Ellis Barnes meets the quick-witted but guarded Sara and their mutual attraction becomes obvious. He will soon discover, however, that a mysterious tragedy from Sara’s past will forever come between them and the feelings they have for one another. Ellis struggles to understand Sara’s predicament. Should she stay loyal to a man who can never love her back, or should she pursue the possibility of new love with Ellis? To understand this, Ellis must confront a faith-shattering tragedy from his own past—one that might also hold the key to overcoming Sara’s private barriers. And what secret does the town drunk keep regarding the very moment that Sara’s life was shattered?
Dedicated to my beautiful wife Holly, whose love and sarcasm inspired so much in the writing of this novel.
Table of Contents
Chapter 5
Chapter 10
Chapter 15
Chapter 20
Chapter 25
Chapter 30
Chapter 35
Chapter 40
Chapter 45
A Note from the Author
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Other Novels by the Author
Preview of Not Quite Home
Prologue
June 1987
Jacob Ramsey knelt, studying the bug that lay stunned on the sidewalk. His mother had explained to him how cicadas come out every summer but never to the extent of when they are in bloom—and boy were they in bloom. This specific cicada had tempted fate by flying full speed into Stan’s forehead, startling Jacob’s friend and knocking him to the ground. The bug had fallen to the sidewalk and was now beginning to flutter, moving its long brown wings while struggling with its round black body. It would fly off to annoy someone else soon, but as Jacob studied it, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the thing.
“Git!” Stan said, suddenly kicking the bug. The cicada’s high-pitched scream echoed as it hurtled down the street.
“Why’d you do that?” Jacob asked.
Stan waved his fist in the air and shouted, “Revenge!”
The two boys laughed until a frightening scream caught their ear. It wasn’t a human’s voice but that of a cicada. This one, however, was long and drawn out as if the bug were really in pain. They followed the sound and found another boy crouched beside a tree, squeezing a cicada between his thumb and forefinger. Then Jacob’s stomach dropped when he realized the boy had a girl trapped against the tree, tormenting her with the screaming bug.
“Leave her alone, Phil!” Stan shouted.
“Make me,” he replied with a squeeze of the cicada.
Stan and Phil had never liked one another, and their fight began as it always did, but Jacob didn’t care about that. He was more concerned about the girl cowering at the base of the tree. With the other two boys rolling around in the grass, he knelt beside the girl and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You can stop crying now.”
The girl looked up, and something shifted inside of Jacob. An unexplainable sense of nervousness overcame him; and, for some inexplicable reason, he found himself afraid. The girl’s brown hair was about shoulder length with slight curls at the tips, but it was the intensity of her green eyes that captivated the young boy. He had never seen a prettier girl, not at school, not at the park.
“Are you visiting for Cicada Song?” he finally asked, referring to the festival going on that week.
She didn’t answer. She was still afraid and he desperately wanted to comfort her. He looked around and spotted a patch of dandelions and gathered a few. Offering them shyly, Jacob smiled as the girl took the weeds and held them to her nose.
“I’m Jacob.”
The girl hesitated before nervously glancing toward Stan and Phil.
“I don’t like him,” she finally said.
“We don’t either.”
“Phillip!” a man shouted.
He turned to find a large, bearded man yanking Stan off of Phil. Then Phil cried out as the man pulled him up by the hair.
“Get home and wait for me,” the violent man shouted.
Phil stumbled down the street, narrowly dodging a kick to the hindquarters. The bearded man looked at Stan, who was obviously afraid, but then he merely cursed and followed after Phil.
“I’m glad that’s not my dad,” Stan said after Phil and his father had gone. “How’s she doing?”
“Phil’s gone now,” Jacob said. “Are you okay?”
The girl nodded.
“Are you lost?” Stan asked while surveying the street. The girl nodded again. “My dad can help find your mom. He’s a police officer. What’s your name?”
The girl looked at them, lingering on Jacob.
“Sara,” she whispered.
Jacob offered a hand. He didn’t understand why his heart suddenly fluttered when she took it.
“Welcome to Anderson,” Jacob said nervously.
Sara only smiled, her fear fading into fondness.
Ten Years Later
An excerpt from the Warren Tribune
Anderson – A young man fights for his life after being shot in the head by Office Clem of Marietta, Georgia. Reports state that Clem broke into and robbed several homes and businesses before being interrupted by members of the Anderson Police Department. Their pursuit ended at Anderson’s northern border where gunshots were reportedly exchanged. According to Police Chief Stanley Cromwell, Office Clem opened fire, striking Jacob Ramsey in the head just prior to Cromwell’s own bullet putting an end to Clem’s reign of terror. There is no report as to why Jacob Ramsey was present at the time of the shooting.
Office Clem was treated and released into police custody early Monday morning. Jacob Ramsey remains in critical condition.