by Ava Miles
The promise of rainbows was in the clear blue sky again.
But I was still lost.
Still afraid.
I held my head up high during the day.
But at night, I kept a light on.
The past loomed too large.
There was no safety.
No loving voice to tell me I was okay.
I thought I’d fallen from grace,
Thought I’d never be forgiven for the things I’d done.
But love found me.
Healed me.
Saved me.
The promise of rainbows was in the clear blue sky again.
I’m not broke.
I never was.
I was only lost, adrift in this crushing pain.
I trust love now.
I trust myself.
I know who I am.
I am a good man.
And I’ll be a good husband,
And a fine daddy some day.
I’ll love the woman God made for me.
And I’ll love the sons and daughters she gives to me.
I was saved by grace.
Healed by love.
Life’s magic is all around me.
I’m a blessed man.
The promise of rainbows is in the clear blue sky again.
When Jake finished the song, silence hung in the arena—a living, breathing sound. Her heart was warm and huge in her chest as Jake hugged his guitar to his chest, tears sparkling in his eyes.
And then people started to clap. The roar of the crowd spread across the arena like grace had earlier. People rose to their feet, cheering now. Susannah could see thousands of people wiping their eyes like she and her family were.
Her eyes fell to Monty’s widow again in the front row. May was weeping silently, and Randy had his arm around her in comfort. Darren was on the other side, brushing away his own tears. Susannah knew it was going to take a long time for the pain of Monty’s loss to lessen.
“Thank you, friends,” Jake said in a hoarse voice. “Thank you so very much.”
He took off his guitar and walked across the stage to her. J.P. stepped forward to take his guitar, and then she was crushed in his arms.
“I love you,” he whispered fiercely against her neck.
“I love you too,” she said back, clutching him to her.
Then he stepped back and framed her face. Their gazes locked and held.
“No matter what,” he reaffirmed, speaking of his vow to always choose life, to always choose connection.
“No matter what,” she repeated.
That simple phrase was their vow to each other, their mantra, as he coped with his PTSD every day.
As Jake stepped back onstage to the crowd’s cheers, rainbow prisms flashed around him. They covered his whole body, and when he looked up, his face held both shock and awe.
J.P. whispered in her ear, “The rainbows were Rye’s idea. We didn’t tell Jake.”
She watched as Jake let his head fall back and stared above. She could all but feel him praying, and so she joined him.
Thank you, God, for the promise of rainbows.
***
To learn more about my upcoming releases like THE FOUNTAIN OF INFINITE WISHES (Shelby and Vander's story) and the next Dare Valley book, a connected series to Dare River, called THE CALENDAR OF NEW BEGINNINGS (Lucy and Andy's story), sign up for my newsletter here.
Dear Reader,
Of all my books so far, the journey I took with Jake and Susannah was the most challenging. In my own life, I lost my best friend to cancer, so while Jake was grieving over Booker, I was grieving over her. Additionally, this book touched upon some of my own PTSD from my former career of working in war zones, something that, yes, does affect women too. Jake's return to himself and a faith in life moved something fierce in me. I hope it spoke to your heart as well.
If you enjoyed this book, I would love for you to post a review since it helps more readers want to pick up this story and enjoy it themselves. You can write one here or on Goodreads. When you post one, kindly let me know at [email protected] so I can personally thank you. Please also consider recommending this book to your book clubs and friends. Thank you for spreading the word!
To keep up with my new releases and any book sales I have, please sign up for my newsletter and connect with me on Facebook. Between posting positive, uplifting messages to asking what you'd like to see in the next books, we're all connected. I hope you come connect with us if you haven't already.
Are you wondering about Shelby and her quest to find their daddy? I can barely wait to see what happens, but I know Vander is in the mix and will shake things up in THE FOUNTAIN OF INFINITE WISHES.
If you love these books and Dare River, you might check out Dare Valley-a connected series-which begins with NORA ROBERTS LAND. Thanks again for being part of our Dare family.
Light and joy,
Ava
Watch for the next Dare River story, THE FOUNTAIN OF INFINITE WISHES (Shelby & Vander), out later this year!
And the next Dare Valley book, THE CALENDAR OF NEW BEGINNINGS (Lucy & Andy), will be released in April 2016.
Sign up for Ava’s newsletter so you don’t miss any news.
The following books by Ava Miles are also available now.
The Dare Valley series:
NORA ROBERTS LAND (Meredith & Tanner)
FRENCH ROAST (Jill & Brian)
THE GRAND OPENING (Peggy & Mac)
THE HOLIDAY SERENADE (Abbie & Rhett)
THE TOWN SQUARE (Arthur & Harriet)
THE PARK OF SUNSET DREAMS (Jane & Matt)
THE PERFECT INGREDIENT (Elizabeth & Terrance)
THE BRIDGE TO A BETTER LIFE (Natalie & Blake)
DARING BRIDES (a short story collection)
The Dare Valley Meets Paris Billionaire Mini-series:
THE BILLIONAIRE’S GAMBLE
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET
THE BILLIONAIRE’S COURTSHIP
THE BILLIONAIRE’S RETURN
The Dare River series (connected to Dare Valley):
COUNTRY HEAVEN (Tory & Rye)
COUNTRY HEAVEN SONG BOOK
COUNTRY HEAVEN COOKBOOK
THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN (Tammy & John Parker)
THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN: A MAGICAL TALE (children's book)
FIREFLIES & MAGNOLIAS (Amelia & Clayton)
THE PROMISE OF RAINBOWS (Susannah & Jake)
And THE HAPPINESS CORNER, Ava's personal reflections on happiness—one of her favorite topics.
Ava now has a Zazzle Store where you can buy fun items from the Dare Universe. Come check it out.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles joined the ranks of beloved storytellers after receiving Nora Roberts' blessing for her use of Ms. Roberts' name in her debut novel, the #1 National Bestseller NORA ROBERTS LAND, which kicked off her contemporary family series, Dare Valley. A mere six months after her debut in 2013, she'd hit the USA Today Bestseller list and released five books. So far, over a million readers have discovered Ava's stories, which have reached the #1 spot at Barnes & Noble and ranked in Amazon and iBooks' Top 10. Both NORA ROBERTS LAND and COUNTRY HEAVEN have been chosen as Best Books of the Year and other titles have been selected as Audible Editor's Picks. Southwest Airlines recently chose NORA ROBERTS LAND to feature in their inflight entertainment with other select titles while USA Today listed THE BRIDGE TO A BETTER LIFE as a must-read for 2015. Ava's books are currently being translated in seven languages with more on the horizon.
Ava's stories have been likened to those of Nicholas Sparks-a fellow University of Notre Dame graduate-with powerful messages of healing, mystery, and magic. While fiction is her primary love, she's also released a companion cookbook (she's a former chef), a children's book, and a nonfiction memoir about happiness, something she writes about on The Happiness Corner blog on her website. Ava has also released a connected series called Dare River about the power of love and family. THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN
, one of the books in the series, topped the USA Today Bestseller list and has been widely acclaimed.
Ava is a big believer in giving back. After the attacks in Paris-a city she'd only just returned from for research-Ava assembled a group of authors with books set in Paris in a fundraiser for the French Red Cross to support the victims of the attacks. Since she'd worked as a long-time conflict expert rebuilding warzones before publishing her first novel, this project was near and dear to her heart and melded her former career with her current platform as an author.
Life after her humanitarian work couldn't be better, if you ask Ava. Millions of readers love her stories. The foreign rights of her novels are represented by the esteemed Axelrod Agency, and her film agent is Hollywood titan, Joel Gotler. Ava now lives in a charming small town in New York and considers herself incredibly blessed.
If you'd like to connect with Ava or hear more about her upcoming books, check out the links below:
Sign up for Ava’s Newsletter
Ava's Website
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Ava's Twitter
Copyright January 2016, Ava Miles. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means-graphic, electronic or mechanical-without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either the products of the author's imagination or are used fictionally.
www.avamiles.com
Ava Miles
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
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
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
