Drawn by the Current (The Windy City Saga Book #3) , livre ebook

Endorsements
Captivating! Drawn by the Current explores the human depths of tragedy, loss, and what it means to survive. How the appearance of calm waters in those we love often masks hidden sorrows churning beneath. Beautifully written and rippling with secrets, Jocelyn Green’s latest novel in her W I N D Y C I T Y S A G A triumphs!
Kate Breslin, best-selling author of As Dawn Breaks
Once again, Jocelyn Green takes us on a historical adventure worth neglecting dinner and sleep for. Readers will sink into this story and drown in the pages of Jocelyn Green’s epic story-telling talent! A+++ and throw in another + for good measure!
Jaime Jo Wright, multiple award-winning author of The House on Foster Hill and On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor
Drawn by the Current leads readers on an engaging journey of intrigue and romance, perfectly blended with a splash of Chicago history from the early 1900s. Jocelyn’s fictional work successfully crosses over to be equally enjoyable—and consequential—to readers of the several non-fiction narratives previously published about the Eastland Disaster.
Ted Wachholz, Executive Director and Chief Historian, Eastland Disaster Historical Society
An incredible story of sacrifice, protection, and redemption, Drawn by the Current is another breathtaking, page-turning winner by one of my all-time favorite authors, Jocelyn Green. Olive’s tale is at the top of my list of best reads this year!
Kimberley Woodhouse, bestselling and award-winning author of A Deep Divide and Forever Hidden
Praise for the W INDY C ITY S AGA
“Historical romance fans will devour this newest novel from beloved author Jocelyn Green. An evocative tale about surrendered dreams and life’s unexpected bends in the road, Shadows of the White City satisfies in every way!”
—Tamera Alexander, USA Today bestselling author of Colors of Truth and A Lasting Impression
“History breathes new life in Jocelyn Green’s latest—a masterwork of immersive storytelling set against the backdrop of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Shadows of the White City is a dazzling spectacle—worthy of the grand exhibition itself!”
—Kristy Cambron, bestselling author of The Paris Dressmaker and The Butterfly and the Violin
“A powerful and compelling novel about one family’s dramatic resurrection after the devastation of the Chicago fire.”
—Elizabeth Camden, author, Carved in Stone
“With her trademark insight and skill, Green weaves an enthralling story with characters who beautifully combine the best of intentions with their own faults and flaws in a perfect echo of life. Shadows of the White City is a symphony of second chances sure to touch your heart and soul.”
—Roseanna M. White, bestselling historical romance author
“In Veiled in Smoke , Green frames a story of loss and redemption with sensory details, a nuanced historical backdrop, and an intelligent eye for flawed and utterly engaging characters. A thoroughly enriching and thoughtful reading experience by an absolute master of inspirational fiction.”
—Rachel McMillan, author, The Mozart Code
“Venture into all the magic, intrigue, romance, and even danger of the Chicago World’s Fair. Shadows of the White City is a delightful—though at times heartrending—read written by one of my favorite authors, the talented Jocelyn Green.”
—Michelle Griep, Christy Award-winning author of Once Upon a Dickens Christmas
Half Title Page
Books by Jocelyn Green
T HE W INDY C ITY S AGA
Veiled in Smoke
Shadows of the White City
Drawn by the Current
The Mark of the King
A Refuge Assured
Between Two Shores
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2022 by Jocelyn Green
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3598-2
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
The epigraph Scripture quotation marked NIV is from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
This is a work of historical reconstruction; the appearances of certain historical figures are therefore inevitable. All other characters, however, are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Cover design by Dan Thornberg, Design Source Creative Services
Author is represented by Credo Communications, LLC.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
In memory of those who lost their lives on the SS Eastland .
And to their loved ones who survived, and the generations that followed.
Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Half Title Page
Books by Jocelyn Green
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Epigraph
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Discussion Questions
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Epigraph


Kindred spirits alone do not change with changing years.
—L. M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island
My help comes from the L O R D ,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
—Psalm 121:2 NIV
Chapter One

C HICAGO F RIDAY , J UNE 11, 1915
Olive Pierce chided herself for the tingle of nerves in her fingertips. She was twenty-nine years old and had been working for MetLife’s main Chicago office for the last seven. She had no cause to feel anything less than confident.
Wind nipped her ankles and tugged at her hat as though nudging her to get moving. Putting the courthouse behind her, she crossed Washington Street to the twenty-one-story Conway Building where she worked. The white granite gleamed in the morning sun. Unseen from the street, an inner courtyard brought light to every interior office as well. The Conway had opened earlier this year, shrinking the commute from her apartment to just over a block. All the tenants renting office space were enjoying a major upgrade from wherever they’d been last.
It was a sign, Olive told herself. The time was right for her career to get an upgrade, too.
Bolstered, she breezed through the doors and into a space awash with sun pouring through skylights. Her heels clicked over Tennessee marble as she crossed the two-story rotunda surrounded by shops and cafés and caught an elevator that carried her to the fifteenth floor.
She could do this, she reminded herself, and closed the few remaining yards to the MetLife office.
Greeting the two secretaries already at work, Olive passed between their desks and dropped her things off in her own office. After smoothing her hair, she wove back through reception and hesitated at the door to the corner office.
“Olive?” Gwendolyn Walsh slapped the return on her typewriter carriage and continued hammering the keys, a honey-blond curl bouncing beside her cheek. “Mr. Roth is expecting you. Go right on in, sweetie.”
Olive had long ago given up trying to correct the young secretary, who had been calling her sweetie ever since she was hired fresh out of college three years ago. Still, Olive hoped her boss hadn’t overheard. She was a professional life insurance agent, after all, and if she was going to be promoted, it wouldn’t be for being sweet.
A throat clearing behind her turned her attention to the other secretary, Blanche Holden. At fifty-five years old, her hair was as white as her name, but her brown eyes snapped with the spirit of a woman half her age. “Go get it, Olive.”
That was more like it.
“Thanks, ladies.” With a deep breath, Olive entered her boss’s office.
“Well, good morning, Miss Pierce,” Edgar Roth said. “You’re looking rather fetching today.”
Olive’s smile froze. Fetching was not the look she’d been going for when she’d dressed in the white shirtwaist, green jacket, and matching skirt. Capable. Ready for action. That was what she meant to project.
“You chose your ensemble to match your eyes, I expect? Smart. Not every girl can pull off your coloring, my dear, but I daresay you almost make a man forget about your hair.”
It wasn’t even red, for pity’s sake. It was auburn. A deep auburn that Anne Shirley would have been more than happy with.
“If you please, Mr. Roth, I have far more to offer than my eyes and hair.” Instantly, her cheeks burned. “I’d like to discuss my career at MetLife.”
“Absolutely.” He smiled, creasing a face lined and tanned from hours at the Chicago Golf Club. “But before we get started, I need my first cup of coffee.” Dark eyebrows lifted toward a slightly receding hairline. When she didn’t respond, he glanced pointedly toward the door. “I believe it’s just through there.”
If her cheeks weren’t already scarlet, she was sure they would be by now. “I don’t—I’m not—” Olive sputtered. “I don’t make the coffee here.” This man had been her boss for six months. He ought to know that.
“Is that any reason not to pour me a cup?” His injured expression triggered her temper.
“As a matter of fact—”
“Pardon me, Mr. Roth.” Gwendolyn appeared in the doorway, cup in hand. Bless her. After placing it on his desk, she sashayed away.
Olive sat opposite him and collected herself while he sipped. “Mr. Roth,” she tried again, “I want to be very clear about what I do here. You are aware that I am not a secretary. I’m an insurance agent. I help c