Hearts of Dust 2: Hearts of Dust

By Elena Martin

Do you like sweet historical romances?

Sarah, a young widow from the East, has braved the first Oklahoma Land Rush, married gentle cowboy Tony, and made a home while working with him in his family's business. While Sarah is content with their new life together, Tony is not. Another land run is about to begin, and he wants to stake a new claim and start his own business. Can their love for each other sustain them through illness and a harsh frontier?

This sweet historical romance has a hard-won happy ending.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elena Martin
• Release date: Nov 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781502201805

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

GUTHRIE OKLAHOMA

AUGUST 1891

Io non sono un bambino! Sarah cringed as she heard Tony’s and Georgio’s voices rising from the kitchen. They had been fighting a lot lately. Tony had ideas about the restaurant, really good ones as a matter of fact, but Georgio didn’t want to hear them. Now Tony was yelling at his father that he is not a child. The customers were listening to the exchange, but most of them didn’t understand the Italian. Sarah and Tony had been together for almost a year and a half, married for just over six months, and she barely understood it herself.

Quindi smettila di comportarti come uno. Questo è il mio ristorante, io faccio le regole! Georgio yelled. Clyde, the fourteen year old that Georgio had hired to bus tables sidled up to Sarah and said, What did he say?

Sarah smiled, He said something about not acting like a child, and that he was the boss. You better get back to work before the boss sees you slacking off.

Poi farò il mio ristorante e le mie regole! That time it was Tony. Sarah understood enough of that statement to know that her life was bound to change drastically, and soon. Tony had just told his father he would get his own restaurant and make his own rules. It was something he had been talking about for a while, but Sarah was never sure he was serious about it until now. Tony rarely raised his voice to his father, and he never made empty threats.

It was the first time he had mentioned getting his own place to Georgio. Sarah looked to the end of the counter where Mario stood. He was on his way back to begin his shift when he heard the yelling and stopped. He was waiting for them to finish before going back but when he heard Tony yell out his last statement he looked at Sarah and mouthed, Really?

Sarah shrugged. She was thinking, Probably. Tony had heard tale that the land along the border that had belonged to the Sac and Fox, Potawatomi, Iowa and Shawnee tribes had been broken up into 160 acre parcels just as the land here in Guthrie had been in 1889. He had mentioned to her then that would be a prime opportunity for them to build their own restaurant and get out from under his father’s thumb. At first, Sarah had thought he’d only just been talking about it, but now that he and Georgio were yelling at each other about it, she thought her husband would probably at least try for one of the parcels.

As she had that thought, Tony came out of the kitchen, pulling off his apron. Come, Bella. We’re finished here, he said.

Sarah looked shocked. We’re quitting? Both of us? she said.

We’re going to start our own lives, Bella. Finally.

Sarah looked at Giorgio’s face as he peered through the order counter. She felt bad, he had given her a job when she’d needed one badly, and he had always been good to her. She could feel Marco’s eyes on her at well.

Tony, are you sure? she said.

You’re my wife, Sarah. She knew then he was on the verge of becoming upset with her. He only called her Sarah when he was hurt or mad.

She took off her apron and laid it down on the counter. Then she looked at Georgio with a sorrowful look and said, Thank you, Georgio, for the opportunity to work here. The proud old Italian man gave her an almost imperceptible nod.

She turned and followed her husband out the door, and when they were outside, she said, Tony, are you sure about this? What if you don’t get the land for the restaurant?

Then we’ll go to the next one, he said with a stubborn tone of voice as they walked towards the livery where their horse and carriage were stowed. Sarah decided to let it go for now. The only part about this that she was the least bit interested in was being with her husband. She loved Tony so much, and she would follow him anywhere. But they had gone through so much in order to settle here in Guthrie and build a life. They had not one, but two houses on their property. After they married, Sarah moved in with Tony and her house was used to shelter the three young cowboys that Tony hired on to take care of his crops and animals while