7 Optimistic Women Walk Various Roads to Reach Their Dreams Connected to nature and carefree of heart seven historical women would prefer to travel through life without shoes, especially if giving away their only pair would comfort someone else in need. Will these women of faith change their ways under society’s pressures and the lure of romance? Barefoot Hearts by Lori Copeland Edgar’s Cove, Arkansas, 1876 Annie Lawson was perfectly content with her life on the banks of the muddy Mississippi—or so she thought until the man of her dreams, Doctor Gabe Jones, agreed to temporarily fill a void in Edgar’s Cove—but it turned out the void was in Annie’s heart. Could a simple baseball score decide the answer to a lifetime dream? Castles in the Sand by CJ Dunham Victoria, Vancouver Island, 1899 Carefree Jennie Farrow befriends an orphaned baby seal and a crusty old fisherman. When the seal brings gifts from the sea, they recognize something from a missing boat and set out to find the wreck. A man found on a beach has no memory, and Jennie helps to nurse him back to health. But what will become of a budding love when his wealthy family come and whisk him away? A Teacher’s Heart by Cynthia Hickey Ozark Mountains, 1932 Small Town teacher Mary Jo Stevens yearns to make a difference in her community. As a Demonstration Agent for the Arkansas Welfare Department, Bill Wright travels to every hill and hollow in the Ozarks to teach men and women how to make the best of their situations. But he needs the assistance of someone like Mary Jo. Can she trust an outsider who thinks he knows best? Between the Moments by Maureen Lang Kansas, 1879 Everyone in town knows Eddie Tucker who lived with the Apache for seven years as a child and now keeps to himself—until Mary Elliot arrives in town. As the daughter of missionaries, Mary rejects her grandfather’s wealth, preferring to spend time with the poor. The two outsiders have much in common, but will Mary’s family and Eddie’s deep wounds keep them apart? Promise Me Sunday by Cathy Liggett Boston, 1890 Adeline McClain’s mother always preached “to thine own self be true.” But when Adeline is orphaned and brought East to live with well-to-do relatives, being herself—caring, down-to-earth, and often barefoot—is getting her into trouble. When it comes to love, could Adeline’s eccentricities cause Everett Brighton to have to choose between Adeline or his inheritance? Lady Slipper by Kelly Long Pennsylvanian Appalachia, 1922 Local resident Fern Summerson agrees to help a young missionary distribute shoes to her people, but the journey becomes fraught with tension as Jacob Reynold falls in love with his guide and discovers that her connection with nature is more beautiful than any well shod foot. Hope’s Horizon by Carolyn Zane Oregon Trail, 1843 Hope Dawson agrees to become engaged to an older man in order to relieve her family of one more mouth to feed. But on the Trail, she is forced to walk while Julius and his mother ride in the wagon. Fellow traveler, William Bradshaw sees her plight, but can he help without losing his heart?

Love Is One of Life’s Greatest Adventures Seven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back. Along the way these women attract the attention of men who admire their bravery and determination, but will they let love grow out of the adventures? Along the Yellowstone River by Debby Lee 1832 Montana Heather Duncan takes over her father’s fur trapping business, believing it’s an opportunity to also gain knowledge of medicinal plants, but a growing sympathy for animals and blossoming adoration for a rugged mountain man capture her heart. MissTaken Identity by Kimberley Woodhouse 1883 Texas Headstrong, bubbly, accident-prone Abigail Monroe is on a quest for adventure away from society’s expectations. But her pursuits are unexpectedly thwarted when she is arrested by a handsome Texas Ranger. Lesson of Love by Cynthia Hickey 1885 Arkansas City girl, Leah Ellison has big dreams but soon finds out that teaching in a backwards Ozark mountain community is far different than what she’d imagined. Maddy’s Llamas by Marjorie Vawter 1898 Colorado In spite of Maddy’s “missadventures” raising her llamas for their wool and strictly-by-the-book Harry’s attempts to get her to do things “right,” they learn to work together and find love in the laughter. Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure by Mary Davis 1903 cross-country trip Zola Calkin sets out on an adventure to be the first woman to drive across the country. Will the journalist tasked to report her presumed failure sabotage her efforts? Or will he steal her heart? Detours of the Heart by Donna Schlachter 1925 New Mexico A tour guide who wants to move on and a playboy who’s never had a place to call home—can they overcome their own plans and allow God to make their path straight, or will they take yet another detour? Riders of the Painted Star by Kathleen E. Kovach 1936 Arizona Zadie Fitzpatrick, an artist from New York, is commissioned to go on location in Arizona to paint illustrations for an author of western novels and falls for the male model.

From genteel Boston to the wilds of Montana, she is searching for a safe haven for her family—and finds unexpected love. Having lost her beloved husband, a whaling captain, to a watery grave, Molly Gallagher refuses to risk more heartbreak. Determined to keep her headstrong son from following in his father’s footsteps, she agrees to become the mail-order bride of a Montana country doctor. She tells her new husband that she can never give her love to another man; what she doesn’t tell him is that she has a young daughter and a rebellious teenage son. Molly’s ruse might have worked, but Seth Kendrick has secrets of his own: a willful daughter determined to end the marriage before it even begins—and a double life keeping his neighbors safe from outlaws. In an untamed land of vigilante justice, Molly has no choice but to trust this gray-eyed stranger whose stubbornness matches her own, whose kisses unleash flash floods of desire—and who may be the one man in a million who could win her fiery, faithful heart. “A book you will read and remember for a long, long time . . . Wonderful characters light up the pages.”—Rendezvous

Kidnapped as a baby, Moxie Weatherby grew up without her two older sisters. Now the women are reunited in Santa Sofia, Florida, where family, friends and faith are more important than ever. Moxie must learn a thing or two about herself when the gorgeous editor of the local newspaper writes a story about her unusual history. Not that he knows everything. Jo is determined to get her woman's ministry, the Barefoot Believers, up and running. So why is a handsome preacher asking her to slow way down? Kate plans her wedding to her long-lost love, a single dad who's just become a grandfather. But are Kate and Vince really ready to say "I do"?

WHY AM I WEARING THIS GOWN? When widowed Reed Morgan discovered a bedraggled amnesiac bride, all his kids asked was 'Can we keep her?' So Reed took the very gorgeous woman home for the holidays. After all, he needed a nanny, and she needed a place to stay. Before he knew it, 'Kate' had transformed his mischievous kids into angels and warmed his hardened heart. So how could he let her go when she regained her memory?

Handsome, sophisticated Saxon Blackwell had never intended to marry, but his grandmother's cruel ultimatum left his no choice. Then into his life stormed Chickadee McBride, a flame-haired mountain girl with a moth so saucy and a modesty so lacking that Boston's stuffy bluebloods were shocked speechless, Suddenly the idea of actually marrying the backwoods wench appealed to Saxon.