Shadow of Hope: Book 4 - Shadow Series Read Free

the service began with the singing of the first song.
    During the sermon, Violet thought about how she might escape after church without Miles noticing and trying to stop her.  She wasn’t yet ready for the scene she knew would ensue when she broke off their betrothal.  She hoped he’d be somewhat prepared for it, since she’d been distant and especially busy since she’d returned from Salina for the summer.
    As soon as the service ended, Violet hurried her mother to the buggy that was parked along the side of the church, but they weren’t fast enough, and Miles had was able to catch up to them.
    “Violet!” he called.
    She stopped. “Hello, Miles.”
    Violet saw her mother give Miles a quick wave and head for the buggy.  “Mother needs to get home fast today.  Can we talk later?”
    “Sunday dinner’s at the Armstrongs, Caleb and Julie invited me, so I suppose I’ll see you there,” he said.  “Violet, is there something wrong?”
    Violet rubbed her forehead.  No, she couldn’t tell him in the church parking lot.  “I have some concerns that we need to talk about.  I’ll see you at dinner.  Maybe after we eat, you and I could take a walk.”
    “You’re worrying me, Violet.  You’ve changed since you’ve come home for the summer, and you’ve been avoiding me.”  When she didn’t say anything, he turned and headed toward his buggy.  “See you later, then.”
     

    As Miles rode home he felt a lump in his throat and an empty feeling in his gut.  He knew something was wrong.  Violet had been distant and avoiding him for the past two weeks.  He’d been so excited to have her back in town, but she always seemed to be busy or he learned he’d just missed her every time he’d called on her at home. 
    What would he do if she broke their betrothal?  She’d been pushing the wedding date ahead since before her father died.  After her mourning period, her mother had given her permission to set a wedding date, yet she kept changing it and pushing it farther away, until he’d simply stopped asking.
    Violet, with her strawberry blonde hair, and big blue eyes, was beautiful, soft-spoken, ladylike, and loved by everyone who met her.  He’d fallen hopelessly in love with her the first day he’d spotted her, when she’d walked into the bank with her father, walked up to his window, and stood beside her father while they’d finished the transaction. 
    His friend, Quinn, had confided to him that her father was the minister of Grace Church, so Miles began going to church for the first time in his life, with the hope he might catch a glimpse of her.  One day he overheard her telling Quinn’s sister, Peggy that she was going to a barn dance that Friday.  He’d never been to one before, but he made sure to attend this one.  It was at the dance that they’d really become acquainted.  After that, he’d courted her steadily, and fell even more in love with her.  He was so smitten—no other woman in the world could interest him. He felt sick to his stomach now, wondering what Violet was going to tell him.  He also wondered how he should react if she did, indeed, break the betrothal.
    On his way home, Miles saw Caleb and Julia pull down the lane to their house, and he turned and followed them. 
    As they alighted their buggy, Miles called to them.   He jumped down from his buggy and hugged his sister.  Then he turned to Caleb.  “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
    Julia gave him a puzzled look.
    “It’s a man thing, Julia,” Miles said.
    “Well, then, you two can sit on the porch while I go in and put a cooler dress on,” Julia said. 
    When Caleb and Miles were settled in the chairs on the porch, Caleb asked, “What’s up?”
    “It’s Violet.  I think she’s going to break off our betrothal today.  I don’t know what to do.  I can’t lose her, Caleb. I love her so much it hurts.” He patted his chest. 
    Caleb sat deliberating Miles’s situation.  Violet and Caleb had