The Husband Hunt
Theater singer Fiona OâKeefe is on a quest to form the perfect family for her orphaned niece. Itâs a shame handsome and musically talented Sawyer Evans canât support a household on his sawmill-manager wages. Fiona needs a respectable gentleman of means. And if she canât find one in Singapore, Michigan, then sheâll just have to look for a husband in the mail-order want ads...
Sawyer doesnât want Fiona to marry a stranger...or anyone other than him. It would be easy to reveal that heâs secretly heir to a railroad fortune. But Sawyerâs determined to be a self-made man, so he isnât willing to take his fatherâs money. Instead, can he prove to Fiona that the man she needs is already by her side?
âSawyer!â Fiona called out.
This time he turned toward her. After giving the coil of rope to another man, he loped down the short distance and relieved her of the blankets.
âTake my arm,â he said.
The security of his strength washed over her. He would help her. He would ensure her niece was safe.
âMust help...â she began, but could get no further before gasping for breath.
They managed the last few yards to the top of the dune. There Sawyer released her and returned the blankets to her care.
She caught his arm. âYou need to rescue them.â
He shook his head. âDonât know if we can with those waves.â
âYou must. You must.â She hung on him with desperation. âMy niece. Sheâs only seven. She could be on that ship.â
His expression, highlighted in the eerie light of the lighthouse, twisted with concern. âIâll do what I can.â
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining Fiona and Sawyer through the ups and downs of their journey. It was fun to take two characters with opposing backgrounds and hopes and find a common ground for them. Sometimes things are not as they appear!
Thatâs true of Astor House, the local hotel, which according to some sources did exist in historic Singapore. I love the pretensions of naming a lodging establishment in a small lumber town after the first luxury hotel in New York City. Someone had a lot of optimism!
The village of Harmony is fictitious, however, the islands of Lake Michigan have been host to some breakaway sects that established their own âcolonies.â The first and most recognizable was established by James Jesse Strangâs followers who broke from Brigham Young and settled on Beaver Island in the mid-1800s. Books, articles and a museum on Beaver Island detail that episode in history. In the early 1900s, the House of David established a colony on nearby High Island. When I visited that island as a child, there were still remnants of buildings left, and I imagined they belonged to that colony.
Itâs been fun incorporating snippets of history in the novels in this series. I hope you will join me for the fourth book. Questions or comments? Contact me through my website at www.christineelizabethjohnson.com.
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.
And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.
âJohn 8:32
For my sister, Donna,
who taught me a lot about strength. To God be the glory.
Chapter One
Singapore, Michigan
March 1871
Sawyer Evans stared at what his friends had written. The piece of stationery gleamed white against the oak store counter, but the words leaped off the page.
He shoved the paper across the counter. âIâm not ready for this.â
âNeither was I,â Roland Decker said with a grin, âbut it was the best thing that ever happened. Iâve never been happier.â
His bride of nearly three months curled under Rolandâs arm and gave him the sort of look that Sawyer dreamed of getting just onceâespecially from a particular redheadâbut placing an advertisement for a wife was not the answer. This idea of theirs would only bring trouble.
âIf I remember right,â he pointed out, âthe advertisement that brought Pearl and the other ladies west was supposed to give your brother a wife, not you.â
Roland shrugged. âHe did get a wife, and heâs just as happy as I am.â
Pearl, Rolandâs wife, nodded emphatically. âNow that youâre manager at the sawmill, you can settle down.â
âNot yet.â Sawyer dreamed of opening his own business, not running someone elseâs. Marriage would only drain his savings. Even a frugal wife brought added expenses, and the only woman whoâd interested him was definitely not frugal.