Glorious Dawn

1.

GLORIOUS DAWN

By

Dorothy Garlock

Contents

PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER 1

Glorious Dawn

Dorothy Garlock

Warner Books

ALSO BY DOROTHY GARLOCK

Annie Lash

Dream River

Lonesome River

Restless Wind

River of Tomorrow

Wayward Wind

Wild Sweet Wilderness

Wind of Promise

Midnight Blue

Nightrose

Homeplace

Ribbon in the Sky

A Time Warner Company

GLORIOUS DAWN. Copyright © 1982, 1992 by Dorothy Garlock. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

For information address Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

A Time Warner Company

ISBN 0-7595-4269-4

A mass market edition of this book was published in 1992 by Warner Books.

First eBook edition: May 2001

Visit our Web site at www.iPublish.com

To Adam—

for being wonderful

and always loving

PROLOGUE

Eyes wild with shock, Johanna fought the hands that held her. She saw the trees swaying, dancing; the shadowy figures moving slowly in the glow of the raging fire. Twisting around, she saw tears glistening on the cheeks of the black man who held her in his great muscled arms.

"We can't help 'em, missy," he whispered. "We can't do nothin' but hide 'n' pray."

Johanna was no match for the old man's strength as he held her fiercely against him, his callused hand clamped over her mouth. Her father lay dead in the yard and her stepmother lay nearby, the flames from the burning cabin already licking at her body.

"I'd'a gone to hep yore daddy if'n not fer keepin' you still, missy," Eli whispered. "Yore daddy would'a wanted me to keep you still. Them is bad men, missy. They do terrible bad things to white gals."

Hysteria spread through Johanna's brain like a writhing serpent, wholly engulfing her, when her sister was dragged out of the darkness, stripped naked, and thrown on the ground.

"Yo' can't do nothin', missy. You can't hep her. Oh, Lordy! Be still—"

"Spead yore legs, puta! Don't ya die on me!"