He canât let her stay
Will Hopkinsâs new housekeeper is the prettiest young woman heâs ever seenâand thatâs the problem. Will thought Abigail Stewart would be a middle-aged matron well suited to hardscrabble prairie life. Even if his young sons are entranced by her wholesome kindness, his only option is to send Abby back east. For the sake of propriety...and his guarded heart.
Answering the newspaper advertisement was Abbyâs chance of escape from her unhappy home. But now her employer has turned out to be a rugged widower instead of a widow. A marriage in name only will allow her to remain long enough to find another job. Or until a misunderstanding becomes the means to a second-chance family....
âI... What did you say your surname was?â she asked in a choked voice.
âHopkins,â Will replied. The girlâs face went deathly white.
She pulled her satchel up onto her lap and started sorting through her things. Finally she pulled out a paper and handed it to him. It was the ad his mother had created to find him a housekeeper. The ad Miss Stewart had answered. But did that mean... No, it couldnât be. The woman in front of him, who looked as if she might give in to tears at any moment, couldnât be Abigail Stewart.
âYouâre...youâre Miss Stewart?â Will said incredulously.
Tommy poked his brother. âSheâs our new house?â
âHousekeeper,â Willy hissed.
She straightened her back and tilted her chin up to look the boysâ father straight in the eye. âYes.â
Any answer Will might have given was interrupted by Tommyâs response. Throwing his arms around the womanâs waist, he squeezed tight while yelling out, âYouâre our Auntie House!â
BONNIE NAVARRO
and her husband of nineteen years reside in Warrenville, Illinois. Their four children range in age from seventeen to eleven. She works as a medical interpreter at a hospital and a teacherâs aide in a middle school. She and her family attend a Spanish-speaking church, and everyone in the household is at least bilingualâincluding the dog! Bonnie attended Moody Bible Institute. While attempting to earn a degree in Bible theology, she successfully earned her MRS. degree, followed a year later by her MOM degree, thus ending her formal studies. She is a member of Voices, part of MyBookTherapy. Bonnieâs hobbies include reading, writing, knitting and hanging out with her family.
âFor I know the plans I have for you,â
declares the Lord, âplans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.â
âJeremiah 29:11, 12
My deepest thanks are due to my Savior and Lord. May He receive all the glory for any thing
I might ever accomplish.
I would be remiss if I didnât give thanks
and honorable mention to:
Joanne, I blame you for empowering me
to believe that I could write a story someone else would actually want to read. You said someday youâd see me in print. Thanks for believing in me even when I wasnât so convinced.
Betty, Dad, Martha and Terry.
You all took your time to read and suggest corrections on different manuscripts. I learned something from each one of you.
Cesar, Liz, CJ, Gaby and Davidâ
thank you for letting Mom work on her book even when you wanted dinner/to talk/clean clothes.... I love you guys!
There are so many more who have helped me
on my journey to writeâto each of you, thank you and God bless.
Chapter One
Harlan County, Nebraska, 1881
Will scooped up six-year-old Tommy and called to Willy over his shoulder, âItâs time to go, son. The wagon is hitched and we need to leave so that we can get to the river before nightfall.â Will had left detailed instructions with Jake, his nephew, about the care of the livestock and what Jake should be doing in the next three days. Now everything was ready for them to leaveâeverything except his oldest son. Willy had dragged his feet all morning, and Will was quickly losing his patience with his namesake.
âAre we going to go get the new Auntie Shelia?â Tommy asked, his little face full of excitement. His eyes were the same color as Carolineâs had beenâan expressive hazel that changed hues with her mood. Did the boy actually remember Auntie Shelia? No, that was impossible. Tommy was only three when Auntie Shelia had come to stay with them after her niece Carolineâs death. She stayed six months before she declared the West âtoo dangerous and uncivilized for anyone to hope to raise a respectable family.â
âNo, Tommy, not another aunt. Sheâs our new housekeeper,â Will corrected gently, trying to find the right words to explain. âMiss Stewart is coming to do the cooking and cleaning and help you and your brother with your studies. She will be like a grandmother to you but isnât related to you. Sheâll be our housekeeper. Do you understand?â