A Glimpse of Her Heart (Preview)

Chapter One

Serena heard her sister’s squeals from the kitchen as soon as she stepped out of her room. Serena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Today was going to be a long one. She could feel it already. 

She took the stairs quickly, two at a time. She might not feel like facing the day, but she knew her mother probably needed help. 

“You sat by Ma last time. It’s my turn.” Six-year-old Alma was glaring daggers at her twin, Rose. 

Rose crossed her arms. “You sat by Ma twice last week. How is that fair?”

“I was sick!” Alma practically yelled. 

“Why does Candace get to sit by Mama every single day? It’s not fair. It just isn’t.” Rose’s lip wobbled as she stared angrily at their little sister. 

“Okay, why don’t I take a turn sitting by Mama today?” Serena scooped Alma up in her arms and moved her to the next place over, taking the coveted seat by her mother. 

Alma looked like she wanted to protest but instead accepted the change in routine with a soft smile. 

“Where’s Pa?” Serena asked. It wasn’t unusual for her father to miss breakfast. More times than not, he was out of the house before she woke up, and that was even though Serena consistently woke up just before dawn. 

“He had to go and help with the new cattle at the back of the ranch. They got some more from town today.” Serena noticed her mother looked tired. It wasn’t surprising. Her mother had the twins to deal with and Candace, not to mention all of the other little things around the ranch that she did. 

“Are you all right?” Serena asked. “You look tired.” 

“I’m fine, just had a bad night, is all. The twins kept waking up and seemed to be taking turns keeping me awake all night. You have to go. It’s getting late.” 

Serena nodded. “I know, but I still have a little time. I’ll just walk a little faster.” Serena forced a smile. She worked at the seamstress shop in town, and it took a good forty minutes to walk into town, but taking a horse just made things complicated. There wasn’t a good place to leave the horse for most of the day, and she didn’t like the idea of dealing with it, so she preferred to walk. 

“I’ll help you get the girls dressed before I go. Then I’ll leave.” 

“Okay, but we need to hurry. I don’t want to make you late.” 

Serena nodded, but she didn’t care too much about being late. She always did try to be on time, but her mother and sisters were more important to her. 

Serena quickly finished her breakfast, then didn’t waste any time gathering up the empty plates and taking them to the washbasin in the kitchen. She set them there to be washed, then walked back to the kitchen table. 

“Come on, girls, let’s go and get ready for the day.” Serena glanced out the window. It was probably around six-thirty. She had an hour before she was supposed to be at the seamstress shop. If she hurried and she walked extra quickly, she could still make it. 

She led the three little girls to their room and pulled out clean dresses for all of them. She also brought over the hairbrush and ribbons. She started with Alma, doing her hair in two tight braids that started at the top of her head and ended just above her shoulders. 

For Rose, she did the same hairstyle. She made it a little different for Candace, doing one braid at the back. She loved having little sisters. They were bundles of energy and excitement, but that didn’t erase the fact that it wasn’t always easy. There were parts of her life that had been sacrificed the moment Alma and Rose were born. 

“There we are. You all look beautiful.” Serena spun them around, making them giggle. 

“Thank you, Serena.” Alma fingered one of her braids with a happy look on her face. 

“Thank you, Ena.” Candace did her best to copy her sister. There were still a few words she had trouble saying at four years old. 

Serena giggled and pulled Candace up to her hip. “We have to go find Mama now. Serena needs to get off to work.” 

The two older girls followed her out obediently to the kitchen where their mother was washing the breakfast dishes. 

“Don’t you all look lovely?” Their mother beamed down at them. “Thank you, Serena. You are going to make a wonderful mother someday. Spencer is a lucky man.” 

Serena tensed. She hated it that every single day there was a mention of Spencer. 

“Maybe,” Serena said unenthusiastically. 

Her mother was too distracted by some story that Alma and Rose were trying to tell her to notice. 

“I have to go, but I’ll be back later to help, all right?”

“Don’t worry. Martha and Spencer are coming over for lunch. They can help until you get back.” 

Serena made a mental note to take her time coming home. She knew it wasn’t right to be avoiding Spencer, but she didn’t know what else to do. So far, things hadn’t changed between them, and she didn’t want them to. The last thing she wanted was for Spencer to become more aware of the pressure that seemed to be mounting from everyone about their potential marriage. 

Serena grabbed her shawl and headed toward the door. “Listen to Mama, Alma and Rose. She needs your help.” 

Even though her little sisters nodded enthusiastically, Serena wasn’t sure they would keep their word. But she had no time to think about it now. She hurried down the street, trying to avoid the worst of the dust to keep her shoes clean. She tried not to pay too much attention to the sun that was now all the way risen, flooding the road with light. 

Mrs. Cray never liked it when she was late, but she did understand. Even so, Serena tried to do everything she could to avoid that uncomfortable situation. Mrs. Cray had not only given her a job but had agreed to teach her a profession that Serena would use for the rest of her life. Serena was more than grateful to her for that. With the knowledge that Mrs. Cray had already given her, she had started saving for her future, which was more than most young women could say. 

When the town came into sight, Serena paused for a moment. With the way that the sun was shining, the buildings practically glowed. She loved the way things looked early in the morning. Shaking herself from her daydream, she hurried the rest of the way down the hill and into town. 

The seamstress shop was about halfway down the main street. It was right across from the sheriff’s office and two buildings down from the hotel. It was one of the smaller shops on the street. It had a large window looking out to the road, but even so, Serena rarely looked up from her stitches. 

She pushed through the door of the seamstress shop, relieved that she was on time. Mrs. Cray always came down around ten minutes after Serena was supposed to be there. Serena always knew she was fine if she got there before Mrs. Cray came down from the little room she lived in above the shop. 

Even though she was early, it was just barely. Mrs. Cray came down only a few minutes later. 

“Serena, it’s good to see you here this morning.” Mrs. Cray gave her a friendly smile. 

“How are you? Are there a lot of projects today?”

“Actually, yes. You know Mondays have the most work.” Mrs. Cray scurried around the room, gathering up different bits of fabric and thread. Her energy always amazed Serena. It seemed that she never slowed down. 

“Here you are. You can start with these. They are shirts for the McCarthy boys.” Mrs. Cray set down three patterns and a pile of plaid fabric. 

Serena gathered it up and threaded her needle. She was ready to get to work. 

“If you want, I can stay late today to help you with some of the extra projects.” Serena offered before she could think about it. 

“No, don’t worry about it. I know that your mother needs you when you leave work.”

“Have you heard from your daughter recently?” Serena asked. She hated bringing up Mrs. Cray’s daughter, but she wanted to make sure the woman wasn’t completely forgotten about. 

“Why yes, I have. She sent me a letter just yesterday. She is very happy.” Sadness filled Mrs. Cray’s eyes. “You know, I always hoped that she would be a seamstress.” 

“She didn’t like sewing?” Serena asked. She couldn’t imagine anyone not liking sewing. It was such a relaxing and calming job. It was satisfying to see the needle going in and out of the fabric as it stitched together a garment that someone would cherish and wear for years. 

“She did like it, but she was always an adventurous girl. She loved the idea of living in the city, and eventually, that was where her heart called her.” 

Serena kept her thoughts to herself. She didn’t want to make Mrs. Cray sadder than she already was. 

“Maybe she will come and visit you soon.” 

“Maybe, but for now, we have plenty of work to keep us busy.” 

Serena giggled. One thing she loved about Mrs. Cray was her good sense of humor and constant good attitude. If there was something besides sewing that Serena wanted to learn from Mrs. Cray, it was how to have her outlook on life. 

Chapter Two

Serena set down two completed shirts on the table. She put her shoulders back and rolled them softly to try to ease the ache in her upper back. She knew that being bent over her work constantly wasn’t good for her back, but more often than not, she got caught up in what she was doing and forgot to sit up straight. 

“Those look wonderful,” Mrs. Cray said, looking down at the two shirts Serena had left there. 

“Thank you.” Serena liked doing a good job and making Mrs. Cray proud. 

“You’re welcome. You know, you’re growing quite the reputation around here.” 

“Really?” Serena had noticed her workload increasing, but she hadn’t thought anyone noticed her work.

“Yes. Several people have asked for your work specifically. Soon, you’ll probably be setting up a seamstress shop and stealing all the business.” 

Serena giggled. “I highly doubt that. That would be far too much work.” 

“I have to get back upstairs, but I’ll see you tomorrow, all right?”

“Of course, goodnight.” Serena stood and folded the shirts, then grabbed her shawl from where it was lying over the chair that she had sat in for most of the day. She hurried out the door and basked in the soft glow of the afternoon sun. It was hot, scalding even, after just a few minutes, but it was nice for a few seconds before it became too hot to bear. 

Serena hurried up the road, eager to find shade under the trees that lined the road home. She hurried her steps even though she had resolved to take her time. She still liked spending time with Spencer. She looked forward to it when she was away from him. It was all the talk of marriage that she disliked. She wondered if it made him equally as uncomfortable. 

Even though they both knew that they were expected to get married one day, pretty much from the time they were born, Serena and Spencer rarely spoke of it. Serena could only think of one time when they had mentioned it to each other, almost in a joking manner. When Serena arrived at the ranch, she immediately spotted the Dixon family’s wagon. 

The team of horses grazing on the grass happily was out front. 

Serena paused outside the house’s front door, giving herself a moment to catch her breath before she went inside. She was tired from work, and she was exhausted from thinking through things so much. She had a bad habit of obsessing over little things that she could do practically nothing to change. 

She stepped through the door and was immediately bombarded by all three of her little sisters. 

“You’re home!” Alma squealed. 

“Spencer was asking for you.” Rose gave a cute grin that made Serena giggle. Even her sisters knew that there was supposed to be something between her and Spencer. The problem was, there wasn’t. 

“Yes, I’m home. Can I come in?” Serena tried to push further through the door, laughing as she did so. 

“Girls, give your sister some space,” her mother commanded from the parlor doorway. 

Serena looked up, and her laughter faded slightly. Spencer was there, watching her. Did he expect something from her? Serena knew her parents had been waiting for her to want to get married as soon as she turned eighteen. When Serena had expressed interest in waiting for another year, she hadn’t expected it to go by this quickly or to feel so conflicted. Her birthday was a few weeks away. 

As soon as she turned nineteen, she knew the expectations would double and triple, and there was nothing she could do about that. 

“Serena, glad you’re back. The girls wouldn’t give me a moment’s rest.” Spencer’s light voice interrupted her troubling thoughts. 

Serena looked up to find his easy grin focused on her. The fears and worries she had melted away. Spencer was her friend, nothing more. At least not yet. 

“I’m happy to rescue you. Do you want to go outside while Mama and Mrs. Dixon finish up lunch? Or do you need my help?” Serena spoke half to her mother and half to Spencer. 

“No, no. You go outside and enjoy yourselves. We’ll call the two of you in when the food is ready.” 

“Serena shook her head at the look on her mother’s face. She could see that her mother liked the idea of them spending time together. 

Serena led the way, and they walked outside, leaving the loud noise of her sisters bickering and playing inside. 

“Wow, your sisters do know how to make a lot of noise,” Spencer commented with a shake of his head. 

“They do. You all can have one or two of them if you want some more siblings.” 

“No, thank you.” Spencer chuckled. “My sister and two brothers make up for any trouble I might need in that department.” 

Spencer had a sister who was a year younger than him and two older brothers. For some reason, Serena had never really befriended his little sister. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along, they just had completely different interests, and Serena found that they weren’t meant to be friends.

“So, how was your day? A lot of sewing in the shop?”

“Yes, more than you would believe. My fingers ache from holding the needle, and I poked my finger twice today.” 

“Lots of people talk about your work. It makes me want to purchase a shirt just to see what everyone else knows that I don’t.” 

“Stop. It’s nothing special.” Serena could feel herself blushing. Somehow, having attention on her for the skills that Mrs. Cray had taught her felt wrong. 

“It is something special. Don’t tear yourself down.” Spencer smiled and then sat down on a fallen tree that spread over the backyard, right under where her mother hung the clean clothes. 

“So, what have you been up to? Probably something much more exciting than sitting in a seamstress shop sewing all day.” Serena was eager to get the attention off her. She didn’t like talking about herself. She especially didn’t like it when people wouldn’t stop talking about it, even if that person was Spencer. 

“Just helping Pa with the ranching, but you’re right. It is more exciting than sitting in a chair sewing all day. I guess the one good thing about my brothers going off and getting married is that I’ll get to keep the family ranch. I enjoy ranching.” 

“That is good news. You have your future set for you,” Serena said with a teasing smile. She knew that Spencer wasn’t really upset at his brothers for getting married. He just missed their company. 

“You’re right. My future is set. Now all that is missing is to get married and settle down. That’s what everyone is waiting for anyway.” 

Serena’s stomach fell. With everyone else pressuring her about her marriage, she didn’t need Spencer to do it too. 

“Don’t you think we are a little young to be getting married?”

“Young?” Spencer’s eyes widened. “My goodness, do you not hear about all the marriages in town? McCarthy’s daughter just got married, and she’s barely sixteen. If anything, we are already in our old age.” 

Serena found herself smiling again. “Maybe we should go inside and help get ready for lunch. Ma probably has a handful to deal with since the girls are all in there with her.” 

Spencer looked away, unreadable emotions in his eyes. Any other day, Serena would have cared enough to ask what was bothering him or press to have him tell her, but today, she was too focused on the fact that she didn’t want to talk about what was bothering him if it had anything to do with her. 

So, she ignored it and stood, offering him her hand. 

“I have a better idea. Let’s go down to the barn and take a look at the new calves. I’m curious to see whose are better.” 

Serena giggled. She and Spencer had made a bet about whose ranch would have better calves this year. She followed him down to the barn, glad that the seriousness was gone. She enjoyed her friendship with Spencer. They laughed together and shared their feelings often. She liked having someone to talk to when she couldn’t get to Ivy. Ivy was technically her best friend, but she lived in town, and as the minister’s daughter, she was often busy. 

Spencer was easy to be friends with. Their mothers were best friends, which meant they often visited each other, and more than that, they got along well. When they got to the barn, they rushed through it, out to the back pasture. There were three calves romping and playing with each other. They had been taken away from their mothers so the cows wouldn’t stop giving milk. 

“I haven’t been over to the ranch to see yours, but I would say that this year, our ranch might win.” 

“Maybe, maybe not.” Spencer’s eyes twinkled. “I suppose we will see when they get a bit bigger.” 

“It’s a shame that we have a bull this year.” 

“Why?” Spencer asked. 

“I hate to see the bulls eaten. It’s sad.” 

Spencer nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. He looked up at the sky. The sun was falling fast. It was getting late to eat lunch. Serena’s stomach growled. She almost regretted not telling her mother that she would eat at the seamstress shop to keep things from getting too late. But even though she had dreaded her visit with Spencer, it hadn’t turned out that badly. 

“So, do you have any plans for when you’re nineteen?” Spencer asked. 

“No. Do you have any plans for when you’re twenty-one?” Serena forced a grin. She hated that so much was riding on her for her birthday, yet a man didn’t have to feel that pressure. Why didn’t Spencer, or any other man in town for that fact, have to feel worried about needing to get married before a certain age passed? 

She even knew a young woman who had felt very pressured about marrying. She had chosen the wrong man and ended up in a miserable relationship for the rest of her life. Serena didn’t want to do that. 

The more she thought of marrying Spencer, the more afraid she became of that outcome. He had been her friend forever, and she thought she knew him well but living with someone had to bring out the worst parts. And besides, that might ruin the friendship they had.

“Are you okay? You sort of spaced out for a second,” Spencer was watching her with concern in his eyes. 

“I’m fine. I just got lost for a second.” Serena was anything but fine, but she wasn’t about to tell Spencer that. 

“To answer your question, I do not have anything planned for when I turn twenty-one. My mother always makes a special meal and stuff. I’m sure your family will be there, right?”

“Yes, probably.” Serena smiled. “Come on, I think I heard the lunch bell, and I’m starving.” 

Spencer nodded. “It smells delicious. I can’t wait. I haven’t eaten a thing since breakfast, and my stomach is preparing to eat itself.” 

Serena followed him back to the house. She wondered if things would change between them if they were married. Would they still be able to hold light and fun conversations? Would things turn strange between them? She didn’t know, and she didn’t want to know. She wished things could stay precisely like they were right now and never change. 

Unfortunately, she knew that they would change eventually, whether she liked it or not. 

She imagined her life without Spencer as a friend. She hated that thought. She’d been friends with Spencer for as long as she could remember. There were some things that she told Spencer that she didn’t even tell Ivy. There was a special connection there that made her feel happy and safe. The idea of losing that made her heart practically break in two. Serena wished she didn’t have to grow up. Everything would be so much simpler if she could have stayed a child forever. 

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“A Glimpse of Her Heart” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Serena Hatcher has always known she is destined to marry the son of her mother’s best friend. No one ever questioned if that was really what she wanted. She wants to make her parents proud and happy, but can’t help but wonder if she would be missing out on true love. Everything changes when the aloof new deputy in town needs her help with a case. Andre’s intelligence and charm shine and Serena finds herself tongue-tied around him… yet always wanting to spend more time with him. Soon, she is caught up in a mystery that might be as dangerous as it is thrilling. Will Serena have the courage to listen to her heart though, or will she allow her life to be dictated by others?

Andre Kingsley, always intended to return to his hometown and look into his father’s mysterious death. When the opportunity to become a deputy in town presents itself he takes it, only to find himself thrown in the middle of an investigation into cattle thefts. Yet soon it becomes clear that finding the culprit behind the robberies may turn up answers to problems both past and present. Making his life even more complicated, Andre starts working closely with Serena, a young woman who captivates him with her unique personality… but may already be promised to another. Will Andre find the answers he is hoping for, or will he end up with questions in his heart that he never expected instead?

When Serena’s life is threatened by enemies from his past, Andre realizes just how far he will go to protect her. The two of them must find a way to unfold their tangled feelings while also dealing with the unexpected burden of betrayal. Will their powerful connection be enough to overcome the forces standing in their way and give their newfound love a chance?

“A Glimpse of Her Heart” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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