Love Lifted Me
A
CCLAIM FOR
Softly & Tenderly
“[E]xquisitely written, an achingly beautiful story about lost and found relationships . . . this story is not to be missed.”
â Susan May Warren, RITA award-winning,
best-selling author of
Nightingale
“Fans of Karen Kingsbury's tender family stories will love this southern-flavored tale of triumph and grace.”
â Lisa Wingate, best-selling author of
Tending Roses
and
Larkspur Cove
A
CCLAIM FOR
The Sweet By & By
“A heartwarming collaborative debut.”
â
Publishers Weekly
“Enter the magic of Whisper Hollow and open your heart. Like Sara Evans's bittersweet songs, the notes and melody of Jade Fitzgerald's past sing a new future. In a world of wounded souls, forgiveness and redemption are the lyrics of this enchanting story.”
â Patti Callahan Henry,
New York
Times
best-selling author of
Driftwood Summer
“
The Sweet By and By
is the flowing story of a family struggling across the generations for redemption and reconciliation. The women in this novel are sometimes funny, sometimes serious, but always interesting. I was hooked from page one.”
â Homer Hickam, best-selling author
of
Rocket Boys
and
The Red Helmet
“. . . witty dialogue, believable characters and a page-turner of a plot. Just what I look for in a good book!”
âCassandra King, author of
The Same
Sweet Girls
“Conveys a meaningful message about forgiveness.”
â
CBA Retailers + Resources
“Beautifully real characters shine in this even more beautiful story. A wonderful first novel.”
âEva Longoria Parker, actress and
model
“Wow! I am completely inspired by this book. I have always admired Sara's ability to tell stories through her music, and now I can say wholeheartedly that she is able to make a great story sing on the pages of this book. This is a beautiful, breathtaking novel full of redemption, reconciliation, and grace. I fully recommend it!”
âRobin McGraw, #1
New York Times
best-selling author
Love Lifted Me
Other Books by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck
The Sweet By & By
Softly and Tenderly
Other Novels by Rachel Hauck
Lost in NashVegas
Diva NashVegas
Sweet Caroline
Love Starts with Elle
Dining with Joy
The Wedding Dress
*coming April 2012
Love Lifted Me
S
ARA
E
VANS
WITH
R
ACHEL
H
AUCK
© 2012 by Sara Evans
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherâexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Scripture quotations are taken from the
NEW KING JAMES VERSION
, © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.
Publisher's Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, businesses, organizations, and locales are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Evans, Sara, 1971-
Love lifted me / Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck.
p. cm. -- (A songbird novel ; 3)
ISBN 978-1-59554-491-9 (hardcover)
1. Married people--Fiction. 2. Betrayal--Fiction. 3. Forgiveness--Fiction. 4. Career changes-Fiction. 5. Tennessee--Fiction. 6. Texas--Fiction. 7. Domestic fiction. I. Hauck, Rachel, 1960-II. Title.
PS3605.V3765L68 2012
813'.6--dc22
2011038299
Printed in the United States of America
12 13 14 15 16 17 QG 7 6 5 4 3 2
Contents
By the time July's heat settled over the Appalachians, Jade Benson was getting a little bit stronger. As she unlocked the front door of her riverfront Chattanooga shop, the Blue Two, she knew what she had to do.
The hollow sound of her footsteps in the empty shop echoed in her soul and back again.
Jade dropped her keys on the sales counter, a lovely antique case once belonging to Woolworth's, and peered in the Walmart bag swinging from her fingertips.
For Sale
.
If she'd learned anything from the spring, it was that sometimes a girl had to let things goâthe past, fears, hurts, dreamsâand start over.
You are here. Chart a new course
.
Jade wadded up the plastic bag as she pulled out the For Sale sign and considered her options.
Should she sell? Surveying the shop, she considered the remodeled walls, the new windows and door. The fragrance of lumber and fresh paint lingered in the air.
When a racing F350 had crashed through the Blue Two in the wee hours of a March morning, she never dreamed it would symbolize her life.
But, ho boy, and boy howdy. Jade tapped the sign against her palm. Yeah, sell. She never wanted a second vintage shop anyway. The venture had been her mother-in-law's brainchild. Not for herself, of course, but for Jade.
She'd resisted until the second miscarriage. But then busyness proved to be the drug she'd needed to get through the days.
A lot had changed since she opened this store over a year ago. She wasn't
just
Jade Benson, business owner and Maxwell Benson's wife. She was a mother. At least that's what her heart told her every morning when she woke up with Max's son sleeping down the hall.
Asa. The twenty-two-month-old with expressive brown eyes and bow lips called her
Mama
. He was the beautiful silver lining amid Max's betrayal and Jade's mama's death. The mama who forced her to take command of her life and stop being led where she didn't want to go.
All this time she thought she was in control. But fear had ruled her from her core out.
Asa was a complete and utter wonder. Jade never tired of him and each time his pulpy little hand slipped into hers, she changed. It was the most magical feeling on earth. Possibly in heaven.
Oh Max, you broke my heart, then healed it with your son
.
Except things with the little charmer's father weren't settled. Their Saturday calls were charged with feelings waiting to be spoken face-to-face. Jade expected Max home any day now, but when she asked for a specific date, he'd answered with a vague, “Next week.”
Believe it or not, she understood him. He was nervous. Not quite ready to face his mess. Neither was she.
Jade leaned against the window and stared toward the Tennessee River and the downtown park. She missed springtimeâthe festivals and the flow of vintagehunting customers. She missed the bloom of the magnolias. With the remodel, this shop couldâno,
would
âtake off. But her heart belonged somewhere else.
Do it
.
Why did doing the right thing prove challenging? Jade crossed the barren shop with a determined thump of her heels and snatched the Scotch tape off the top of her desk.
Tearing off two strips, she returned to the front pane and stuck the sign to the glass.
For Sale.
She stepped back, testing her decision. The Blue Two was for sale. Closing. Going away. This part of her life would be over.
Jade exhaled. Relief. The shop had served its purpose. Now it was time to move on.
She didn't have time to lingerâshe needed to pick up Asa from school. Jade had him in Ritterhouse Academy from eleven to two every day. While he played, she ran errands and took care of shop business.
She might be selling the Blue Two, but she still had the Blue Umbrella up the mountain in Whisper Hollow.
That
shop would never go away.
Jade tossed the tape onto the sales counter and snatched up her keys and the Walmart bag. Tomorrow, she'd call a Realtor. Make it official.
It felt good to decide. She was getting a little bit stronger every day.
As Jade headed for the door, a womanâa svelte and toned brunette in designer clothes and sun-kissed hairâwalked in.
“Can I help you?”
The woman returned Jade's query with brilliant blue eyes. “Are you Jade Benson?” Her voice was low and unsure.
“Who would like to know?” Jade rattled her keys, crunching the Walmart bag with her fingers.
“Taylor Branch.” She approached Jade with her hand outstretched. “I hope I'm not disturbing you.”
“Actually, I'm on my way out.” Jade matched Taylor's firm grip. “I need to pick up my son.”
“Asa?”
Jade stepped back. How'd she know? “Is there something specific I can help youâ”
“I'm a friend of Rice McClure's. I'm a paralegal at the law firm where she worked. I was in Nashville visiting family and decided to drive over to see you.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
“I called your other shop. The girl there said you were here.”