Rula Sinara - After the Silence

Does following her passion mean losing her way?

Marine Ben Corallis is an expert at facing death, but nothing comes close to the terror that grounds him when his wife is killed in a car accident the day he returns from duty. He’s left to raise an infant, a toddler and a ten-year-old girl who hasn’t uttered a word since her mother’s death.

It’s hard not to care for the widowed marine with three young children. Yet he’s still grieving, too burdened with guilt to fall in love again. And Hope Alwanga’s future as a doctor awaits her on the other side of the world, in Nairobi. If two such opposites can’t agree on a common country, how can they ever create a safe place to call home?

“I’m having a hard time picturing Christmas trees growing in Kenya.”

Hope stepped away from the corner where she’d been leaning against the wall, watching them.

“Other than hunting our plastic one out of storage, I have not had a real tree-hunting experience, but I think you and the kids should go by yourselves.”

What? She was still upset with him?

Maddie took Hope’s hand and tugged her even closer to Ben. She wanted her to come, too. For an entirely different reason, he was sure.

Ben started to reach out to take Hope’s hand himself. He wanted to pull her out the door. Make her come, because he needed her to be there. He was taking the kids to get a tree because a crazy voice in his head was telling him it was the right thing to do. Whether it was going to be a good thing, he didn’t know for sure. What if being in that tree lot proved too hard to take and he ruined the night for his kids? He wanted her there when he helped the kids hang all the ornaments Zoe had collected over the years. How could he get through that without Hope there to pick up the pieces if he broke down?

But maybe she didn’t want to pick up the pieces.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication Acknowledgments PROLOGUE 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 Copyright ,

Silence is something that—as a mother of three boys and an outrageous number of pets—I’ve begged for at times. Anything for a little bit of soothing peace and quiet in which to work, think (and actually be able to hear my thoughts) and decompress. But, as a mother, I also know firsthand how frustrating and destructive silence can be, especially for a child.

Although my kids have come a long way, two of them struggled with being able to cope with and express overwhelming emotions when they were younger. As a result, they’d shut down. The teacher calls, school visits, hours of trying to get them to open up...I’ll never forget any of it.

It’s heartbreaking for a parent not to be able to get through to their child. For my kids, the silence would last from endless minutes to hours. But for Maddie, the young girl in this story, it has gone on for months...triggered by the tragic loss of a parent. I’m so grateful that my kids didn’t have the same diagnosis or trigger as Maddie, but nonetheless, it still comes down to internal suffering. An inability to cope. A cry for help. And whether it’s a child or adult withdrawing, silence can be a dark, stressful and lonely place...until love and trust finally break through.

I hope you enjoy this story of how two people suffering on opposite sides of the world discover each other, rediscover the power of love and family and, together, show a little girl that it’s okay to be happy again.

My door is always open at rulasinara.com, where you can find links to my blog, all the places I hang out and more, so feel free to drop by!

Rula Sinara

After the Silence

Rula Sinara

www.millsandboon.co.uk

RULA SINARA lives in Virginia’s countryside with her husband, three boys and zany but endearing pets. When she’s not writing or doing mom stuff, she loves organic gardening, attracting wildlife to her yard (cool bugs included) or watching romantic movies. She also enjoys interviewing fellow authors and is a special contributor for Happy Ever After on USATODAY.com. Her door is always open at rulasinara.comor awritersrush.blogspot.com.

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To each of you who has helped a child to heal and rediscover joy.

Acknowledgments Acknowledgments PROLOGUE 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 Copyright

Infinite thanks to my author sisters for their support and shared stories of surviving deadlines when life throws a few curveboulders...and to my reader friends for your generous and beautiful words about my first book in this series, The Promise of Rain. You all kept me going.

And, as always, thank you, Victoria Curran, for your patience, incredible insight and for encouraging me to be cruel to my characters. Plain and simple, you make me a better writer. I’m blessed to have such a gifted editor and teacher to guide me.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Does following her passion mean losing her way? Marine Ben Corallis is an expert at facing death, but nothing comes close to the terror that grounds him when his wife is killed in a car accident the day he returns from duty. He’s left to raise an infant, a toddler and a ten-year-old girl who hasn’t uttered a word since her mother’s death. It’s hard not to care for the widowed marine with three young children. Yet he’s still grieving, too burdened with guilt to fall in love again. And Hope Alwanga’s future as a doctor awaits her on the other side of the world, in Nairobi. If two such opposites can’t agree on a common country, how can they ever create a safe place to call home?

Introduction “I’m having a hard time picturing Christmas trees growing in Kenya.” Hope stepped away from the corner where she’d been leaning against the wall, watching them. “Other than hunting our plastic one out of storage, I have not had a real tree-hunting experience, but I think you and the kids should go by yourselves.” What? She was still upset with him? Maddie took Hope’s hand and tugged her even closer to Ben. She wanted her to come, too. For an entirely different reason, he was sure. Ben started to reach out to take Hope’s hand himself. He wanted to pull her out the door. Make her come, because he needed her to be there. He was taking the kids to get a tree because a crazy voice in his head was telling him it was the right thing to do. Whether it was going to be a good thing, he didn’t know for sure. What if being in that tree lot proved too hard to take and he ruined the night for his kids? He wanted her there when he helped the kids hang all the ornaments Zoe had collected over the years. How could he get through that without Hope there to pick up the pieces if he broke down? But maybe she didn’t want to pick up the pieces.