The Nanny Agreement
Widower Silas Jones needs a mother for his daughter, and marriage could help his former sweetheart repair her tattered reputation. Yet he canât blame Rose Stone when she refuses a marriage of convenience after he once broke her heart, marrying another woman to save his familyâs farm. Heâs blessed Rose agrees to be his nanny. If only sheâd look at him again with the warmth she shows little Milly...
Roseâs tarnished past hasnât quelled her spirit. Sheâs building a good life in Colorado with her infant sonâand the glimmer of a future with Silas. But when his in-laws try to claim Milly, Rose must decide if the makeshift family she and Silas have forged can reopen her heart to love.
âI havenât taken time to be a good friend to you.â
There it was again. The goodness in her that she failed to see.
âI canât think of a greater friend than someone who, despite how I broke your heart, would do as much for Milly and me as you have. None of my friends in Ohio would even give me a job.â
Silas looked over at her, but Roseâs gaze remained focused on the ground. âI did so very grudgingly.â
âI know. But you did, which is far more than anyone else.â
The moonlight cast shadows over her face, framed by the tendrils that had fallen out of her bun. He let the silence hang between them, and her thoughts, whatever they may be, work through whatever she needed. For the first time since heâd come to Leadville, sitting alone with Rose felt almost comfortable. If only he didnât remember the evenings when theyâd sat in the moonlight, laughing, kissing and planning a future that was never to be.
Dear Reader,
Some books are easier to write than others, and Iâm going to go on record as saying this was one of the hardest. Bringing redemption to Rose was the easy part; the difficulty was realizing that the lesson about forgiveness was more than just her forgiving Silas for breaking her heart. Forgiveness seems to be an easy task, but as anyone who has struggled with forgiveness can tell you, it sometimes takes a lot more than saying, âI forgive you.â Writing Roseâs story forced me to look at places in my own heart where Iâd been struggling to forgive, and I knew I couldnât do her story justice unless I was willing to take a journey through my own unforgivingness.
If youâre like me, and there are things in your life that youâve struggled to let go of, donât lose heart! Iâve learned that the regions of the heart where forgiveness needs to permeate resemble the layers of the earth. Some are thin, porous, and water has no trouble finding its way to the deeper layers. Other areas are thick, dense rock, seemingly impenetrable. But nothing is impossible with Godâs love, and ultimately, even the hardest of hearts can experience forgiveness at the very core.
Obviously, though Iâve poured my heart into this book, and shared a little about Godâs work in me in this letter, there is so much more I can say. If youâd like additional resources on forgiveness, please visit my website at danicafavorite.com and look for the section on forgiveness.
I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to connect with me at the following places:
Website: danicafavorite.com.
Twitter: Twitter.com/danicafavorite.
Instagram: Instagram.com/danicafavorite.
Facebook: Facebook.com/danicafavoriteauthor.
Abundant blessings to you and yours,
Danica Favorite
DANICA FAVORITE loves the adventure of living a creative life. She loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily-ever-after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of Danicaâs stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun. Find her at danicafavorite.com.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, âLord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?â Jesus answered, âI tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.â
âMatthew 18:21â22
For my precious Linnie,
As president of your fan club, Iâm so grateful for being allowed glimpses into your life. As a writer, Iâm really glad your mommy was willing to answer all my questions that began with âWhat would Linnie say?â I canât wait to see what an incredible woman youâre going to grow up into. Thanks, Kristen, for sharing Linnie with me.
Chapter One
Leadville, Colorado, 1882
The cheerful yellow house didnât look all that imposing as Silas Jones stood in front of its fence for the fourth time that day. Yet he paused at the gate, as heâd done on each of his previous trips, unable to bring himself to open the latch and walk the few steps to the porch and knock on the door.