Dorothy Garlock

Ana had taken only a few steps into the room when Owen’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Wait! Don’t move! There’s a broken fruit jar here.”

Before she knew what was happening, he swung her up in his arms as if she were a child. Her arms went around his neck and she held on to him tightly. She had never been lifted and held like this. It was frightening, yet exciting.

“Oh! Put me down! I’m too heavy—”

“Too heavy? Good Lord! You don’t weigh as much as a sack of grain.”

As he eased her down, she held on to his shoulders to keep her balance. She thought he would move away, but he grasped her bare ankle in his big hand and lifted her foot.

“Did you cut your feet?”

Ana tried not to look at him. Every nerve in her body jumped to attention. The warm fingers curled around her bare ankle sent blood surging to her cheeks . . .

“FIVE STARS! A special joy . . . a unique plot. . . . Set in early times with earthy people, the overall texture of this book was gentle and heartwarming, with a wealth of layering in the characters. This story tugs at the heartstrings. I was impressed! Thanks so much, Dorothy . . . THIS ONE IS A KEEPER.”

—Julie Meisinger,
Heartland Critiques

Books by Dorothy Garlock

A
lmost
E
den

A
nnie
L
ash

D
ream
R
iver

F
orever
V
ictoria

A G
entle
G
iving

G
lorious
D
awn

H
omeplace

L
onesome
R
iver

L
ove and
C
herish

L
arkspur

M
idnight
B
lue

N
ightrose

R
estless
W
ind

R
ibbon in the
S
ky

R
iver of
T
omorrow

T
he
S
earching
H
earts

S
ins of
S
ummer

S
weetwater

T
enderness

T
he
L
istening
S
ky

T
his
L
oving
L
and

W
ayward
W
ind

W
ild
S
weet
W
ilderness

W
ind of
P
romise

W
ith
H
ope

Y
esteryear

Published by

WARNER BOOKS

To

Marge Theiss

and

Mary Ann Hendricks

for

listening—

A special thanks . . .

To Jean Reed for sharing with me the story of her great-grandmother, who did, indeed, marry her son-in-law after her daughter died in childbirth. This story, however, in no way parallels the life of that lady.

To Jay Anderson and Candace Matelic for their wonderful book, PIONEER IOWA—THE LIVING HISTORY FARM.

To Edward J. Lettermann for his book, PIONEER FARMING IN IOWA.

I wish to express my appreciation to all the talented employees of ARCATA GRAPHICS, Buffalo, New York, for their dedication to quality.

A special thanks to:

Kevin Clarke, Manager of Manufacturing/Books

Robert Scheifflee, Manager Customer Service/Books

Greg Boilard, Customer Service Representative