
One preacher. One teacher. Three orphans. Can they become a family?
Stepping off the train, Mia Bradley, orphan and teacher, has now become a mail-order bride. She has a new home, a new Choctaw-Creek husband, and new children of her very own. Will the scars of her past ready her for the difficult life on Indian territory?
Josiah West has scars of his own. The handsome preacher must battle his demons to provide for his new family. Will his past and local outlaws destroy his plans for love, family, and happiness?
The preacher and the orphan. Nothing in common but pain, loneliness, and hope. Will that be enough?
Prologue
New York City, Mia, 3 years old, 1863
Xavier continued to wrap his sister's tiny arm with the starched bandages, careful not to jar the broken limb too much and make her suffer any more than she already had. Her pathetic whimpers as she sucked her thumb were enough to do him in as it was.
READ MORE"Gerald, hold her arm while I get the water." He waited while his younger brother took a deep breath and reached for her hand with his, but Xavier shook his head. "No, not like that, she'll jerk her hand away and I'll have to start all over." He grabbed his brother's hand and held it firmly around their sister's forearm. "Don't squeeze. Just hold it steady. Rest your elbows on the table if you like and keep talking to her. She likes your stories of lions and hyenas chasing each other through the African savannah."
He grabbed the small bowl of water from the sink and set it down beside Mia's tiny body. "All I have to do now is wet down the bandages so the plaster of Paris powder will harden into the cast."
Gerald's gaze followed Xavierâs every movement as he slowly spread the water evenly across the bandages with his hands, forming a white paste, the chalky scent not unpleasant. "There. It's done. Now all we have to do is let it dry and make sure she doesn't move too much or her arm won't set right."
Gerald stared at the casted arm with a frown. "Are you sure you put the bone back together like it's s'posed to be?"
Xavier nodded. "I did it just like her leg and look how that turned out." As if reassuring himself, he ran his hands down her right leg, which kicked back, straight and strong in his light grip. Thankfully, she walked just fine and over time, the slight limp had disappeared.
"What are we going to do, Xavier? Papa's getting worse."
Xavier let out a sigh, sounding more like a grown man with adult worries instead of a ten-year-old boy. "We'll have to try to keep her out of his sight. We'll move her things into one of the back rooms. I can take the room next to hers and make sure she has what she needs."
"He can't keep hurting her, Xav."
Xavier met Gerald's hard gaze with his own. "He's not going to, Gerald."
New York City, Mia five years old
"Do you think Papa's going to keep his promise and get me a bicycle for my birthday?" Gerald kicked at the corner of a piece of brick that had broken off from one of the sidewalk pavers. It rattled and clunked along in front of them then settled, only to be kicked again until it hit a wrought iron bar and flew into the hidden yard behind it.
"I wouldn't count much on anything Papa says. He makes promises every year and doesn't keep any of them."
"There's always a first time, you know.â Gerald's small face scrunched up. âHe could stop drinking one day. Maybe heâd âmember then that weâre kids and heâs supposed to take care of us, 'stead of us taking care of him."
They rounded the corner and turned onto their quiet street. Their two-story brownstone stood at the far end near the river. No one had built on either side of it, so it sat apart, sort of like their family. No one ever came over unless they needed their father for a medical emergency, which had decreased to almost never since their mother had died birthing Mia and their father's drinking had begun.
A high-pitched mewling intruded into Xavierâs thoughts, reminding him of a cat in distress. With a quick glance around the neighborhood, he finally met his brother's questioning gaze. "Do you hear that?"
"Sounds like Mrs. Timmons' cat had kittens again. Maybe she abandoned one? Want to go search for it?"
A bad feeling settled in Xavier's stomach, which twisted and turned into one giant knot. His hands clenched and unclenched, his steps quickening into a stride then an all-out run as he raced Gerald toward the house. Taking the front stairs two at a time, he burst through the door just as Mia let out a loud wail.
"Damn mongrel!" Their father growled, his words slurred. He staggered, dropped something, then kicked the small girl hard enough to scoot her little body several feet across the wood-planked floor. "That'll teach you to steal food!" He stumbled over to his chair in front of the fireplace and slumped into it, slinging his arm over his face. "Gerald, take that damn dog and drown it in the river. It's always underfoot and we can't afford to be feeding animals. Can't feed ourselves as it is."
Xavier rushed over and knelt down beside his sister, for the first time noticing her blood-covered body. He sucked air into lungs that almost refused to work, tears streaming down his face as he reached for her pulse. His hand shook so that he had a hard time feeling anything.
He took a deep breath and felt the steady thumping of Mia's heartbeat beneath his fingers. The breath rushed out of his lungs in a loud whoosh. "She's still alive."
"Thank God. But, Xavier, there's so much blood," Gerald whispered and glanced furtively toward their father.
Xavier looked up when he heard a loud snore. Their father had fallen asleep, clutching the silver-framed picture of their mother against his chest. On the floor beside the foot of his chair were two empty bottles of whiskey. Xavier shook his head and turned his attention back to Mia.
He gently moved the girl's dark hair away from her face, which was cut and swollen but, otherwise, all right. Thankful that she'd passed out from the pain, he checked her front side, which seemed to be unhurt, other than her newly broken arm and turned her over to see where all the blood was coming from. When he saw her back, everything in his stomach threatened to come up.
Gerald wasn't so lucky as he leaned in the other direction and promptly threw up.
Xavier stared at Mia's back in horror. He couldn't tell where the strips of her dress ended and her skin began. As his fury rose, he grabbed the whip his father had dropped when they'd run into the house and tossed it into the fireplace. The leather sparked and spit as it caught on fire.
He gently picked his sister up and as carefully as he could walked toward the kitchen. "Come on, Gerald," he said over his shoulder. "I'm going to need your help."
It took most of the night, but Xavier managed to clean Mia's back and even suture most of the strips of skin back together. Before Mama died, Xavier had wanted to become a doctor, too. Heâd often gone along on housecalls with Papa, watching and learning, as his father set broken bones and carefully stitched up gaping wounds.
Mia would definitely have scars, but at least she wouldn't be totally disfigured. He put a small drop of morphine on Mia's tongue, enough to keep her from feeling the agonizing pain when she woke up, then wiped his hands and yawned. A quick glance at the beautiful pink and orange sky through the kitchen window told him dawn was only minutes away. He was exhausted.
"What are we going to do, Xavier? Next time he could kill her."
Xavier dropped onto the stool beside his brother and let his chin fall into his hands as he stared at Mia's sleeping face. Even scraped and still slightly swollen, she was a beautiful little girl. "I know. I've thought about it all night. I don't like it, but I have an idea."
Gerald turned his dark gray eyes on him. "I'm listening."
"You know the orphanage several streets over? The Wigg School and Foundling Home? We're going to take her there." He brushed Mia's soft brown hair away from her face. "It's the only way to keep her safe from him."
"As long as we make sure it's the owner and not the cook who finds her. I don't like the looks of the cook," Gerald muttered.
Xavier gave his brother a funny look. "When have you seen the cook?"
"I've seen her throwing out scraps to homeless animals. She talks to herself and the dogs but won't let the cats have anything to eat. I have to wait until she's inside before fighting one of the dogs off so the cats can eat, too."
Xavier bit back his smile, not quite sure who was more weird, the cook or his young brother. "We'll make sure Mia's back is healing before taking her and leave a note, giving her name as Mia Bradley and not Mia Young. That way, she canât be traced back to Papa."
"How long do we have?" Gerald asked, his shaky voice full of pain.
"We'll take her at the end of the month."
Chapter 1
New York City, New York, 15 years later
Mia Bradley finished writing the last sentence of her history lesson on the large chalkboard at the front of her classroom. She laid the short chalk stub on top of the others in the small tray on the wall then wiped the white dust from her fingers on the damp rag hanging from the hook beneath the chalk tray. She turned to face her students.
Hearing the other classroom doors open and the older students begin their trek toward the dining room, she glanced up at the clock. She turned to her five small charges and walked around to the front of her desk. âAll right, my dears. Before you leave to go to supper, I want you to tell me what Iâve written on the board.â She glanced at each of the childrenâs faces as they stared at the block letters behind her. âCan anyone tell me what it says?â
One little girl hesitantly raised her arm, and Mia bit back her smile. Of all the children, she hadnât expected Amanda to volunteer. Normally, the shy blonde-haired five-year-old stayed silent while the others answered her questions.
âAmanda? Can you tell me what Iâve written on the chalkboard?â
âAm-Americaâs fight for indi-indi-pen-independence,â she stuttered in her soft voice.
Mia gave her a wide smile. âVery good, Amanda! Thatâs perfect! Tomorrow, we will learn about how America fought a terrible war against England to become the great country we are today. Now, put your primers in your cubicles by the door and you are all dismissed for supper.â
âThank you, Miss Bradley,â the class said in unison. At once, five sets of feet scurried and scuffed across the scarred wooden floor as they raced to the door. Chuckling to herself, she walked around her desk again, plucked the rag from the hook and wiped the chalkboard clean. Rubbing away the cramping pain in her right arm, which usually appeared with any repetitive work, she organized her lessons for the next day. With a quick glance around the room, she turned the light switch and closed the door behind her.
Not hungry, she returned to the room she shared with Katriona, who taught life skills to the other students, as well as Jessamine and Leanna, two other teachers at the orphanage. She lay down on her bed. The news Madam Wigg had given them earlier that afternoon had been beyond unsettling. How could someone as vibrant and full of life as Wiggie be dying?
Mia pressed her face into her pillow and sobbed, letting loose the tears that had threatened to make an appearance all afternoon. Wiggie was the only mother she had ever known. Nothing ever seemed to stand in the womanâs way. She had never seen her sick a day in her life. How could she be dying? And for her to suggest they should leave to find new schools to teach in? It was preposterous!
Mia lay on the bed, exhausted from crying, exhausted from feeling. From what seemed like far away, she heard footsteps and the opening and closing of doors as she made a vow to herself. She refused to accept Wiggie was dying and would stay and make sure Wiggie had everything she needed for a full recovery. She couldnât leave to become a mail-order bride just to find a new position, knowing that Wiggie faced a death sentence, although deep down, Mia couldnât help but wonder if this was simply a ploy to get them to move on with their own lives. Her last thought before she drifted off was that quite possibly Wiggie wanted âher girlsâ to find out there was something more to life than just teachingâŚlike love? Mia wrapped the blanket around her tighter with a tiny smile playing over her lips. Of course, she would. Thatâs exactly what Wiggie would want.
A constant pounding intruded and Mia jerked in her sleep, the recurring nightmare refusing to release its hold on her. She lay curled up on the floor of a large, unfamiliar room. Someone close by yelled, hollering nonsense words, but she knew the pain was about to begin and braced herself. One, two, threeâthere it was. The first stabbing kick, then another. The agony breathtaking.
The pounding returned, this time louder and more insistent. Voices intruded. Familiar voices. She felt as if she were trying to breathe under water. She thrashed out with her arms and legs, fighting for air, fighting against something she couldnât even name.
âMia!â her roommate, Katrionaâs, voice hissed in the darkness as she shook her.
Mia shoved her friendâs hand away from her shoulder. âIâm awake. Iâm awake.â She grabbed Katâs hand, her eyes wide. âIs it Xenia? Has she come back?â
âNo. As far as I know, sheâs still missing.â
Mia pulled her hand away, wearily rubbing her eyes. âI was sure sheâd have returned by now.â
âWe all were, and I thought youâd never wake up. Poor Brian has been knocking on the door for almost ten minutes.â
Mia sat up and swung her legs to the floor, automatically reaching for her night rail. âAnd why didnât you answer it sooner?â she asked, shoving first one arm then her other into the sleeves. She tied the silk sash around her waist and slipped her feet into her slippers.
âBecause I was trying to sleep, too. I couldnât take the knocking any longer, so I answered the door.â
Mia ignored her friendâs flippant remark and tried to finger brush her hair into some order. âIt must be serious for the children to have been awakened.â She opened the door to see Brian standing there wringing his hands, his cute freckled face scrunched tight in worry. Even his normally slicked back coiffure stood on end, a telling sign to the poor childâs agitation.
She dropped to her knees in front of him and opened her arms wide while Katriona hurried past them and down the hall. With a stifled whimper, he stepped into Miaâs embrace, his small body shaking like a leaf in a high gale. She rubbed his back and rested her cheek against his soft curls.
âWhateverâs happened, Iâm sure will work out just fine. Youâll see. Miss Katriona, Madam Wigg, and I will make it all right in no time.â She gently pushed him away, held him by the shoulders and gave him a smile as Katriona hurried back toward them. âLet me talk a moment with Miss Katriona and then we will go.â
He nodded but didnât say anything, only bit his lower lip and continued wringing his hands.
Mia turned around and frowned at Katriona, noticing for the first time that her short blonde hair was in a bit more disarray than usual. âWhat has happened?â
âAmanda seems to have broken her arm. The story told so far is that everyone was asleep when suddenly she fell from her bed to the floor and must have landed on it wrong.â
âWhich is quite possible,â Mia agreed.
âItâs just that the break is in the middle of the bone and doesnât look right to me,â Katriona whispered.
Mia frowned but didnât say anything as she turned to Brian and held out her hand. âCome with me, my dear. Letâs go see how Amanda is doing, shall we?â The little boy hesitated then took her hand and let her lead him toward the girlâs room. âYou know, Madam Wigg told me when I first arrived here, I had a broken arm, much like Amandaâs.â She held out the arm, pulling up his hand with hers. She was glad he couldnât see the crooked curve in her forearm from the previous break, which wouldnât calm the childâs nerves at all. âAnd now look at it. Good as new. Amandaâs will be, too. Youâll see.â
âThatâs quite right,â Katriona agreed from behind.
The stench of fear and sour bodies attacked Miaâs nostrils, and she jerked to a stop in front of the room Amanda shared with the three other girls. Her abrupt stop surprised both Brian and Katriona, who ran into the back of them with a thump, as she muttered something very unladylike under her breath.
âYou could have warned me beforehand, Mia, and saved my nose.â Katriona glared as she gently pushed and pressed the bridge of her nose. âI donât think itâs broken, but the back of your head is incredibly hard.â
âIâm sorry.â Mia glanced down at Brian, his face twitching each time Amandaâs whimper could be heard from inside the room. âI know you are worried about your friend, but I need you to go wait in your room. Do you think you can be brave for me and do that? Madam Wigg will be sending the girls to other rooms once the doctor arrives.â
âBut I want to be there for her and help her be strong. Sheâd do that for me.â
Mia squatted down in front of him. âWhat a true friend you are, Brian, and I am so proud of you for that. And youâre right. If it were you in there with a broken arm and in pain, I would be out here consoling Amanda and telling her the very same thing. Itâs one thing to want to help someone and quite another to actually see the person you care so much about hurting. Just knowing how badly you wanted to be there for her will give Amanda the strength to get through this. I promise.â
Mia waited while all sorts of emotions passed over Brianâs small face as he made up his mind. Finally, his wide-eyed expression lessened, and his lips pinched together in a firm line of decision as he gave her a nod.
âYes, maâam, Iâll be brave for Amanda in my roomâŚon one condition. You must come and tell me the moment the doctor finishes up and says sheâs going to be all right.â
Mia smiled and held out her hand, which the five-year-old solemnly took and gave one solid shake. âYou drive a hard bargain, Brian, but I agree.â She turned the young boy around by his shoulders and lightly swatted his behind. âNow, off with you to your room. Iâll be there with good news before you know it.â She watched until the wood door closed behind him.
âI donât know how you do it, but those young ones adore you.â
âAnd I feel the same about them. Maybe thatâs what they sense? Something as simple as that?â Mia took a deep breath through her mouth and tried not to breathe through her nostrils. For some strange reason, she had never been able to deal well with being in a sick room. She entered the room and quickly glanced around the space, taking in the smallest details. Everything was in its place and spotless, which in and of itself was suspicious, especially knowing the other three girls who roomed with Amanda. The oldest girl was always in trouble for one thing or another and never kept her area clean.
It was the feigned look of worry on two of the girlsâ faces that verified it for her. Katriona was right. This had not been an accident. Right now, though, her first concern was getting Amanda through the ordeal. Tomorrow would be soon enough to take her suspicions before Madam Wigg. It was one thing to be slovenly and irresponsible, but quite another to harm someone else.
Madam Wigg entered the room as Mia sat beside the poor girl. âI have called for the nearest doctor. He should be here any minute, but I am glad youâve arrived, my dear. You have such a gentleness, and the little ones are drawn to that, especially Amanda,â she whispered then turned and immediately shooed the three other girls from the room.
Mia smiled at her silver-haired benefactress, grateful for the womanâs kind words. Madam Wigg had taken her in and raised her like her own daughter, just as she had for so many other children in the orphanage. She owed this woman so much. She loved her like a mother and could never repay her for all that she had done for her. Miaâs smile widened as she watched how Madam Wigg handled the three girls, marching them from the room without a single argument. The woman truly was amazing.
Keeping her touch as gentle as possible, she smoothed back Amandaâs damp, blonde hair. She leaned in closer, laying her cheek on the pillow beside the girlâs pale face. âEverything will be all right, my sweet, I promise.â
Amandaâs eyes opened, their bright blue dulled with pain. Her lower lip trembled and tears welled, streaming downward into the already soaked pillow. âIt hurts so much, Miss Bradley.â
Mia glanced down at the girlâs obviously broken arm. The limb lay propped on a pillow to keep it stable, but the bone was bent at an angle in the middle of the forearm. She wouldâve had to have landed on top of something in order to snap the bone in such a manner.
Mia glanced down at the area around Amandaâs bed. As usual, not even a dust mite was allowed to rest on the floor surrounding the girlâs living space. The five-year-old was meticulous and everything was spotlessly cleaned once, if not twice a day, regardless of her other chores or schoolwork. It was Amandaâs way of coping with her inner turmoil and feelings of abandonment, feelings Mia knew all too well.
âI know your arm hurts, sweetie. I do. I broke my arm when I was your age and remember the pain. I wonât lie to you, Amanda. Itâs going to hurt for a while, but Iâm going to tell you a secret. Every day the pain gets a little bit better, and then one day you will wake up and it will be gone. You wonât even notice until much later, and the realization will stop you in your tracks. Youâll look down, stare wide eyed at your arm, and smile your beautiful smile and think of my words to you tonight.â
The edges of her lips quivered and she hiccoughed. âYou promise?â
Mia slowly nodded and made the sign of a cross over her heart. âI promise.â
âYou have a way with children, my dear.â
The deep, rumbling male voice startled them both, but more than that, it sent a shaft of fear through Miaâs chest as if she had been stabbed with a real knife. The pain was so intense, she actually reached up with her hand and covered the area and pressed, thinking there was an open wound, and it took everything for her to slowly turn around.
âMia, this is the doctor summoned to take care of our little Amanda,â Madam Wigg said and wrapped her graceful fingers around Miaâs arm, pulling her from the chair so he could sit.
âWell now, letâs see what we have here. Fell out of bed, did you? Iâve treated lots of little ones who have done that very thing, and theyâre now juggling and dancing and doing all sorts of things. Healed up right nice, they did, and so will you.â
Mia took a few steps back and watched as the doctor continued his examination of Amandaâs arm. Her concern grew when he never mentioned the location on her arm where the break occurred, but he was the doctor and she was not. He, himself, had stated seeing many such broken arms, so maybe they had jumped to the wrong conclusion and Amanda had, indeed, fallen off the bed at an awkward angle.
She couldnât help but notice the doctorâs slightly slurred speech and every now and then, she smelled a faint whiff of liquor, but he didnât seem to be inebriated and Madam Wigg hadnât shown any concern, so Mia stayed silent, fighting the strange urge she felt to run from the room. It was the manâs voice that made her skin crawl. The longer she stood there, her fear became a living, breathing entity. She closed her eyes and didnât realize anything was wrong until Madam Wigg nudged her.
âMia,â Madam Wigg whispered. âWhatever is the matter with you? I have never seen you so upset. You are practically colorlessâand you were whimpering, my dear.â She tugged on Miaâs arm just as the doctor stood, wiping his plaster-caked hands on a rag.
âThere. Good as new. The cast will need to dry for about six hours. She must lie here, unmoving, for the rest of the night. Someone should stay with her to make sure the arm remains immobile.â He turned and, looking fully at Mia for the first time, his mouth dropped open. âRebecca?â His face flushed red and he took a step toward them.
Miaâs eyes widened as Madam Wigg stepped between them. âIâm sorry, sir, you must be mistaken. This is one of my teachers and her name is not RebeccaâŚâ
Mia didnât stay to hear the rest and raced from the room, terror nipping at her heels, although she had no idea why. All she knew was that she had to get away from that man.
Eufaula, Indian Territory
Josiah West tossed his line into the river one last time. His ability to catch supper was running parallel to his ability to do most things lately. It wasnât happening.
Like his youth, his life plans hadnât worked out either. He had left the Jefferson farm, his home for the last eighteen years, with plans of having his own church and being a good Methodist preacher. Instead, he had nothing, just like when Clay Jefferson and his wife Sophia had taken him into their home. He had been a lost ten-year-old boy whom they had treated as their own son after his parents had been massacred in a Kiowa attack. It had taken almost a year after that, but Josiah slowly began participating in life again, although he never felt as if he truly fit in. He still didnât.
As his fatherâs cousin, Clay had tried everything, even raising him in the Choctaw tradition, but it hadnât been the same as having a father. Clay had done an admirable job, at least, as much as Josiah had let him, but it hadnât been easy. Even though Josiah had grown up experiencing his Choctaw heritage, heâd missed out knowing his motherâs people and learning his Creek lineage. It was for that reason heâd come to Eufaula, to learn about the Creeks and find out if he still had any living relatives among his motherâs people.
Now he questioned that decision. As a Methodist preacher, humility and patience had been a given. He had taken to his profession as a fish to water. Clay and Sophia had questioned the wisdom of his decision, but heâd won them over. He lifted the limp line from the water and smiled. Well, he amended, as a fish would take to water if there were fish in the water, which there didnât seem to be in this river today.
He leaned back against the sturdy trunk of an old oak tree and stared across the glistening sheen of the water and waited. For what, he had no idea. This land settled him, he knew that.
âHo, Josiah!â
Josiah turned his head as his only friend made his way toward him, fishing stick in hand, the silver badge fastened to his vest catching the sunâs light and almost blinding him. Harjo was a few years older than he and a member of the Creek Tribal police. Working as a lighthorseman was a worthy profession and one he himself would have been interested in had he been qualified for it. Unfortunately, he wasnât. Nor, it seemed, was he qualified to be a preacher in Eufaula either. Truthfully, he wasnât qualified to be much of anything in the Creekâs eyes.
Harjo sat and tossed his line into the water. âYou have no word yet?â
âNo. There will not be a church opening for me here, so that door has been closed. I thought I knew what I was supposed to do with my life and now I have nothing.â
Harjo shook his head and pulled his line from the water, a fish dangling from the end. âThat is not true, my friend. When you arrived in Eufaula, you had nothing but the shirt on your back. Thanks to your grandfatherâs sister, Onawa, you now have a home with land. Maybe not quite a place within the clan, but once you take a bride, you will be part of the Creek clan.â
âEasy for you to say, Harjo. You have a wife and children. You grew up here and have been part of this clan since birth.â
âAnd, if my wife tires of me tomorrow, I would have nothing just like you. Creek women control the family, the children, the homes, and the food. The men hunt and do everything else. If my wife decided she didnât like how I provided for our family and wanted a divorce,â he snapped his fingers, âjust like that, I would be divorced.â
âYour wife loves you and would never divorce you,â Josiah said, and rolled his eyes as Harjo pulled another fish from the river. âAnd why are the fish lining up to impale themselves on your fishing line and mine remains empty?â
Harjo shrugged. âItâs all in the wrist?â
Josiah chuckled. âSure, it is. You probably have a secret Creek fish food you rub on the end of your line.â
Harjoâs black brows rose. âNot a bad idea. I might have to sell that to the white men who come in on the train and make some money. âYou havenât heard anything back on your bride letter either?â
Josiah slumped down, the thick tree bark lightly digging into his back. âNo. Iâm beginning to think no one wants to put up with me. Maybe I should have added something in the letter about being an Indian.â
âWhy would you do that? Donât you want to be married? Even the Creek women look at you with suspicionâand youâre part Creek.â
âThey look at me? I havenât noticed. From what Iâve seen, theyâre avoiding me.â
âYou arenât one of us. Not yet. Give them time. A wife will help, even if she is white.â
Josiah gave his friend a doubtful glance. âYou believe this?â
âNo. I was trying to make you feel better. Did it work?â
Josiah groaned. âJust for that, youâre going to give me two of your fishâŚafter youâve cooked them. I canât believe I call you my friend.â
Harjo smiled. âYou call me friend because Iâm the only one who talks to you.â
Josiah leaned his head against the tree and relaxed, one side of his mouth rising in an answering grin. In truth, he was happy. He had to believe things would work out. Whether or not it was as he wanted was another thing altogether.
S. Newton, Amazon wrote:5-Stars
Excellent - A Must Read
Well written story of family made of people who choose to love each other and not by blood. Miaâs beginnings in life were heart wrenching and her brothers did the best they could for her. Josiahâs loss shaped him into the man he became. Together they are a force of love and caring. Loved this story.
R. Jones, Amazon wrote:5-Stars
Wonderful Read
A very creative and entertaining story. Multiple authors came together to create this series using the alphabet to name their character and tell their stories. Mia's story is heartbreaking, heartwarming and packed with action. I highly recommend you read this story and the others in this series.
5-Stars
Great Historical Novel of the Creek Indians.
I Love historical books. This is the first book I have read by Heidi Vanlandingham. It will not be my last. The story is of two people that fall in Love although they are from different cultures and backgrounds. They eventually find each other because of mail order brides. The two become a family when they take in children that are orphaned and needing Love.