Jessamine's Garden

She crossed the country to escape a life ruled by fear. But the Oregon wilderness has brought her greatest terror back. Jessamine Black came to Sawyerville hoping to find the safe, orderly life she has always wanted. With a talent for cooking and a determination to make herself useful, she eagerly joins the other prospective brides in turning a muddy field outside town into a thriving community garden. Helping them is Stanley Ritter, a handsome former farmer with a patient smile, a restless spirit, and dreams of owning land of his own. As Jess and Stanley work side by side, their growing garden begins to produce something neither expected—a tender attraction that could become the home and family they both desire. But Jess carries a secret beneath the bonnet she keeps pulled low over her forehead. When she was a child, a mountain lion attacked her, leaving both a scar and a fear she has never overcome. Now deer are gathering near the garden, a hungry cougar is stalking Sawyerville, and Jess can no longer pretend the danger does not exist. To claim the future she wants, she must confront the terror that has haunted her for fifteen years—and learn that accepting a good man's help is not weakness. A heartwarming frontier romance about courage, trust, and a love that grows in the most unexpected place.