Love on the Line - Deeanne Gist [0]
© 2011 by Pressing Matters Publishing Co., Inc.
Cover design by Jennifer Parker
Cover photography by Kevin White Photography, Minneapolis
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3394-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
To my PIT Crew
(Personal Intercessory Team)
Carolyn Hall
Harold and Sharon Hearn
Brian and Elaine Mustain
who agreed to pray for me daily during the writing of this novel.
This was such a big commitment and I want you to know your prayers were felt in a palpable way. Your encouraging words meant so much and lifted me when I most needed it. Thank you for walking this road with me. You are so very, very precious to me and a delight to Him.
I love you,
Dee
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Books by Deeanne Gist
Back Ads
Back Cover
Acknowledgments
No matter how much research I do, there are some things I simply have to ask an expert about. One of the most delightful specialists I spoke with this time was Kenny Ray Estes, Museum Director of the Trapshooting Hall of Fame in Vandalia, Ohio. Oh, my goodness. Somebody put him on the payroll. He was amazing and so incredibly giving of his time. We spent days, no lie, on the phone and swapping emails. If he didn’t know the answer to my question, he researched it until he did. My hat is off to you, Kenny Ray. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Since the hero of this book is a Texas Ranger, I needed lots of help in the gun department. I connected with local vintage gun collector, Randal Hankla. He showed me a genuine turn-of-the-century rifle. He taught me how to load it, aim it, and fire it. He answered lots of questions, lots of emails, and he even took time out of a reenactment to show me what was what. Thank you, Randal!
In order to spread the love a little, I also called on longtime friend and world-renowned shooting instructor and titleholder, Gil Ash. (I know, Gil, you’re not supposed to look down the barrel, but it’s so much simpler in prose to say, “He looked down the barrel.” But you and I will know, he’s really looking where the target currently is, and shooting where it’s going to be!)
The heroine in our story contributed her own challenges as a telephone operator. I searched and searched but could never find a “How to Use a Switchboard” instructional video. But Oleta Porter of the Doc Porter Museum of Telephone History