Every Perfect Gift
ACCLAIM FOR DOROTHY LOVE
“Dorothy Love effortlessly brings to life the setting and characters of
Every Perfect Gift
so that you’ll feel right at home in Hickory Ridge. The love story is sweet and woven amidst secrets of the past that explore the various facets of prejudice. At the last page, you’ll breathe a contented sigh and wish you didn’t have to leave behind characters who feel like friends.”
—J
ODY
H
EDLUND, BEST-SELLING
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
P
REACHER’S
B
RIDE
“
Beauty for Ashes
is a touching story about finding joy and healing in the midst of heartache. Set in the small town of Hickory Ridge, Dorothy Love takes readers on a beautifully written journey into the heart of the South during the years that followed the Civil War. As her characters search for healing, they must choose to either cling to the past or trade the bitterness in their hearts for love.”
—M
ELANIE
D
OBSON, AWARD-WINNING
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
S
ILENT
O
RDER
AND
L
OVE
F
INDS
Y
OU IN
L
IBERTY,
I
NDIANA
“Dorothy Love paints a vivid picture of the post–Civil War south [and] the need to rebuild hope. And she does it beautifully . . .”
—C
ATHY
G
OHLKE, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF
P
ROMISE
M
E
T
HIS,
REGARDING
B
EAUTY FOR
A
SHES
“You’ll adore this book from beginning to end. The story will capture your heart from the first line.”
—
R
OMANTIC
T
IMES
,
4½ STAR
REVIEW OF
B
EYOND
A
LL
M
EASURE
“With well-drawn characters and just enough suspense to keep the pages turning, this winning debut will be a hit with fans of Gilbert Morris and Lauraine Snelling.”
—
L
IBRARY
J
OURNAL
STARRED
REVIEW OF
B
EYOND
A
LL
M
EASURE
“Beautifully written and with descriptions so rich I’m still certain I caught a whiff of magnolia blossoms as I read.
Beyond All Measure
is pure Southern delight! Dorothy Love weaves a stirring romance that’s both gloriously detailed with Tennessee history and that uplifts and inspires the heart.”
—T
AMERA
A
LEXANDER, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR
OF
T
HE
I
NHERITANCE
AND
W
ITHIN
M
Y
H
EART
“Soft as a breeze from the Old South and as gentle as the haze hovering over the Great Smokies, the gifted flow of Dorothy Love’s pen casts a spell of love, hate and hope in post–Civil War Tennessee. With rich, fluid prose, characters who breathe onto the page and a wealth of historical imagery,
Beyond All Measure
will steal both your heart and your sleep well beyond the last page.”
—J
ULIE
L
ESSMAN, BEST-SELLING
AUTHOR OF
A H
OPE
U
NDAUNTED
“Find a porch swing, pour yourself a tall glass of lemonade: [
Beyond All
Measure
] is the perfect summer read!”
—S
IRI
M
ITCHELL, AUTHOR
OF
A H
EART
M
OST
W
ORTHY
“Dorothy Love captures all the romance, charm and uncertainties of the postbellum South, delighting readers with her endearing characters, historical details and vivid writing style.”
—M
ARGARET
B
ROWNLEY, AUTHOR
OF
A L
ADY
L
IKE
S
ARAH
,
REGARDING
B
EYOND
A
LL
M
EASURE
E
VERY
P
ERFECT
G
IFT
ALSO BY DOROTHY LOVE
Beyond All Measure
Beauty for Ashes
E
VERY
P
ERFECT
G
IFT
A H
ICKORY
R
IDGE
R
OMANCE
D
OROTHY
L
OVE
© 2012 by Dorothy Love
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Versification of Psalm 23 in chapter 5 is by the author. Hymn verse quoted in chapter 12 is from “Heavenly Father, Bless Me Now,” words by Alexander Clark (1834–1879). Hymn verses quoted in chapter 33 are from “In the Bleak Midwinter,” words by Christina Rossetti (1872), and “We Plow the Fields,” words by Matthias Claudius (1782), translated by Jane M. Campbell (1861).
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Love, Dorothy, 1949-
Every perfect gift / Dorothy Love.
p. cm. -- (A Hickory Ridge romance ; 3)
Summary: “Ethan and Sophie long to share a future together. But the secrets they’re not sharing could tear them apart. Sophie Caldwell has returned to Hickory Ridge, Tennessee after years away. Despite the heartaches of her childhood, Sophie is determined to make a home, and a name, for herself in the growing town. A gifted writer, she plans to resurrect the local newspaper that so enchanted her as a girl. Ethan Heyward’s idyllic childhood was shattered by a tragedy he has spent years trying to forget. An accomplished businessman and architect, he has built a majestic resort in the mountains above Hickory Ridge, drawing wealthy tourists from all over the country. When Sophie interviews Ethan for the paper, he is impressed with her intelligence and astounded by her beauty. She’s equally intrigued with him but fears he will reject her if he learns about her shadowed past. Just as she summons the courage to tell him, Ethan’s own past unexpectedly and violently catches up with him, threatening not only his life but their budding romance”-- Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-59554-902-0 (pbk.)
1. Women journalists--Fiction. 2. Architects--Fiction. 3. Tennessee--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3562.O8387E94 2012
813’.54--dc23
2012032476
Printed in the United States of America
12 13 14 15 16 17 QG 6 5 4 3 2 1
In memory of my brother, Lowell Dean Catlett
July 16, 1951–April 10, 2012
His life was a gift to all who knew him.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
J
AMES 1:17
CONTENTS
H
ICKORY
R
IDGE
April 1886
The orphanage seemed so much smaller than she remembered.
Sophie Robillard Caldwell peered through the bars of the rusty gate, taking in the boarded-up windows, the weed-choked yard, the frayed remnants of a rope swing shivering in the sharp wind that seemed to whisper long-past taunts.
Mutt. Muddlebones. Mongrel
.
And worse.
Holding her hat in place with one hand, she looked up at the second-floor window of the room where she’d spent a lonely girlhood daydreaming and spinning stories. She’d expected to feel a sense of familiarity upon returning here, a kind of homecoming. But the moment she stepped off the train, she realized that everything had changed.
True, Jasper Pruitt still ran the mercantile, and his wife still owned the dress shop that had once belonged to Norah Dudley. The bakery and Mr. Gilman’s bank were thriving. The Hickory Ridge Inn, where she was currently staying, was full to overflowing every night. Miss Hattie’s restaurant had reopened, and even now the smells of frying chicken drifted on the wind. She would write
to her guardians, Ada and Wyatt Caldwell, about that. Despite their many years in Texas, Wyatt still rhapsodized about Miss Hattie’s fried chicken.
But the pretty gazebo in the park was gone, and in its place was a statue honoring war veterans. And the riverbank where she had once played on her infrequent outings was covered with rows of new houses sporting gabled roofs and elaborate spindle-work porches. It wasn’t only the physical details that made Hickory Ridge feel unfamiliar. It was the new busyness that permeated everything, erasing some of the small-town coziness that had so captured Ada’s heart all those years ago.
With a final look at the deserted orphanage, Sophie climbed into her rented rig and clicked her tongue to the horse. According to Wyatt, Blue Smoke was responsible for much of the bustling activity. The massive luxury resort going up atop Hickory Ridge employed dozens of men who had come to town to build roads, mill timber, and construct the three-mile railway spur that took materials up the mountain. Soon a small army of farm girls would find work as housekeepers, laundresses, and serving girls for the moneyed guests arriving by train for weeks or months of tramping, fishing, and horseback riding.
The town was growing again, making this the perfect time to revive the long-defunct
Hickory Ridge Gazette
.
Wyatt and Ada were less than enthusiastic about Sophie’s plan. But her work at the newspaper in Dallas had shown her how important a fair and independent newspaper could be to a town.
She guided her rig along the busy road past Mr. Pruitt’s mercantile, her thoughts swirling. Of course the Caldwells were right. She could have stayed on at the paper in Dallas or even found a small Texas town in need of a paper of its own. But the notion that unfinished business awaited her in Hickory Ridge had captured her head and her heart, and here she was.