Both Cara and Dake Reed were well-developed characters. It was interesting to see a Southerner, who had fought on the Union side, return to his former plantation. It was not surprising to see the rancor his former friends still felt towards Dake. Reeds return precipitated a string of tragic events that would lead to his being accused of murder.
We know he could not be guilty because Dake had proven himself to be a man of integrity; he accepted the responsibility for carrying a newborn to the dying mothers family in Alabama. He was willing to spend money for hotels, food and travel expenses to carry the baby plus he employed Cara to help him take care of the child.
The first pages after Dake brings the baby to Cara James house were almost comical; neither had a clue what to do to care for a just-born child. Neither was interested in being the one left with the baby while the other one took care of the business of getting ready to leave.
Things settled down quickly after Cara went to her neighbors home and got instructions and supplies. It didnt take long for Cara and Dake to see that they would have a difficult time giving up the child. Dake had a harder time adjusting to Cara. She avoided wearing shoes, was always late and rather messy. On the other hand, Dake was a model example of the discipline the Army engendered in soldiers: On time, neat in dress and careful in keeping his goods in top shape.
This is a story that takes hold of the reader without flash or fanfare. Theres a bit of a mystery along with the romance. The sheriff was an interesting character because he was given the position by the Union soldiers that controlled the area because he wasnt for the war (at all). He had a difficult time negotiating the troubled feelings of the inhabitants and the murder.
Dake Reed- born and raised in the south left to fight for the Union army. Now 2 years after the civil war he has been summoned home to try and save the family estate. Along the way he acquires a newborn baby and asks a Kansas farm girl -Cara- to come with him as a nanny for the baby. He is unprepared for the hostility he encounters when he returns home. Branded a traitor for fighting for the north he is soon swept up in a murder investigation. This is a romantic suspense as the love between Dake and Cara grows and develops but it also involves lies, secrets, murder and attempted murder.
I have never read anything by this writer before but I will now look for more of her books. A wonderful read especially if you are a fan of the civil war and the post war struggles that occurred in this country.
Very good book. Gives some insight into the thoughts of those who survived the Civil War and the northern aggression that followed.
