Secret Promise

It is 1907 as Caroline Clemons watches her town's newest bachelor, Jake MacGregor, tie his horses to a post outside her window. Moments later as he enters her home to meet her eligible sisters, he mistakenly believes Caroline is a servant instead of one of Senator Chad Clemons' daughters. Immediately mesmerized by Caroline's beauty, Jake has no idea she is committed to fulfilling a promise she made years ago, even if it means living a Cinderella existence. Caroline, who derives her only satisfaction in life from her teaching job in Taylorsburg, Mississippi, cannot help but be attracted to Jake who just inherited a store in town. As an internal battle rages within her, Caroline busies herself with serving her family and the Lord, even as Jake haunts her dreams and she fastidiously guards her family's secrets. But as fate intervenes, a romance develops that leads both Caroline and Jake to rely on prayer and laughter to survive. Will they ever be able to overcome their obstacles to find their happily ever after? A young woman must rely on faith as she struggles between honoring a long-held promise to her family or following her heart. "Caroline has her dream fulfilled. In Taylorsburg, Mississippi, in 1907, there is a new school where she teaches lower elementary classes. As a young woman with a servant's heart, she seeks nothing for herself. She suffers a wound that refuses to heal. Believing that the damage she has endured from abuse has rendered her unlovable, she knows she will never marry or allow any man to fall in love with her. Meanwhile, Jake MacGregor moves to Taylorsburg to take over his uncle's store. He is a desirable bachelor, the type many local young women have dreamed of. His brain tells him he needs the business of socially prominent women for his store to survive. His heart tells him that the lovely Caroline, who seems to be an outcast, is the most interesting woman he has ever met. Social issues of racial discord, abuse, inadequate education, and prohibition dominate the scene of Mississippi in the early 1900ss. In this setting, will Caroline have enough courage to embrace life? Will Jake overcome his anger at God for taking his parents and uncle from him in a tornado? How will he deal with having his plans dashed?"--Author's website Caroline is in hiding. She knows that lying in her bed seems too dangerous. If the wind blows, the curtains will fly open. Anyone passing in the yard will see her. She pulls the bed sheets and quilt onto the floor to make a pallet. Then she snuffs out the candle and finds her way to her makeshift resting place. Caroline prays for God's protection as she lies holding her pistol. Soon the morning will come, but the sky is still dark. Clump-clump. Clump-clump. It isn't the milkman; the horses and the wagon sound different. The wagon pulls into the back driveway, and a man's thudding steps come closer, closer, and closer. He pushes against her door. Stuck-this door is stuck. How will Caroline escape? * * * She watches the front room through the crack by the kitchen door. She feels a strong attraction to the handsome young man. Years ago she made a promise, which she will honor at any cost, even if she has to live a Cinderella life