Introduction

Harriet Kirk is certain that becoming Ladreville's schoolteacher is just what she needs--a chance to put the past behind her and give her younger siblings a brighter tomorrow. What she didn't count on was the presence of handsome former Texas Ranger Lawrence Wood--or the way he slowly but surely claims her fragile heart. But can Harriet and Lawrence ever truly put the past behind them in order to find happiness?

Readers will love this story of overcoming powerful odds and grabbing hold of happiness. Book 3 in the Texas Dreams series.

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Excerpt

August 1857

“Trouble’s coming.”

Harriet Kirk looked up from the crate of dishes she was

packing. Though Jake’s words were ominous, her brother’s

voice held a note of glee, as if he welcomed the visitor. What

he probably welcomed was the break from carrying boxes

and crates to the wagon. Even though it was only midmorning,

the Texas sun was hot, a fact that Jake announced each

time Harriet gave him a new load.

“It’s the parson.” Mary scurried from the window and

buried her face in Harriet’s skirts. Harriet’s eight-year-old

sister wasn’t normally so shy, but visitors to the Kirk home

were rare. “Why’s he here?”

Why indeed? The Kirk children had lived in this small

Texas town their whole lives, in this house for the past seven

years. Not once in those seven years had the town’s minister

paid a call on them, though there had certainly been events

that would have warranted a visit from the clergy. But today,

when they were less than twenty-four hours from leaving

Fortune forever, he had decided to visit.

“Good morning, Reverend Bruckner.” Reluctantly summoning

the manners her grandmother had instilled in her,

Harriet ushered the minister into the family’s tiny parlor and

offered him one of the two chairs that held no boxes. The tall

man whose dark hair was only lightly threaded with gray appeared

uneasy, perhaps because of the chaos that surrounded

him. Though she wished otherwise, the house looked as if

a band of ruffians had ransacked it. There were no ruffians,

of course, simply Harriet’s five sisters and brothers who,

now that she was engaged in polite conversation with Reverend

Bruckner, had fled the house and were, judging by their

muffled shouts, attempting to load the wagon. Harriet tried

not to sigh at the realization that she would have to rearrange

the crates as soon as the minister left.

“May I get you a cup of coffee?” she asked, hoping he

would refuse. The sooner he left, the sooner she could get

back to work. Harriet didn’t want to think about the scene

unfolding in the front yard. Though Ruth would try her best

to control the younger children, she was no match for the

three boys. With Jake as ringleader, there was no telling what

mischief they were wreaking.

As if he’d read her thoughts, the minister shook his head.

“I cannot stay long, but I would be remiss if I did not try to

persuade you to remain in Fortune. The town needs you.”

If it wouldn’t have been unspeakably rude, Harriet would

have laughed. Though the town needed a schoolteacher, she

was not the one they wanted. The residents had made that

abundantly clear. She might be Miss Kirk of the Fortune

Kirks, but once Jake’s shenanigans had become public knowledge,

few parents trusted her ability to maintain discipline

in the school.

“I appreciate your concern, Reverend, but I’ve given my

word.” Joyfully, gratefully, irrevocably. Mr. Ladre’s correspondence

had been the one bright spot in an otherwise troubling

spring.

The minister leaned forward, pursing his lips as he was

wont to do when he reached the end of his sermon. “I wish

there were some way I could dissuade you. The truth is, my

concern is not simply for the town. It distresses me to think

you’re leaving because of my nephew. Perhaps if I had . . .”

So that was why he had come. Thomas. Though she had

no kind words for his nephew, Harriet couldn’t let Reverend

Bruckner harbor guilt. “Thomas is not the reason we’re

going to Ladreville. I was intrigued from the moment I saw

Mr. Ladre’s advertisement for a schoolteacher.” And that

had been posted weeks before Thomas Bruckner had made

her an object of the town’s pity, telling everyone she was too

hoity-toity for him to marry. “Did you know that Ladreville

was founded by emigrants from Alsace? Most of them speak

French and German with only a smattering of English.” She

was talking quickly now, trying to avoid thinking of the reasons

she had decided her family should leave Fortune and

travel more than a hundred miles to the Hill Country. “Living

there will give my brothers and sisters a real-life education

they could never get from books.” That was true, but more

importantly, they could start anew, for no one in Ladreville

would know what had happened here.

The minister inclined his head, as if accepting Harriet’s

reasoning. “I’ve heard the Hill Country is beautiful. I must

confess, though, that I worry about you traveling all that

way alone. Texas is a big state, you know. Dangerous too.”

She nodded. “We won’t be traveling alone. A family from

Haven is going to San Antonio, and they’ve agreed to let us

accompany them.”

“That’s prudent.”

Harriet was always prudent. Or at least she tried to be.

“Mr. Ladre thought it would be a three-day journey on horseback.

I’m allowing six because we’ll be pulling a wagon.” A

wagon that even now was being loaded by her five enthusiastic

but inexperienced siblings. She managed a bright smile.

“Just think. By this time next week, my family will be in our

new home.”

Once again the minister’s expression sobered. “I pray

you’re not making a mistake, leaving this home.”

“I’m not.” Grandma always said that home is where your

heart is. That was why Harriet knew Fortune was not her

home and hadn’t been for a long time. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

From the publisher:

1. Both Harriet’s and Lawrence’s lives are shaped by tragic events from the past. What events in your life—either good or bad—have been the most important? How do you think they’ve changed you?

2. Harriet and Lawrence have very different relationships with their siblings. Do you think those are the result of their birth order? If you have siblings, how has birth order affected your relationship with them? If you have children, do you see the same dynamics in their lives?

3. At times, Harriet seems book-smart but not very wise about other people. Have you known anyone like that? What do you think could make them more aware of others’ reactions to them?

4. Harriet’s grandmother was an important influence in her life. Do you think she was a positive influence? Why or why not?

5. Harriet sees Frau Friedrich as a substitute for her mother. How does that affect her relationship with Karl?

6. Before the story ends, three different men ask for Harriet’s hand in marriage. What does each of her suitors want from her? What do they offer her?

7. Why do you think the parishioners are so unwilling to accept Sterling as their new pastor? Is it simply because they’re reluctant to change?

8. Thomas believes he’s entitled to many things in life and is unwilling to work for them. Have you met anyone like him? What do you think would change that person?

9. Though she’s a successful teacher, Harriet is unable to control Jake. Why do you think that’s true? Is there anything she could have done to prevent the destruction of Karl’s property?

10. Twice in the book Harriet is deeply angered at Lawrence and refuses to speak to him. What caused each rift between them? Do you think she was justified in her anger? Why or why not?

11. Père Tellier tells the congregation that “the only real peace is found when we accept God’s will.” Are there any examples from your life that would prove or disprove that?

12. If the author were to write a fourth Texas Dreams book, are there any characters from either Tomorrow’s Garden or the previous books that you would like to see in it?

Weblinks

»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Author Amanda Cabot's web site

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