“Coward,” she prodded. “What are you afraid of?” Turning herself firmly toward the half-open door of the guestroom, she forced her steps in that direction. Last night she’d gone in just long enough to pick out the quilts for her pallet, choosing the least precious from her mother’s collection stored on the shelves of the wardrobe. Certain she wasn’t ready to sleep in this room, she’d chosen instead to make her bed on the floor by the hearth, arguing that she needed to stay near the warmth of the fire.
Now she opened the door wide, and going in, drew back the drapes to let in the streaming sunlight. It was a beautiful room, with pale yellow walls and blue and white toile draperies. The mahogany sleigh bed was another of her mother’s antique treasures, as was the imposing walnut wardrobe. This elegant room had been reserved for those rare occasions when friends or relatives from far away visited the farm. In this room, her mother had slowly died that long summer five years ago. If there were ghosts in the house, Emily thought they would surely be here. Not only the ghost of her mother, but that of her father as well, keeping his hopeless vigil at her side. But she didn’t believe in ghosts. Memories were haunting enough, she knew.
In the light of day, as she slowly turned to take in the entire room, she told herself it was really just four walls, filled with fine furnishings and nothing more. Try as she might, she could no longer honestly picture her mother in this room. She might be out there at the piano, an intensely focused expression on her lovely face, or perhaps sitting in the porch swing, her eyes closed as she listened to music through the open window on a warm afternoon. In this room, there was nothing but quiet calm, a welcoming sense of comfort. Going to the bed, she gently smoothed the white matelasse coverlet. Maybe, in another day or so, she could sleep in this bed. But today, she could open the windows and let the cold fresh air blow away the lingering scent of old sachets. Today she could sweep aside the last of the memories, move a chair, rearrange the pictures on the wall. One day at a time, living in this room would push back the past, making space for the future.
~~Miracle at Valley Rise Series~~
Hearts Unfold~Book One
Entreat Me Not~Book Two
Heart of My Own Heart~Book Three
Offered for Love~Book Four
A secret Christmas homecoming, a blinding snowstorm, and in the course of one night two shattered lives will be changed forever.Nineteen-year-old Emily Haynes had lost almost everything she loved. Relying on what seems to be guidance from her invalid father, she returns to her past in hopes of discovering some sign toward the future.
What begins as a joyous homecoming quickly becomes a nightmare when a badly injured stranger stumbles on the scene, his brief presence threatening to alter everything Emily believes about herself and the plan for her life. A less determined girl might have been shaken by such an experience, but not Emily. She is certain she’s made the right choice, so certain that in the following three years, she almost convinces herself.
Superstar violinist Stani Moss appeared to have everything–fame, fortune and a career guaranteed to bring more of the same, until one hasty decision placed it all in jeopardy. Terrified and confused, Stani struggles not only to recover his former skill, but to find answers to the questions which haunt him. Throughout his slow journey back, one image lingers in his buried memories of that fateful night–the vision of a girl he’s never met. The journey will eventually lead him to Emily, and beyond that day, everything about his life will be transformed.
Hearts Unfold~Book One
Entreat Me Not~Book Two
Heart of My Own Heart~Book Three
Offered for Love~Book Four
A secret Christmas homecoming, a blinding snowstorm, and in the course of one night two shattered lives will be changed forever.Nineteen-year-old Emily Haynes had lost almost everything she loved. Relying on what seems to be guidance from her invalid father, she returns to her past in hopes of discovering some sign toward the future.
What begins as a joyous homecoming quickly becomes a nightmare when a badly injured stranger stumbles on the scene, his brief presence threatening to alter everything Emily believes about herself and the plan for her life. A less determined girl might have been shaken by such an experience, but not Emily. She is certain she’s made the right choice, so certain that in the following three years, she almost convinces herself.
Superstar violinist Stani Moss appeared to have everything–fame, fortune and a career guaranteed to bring more of the same, until one hasty decision placed it all in jeopardy. Terrified and confused, Stani struggles not only to recover his former skill, but to find answers to the questions which haunt him. Throughout his slow journey back, one image lingers in his buried memories of that fateful night–the vision of a girl he’s never met. The journey will eventually lead him to Emily, and beyond that day, everything about his life will be transformed.
Set in the years around 1970, Hearts Unfold begins the saga of two people whose paths should never have crossed, who defy the odds to create a place they can share. The first of four volumes in the Miracle at Valley Rise Series, this novel could stand alone as a triumphant tale of romance, but there’s much more to the story, as Emily and Stani reveal their pasts and strive to bridge the distance between their worlds. Follow their progress, be entertained by their adventures, and perhaps be inspired by their unwavering belief in the transforming power of love.
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Genre - Women’s Fiction, Saga Fiction
Rating – PG-13
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