Blurb:
Cottonwood, Iowa
1875
Lydia Walcott is on the run. With a broken arm and a wounded spirit she is escaping the hands of her cruel brother and the marriage he has arranged. She's running to the unknown, praying God will lead her steps. Seeking shelter from an ice storm in a livery stable, Lydia goes to sleep hoping that in this small town of Cottonwood, Iowa she’ll find a job, a place to live, friends, and a future.
Dr. Sterling Graham, having just delivered a baby, rides back to town over ice covered roads. He's confident and secure in the knowledge that he is loved and respected by the people of the Cottonwood. Exhausted from the long night, he decides to sleep on the cot in the livery.
Sterling’s reputation and career, along with Lydia’s hope for a new life, are put in jeopardy when gossips spread the news that, "Doc spent the night in the stable with a woman." The story grows as ‘facts’ are added.
Without money to travel on west, Lydia feels trapped by her sense of responsibility for the doctor’s good name. Even with his practice at risk, Sterling’s compassion for the young woman whose physical wounds he treated stirs his heart.
Something needs to be decided that will repair the damage to Sterling’s career and give Lydia the home and safety she needs. The unwelcome solution is that they marry.
How do they learn about each other and mesh two lives into a successful marriage which honors God, while coping with issues of trust, pride, epidemic and injury, along with the fear that Lydia’s brother will find her?
Review:
This book draws you in and keeps you hooked from the get go. The characters are so lifelike the reader immediately bonds with them. It's not the best start to a marriage, as Lydia is unsure if she can trust anyone, never mind the man whose house she now shares. The secondary characters take on a life of their own, bringing an additional depth to the story, which lingers on after the last page is turned. Well worth reading.
Buy links:
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Bio
Sophie Dawson has been making up stories in her head ever since she was a child. She lives with her husband on the family farm in Illinois. Two grown sons, a daughter-in-law and granddaughter round out her immediate family. Sophie does all kinds of needlework and was a professional machine quilter in the past. She loves to travel, read, garden and now write. In her books, Sophie shares the wisdom God has taught her in stories of faithful living. Her hope is to demonstrate how acting and reacting in the way the Bible teaches can bring a positive impact on her readers.
Find her at
www.sophie-dawson.com
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