Dakota Dawn (14 page)

“When I was so sick?”

She nodded.

“One time, there was a long black tunnel.” He paused. “I was going through it to reach a light at the other end. I couldn’t wait to get to the light. It kept calling me, but then I heard your voice. I finally reached the light, so . . . so peaceful.” He paused again.

Nora watched his face. It glowed like candles were lit inside.

“I wanted to keep on going . . . the love there. Perfect love.”

The wonder in his voice, the joy on his face. Nora could feel tears running down her cheeks again.

“But you called to me. You said not to die. You said you loved me.”

The touch of his hand on hers, the touch of angel wings.

He smiled. “So I came back.” His eyes fluttered closed and he slept.

“Nora?”

She sat up, sleep falling away like the dropping of a stone. Night still darkened the window. “Ja?”

“Will you marry me?”

“We
are
married. Don’t you remember?” She smoothed that stubborn lock of hair off his forehead.

“No, I mean a real wedding—in the church. When I was lying there by the creek, I kept praying you would come. I begged God to let me live. A man comes face-to-face with what he’s done wrong at a time like that. And you came.”

“You said you’d be back for dinner. You always keep your word.” She grinned, a teasing grin that made him smile back. “So, I went to see what kept you from your word.”

“So, will you?”

“Will I what?”

“Marry me—again?”

“Can we wait until my sister Clara arrives? She should be here any day now.”

“We can wait. I want to stand before Reverend Moen on my own two feet.”

“And in the church.”

“In the church.” He wrinkled his brow. “How is Clara coming?”

“Someone sent her a ticket.”

“Who?”

Nora shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll ask her when she gets here.”

Silence reigned in the sick room. Carl raised her hand and brought it to his lips. “I broke my word.”

“Oh?”

“You won’t be going back to Norway.”

Nora chuckled. “I tried to tell you that, but you are so stubborn.” She laid her head on his chest. “Will our children be bullheaded, like their pa?”

He chuckled into her hair. “Look, my Nora. Out the window.” Feather clouds glowed pink and silver as the returning sun promised a new Dakota dawn for Carl and Nora.

Lauraine Snelling is the best-selling author of over seventy books, both fiction and nonfiction, historical and contemporary for adults and young readers. Lauraine and her husband Wayne live in California with a Basset Hound named Winston. To learn more about the author, you can visit
www.laurainesnelling.com
.

Read all the stories in this series:

Dakota Dawn

Dakota Dream

Dakota Dusk

Dakota December and Dakota Destiny

Dakota Dawn

© Copyright 1993, 2012 by Lauraine Snelling. All rights reserved.

Previously published as
Dakota Stories I: Dakota Dawn and Dakota Dream
by Smoky Water Press, Post Office Box 2322, Bismarck, ND 58502-2322. Smoky Water Press is a division of Capital Communications, Inc. Bismarck, North Dakota. Former ISBN: 978-0-9820752-0-3

First electronic printing in 2012 by eChristian, Inc.

eChristian, Inc.

2235 Enterprise Street, Suite 140

Escondido, CA 92029

http://echristian.com

Published in association with the Books & Such Literary Agency, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370,
www.booksandsuch.com

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

All of the characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental.

Cover and interior design by Larry Taylor.

Produced with the assistance of Livingstone, the Publishing Services Division of eChristian, Inc. Project staff includes Dan Balow, Afton Rorvik, Linda Taylor, Tom Luke Taylor, Jami Taylor, Ashley Taylor, Lois Jackson, and Tom Shumaker.

ISBN: EPUB 978-1-61-843179-0

ISBN: MOBI 978-1-61-843180-6