Mistletoe Match
Worried she might lose her teaching job if funding is cut for her boarding school, widow Louise Smythe must consider marriage. But the only prospective groom in town is lighthouse-keeper Jesse Hammond, and he wants childrenâsomething she may never be able to provide. While Jesse waits for the ideal woman to make his wife, though, Louise canât help but long for something more than his friendship.
If he wants to be promoted to head lighthouse keeper, Jesse needs to find a wife suited to his rustic lifestyle. But as he and Louise partner to give the townâs homeless orphans a joyous holiday, heâs drawn to the petite woman. Will the light of Christmas finally inspire them to trust in each otherâs hearts?
âI donât know how to make wreaths.â Jesseâs brow furrowed.
âI do.â Though Louise hated remembering the reason. âI made several funeral wreaths for the fallen.â
Again he stiffened, making her wonder if heâd served in the war. Few soldiers wanted to talk about what theyâd seen.
âThis will be a festive, cheerful time. People will want to come here, especially if we make it known in Chicago what is happening.â Then she made her plea. âYour knowledge of plants will be invaluable.â
That brought back the smile. âAre you sure you donât just want me along to carry the boughs?â
âOh, dear. You deciphered my real purpose.â Louise immediately regretted the playful jab. He didnât appear to understand her humor, judging from the look on his face. She braced herself.
Instead of chastising her, he roared with laughter. âOf course Iâll help. Anything for a friend who speaks her mind.â
A friend. Heâd called her a friend. She should be glad. Yet deep down she wanted more.
Dear Reader,
Lighthouses have always fascinated me. When I was growing up, I would watch the light from the offshore lighthouse come on at dusk. Later, in travels, Iâve been able to tour many a lighthouse. Researching how they operated in the 1870s was a joy. The Great Lakes have many remote and island lighthouses. I always wondered how a keeper and his family endured the isolation. Perhaps that will be another story.
The real-life story of Singapore, Michigan, fascinated me for many years. Sadly, itâs a familiar tale for lumber boom towns. Many disappeared, though not as literally as Singapore, which ended up buried beneath the sand dunes. Iâve loved setting a series there, and hope you have enjoyed the stories of Louise, Pearl, Amanda and Fiona.
Thatâs why from the start I envisioned these characters moving on together to begin anew. You will see familiar names in my early 20th-century books set in Pearlman, Michigan. The first of those books is Soaring Home, set in 1919. See my website at christineelizabethjohnson.com for a full list of the âPearlmanâ books and more about how the characters in this series became the founders of Pearlman. You can also contact me through the Connect page on my website. I do love hearing from you!
I wish you a joyous Christmas.
Blessings,
Christine Johnson
A small-town girl, CHRISTINE JOHNSON has lived in every corner of Michiganâs Lower Peninsula. She enjoys creating stories that bring history to life while exploring the charactersâ spiritual journeys. Though Michigan is still her home base, she and her seafaring husband also spend time exploring the Florida Keys and other fascinating locations. You can contact her through her website at christineelizabethjohnson.com.
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.
âPsalms 27:14
For my aunties, whose encouragement and support carried me through difficult times and made the good times even better.
Chapter One
September 1871
Singapore, Michigan
Louise Smythe spotted her quarry and motioned her students to follow her across the sand dune. The sun shone hot for so late in the year, and the sand reflected the heat, bringing beads of perspiration to her brow.
As expected, her instructions were met with a chorus of complaints from the handful of young ladies currently enrolled in Mrs. Evansâs School for Ladies. Ranging from fifteen to eighteen years of age, the students had come to Singapore, Michigan, to better themselves. Louise taught the intellectual courses, such as literature, writing and mathematics, while Fiona Evans covered the arts. In addition, Louise included an occasional class on the sciences in order to improve the ladiesâ ability to converse on all topics.
âMy feet ache,â whined Linore Pace. The eighteen-year-old had landed in Singapore last fall after their ship foundered. She and five other young women were bound for the utopian colony of Harmony on Low Island. After completing the voyage on another ship, Linore had returned to Singapore in August after finding the islandâand the man selected to become her husbandânot at all to her liking.