Stranger's Gift by Anna Schmidt

Author:Anna Schmidt [Schmidt, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60742-562-5
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2011-11-18T05:00:00+00:00

As Hester had predicted, once the sun came out and the floodwaters receded, the public’s attention moved on to other matters. No longer did she turn around while restoring the houses along the creek to find a television reporter and cameraperson carefully picking their way across a soggy lawn, hoping for a story. And after it became clear that there had been massive property damage but little human loss, the media packed up and moved on for good. The National Guard, too, had moved on, as had other disaster-relief groups that had set up temporary headquarters in Sarasota.

Even the out-of-state volunteer teams from Mennonite and Amish congregations that had appeared in droves during the first seventy-two hours following the storm had headed back home after a few weeks. The difference there was that they sent replacements, crews of teenagers or college students who were eager to spend a few days rebuilding someone’s house and rejoicing in the reward of seeing a family moved from one of the cramped FEMA trailers back into their own place.

It was a pattern that Hester was well used to and one that she saw as a natural part of the rhythm of life on Florida’s Gulf Coast. When another storm struck their shores—and it would—if not this season then next, or the one after that, these wonderful caring people would be back, ready to once again help the residents of Pinecraft and the surrounding area rebuild.

She was putting the final touches on her father’s house when the phone in Arlen’s study rang. “Pastor Detlef’s residence,” she said as she cradled the phone on her shoulder and wiped her paint-stained hands on a rag.

“Hester?”

John Steiner sounded as if he’d run a marathon and called her straight from the finish line. “It’s Zeke Shepherd,” he said. “Can you come?”

“What’s happened?” Hester asked, already setting the rag aside and reaching for her bag. “Where are you?”

“He’s really sick. We’re at the city marina, north end. I’m illegally parked.”

“You drove?”

“I’ve got Margery’s boat. I’m in one of the vacant slips. When Zeke didn’t show up at my place for over a week, I went looking for him. I mean, it wasn’t like him to disappear for over a week without at least stopping by.”

Hester didn’t see the need to tell John that it was exactly like Zeke to disappear for long periods of time without letting anyone know where or how he was. Eventually he would show up, his impish smile all Jeannie needed to forgive him for giving her such a fright.

“I’m on my way.”

She wrote a quick note to her father, grabbed the car keys, and prayed the traffic lights would be with her.

They were. She reached the marina in record time and saw John standing at the end of one of the piers near a pay phone. He was looking far healthier than he had the last time she’d seen him. In the days that had passed since they’d worked together on Margery’s place, the ankle boot was gone, and his bruises and insect bites had healed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.