Excerpt from AFTER THE SHADOWS by Amanda Cabot
“Emily Vaughn, why, it is you. I didn’t know you were back in town.”
Emily turned, recognizing the voice of the woman whose home was now no more than smoldering ruins. Mrs. Carmichael was sitting on her neighbor’s porch, her arm wrapped around Clara Adams’s shoulders, giving comfort though she was the one who needed it. How typical of the gray-haired widow. Though she was close to seventy, Mrs. Carmichael had always impressed Emily as being much younger, perhaps because her light blue eyes normally seemed to sparkle with happiness. She doubted they were sparkling now.
“I arrived this afternoon,” Emily said as she approached the older women. “I’m sorry about what happened to your house.” It was a day no one in Sweetwater Crossing would soon forget.
“I wish I knew what happened. I didn’t leave anything cooking on the stove, but someone said embers might have started the fire.”
“Now, Mary, it doesn’t matter.” Mrs. Adams shook her head, strands of white hair escaping from the knot at the back of her neck, her gray eyes solemn. The widow was the shortest of Mrs. Carmichael’s friends, like Emily only five feet two inches tall, but what she lacked in height, she made up for in girth. “All that matters is that you’re safe.”
“The timing is terrible.” Mrs. Carmichael’s voice was steady, but Emily saw the pain in her expression. “Clara said I could stay with her, but she doesn’t have room for Mr. Ferguson and his son. Lottie and Betty don’t either.”
Emily recognized the names of Mrs. Carmichael’s three closest friends, all of whom lived in what Hill Country residents called Sunday Houses, small dwellings that ranchers built so they’d have a place to stay overnight when they brought their families into town for Saturday shopping and Sunday services. The houses were functional but tiny. Emily understood Mrs. Carmichael’s need for lodging, but as far as she knew, there was no one in Sweetwater Crossing named Ferguson.
“Who’s Mr. Ferguson?”
“The new schoolmaster. When the town hired him, the mayor arranged for him and his son to stay with me. He’s supposed to arrive in a day or two.” Mrs. Carmichael raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t anyone tell you that Gertrude Albright is married?”
In a day that had been filled with surprises, at least this one was pleasant. Like most of the town, Emily had believed her former teacher was a confirmed spinster. She only hoped that the woman who’d tried to instill proper behavior as well as knowledge in her pupils had been wiser in her choice of a spouse than Emily.
“Louisa didn’t have a chance to tell me all the news, but that doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you need a place to stay until your house is rebuilt.”
The small house between the church and Clara Adams’s home had been the town’s parsonage until the War Between the States. Then, when Clive Finley, the man from Alabama who’d fallen in love with Texas and planned to bring his sweetheart here as soon as he’d convinced her father that the house he was building was worthy of her, left to join a regiment from his home state, he’d asked Emily’s father to move his family into his newly completed mansion until Clive returned with his bride.
But though Father had returned after serving as a chaplain in the horrible war that had left him with serious injuries, Clive had not come back, and Finley House had remained the Vaughns’ residence, leaving the parsonage empty until Mrs. Carmichael’s husband died. When she sold their ranch, the church elders offered the parsonage to her at a minimal rent, since, unlike her widowed friends, she had no Sunday House. She’d lived there ever since.
“Rebuilding? Who knows when the church will have time and money to do that?”
Emily wished she could offer the widow the assurance that that would happen quickly, but that seemed unlikely, since Finley House was serving as the town’s parsonage. Until Father retired, there was no need to construct another. Meanwhile, Mrs. Carmichael and the new schoolmaster needed a place to live. There was an answer, an obvious one. Though Emily cringed at the thought of offering a man—any man—a room in her home, she knew it was the right thing to do.
Tamping back her fears, Emily addressed the widow. “Let me talk to my father. I’m sure he’ll agree that you and the schoolmaster should stay with us. You know we have plenty of room.”
The tension that had made the widow’s shoulders rigid began to dissipate, but her voice held concern. “Are you certain? Small children can disrupt a household. Noah’s only two and a half. His mother died a year ago, and you know that children that age can be a handful.”
It wasn’t the child who worried Emily. It was his father. What would she do if Mr. Ferguson was like George? He was a stranger, someone no one in town had met. And even if they had met him, there was no telling what he was truly like. The masks some people wore could fool anyone. George’s certainly had.
Emily bolstered herself with the reminder that there were ways to keep herself safe. She would ensure that she was never alone with the schoolmaster, and when they were in the same room, she would keep her distance. She couldn’t let fear rule her, for opening her home to people in need was what Mama and Father would have wanted. How many times had they reminded their daughters of Jesus’s command to care for widows and orphans? Mrs. Carmichael was a widow, and while Noah might not be an orphan, he had no mother.
“Let me talk to Father,” Emily repeated.
But Father had not returned, and when Emily told Louisa what she’d suggested, her sister shook her head.
“It’s a terrible idea.” She and Emily were seated at the table in the kitchen, trying to wash the taste of smoke from their throats by sipping glasses of water. “Mrs. Carmichael can stay here, but why would you invite total strangers to live with us, especially now? Mama’s not here to be the hostess. Besides, she used to tell me that guests should stay no more than a week.” Louisa’s frown deepened. “What will Father say?”
“I expect he’ll welcome Mrs. Carmichael and the schoolmaster.” Emily took another sip of water, her thoughts roiling as she realized she hadn’t seen her father fighting the fire. That wasn’t like him. Even though his leg pained him, he would have done everything he could to help save Mrs. Carmichael’s house.
“Where is Father?” she asked.
Louisa shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he took Horace for a ride. Sometimes when he’s having trouble with his sermon, he does that.”
“I’ll look for them.” Knowing Father was the only one who could convince Louisa, Emily headed outside. Horace was in the corral, but there was no sign of Father. That left the barn. Though she would have expected the door to be open, it was not. She slid the door to the side, then entered, pausing for a second to let her eyes adjust to the darkness.
“Father?”
There was no answer, and the building felt empty. Emily blinked once, twice, then a third time. When she opened her eyes again, she stared in horror, praying that her mind was playing tricks on her, knowing that it wasn’t.
“No, Father! No!”
THIS IS NOT FINAL TEXT
This manuscript is the property of Baker Publishing Group. No part of it may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Baker Publishing Group (contact [email protected]). © 2023 by Amanda Cabot
Published by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
www.revellbooks.com
Scripture used in this book, whether quoted or paraphrased by the characters, is taken from the King James Version (KJV).
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing #1
A brighter future awaits--if she can escape the shadows of the past
Emily Leland sheds no tears when her abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, but what awaits her back home in Sweetwater Crossing is far from the welcome and comfort she expected. First she discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances. Then the house where the new schoolteacher and his son are supposed to board burns, leaving them homeless. When Emily proposes turning the family home into a boardinghouse, her sister is so incensed that she leaves town.
Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death--and to aid Craig Ferguson, despite her fears of men. The widowed schoolmaster proves to be a devoted father, an innovative teacher, and an unexpected ally. Together they must work to unmask a killer and escape the shadows of their own pasts in order to forge a brighter future.
Bestselling author Amanda Cabot transports you to 1880s Texas Hill Country for a brand-new series that will have you flipping pages to solve the mystery and get to the happily-ever-after you long for.
Romance Historical | Romance Suspense [Revell, On Sale: March 21, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780800742652 / ]
Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of A Stolen Heart and A Borrowed Dream, as well as the Texas Crossroads, Texas Dreams, and Westward Winds series. Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers’ Best. She lives in Wyoming.
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