HE’LL RISK EVERYTHING TO KEEP HIS
WORD
THE PROMISE: A Story of the Quake
A Sinners Grove Novella
A.B. Michaels
Released June 24th, 2016
Red Trumpet Press
HE’LL RISK EVERYTHING TO KEEP HIS WORD
April 18, 1906. A massive earthquake
has decimated much of San Francisco, leaving thousands without food, water or
shelter. Patrolling the streets to help those in need, Army corporal Ben Tilson
meets a young woman named Charlotte who touches his heart, making him think of
a future with her in it. In the heat of the moment he makes a promise to her
family that even he realizes will be almost impossible to keep.
Because on the heels of the
earthquake, a much worse disaster looms: a fire that threatens to consume
everything and everyone in its path.
It will take everything Ben’s got to
make it back to the woman he loves—and even that may not be enough.
The Promise, a stand-alone novella,
is the latest offering from A.B. Michaels’ multi-genre series “Sinner’s Grove.”
I was rolling out a pie crust, thinking
about how Richard and I were going to break the news of our broken engagement
to my father, when a man entered the kitchen. I looked up and thought perhaps I
was imagining things. The stranger was tall and dark, with a full but neatly
trimmed beard and mustache. He was wearing a light flannel shirt and dungarees
and held a felt hat in his hand. His eyes were . . . they were
Ben’s eyes. I stopped what I was doing, caught my breath, and immediately
reached to check my hair, forgetting that my hands were covered in flour.
“Miss
Lindemann?” he asked in that same calm, comforting voice I remembered.
“Corporal
Tilson?” At once I realized I must look a fright, with my hair coming out of
its coil and my apron covered with flour dust and spatterings of dough. My
heart was dancing in my breast and I tried to settle down by breathing slowly.
He
walked toward me, wearing a slight smile and gazing at me with those beautiful
gray eyes. I was caught by them, like a most willing prey.
“You’re . . .
you’re not in uniform,” I managed to say.
He
looked down at his shirt, as if he’d forgotten he was wearing anything at all.
“I’m on leave,” he said. He held his hands out and grinned. “This is the real
me, I guess.”
I
couldn’t help myself, I grinned back and held out my own arms. “And this is the
real me, too.”
We
both laughed, and if you asked me what the sensation was that arced between us
in that moment, I’d tell you it was joy. Pure and simple joy.
But
all too soon I remembered he wasn’t mine to feel joyful about. He belonged to
another. I tried to put us back on more formal footing.
“You’ve
come a long way,” I said. “I trust it’s because of your promise to Berry.”
He
nodded. “Among other things, yes. I said I would be back, and here I am.”
“I
know Berry will understand about not finding the doll,” I said, attempting to
reassure him. “But I’m very glad you came. She was so hoping to see you again.”
He
looked at me, his eyes growing more intense. As he stepped closer, he asked,
“Were you hoping to see me?”
I
could feel the blush starting at the base of my neck and working its way up. If
he only knew how much I’d hoped.
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Born and
raised in northern California, A.B. Michaels holds master's
degrees in history and broadcasting, and worked for many years in the public
relations and marketing fields. An avid quilter and bocce player, she currently
lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband and two furry "sons" who don't
seem to realize they're just dogs
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1 comment:
Thank you so much for featuring THE PROMISE!
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