Finding Fire by Terry Odell

FINDING FIRE
     
    Terry
Odell
     
    Copyright © 2011 by Terry Odell
     
    Cover photo by Amy Daraghy
    Cover art by Jessica Odell
    And thanks to Lev Raphael for his title
suggestion.
     
    SMASHWORDS EDITION
    All rights reserved. Without limiting the
rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the
prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above
publisher of this book.
    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the
author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author
acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various
products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used
without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not
authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark
owners.
    This ebook is licensed for your personal
enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to
other people. If you would like to share this book with another
person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you
share it with. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

    * * * * *

    Welcome to Pine Hills, Oregon. When I
finished writing FINDING SARAH, the characters, Randy and Sarah,
wouldn't leave me alone. Although I ended up writing a sequel,
HIDDEN FIRE, I also wrote a few short stories, including A WINTER'S
DAY, a prologue to Finding Sarah, and two more stories. COPING
MECHANISMS and A SUMMER'S EVE, that fit into the post-HIDDEN FIRE
chronology. And then, for fun, I decided to share some of the
"behind-the-scenes" aspects of being a writer, which I collected in
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PAGE. I hope you'll enjoy them all.
     
    CONTENTS
    A Winter 's Day
    Coping
Mechanisms
    A Summer 's Eve
    The Other Side of the
Page
    One
    Two
    Three
    Four
     
     
    A WINTER 'S
DAY
    A prologue to Finding
Sarah, not included in the
novel
    What happened before Sarah
met Randy? For Sarah Tucker, life was perfect. She had David, their
gift shop, and despite minor spats, a happy marriage--until the day
everything turned around. A prologue not included in the
novel, A Winter's Day introduces heroine Sarah Tucker, and lays the foundation for
what unfolds in Finding Sarah.
     
    * * * * *
    Copyright © 2010 by Terry Odell
    * * * * *
    A WINTER'S DAY
     
    Putting the final touches on wrapping
David's present lifted Sarah's spirits. Another argument about his
sister and her never-ending requests for money had put a damper on
their afternoon. But on her way home, she'd seen a sale on the
digital camera he'd had his eye on, and she couldn't pass it up.
Too expensive for a make-up present, it would be perfect for
Christmas. Now, where to hide it? Someplace where he wouldn't find
it for the next three weeks.
    She decided on the closet behind the toilet
paper—the last place David would ever look. Despite his many
endearing qualities, he couldn't even bother to put a new roll on
the spindle when it was sitting on the back of the john. No way
he'd go to the closet to find a new one.
    His kiss before he'd
left That Special
Something , their gift boutique, had been
perfunctory. Hers hadn't been any warmer.
    "I'll be back by six," he'd said. "If I
don't sign the contract with Anjolie today, she'll take her silver
to Pandora's." He started to pull the door closed, then popped his
head back in. "I forgot. Call Chris Westmoreland and tell him
thanks for the reference."
    She was determined to put this afternoon's
fight behind them, starting with a special welcome when he got back
from the coast.
    She peeked at the clock as she cleaned up
the scraps of ribbon and wrapping paper. Almost six. She could call
Chris later. She tuned the stereo to a soft jazz station and peeked
out the window. A curtain of rain obscured everything until a