Prelude: Prequel to The Lewis Legacy Series Read Free

when women aren’t around.” When Sam bounded up the front steps of the bank, Tess called out to him. “Sam! Over here!”
    Mom always told them to always act like a lady and never, under any circumstances, to pursue a man. “Play hard to get, girls. That’s the way to reel in a man and keep his interest. Lends an air of mystique.” Based on her current behavior, Tess had forgotten that advice or else she’d chosen to blatantly disregard it.
    Sarah placed a hand on Tess’s arm, prepared to restrain her if she showed signs of running across the street and throwing herself in Sam’s arms. After Tess called to him again, Sam quickly surveyed the area before his gaze settled on them from across the street. Smiling, he raised his arm and called out a greeting. Tess blew more silly air kisses while Sarah smiled and returned Sam’s wave.
    Tess was right about one thing. Sam was certainly handsome enough to cause a girl’s heart to skip a few beats. But this was six-years-older Sam, closer-in-age to Tess— that Sam. The reminder did nothing to stop the fluttering in Sarah’s stomach. Maybe it was the Air Force uniform. A heroic man, who selflessly served his country, willing to sacrifice life and limb, always choked her up with sentimentality.
    “Speech! Speech!” Folks all around her chanted, prompting Sarah to clap and join in with their enthusiasm. If it had been a few years earlier, she would have jammed two fingers in her mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Tempting, but not exactly appropriate, from a twenty-one year old. She laughed under her breath when a man across the street did that very thing. Guys could get away with so many things considered inappropriate for proper young ladies.
    After a few moments, the crowd finally settled down. Removing his hat, Sam tucked it beneath his arm and stepped up to the festively decorated podium.
    Once again, the man managed to steal her breath. Without saying a word.

 
    Chapter 2
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    Everyone quieted down quickly. Sarah waited, as they all did, to hear what their hometown hero would say. What kind of character-building, life-changing events had Sam experienced in the last few years? She’d heard how serving in the military could make or break a man.
    Thank you, Lord, for bringing him safely home.
    “My fellow citizens of Rockbridge, thank you for your warm welcome.” My, my . Sam’s voice was deeper, his native Texas drawl rich and authoritative.
    “It was my great honor and privilege to serve my country. I stand before you today, a man incredibly blessed by the Lord’s gracious watch care over me.” When Sam’s glance encompassed those assembled, his eyes appeared bright with emotion. “My friends, we live in a great nation, a blessed nation, an incomparable nation in many respects. Every morning, the first thing I did—after first downing some mighty strong coffee and breakfast”—he paused for the quiet laughter to subside—“was read my Bible and pray, not knowing where the course of each day would lead. Sometimes God’s word was all we had to keep us going, but it was more than sufficient. Just as it always is.”
    He waited as many clapped and called out greetings or affirmations. “I served in the Air Force during a relatively calm period in our nation’s history. However, recent events foreshadow escalating conflicts which should not be ignored. After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion last year, and the subsequent embargo ordered by President Kennedy on all imports from Cuba, new tensions are rumbling, especially in the Soviet Union. And what began as a military aid program by the U.S. to subdue communist rebels in French Indochina could conceivably develop into a full-scale war between North and South Vietnam.”
    Sam’s words, combined with his tone of voice, held such conviction. Sarah moved one hand over her heart as she listened, impressed by his obvious depth of emotion and dedication to his country and community. What a