BooksBarbecue
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

Leah wrapped her arms around her middle and lowered her chin.

At last he was getting through to her. “Your baby will have a name and a father. I’ll be her father. I’ll gladly call her my own. She’ll never have to know who her real father is. She’ll never have to be ashamed. You’ll always be able to show her my picture and say, ‘There’s your daddy, the war hero.’”

Her shoulders hunched up.

The baby’s real father . . . another thought seized him. “Listen, we won’t live together, so you don’t have to worry about any of . . . of that. I have to live on base, and we’re shipping out soon. I won’t—I’ll never touch you. Not like . . .”

She shook her head. “I don’t like the idea.”

“I do. Can’t you see this is the best way?” He squatted beside her. “You said you couldn’t see any good in this, but I do. I see great good. You can raise that little baby and have a family. No disgrace. No poverty.”

Leah pressed her hand over her eyes. “No poverty? Only because of charity. I won’t take your charity. I promised myself I’d never accept charity again. I won’t.”

“No, no, no.” Clay dropped to his knees and took her free hand in his. “It isn’t charity. You’d be doing me a favor.”

She peeked over the top of her hand. “A favor?”

“Yes, ma’am. Right now, my only purpose in life is to die.”

She winced.

“It is.” He squeezed her narrow hand. “I’m training hard so I can go into battle and die saving my buddies. But this—marrying you would give my life an even better purpose. Knowing that I helped you and your little one, that I provided for you . . . well, that would make me the happiest man in the world.”

The fight left her shoulders and her cheeks, and she slid her hand from her eyes to her mouth. Her brown eyes teemed with questions, with a desire to believe.

Clay pressed his hand to his chest and smiled. “Come on, Miss Jones, have a heart. Here I am, down on my knees, begging you to make me happy and marry me. Would you, please? Would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Clay Paxton?”

Leah fell silent for far too long, but then she slowly nodded. “Yes. Please.”

“Thank you.” He planted a kiss on the back of her hand. He hadn’t felt so good in over two years.

ch-fig1

11

CAMP FORREST
SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 1943

Darlene Bishop adjusted the short veil over Leah’s face and frowned. “I don’t understand you. A month ago, you didn’t even want a date, and now you’re marrying a man you hardly know.”