Be Still My Soul: The Cadence of Grace, Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

Neither of them spoke. She’d walked this path countless times. Ever since the day her pa had slapped the first bruise onto her cheek. She had only been six. Sarah had held her on her lap, both of them weeping. That night, by the light of the fire, Sarah had read from the psalms. Two weeks later when Lonnie returned, Sarah had read another. They’d gone through the book once already and were now on their second time around. Lonnie couldalmost mark the days of her life by those verses. And with each passing year, she continued to cling to the hope that the end was in sight.
    When her arms ached, Lonnie set her sister down.
    “Can you walk for a while, baby?”
    With her thumb in her mouth, Addie lifted her other hand. Lonnie took her sister’s tiny fingers and held them as they followed the path to their aunt’s cabin. The sight of rising smoke warmed her.
    She pointed. “We’re almost there. See?”
    Soon enough, their bare feet padded lightly on the porch. The scent of nutmeg carried on the air.
    Sarah looked through the window. “Come on in, girls.”
    Careful to tuck her aching wrist behind her back, Lonnie opened the door and led her sister in. “We weren’t plannin’ on coming. Just seemed like a good day for a visit.”
    Addie took her thumb out and started to protest, but Lonnie shook her head. Sarah watched the exchange, her face soft. Lonnie supposed there was no point in trying to conceal the matter from her.
    “Your pa?” Sarah mouthed the words.
    When a fresh tear betrayed her, Lonnie dragged her sleeve across her cheeks. Sarah’s eyes widened, and Lonnie lowered her wrist, tugging her sleeve down as she did.
    Anger flicked through Sarah’s expression, then faded. “I was just about to make up some biscuits. And I’ve got honey and jam. Won’t that be a nice dinner?” Sarah pulled a jar of preserves from the cupboard and watched with warm eyes as Addie took the offering.
    Lonnie smiled.
    A hymn lifted from her lips as Sarah beat milk into a flour mixture with a large whisk. Lonnie formed the biscuits, snuggling them togetherin a greased cast-iron pan. She always liked hearing her aunt sing. It sounded so much like her ma. But apart from Sunday mornings, Maggie Sawyer didn’t sing much these days. Never at home. Lonnie knew why. Singing was for showing joy.
    And that was scarce these days.
    Lonnie slid the biscuits into the oven. She sank into the maple rocker that had once belonged to her grandmother and read Addie a story. Sarah bustled around the kitchen, stepping out long enough to tote away the slop bucket before returning with a satisfied sigh.
    They ate their sticky dinner on the front porch with the late-afternoon breeze soothing fingers too impatient to wait for cool biscuits. As Lonnie stacked plates, Sarah brought out a tin of cards and, insisting the dishes could wait, dealt out a game. They let Addie win every time even though she never understood the rules.
    When the light faded, they went inside and Sarah lit an oil lamp. “You girls are spending the night, right?”
    Lonnie’s heart lightened at the invitation. “I think we’re gonna have to.” She glanced out the window. Her ma would not want her walking the dark path alone with her sister. Sarah moved to the cupboard and pulled out a stack of familiar quilts. Lonnie moved about, helping her aunt make up the trundle.
    “Ma knows where we are.” Lonnie stacked her cards together as Sarah bustled about putting supper together. Addie slid out of her chair only to send a waterfall of cards to the floor.
    Lonnie accepted the tin of fragrant tea Sarah handed her. She tapped two spoonfuls into the bottom of a chipped teapot and filled the vessel with steaming water from the kettle. The stove door creaked when Sarah opened it. Coals popped in complaint to her metal poker. Lonnie cleaned up the cards and stacked them in a neat pile. Sarahpulled a chair close to the stove, helped Addie up, and handed the little girl a spoon for