When Valleys Bloom Again by Pat Jeanne Davis

When Valleys Bloom Again by Pat Jeanne Davis

Excerpt from When Valleys Bloom
Again

Jolie
Fontaine

Main
Line Philadelphia

Summer
1942

            Abby sat in the middle of a group of
children, reading aloud a favorite story. She looked up to see Carol at her
side. “Jim’s on the telephone. I’ll fill in here,” she said, taking the
storybook out of Abby’s hands. “He says it’s important.”

            She rose from a stool, her heart
beating faster. Jim wrote whenever possible and only called occasionally—but
never in the middle of the day. It must be urgent.

            When out of sight, she sprinted down
the hall, dropping breathless into a wooden chair beside the telephone. “Hello,
Jim,” she said, pressing the receiver tight to her ear, as if to draw him
closer.

            “Hello, Darling. I had to call. But
I haven’t got long to talk.”

            Silence.

            “Jim … Jim?” Leaning forward, she
rapped the cradle switch. “Are you there?”

            “I’m here. Sorry to call like this,”
he said, his voice cracking. “They’re shipping me out.”

            She slumped back in the seat.
“When?”

            “I board a train for New York next
week. Then a troopship.”

            Abby attempted to speak, but a lump
rose in her throat.

            “Sweetheart, I’m sorry I won’t see
you before I leave,” he said in a subdued voice.

            She swallowed hard. “Can’t I meet
your train s-s-somewhere?”

            “I looked into that. There’s nowhere.”
The hopeless tone in his voice was unmistakable.

            “Then I’ll come to New York.”

            “No time for that.”

            Her eyes filled. “No time for us?”

            “Besides, there’s no more furloughs
or passes. Look. It’s not all bad. I’ll probably get to London. Maybe even see
your parents when I get a pass.”

            Abby sensed he was struggling for
words.

            “So, that’s at least a cheerful bit
of news, isn’t it?”

            “S-S-Some,” she said, trying to
conceal disappointment in her voice.

            “Darling, there’s a line of men
waiting to use this phone. I’ll have to go.”

            She was losing the battle to stay
calm and accepting. “Must you hang up so soon?”

            He cleared his throat before
speaking again. “I’m not so good at always saying what I feel. Still, you know
how much I love you.” His voice carried a wealth of emotion. “I’ll be back.”

            “I’ll be waiting for you,” she said,
then mumbled a muted, “goodbye.” With a click, their connection was severed.

            She replaced the receiver and closed
her eyes, her lower lip trembling. She hadn’t reacted the right way to his
disappointing news. After all, Jim was being sent off. He was the one at risk,
not her.

            When she got back to the room Carol
and the children were gone. She cleaned the blackboard and tidied up before
leaving. Then she strolled to the tower and sat there until the light faded.
How much longer would this war go on? Scenes from the latest Pathé
newsreel—devoted to the progress of the war—flashed before her eyes. Please,
Lord, keep Jim safe.

* * *

            Returning to the house, she found
her uncle listening to the president’s weekly fireside chat. He pressed a
finger to his lips and motioned for her to take a seat. “Nearly done,” he
mouthed. On occasion she would join him and her aunt for these broadcasts.
Uncle Will proclaimed his liking for Mr. Roosevelt out of patriotism and Aunt
Val by way of a fondness for Eleanor.

            When the president finished, Uncle
Will turned off the radio. “I see that Eisenhower’s in England and has command
of U.S. Forces in the European theater.”

            Abby went straight to her complaint.
“Jim’s being sent to England.”

            “Oh, dear,” he said, leaning back
and folding his arms. “This afternoon his sister hinted something was up.” He
furrowed his brow. “I know how disappointed you must feel. But look on the
bright side,” he said, grinning. “Perhaps he’ll get to meet your parents.”

            “Yes, that’s what Jim thought.” She
forced a smile. “It’s something to hang on to.”

            “Let me show you this.” Uncle Will
went over to the map on the wall that bristled with tacks of different colors.
He pointed to one section, motioning for Abby to join him. “The President says
that because of our navy’s victory over the Japanese here at Midway Island,
there’s been a decisive turn in this phase of the war. This affects everything
else to come.”

            “Surely, this war can’t go on much
longer,” she said, her voice quivering.

            He rubbed the back of his neck. “I
wouldn’t go so far as to say that, yet. Your Jim is off to fight to ensure our
freedom. Pray God may help him to do what needs to be done for however long it
takes.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Jim must do what he needs to do, and
you must have faith that he will come back to you.”

            “You
always say what I need to hear, Uncle.”

<><><> 

© Pat Jeanne Davis 2019 – When Valleys Bloom Again – Elk Lake Publishing

When Valleys Bloom Again   

Book Blurb:

As war approaches in 1939 Abby Stapleton’s safety is under threat. Her
father, a British diplomat, insists she go back to America until the danger
passes. Abby vows to return to her home in
London—but where is home? With her family
facing mortal danger so far away and feeling herself isolated, she finds it
hard to pray or read the Bible. Did she leave
God behind in war-torn London too? Abby
becomes friendly with Jim, a gardener on her uncle’s estate.

Jim can’t get Abby out of his mind. Did she have a sweetheart in
England? Was it foolish to think she’d
consider him? He curses his poverty and the
disgrace of his father’s desertion and drunkenness haunts him. Can he learn to believe in love for a lifetime and to hope
for a happy marriage?

Abby couldn’t know the war would last a long time, nor that she would fall in love with Jim—soon to be drafted by the U.S. Army—or that she’d have to confront Henri, a rejected suitor, determined by his lies to ruin her reputation and destroy her faith in God’s providence. Will she discover the true meaning of home and find happiness with Jim?

PAT JEANNE DAVIS lives in Philadelphia, Pa with her British-born husband, John. They have two grown sons. She enjoys flower gardening, genealogy research and traveling with her husband. She is a volunteer in the nursery at the church she attends and at the local chapter of MOP’s. 

Pat published
essays, short stories and articles online and in print. She has a keen interest
in mid-twentieth-century American and British history, particularly the period
of World War II. Pat’s father-in-law served in the British Eighth Army during
the war. When Valleys Bloom Again is her debut historical romance
set in that era. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and
the Historical Novel Society. Pat loves to hear from her readers. Subscribe to
her newsletter here www.patjeannedavis.com

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