CRIMSON MOUNTAIN (28 page)

When supper was finished, they opened the parlor door. Dad had supervised the putting back of the old furniture into the parlor, and now there was a suitable place for the young lovebirds to go, when the rest of the family, at the instigation of the mother, all drifted away to duties.

So they sat down on the old haircloth sofa and had a blessed few minutes together.

Pilgrim brought out a little box from an inner pocket.

“This is yours, my dear, if you will have it,” he said, looking down at the box and up to Laurel’s lovely face. “It was my dear mother’s engagement ring. She gave it to me when she was dying. I’ve carried it over my heart ever since. Perhaps it’s a bit old-fashionednow, but I wanted to give it to you because it’s all I have yet. Will you like it, or would you rather I waited till I can get you a better one, a diamond?”

Laurel looked down at the ring as he slipped it on her finger.

“Oh, I would rather have this one. I shall love it. Why, Phil, it’s a star sapphire! A lovely one. I’ve always wanted to have a star sapphire. And I shall like it so much better because it was your mother’s!”

He gathered her close, and their lips met once more. It seemed the sweetest moment of their lives.

And then suddenly the old parlor door swung softly open and there stood Daisy wide-eyed and wondering.

They looked up smiling, and then a scared expression came over her face. She turned and fled toward the dining room, calling in a loud, startled voice, “Mom! They’re doing it again! They’re kissing each other again. What do they wantta do that for?”

“Sh-ss-sh!”

G
RACE
L
IVINGSTON
H
ILL
(1865–1947) is known as the pioneer of Christian romance. Grace wrote over one hundred faith-inspired books during her lifetime. When her first husband died, leaving her with two daughters to raise, writing became a way to make a living, but she always recognized storytelling as a way to share her faith in God. She has touched countless lives through the years and continues to touch lives today. Her books feature moving stories, delightful characters, and love in its purest form.

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A stranger salvages a wedding gone awry for one desperate in
The Beloved Stranger
. A stranger salvages a wedding gone awry for one desperate in

Believing he is a murderer, a young man hides his identity in
A New Name
. young man hides his identity in
A New Name

A rebellious teenager’s escape brings more than she bargained for in
The Prodigal Girl
.

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Available in 2013

The White Flower

Duskin

Matched Pearls

April Gold

Amorelle

Rainbow Cottage

Ladybird

The Gold Shoe

The Substitute Guest

Kerry

Crimson Mountain

Beauty for Ashes