Chesapeake Books
The Civil War has destroyed everything Valerie Carter held dear. Struggling to come to terms with her emotional devastation, she accepts a teaching position in Freeland, Maryland, and her heart is gradually warmed by her students’ affection. She also finds herself attracted to Paul Collins, a young widower with three children who has a childlike faith in Jesus Christ. Will Paul be God’s instrument to free Valerie from the bonds of bitterness?
Emma Wright knows the loneliness of being an orphan. Maybe that's why her Maryland home seems to attract children left parentless by accident or by the recent Civil War. It is hard to care and provide for them on a nurse’s salary, and finding Christian homes for them requires more wisdom than Emma possesses on her own. As strong and independent as she seems, Emma dreams of the day a strong, Christian husband will share her burden, and she thinks her prayers might be answered when she meets the handsome carpenter Nate O’Neil. But, though the war is over, Nate is still fighting a battle inside himself. How can he offer himself to a fine woman like Emma when he still bears the guilt of past deeds? While Emma and Nate wrestle with their problems, the seven children in Emma’s care decide to take matters into their own hands.
Released from prison in 1840 for a crime he didn’t commit, Kent McCoy finds himself without friends, family, or a single reason to believe in a merciful God. Like a lone wolf, he leaves Dodge City, Kansas, and heads east in search of a place where his past won’t darken his future. His wandering path collides with that of Abby Nelson, who, through a series of tragic events, has come to believe that love and happiness are beyond her reach. Life is a matter of existing from day to day on her last thread of strength—her faith in God’s power. Despite their tendencies to live on the fringes of life, Abby and Kent are strangely drawn to one another. But will suspicion, self-righteousness, and lack of faith cost them this chance at happiness in one another’s arms? Or will they surrender to the love born from forgiveness?