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Believing the bitter lies you tell yourself leaves little room for the sweetness of truth
Coal miner Joshua Morgan managed to do the impossible--he broke away from the stranglehold of the iron-fisted Barton family and the Company Store, to whom all the miners in the Appalachian Mountains are indebted. But it cost him the life of his young daughter, who was run down by a posse led by Thomas Barton while coming to collect Joshua's payment to the store.
Five years later, a sweet but slow-witted young girl lands on his doorstep, and Joshua's desire to protect her from the clutches of the Bartons increases his thirst for vengeance. Joshua sets out to discover where the girl came from in order to take down the Barton family once and for all.
His journey leads him to the truth about the day his daughter died, a reality he finds hard to accept. But when confronted by Thomas Barton himself, Joshua is forced to rethink the dark lies brewing in his heart. If he broke away, could Thomas have also? Despite his misgivings, can Joshua join forces with a man he once despised to free the miners from the tyrannical Barton family and forge a future of peace for both the young girl and himself?
“Joshua, tears don’t fall no more. Is that bad?” Raney had asked as she pulled a handful of grass from around the stone marker.
I’d eyed my wife as she scratched away the ivy from our girl’s tombstone. She pulled a fist of flowers to her nose and took in the sweet scent of lavender. I guessed she’d forgiven me, but things was never the same betwixt us after Anna died. Before, Raney’d always talked things over with me, but after Anna died, she pulled away from me, quit talkin’. She walked alone around farm lookin’ to be in deep thought instead of doin’ her chores. It was like she was as dead as our Anna.
“No, it ain’t bad,” I said, surprised she’d asked. “It’s just a sign you’ve moved on. You ain’t stagnant in your heart.”
I guess I’d hoped Raney had moved on, or at least the best I could see from her. Movin’ on didn’t mean there wasn’t no sadness though. And I suspect it didn’t really mean lettin’ go either. Neither of us could loosen our grip on Anna’s soul.
I reckon there’ll always be a hole burrowed out in our hearts, but it wasn’t the grief eating me alive. It was the guilt, and I couldn’t take it no more. It was like a fresh burn—stinging and stinging. Never easing, no matter how hard I blew at the burn.
I blinked away the tears. Had her death really been my fault? I wasn’t sure anymore.
(p. 6)
Cindy K. Sproles is the author of devotions published in newspapers across the country and a teacher at Christian writers conferences. She spent her formative years showing off her beloved Appalachian Mountains to others, and she and her family still live in the mountains of East Tennessee.
Connect with Cindy at cindysproles.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
(1) winner will win a print copy of Coal Black Lies plus book-related swag!
Full tour schedule linked above. The giveaway begins at midnight June 17, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 24, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
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