After the Rains by Deborah Raney

Author:Deborah Raney [Raney, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-81362-6
Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
Published: 2011-12-20T16:00:00+00:00

Thanksgiving Day dawned cold and clear. Daria Hunter awakened with a light heart. For the first time in almost three months, her family was all together under one roof, Natalie sleeping in Nicole’s old bed in the room that Noelle now had to herself.

Though they’d talked on the phone often and exchanged e-mails several times a week since Natalie left for college, she had not been home until now. Cole and Daria were both elated by the changes they saw in their daughter.

“It’s like we have the old Nattie back,” Cole had whispered in Daria’s ear last night as she lay in his arms before they drifted off to sleep.

It was true. The bitter, wounded child who had lived in this house before had seemingly been replaced by a more mature version of the carefree little girl they cherished so much.

In the few short hours Natalie had been home, they’d heard the name Evan Greenway no less than a dozen times. Daria couldn’t help but wonder how much the boy had to do with Natalie’s newfound happiness. She prayed that it wasn’t merely a case of the wounded comforting the wounded. And yet, from the things Natalie said, it seemed that Evan Greenway had done some growing up himself in the months since the tragedy.

The anniversary of Sara’s death had passed quietly a few weeks ago. Daria wondered too if traversing that milestone had been a relief to Natalie. It had certainly been so for her and Cole.

Daria had taken Maribeth to lunch, to a new little café that had opened in Clayton. They had marked the anniversary with shared tears. But the day had been mostly a joyful celebration of their friendship, of the fact that time had already begun to heal some of the pain. And that because of Jon and Nicole’s growing romance, they, too, had a hopeful future of shared holidays and celebrations, and eventually, God willing, shared grandchildren.

Beside her, Cole stirred. “You getting up?” he asked, squinting at the digital alarm clock on his nightstand. “Don’t you have to get the turkey in the oven?”

“In a few minutes,” she said, rolling toward him and nestling into the warm shoulder he offered. She breathed in the familiar, sleepy scent of him and thought that today it would not be difficult to give thanks for the blessings in her life.

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