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Back The Land Beneath Us Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Endorsements
  3. Books by Sarah Sundin
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Presidential Radio Broadcast
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. Epilogue
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. Discussion Questions
  60. About the Author
  61. Back Ads
  62. Back Cover

It hurt. It hurt so much to say, but it needed to be said. She needed to release Clay. She needed to grasp the only hand that would always be there for her.

“Thank you. Thank you for giving him to me, for all he’s done for me and the baby, for all he’s meant to me. But he’s yours, Lord. He’s yours.”

Leah gathered her baby closer. “She’s yours too. And so am I. You’re my Father, my only true Father, now and forever. I know—I know you’ll never leave me. Even if you take Clay from me, Helen from me, Mama Paxton from me, you’ll never leave me.”

Helen cooed.

Leah kissed her bonneted head. “Please hold me together, come what may. Comfort me. Help me be strong for Helen, for Mama. You are my rock and my tower and my Father.”

All around her, frantic and desperate prayers sounded.

Leah lifted her face to a dome soaring above, to the image of the Father with his arms outstretched, surrounded by the soft blue of peace and the glittering gold of heaven, the promise of joy, of eternal belonging.

And she smiled.

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37

OFF POINTE DU HOC, NORMANDY

A bullet pinged off the steel-plated hull of the LCA, and Clay hunkered low, his uniform drenched in frigid water. To reach Pointe du Hoc, the Rangers had to race parallel to the coast, only a few hundred yards offshore.

Except LCAs didn’t race. The Germans were taking plenty of potshots.

“What about Force C?” Gene clamped his helmet on his head.

Clay groaned. “Doesn’t look good.”

The 5th Ranger Battalion and two companies from the 2nd waited offshore. If they didn’t receive the signal from Force A by 0700, they would land on Omaha Beach instead of at Pointe du Hoc.

Clay’s watch read 0644. How could they possibly reach the point and climb those cliffs in only sixteen minutes? “Guess we’re on our own.”

“Good thing we only need the two of us to clear that point.” Gene winked at him.

A roar overhead. Naval shells!

Clay rose just enough to see over the side. Not far offshore a small warship belched smoke and fire. “A destroyer. They must have seen us in trouble.”

“Trouble?” Sid Rubenstein snorted in a sarcastic way. “We’re not in trouble.”

“You tell that destroyer then.” McKillop punched Ruby in the arm. “I’ll take the help.”

Taylor removed his helmet. “Now that we have cover, let’s bail.”

Clay obeyed. The extra weight of water slowed the plodding LCA even more.

Each time he stood, he surveyed the scene. Naval shells flew overhead and slammed into the bluffs to their left. Ahead, Pointe du Hoc drew nearer and higher, its light brown cliffs jutting out to sea.