BACK OF THE BOOK BLURB
(copied from Amazon.com)
A New Beginning:
Handsome heir Adam Brody sees nothing but possibilities in the sprawling old building he's just purchased. He will transform it into a hotel to meet the needs of those traveling by railroad.
Left a widow with a small daughter, Elizabeth Caldwell must find work. When she sees an advertisement inquiring about young women to work in a hotel, she decides to apply. However, the hotel owner specifically requested single ladies, so she must hide her former marital status, and her child, if she wishes to get the job.
With cloudy pasts to overcome, both Adam and Elizabeth want to believe in a bright future. Will they find the strength they need in each other, or will their differences keep them apart?
A Free Heart:
Harriet Martin left her plantation home in Atlanta and came to Kansas with one thought on her
mind--finding the mother of the man she was supposed to marry. She will never find peace or be able to move or until she knows that Jane, a former slave, is safe and happy.
Tom White wants nothing more than to be his own man--traveling where he will, taking whatever jobs come his way, moving on again when he gets feeling itchy. Now working at the Brody Hotel, he starts to put down roots for the first time since he was forced to leave his home at the age of fifteen.
Both stubborn, independent, and free spirited, Harriet and Tom have more in common than either one wants to admit. By the same twist of fate, they each have exactly what the other needs--if destiny will
allow them to find the happiness they've been seeking.
The Dark and the Dawn:
Jeanette Peterson and her sister, Abigail, are running from a dark past and hiding from an ever darker future. When they happen upon the Brody Hotel in Topeka, Kansas, they're given a chance at a whole new life, one where they can choose who they want to become. When Jeanette assists the town doctor with a difficult case, she realizes she has a calling and a passion to become a nurse.
Dr Phillip Wayment is a set-in-his-ways bachelor, more than happy to run his medical practice alone. When Jeanette asks him to mentor her, he's hesitant at first, not wanting some woman underfoot. But as they work together, he comes to realize how valuable she is to his career. . . and to him. Will the secrets from her past ruin what they've built?
A Clean Slate:
Olivia Markham is a socialite from New York City who came to Topeka with one goal--to marry Adam Brody. But Adam has married someone else, and Olivia has nowhere to go. Taking a job at the Brody Hotel requires her to swallow her pride, but sh has no choice in the matter. Now she must learn to wear cotton dresses--cotton, when she should be wearing silk.
Pastor Robert Osbourne has taken of the huge responsibility of overseeing the spiritual welfare of a large congregation, and at times, he feels overwhelmed. He preaches on Sunday morning, but by Monday night, everything he's said has been diluted by the alcohol at the saloons. He wonders if he's doing any good for the people at all.
Olivia doesn't see a need for God in her life. Robert can't imagine living without Him. Can they find a way to overlook their differences and realize that love doesn't have to make sense to be real?
A Clear Hope:
As a daughter, an older sister, and not a hotel waitress, Abigail Peterson is used to taking care of everyone around her. When a stranger collapses on the train platform and is brought to the Brody Hotel to recover, Abigail steps in to nurse her back to health.
Deputy Marshal Gabriel Hanks has seen a lot of violence, and he works every day to fight it. A man has been murdered, and it's Gabe's job to prosecute the guilty. When that quest puts him at odds with the girl he's growing to love, he has to choose between justice, mercy, and his heart.
MY REVIEW
I found each one of these short stories very good. The author pulls you back into that time period and clearly shows the emotions and hard times each main character has gone through.
