Authors: Martha Rogers
Amelia's Journey
What Others Are Saying About the Winds Across the Prairie Series â¦
Becoming Lucy
offers readers a powerful message of love, hope, and transformation. Highly recommended to all readers who are on a journey to “becoming” all they are meant to be in Christ.
âJ
ANICE
H
ANNA
T
HOMPSON
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UTHOR OF
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OVE
F
INDS
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OETRY,
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Set in the Oklahoma Territory, bits of historical truths are woven into this story about a young woman from an affluent background and a young man carrying a burden too large to bear, who finally find their God-chosen place of belonging. Treat yourself to a step back in timeâyou won't be disappointed.
âK
IM
V
OGEL
S
AWYER
B
EST-SELLING AUTHOR OF
M
Y
H
EART
R
EMEMBERS
In
Finding Becky
, Martha Rogers ushers you into the past where her characters take your hand and invite you into their lives. Martha's attention to historic detail is a treat for the senses, her endearing story a balm for the troubled soul.
âM
ARCIA
G
RUVER
A
UTHOR OF THE
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EXAS
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ORTUNES
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Martha Rogers masterfully portrays characters in the early twentieth century. They're firmly attached to the way of life they've always known, yet reaching toward the changes brought about by increasing technology and transitioning ideology.
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Full of characters that stay with you long after the last page is turned,
Finding Becky
is Martha Rogers's best book yet!
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A
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HE
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ONFIDENTIAL
L
IFE OF
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UGENIA
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C
OUNTERFEIT
Caroline's Choice
is a delightful tale of adventure and romance, of coming of age and making choices.
âK
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ALERIA'S
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XTREME
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EVOTION SERIES
Caroline's Choice
brings home the intense need of forgiveness. Martha Rogers has written a compelling story of love and redemption.
âD
IANE
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Most C
HARISMA
H
OUSE
B
OOK
G
ROUP
products are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchase for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, and educational needs. For details, write Charisma House Book Group, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, or telephone (407) 333-0600.
A
MELIA'S
J
OURNEY
by Martha Rogers
Published by Realms
Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group
600 Rinehart Road
Lake Mary, Florida 32746
www.charismahouse.com
This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwiseâwithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Copyright © 2012 by Martha Rogers
All rights reserved
Cover design by Nathan Morgan
Design Director: Bill Johnson
Visit the author's website at
www.marthawrogers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Rogers, Martha, 1936-
Amelia's journey / Martha Rogers. â 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-61638-582-8 (trade paper) â
ISBN 978-1-61638-667-2 (e-book) 1. Young womenâFiction. I. Title.
PS3618.O4655A84 2012
813'.6âdc23
2011032845
First edition
12 13 14 15 16 â 987654321
Printed in the United States of America
Delight thyself also in the L
ORD
;
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
âP
SALM 37:4
Contents
Saturday, August 19, 1876
A
melia Carlyle's face ached from the smile pasted on it for the last three-quarters of an hour. Would this ceremony never end? She balanced first on one foot and then the other to relieve the pain caused by the white satin pumps Amanda had insisted Amelia must wear.
Amanda's face glowed with the radiance of the love she had for Charles Scott Bishop, the man who became her husband today. If that love ever happened to Amelia, and she decided to marry, it'd be a small and simple wedding without all this pomp and circumstance.
At last the minister pronounced them husband and wife, and Charles leaned forward to kiss his bride. Amelia's thoughts went immediately to the buffet to be served at the reception. Mama and Papa had spared no expense for their oldest daughter's wedding, and Amelia anticipated the spread of lobster, roast beef, croissants, and wedding cake.
Amanda and Charles made their way back up the aisle, and Amelia dreaded walking even that short distance in her shoes, but she put on another smile and made it to the front steps of the church where carriages waited to take them to the hotel for the reception.
Once they arrived, guests mingled and greeted the bride and groom, but Amelia found the closest table and sat down to slip off her shoes. Her white-stockinged toes wiggled in great relief to be free of their bindings. She turned her back to the room to hide her most unseemly behavior, but comfort won over decorum. She lifted her skirts to run her fingers along the arch of one foot, which relaxed in contentment. Of course if anyone asked her to dance later, she may not be able to squeeze her feet back into the slippers, but she had seen no one with whom she cared to dance anyway.
“Excuse me, Miss Carlyle?”
Amelia snatched the hem of her skirt and yanked it down to cover her legs and feet. She whirled around to find herself looking up into eyes so dark brown, they were almost black. The man towered over her with broad shoulders that blocked any view of the room behind him. A tingling started in her toes and progressed its way to her heart. Why had she not noticed this handsome young man before? “Yes, I'm Miss Carlyle, but I do believe you have the advantage.” His smile sent even more tremors through her bones. “Iâ¦I don't recall having met you before.”
“Of course you don't. You were twelve, and I was a skinny fourteen-year-old. Neither of us paid much attention to the other when we last met at my grandparents' home for dinner after church one Sunday. My name's Benjamin Haynes.”
Benjamin Haynes, of course, the son of her parents' best friends of school days, but what was he doing in Boston? His family lived in Kansas. “Oh, yes, that was a few years ago. Have you moved back here?”
He grinned, and his eyes sparkled with amusement. “No, but my parents found your sister's wedding to be the perfect opportunity for a return trip, and I must say now I'm glad I came along.”
Heat rose in her cheeks, and her tongue turned to mush. She simply stared back at him with what she hoped was not a stupid smile. What if he asked her to dance? Her feet crossed and rubbed against one another beneath her dress. She'd never get her feet back into those shoes.
“May I get you some refreshment?”
Amelia nodded. “Aâ¦a cup of punch would be nice.” As he turned to carry out the request, she groaned. Another thing she'd forgotten, no buffet table without her shoes. If she dared walk across the floor without them, her skirt would drag and give away her secret. As if in protest, her stomach grumbled and sent a wave of hunger pangs to her brain. All that food so near, yet it may as well be in another town for all the good it did her seated across the room.
Her gaze landed on Benjamin at the serving table. Although she vaguely remembered him from his last visit, he appeared much taller and was certainly more handsome than he had been then. His dark brown hair even curled slightly at the neckline. Of course she hadn't been truly interested in boys at that time. Being noticed by him created a bit of delight in her now.
Benjamin returned, not only with a cup of punch, but also with a plate filled with some of her favorites from the buffet array. “I thought you might not want to cross the floor to the serving table without your shoes, so I brought it to you. I hope you like what I selected.”
Heat again filled her face. He'd noticed her shoeless feet and had sought to save her further embarrassment by being so polite. For that her stomach thanked him. “Thank you, Mr. Haynes. This will do quite nicely, but what about you? When will you eat?”
“If you'll allow me, I'll get my plate and rejoin you.”
“I'd like that very much, thank you.” Her heart beat in double time as he returned to the buffet and made his own selections. His broad shoulders hinted at the muscles and strength that must be hidden beneath the sleeves of the black suit he wore. The evening took on a whole new interest, and Amelia tucked her feet well beneath her skirts to keep them hidden from view.
When he returned, he sat in the chair next to hers. Miracles of miracles, no one asked to join them, and they remained alone. Her father may have a few words about that later, but for the time being, Amelia planned to enjoy every minute she could have with Mr. Benjamin Haynes.
He spread a napkin across his lap. “Tell me, Miss Haynes, what have you been doing since the last time I saw you?”
It had only been a little more than five years ago, but it may as well have been a lifetime for all Amelia could remember. Her mind a blank, she could only stare at him. He must think her to be a complete ninny. She cleared her throat. “In school, but of what interest could that possibly be to you? I would imagine your life has been much more eventful and interesting.”
Benjamin grinned at her and sipped his punch. He set the cup back on the table and cocked his head to one side. “My life has been herding cattle and getting them to market as well as bustin' broncos to have horses to ride.”