Take Me Home (9781455552078) by Dorothy Garlock

said.
    Ever since Chuck headed off for basic training, Sally had been living with the fear that he would die in combat. He was a Navy Seabee, operating a bulldozer as his unit cleared jungles in the South Pacific, making roads and airstrips for the march to Japan. Each time there was a knock on her door, she was terrified, certain that it was someone from the military coming to tell her of her husband’s death, to offer condolences that wouldn’t begin to fill the void in her heart. Every night, she said her prayers for his safety. Every morning, she wrote him a letter, trying to stay positive, to not show her fear. In public, she maintained a smile, but Olivia knew her friend was hurting. Unfortunately, she’d soon know just how much.
    â€œWhen does Billy leave for his training?” Sally asked.
    â€œFive weeks.”
    Olivia’s friend gave her an encouraging smile. “Maybe the war will be over by then,” she said. “In his last letter, Chuck said it wouldn’t be much longer.”
    â€œI hope not, for all of our sakes.”
    â€œSo when’s the big day?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Olivia answered. “We didn’t set a date.”
    â€œWell, you’re going to have to hurry,” Sally said. “There isn’t much time if we’re going to do this right.” She then began to talk about engagement announcements, invitations, what type of decorations they could have, dresses, music, food, and even whether she and Billy should try to make time for a honeymoon; strangely, listening to Sally talk about such things wasn’t as upsetting to Olivia as when her mother did so; still, there was so much said so fast that it made Olivia’s head spin.
    Because of Sally’s excitement, Olivia didn’t have the heart to tell her about her doubts. The night before, as she had stared at the ceiling above her bed, the hours slowly crawling past, Olivia had thought about everything she wanted to say to Sally; that she was afraid she’d committed a terrible mistake in accepting Billy’s proposal, one she had no idea how to fix. She worried that admitting such things would make her look foolish, as if she didn’t take the institution of marriage seriously, something that she feared would insult Sally, to whom it was her whole life.
    So instead she held her tongue.
    Besides, just as when she’d told her family, Olivia knew that it was too late to change anything. No one in all of Miller’s Creek, friend or otherwise, would ever understand why she’d be reluctant to marry a man like Billy Tate.
    So she would become his wife. Like Sally, she would just have to hope for the best. Her path had been chosen, and nothing, and no one, could change it now.
    Â Â 
    Peter made his way down the gently sloping hill and away from the cabin. Though there was still a chill in the early spring air, the sunlight on his skin was enough to keep him warm. The clothes that he’d put on, a blue button-down shirt and a pair of dark work pants, smelled just as musty as the place in which they’d been left, but he was happy to get out of his prisoner garb all the same.
    He was also relieved to be away from Otto. Before leaving, Peter had listened to the man go on about what he should and shouldn’t do in town; truthfully, he hadn’t paid much attention, but just nodded his head. Ever since they’d been shackled together, Peter had been uncomfortable, listening to Otto’s tirades against Americans and Jews, as well as his unwavering belief in Hitler and the Nazis. But it was all over now. Soon, both of them would be where they belonged, where they would have been had it not been for the crash.
    So I might as well enjoy what little freedom I have left…
    Soon, Peter found a road and began following it, staying along the shoulder. Towering trees rose on either side, the sun shining through their nearly bare branches, many of them only