Isabella Trueblood made history reuniting people torn apart by war and an epidemic. Now, generations later, Lily and Dylan Garrett carry on her work with their agency, Finders Keepers. Circumstances may have changed, but the goal remains the same.
Lost
One twin. Ben Mulholland desperately needs a bone marrow donor to save his little girl, Lucy. The brother Ben never knew he had is Lucyâs best, maybe only, chance. If he can just track him down...
Found
The miracle of hope. Caroline St. Clair has loved Ben forever and sheâll do whatever it takes to ensure he doesnât lose his precious daughter. In the process, old wounds are healed and flames of passion reignited. But the future is far from secure.
Finders Keepers: bringing families together
âI canât wait any longer to dance with you,â Ben murmured.
Carolyn drifted into his arms. Pressing her face against his shoulder, she said, âHow many times have you called to check on Lucy?â
He laughed, and they moved to the music, a seamless union of man and woman. âOnly once, thank you. She wants me to bring her a flower from the brideâs bouquet.â
âIâll go snatch one before Lily tosses it to the crowd.â
Ben framed her face with his hands and looked into her eyes. âDonât go away, Carolyn. I have a confession to make.â
She stared, lost in his suddenly serious expression. âIâm listening.â
âThe thought occurred to me that this could have been us if weâd gotten married.â He leaned to brush his lips against hers. âI guess what Iâm trying to say is, youâll always be part of my soul.â
âBen, donât,â she said quickly, âbecause IâIâmââ
He put his chin against her forehead, holding her close. âOnly putting up a brave front?â
Dear Reader,
I was immediately intrigued when I was asked to participate in the TRUEBLOOD, TEXAS series, because A Fatherâs Vow deals with the issue of how much a father is willing to do for his child.
And isnât that a central theme that plays through most of our lives? I love the guardian aspect of a fatherâs role in his childâs life. In this romance we get to see Ben Mulhollandâs strengthsâand even get a peek at his desperation and fragilityâas he takes the role of front-and-center player in his daughterâs life.
As readers, we love to meet and read about big, strong men who fight so hard for their kids! Ben Mulholland is based on real-life fathers I have seen. Thereâs the dad who shows up in his suit after work, holding a younger baby in his arms, while he coaches soccer. Or the one who works two jobs so that the bills are paid. The dad who mentors and takes the time to lay his hands across another childâs shoulders to say, âIâm here for you.â
Hopefully, Iâve captured the meaning that a father has in his childâs life in this book. I hope you enjoy it. Please visit me at www.tinaleonard.com and let me know!
Love,
Tina Leonard
THE TRUEBLOOD LEGACY
THE YEAR WAS 1918, and the Great War in Europe still raged, but Esau Porter was heading home to Texas.
The young sergeant arrived at his parentsâ ranch northwest of San Antonio on a Sunday night, only the celebration didnât go off as planned. Most of the townsfolk of Carmelita had come out to welcome Esau home, but when they saw the sorry condition of the boy, they gave their respects quickly and left.
The fever got so bad so fast that Mrs. Porter hardly knew what to do. By Monday night, before the doctor from San Antonio made it into town, Esau was dead.
The Porter family grieved. How could their son have survived the German peril, only to burn up and die in his own bed? It wasnât much of a surprise when Mrs. Porter took to her bed on Wednesday. But it was a hell of a shock when half the residents of Carmelita came down with the horrible illness. House after house was hit by death, and all the townspeople could do was pray for salvation.
None came. By the end of the year, over one hundred souls had perished. The influenza virus took those in the prime of life, leaving behind an unprecedented number of orphans. And the virus knew no boundaries. By the time the threat had passed, more than thirty-seven million people had succumbed worldwide.
But in one house, there was still hope.
Isabella Trueblood had come to Carmelita in the late 1800s with her father, blacksmith Saul Trueblood, and her mother, Teresa Collier Trueblood. The family had traveled from Indiana, leaving their Quaker roots behind.
Young Isabella grew up to be an intelligent woman who had a gift for healing and storytelling. Her dreams centered on the boy next door, Foster Carter, the son of Chester and Grace.
Just before the bad times came in 1918, Foster asked Isabella to be his wife, and the future of the Carter spread was secured. It was a happy union, and the future looked bright for the young couple.
Two years later, not one of their relatives was alive. How the young couple had survived was a miracle. And during the epidemic, Isabella and Foster had taken in more than twenty-two orphaned children from all over the county. They fed them, clothed them, taught them as if they were blood kin.