

  Sarah stopped abruptly. She was about to say she’d only cooked for her brothers and father because she had to. She’d never put any love or concern in the cooking. She didn’t care whether they liked the food or not, as long as they were quiet. And when she put a slab of meat in front of them, they usually were. Just how she liked them.

  Bobby was giving her an anxious look. She’d been standoffish about her past, she knew it full well. But she just couldn’t bring herself to confess her lie to Bobby. Not yet. She was terrified it would destroy what they were building. On the other hand, if she didn’t tell him soon, it would fester, and he would be more upset the longer it took him to find out.

  Sarah didn’t want him to think she was a liar. The very thought hurt her heart. She wished she hadn’t done it in the first place. It humiliated her that she hadn’t been forthright. She was ashamed of herself. And if she confessed to Bobby and he sent her away because he lost his trust in her, she would be to blame. And she would regret it for the rest of her life.

  “Where you going to say something there, dear?” Bobby asked in an urgent voice.

  Sarah stared out to the dark, rumbling horizon, shaking her head. “No, I was just thinking that before, I never had a reason to cook… well. I… didn’t really care about cooking so I never learned much about it.”

  She knew she was skirting the truth, but what she’d said to him wasn’t a lie. She didn’t have a reason to learn to cook. She was only making food for people she couldn’t stand. Why bother getting better?

  She had a reason now and was progressing well. Sarah chose to focus on that, rather than the negativity of her past.

  Bobby looked like he wasn’t quite satisfied with her answer. She figured it was because he wanted her to open up about his past. He’d been forthcoming about Rebecca, how it was an arranged marriage and he’d never really loved the woman. Sarah could tell from the way he talked about her that he had respect for the deceased woman only because she was the mother of his child and a human being. Other than that, he had no feelings for Rebecca. And Sarah felt no jealousy over the woman. There was no need for any of that.