A BORROWED DREAM
The Cimarron Creek Trilogy, Book 2
by
Amanda Cabot
Genre: Historical Romance / Inspirational
Publisher: Revell
Date of Publication: March 20, 2018
Publisher: Revell
Date of Publication: March 20, 2018
Number of Pages: 352
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Catherine Whitfield is sure that she will never again be able to trust anyone in the medical profession after the town doctor’s excessive bleeding treatments killed her mother. Despite her loneliness and her broken heart, she carries bravely on as Cimarron Creek’s dutiful schoolteacher, resigned to a life without love or family, a life where dreams rarely come true.
Austin Goddard is a newcomer to Cimarron Creek. Posing as a rancher, he fled to Texas to protect his daughter from a dangerous criminal. He’s managed to keep his past as a surgeon a secret. But when Catherine Whitfield captures his heart, he wonders how long he will be able to keep up the charade.
With a deft hand, Amanda Cabot teases out the strands of love, deception, and redemption in this charming tale of dreams deferred and hopes becoming reality.
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PRAISE FOR A BORROWED DREAM:
“Cabot’s sweet love story will appeal to readers of gentle romances. . .Although this title stands on its own, readers of A Stolen Heart (2017), the first in Cabot’s place-based trilogy, will be happy to revisit the folks of Cimarron Creek.” -- Booklist
“The second book in Cabot’s Cimarron Creek trilogy is even better than the first, with a dash of suspense, an intriguing bit of medical history and a host of enjoyable characters.” -- RT Book Reviews
PRAISE FOR A STOLEN HEART, BOOK ONE IN THE CIMARRON CREEK TRILOGY:
“Readers will enjoy the surprising ending as well as the romance always found in Cabot’s books.”—Publishers Weekly
“Moments of humor provide a nice balance to the heartwarming scenes and the mild suspense thread.”—RT Book Reviews
“Cabot’s nonpreachy inspirational romance features characters who genuinely try to live honorable lives, and their story has broad appeal for readers of gentle fiction and historical romance as well as for readers of Christian fiction.”—Booklist
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Baker Book House ┃ Amazon ┃ Barnes & Noble
┃ Christianbook.com ┃ Books-A-Million ┃ Kobo ┃
Baker Book House ┃ Amazon ┃ Barnes & Noble
┃ Christianbook.com ┃ Books-A-Million ┃ Kobo ┃
CHAPTER ONE, PART ONE
EXCERPT FROM A BORROWED DREAM
By Amanda Cabot
It was only a dream.
|
Catherine Whitfield fumbled with the lamp on her bedside table,
taking a deep breath as light filled the room. There was no reason to be upset.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and took another deep
breath. This was far from the first time she’d dreamed that she was in Paris,
walking along the left bank of the Seine toward Notre Dame. She’d had that
dream many times over the years, but never before had it ended this way. In the
past, she had awakened with a smile on her face. Tonight . . .
Catherine took another breath, trying to calm the trembling of
her hands as she opened her watch and stared at it. Though she had thought it
no later than midnight, it was already five in the morning, only an hour
earlier than she would normally rise. While school did not begin until 8:00,
pupils started straggling in by 7:30, and she needed to have the building open
and warm before the first one arrived.
It was foolish to go back to bed. With the memory of the dream
reverberating through her brain, she’d never fall asleep. She might as well get
dressed. Reaching for the skirt and shirt
waist she’d laid out the night before, she paused. Was that the
reason her dream had turned into a nightmare? Was she distressed over the
thought of putting away her mourning clothes so soon?
Catherine shook her head as she fastened the last button. Mama
wouldn’t have expected her to wear black for a full year. She knew that
Catherine had loved her and that in her heart she would mourn her for far more
than a year. It was only the fact that others in Cimarron Creek might not be so
progressive that had kept Catherine in unrelieved black for four months. Her
pupils would appreciate the white shirtwaist and the navy skirt.
No, her clothing choice wasn’t the reason the dream had ended the
way it did. More likely it was the result of the stomach ailment that had
plagued her all weekend. She had thought she was fully recovered last night,
but perhaps some of the illness had lingered.
Catherine twisted her hair into a low chignon, forcing a smile to
her lips. She wouldn’t think about the dream. Instead, she’d make breakfast,
then spend the extra time at the schoolhouse, preparing for the week ahead.
She had just removed the grounds from the coffeepot when the
kitchen door swung open.
“Are you all right, Catherine?”
She turned at the familiar voice, and for the first time since
she’d wakened, she felt peace settle over her. “I am now that you’re here,” she
said as she hugged her early-morning visitor.
Though Lydia Crawford Whitfield had been gone less than two
weeks, Catherine had missed her more than she’d expected. From the day she’d
arrived in Cimarron Creek, the pretty blonde who was now the sheriff’s wife had
been Catherine’s bulwark, her confidante, the sister she had always wanted, and
with her away visiting her husband’s family, Christmas had been dismal for
Catherine. The new year was supposed to have been better,
but getting sick had not been an auspicious beginning, and then
there was the dream.
Though Lydia settled into a chair while Catherine filled two cups
with coffee, she kept her gaze fixed on Catherine.
“Tell me about your trip,” Catherine urged. Lydia’s stories would
help banish the memories that refused to be dislodged from Catherine’s brain.
Her friend shook her head. “Not until I know you’re all right. I
woke this morning feeling that you needed me, and then Opal mentioned that you
missed church yesterday,” Lydia said, referring to the woman who helped her run
the town’s confectionary.
Catherine wasn’t surprised that Lydia’s partner had noticed her
absence or that she’d reported it to Lydia. Even when the candy store wasn’t
open, the Cimarron Creek grapevine was active.
“I was sick all weekend,” she admitted. “I don’t know what it
was, but I couldn’t keep anything in my stomach. Fortunately, I’m fine now. I
even managed to eat a bit of toast while the coffee was brewing.”
“You don’t look fine. Are you sure you should go to school today?
You might still be contagious.”
“It’s not that.” Catherine took a sip of the coffee, debating how
much to tell her friend. “I had a dream—more like a nightmare—and I can’t
forget it.”
Lydia stretched out her hand and clasped Catherine’s, the warmth
of her palm reassuring Catherine as much as the concern she saw in her friend’s
eyes did.
“Tell me about it,” Lydia said.
Though she was reluctant to put the dream into words, perhaps
sharing it with Lydia would lessen its power over her. “I was in Paris, walking
along the Seine,” she said slowly.
“That’s a good dream, isn’t it? You’ve told me that’s been your
dream for years.”
“It was different this time. As I got closer to Notre Dame, I saw
a woman staring at me. She looked a bit like me—the same dark hair and eyes—but
she was taller and older, and her face . . .” Catherine
shuddered, remembering how helpless she’d felt. “I’ve never seen such despair.
When she turned away, I started to run toward her, but no matter how fast I
ran, I never got any closer. I kept trying and trying. When she looked at me
again and saw that I was coming, she . . .”
Catherine closed her eyes, not wanting to continue, but knowing
she must. She forced her eyelids open and faced her friend. “Oh, Lydia, it was
horrible. She jumped into the Seine.”
“And you woke up.” Though Lydia’s words were matter-of-fact, Catherine
saw the concern in her expression.
“Yes.”
“So you don’t know if someone rescued her.”
Lydia was trying to lessen the horror of the dream, but she
couldn’t. No one could.
“No one rescued her. I’m sure of that. What I don’t know is why
my dream ended that way and why I couldn’t help her. There must be a reason.”
Lydia shook her head as she stirred sugar into her coffee. “Not
all dreams are messages.”
“But some are. Think about how many there are in the Bible.”
Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of A Stolen Heart, the first book of the Cimarron Creek trilogy, as well as the Texas Crossroads series, the Texas Dreams series, the Westward Winds series, and Christmas Roses. Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards and the Booksellers' Best. She lives in Wyoming.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
THREE WINNERS
1ST: Copy of A Borrowed Dream, Novel Teas (25 count), Paddywax Library Collection Ralph Waldo Emerson Scented Soy Wax Candle, Cedar & Wild Fern (6.5oz)
3RD: Copy of A Borrowed Dream + $10 Starbucks Gift Card
1ST: Copy of A Borrowed Dream, Novel Teas (25 count), Paddywax Library Collection Ralph Waldo Emerson Scented Soy Wax Candle, Cedar & Wild Fern (6.5oz)
3RD: Copy of A Borrowed Dream + $10 Starbucks Gift Card
APRIL 12-21, 2018
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