by Vivi Holt
“All right. I don’t think I want to, but I know it’s probably time,” said Kathleen. She looked at Audrey anxiously.
“Let me go upstairs and get her settled. I’ll be back in a minute or two.”
Audrey walked past her mother and reached a hand to her shoulder. She squeezed it and continued on to get Daisy snuggled in for an afternoon nap.
Kathleen Riley had been Audrey’s rock. She couldn’t ask for a better mother or friend. When her father died of a heart attack, she and Sam had just married. It was a shock to lose him at such a young age. She was most surprised at how well her mother rebounded from the loss.
“Life goes on. We accept God’s plan and rely on Him to see us through.” This had been Kathleen’s refrain. She never wavered from it even through her grief. Her faith was inspiring.
Kathleen and Graham Riley had come to America from Dublin, Ireland when Kathleen was expecting their first child. Audrey had been born about four months after they landed in Ellis Island. Later the little family moved to Boston. Graham chose Boston because so many other Irish immigrants were already established there. They found a nice little walk up and that’s where Audrey grew up and made some of her best friends. Audrey’s memories of that neighborhood were precious.
Her father’s woodworking business had done well and they moved to a bigger place when Audrey was fourteen. A townhouse with a front porch. It’s what her mother had always wanted. Just like they’d had in Dublin, she often reminisced.
When she was fifteen, she briefly met Sam Norris. From that day forward she thought of almost nothing but him. She fell in love with him a little bit more every day. He didn’t know she was alive until she almost knocked him over one day when she was running late for school. She was embarrassed and he was smitten. From that moment on, they were a couple.
Yes, good memories, thought Audrey. Now it’s time to figure out our next move. Three generations of Riley women need to find their way.
Kathleen was waiting on her at the kitchen table. A grim but determined look told Audrey that she had an ally. But she already knew that. Her mother had always been her strongest supporter.
Keep reading!
New Beginnings (Annie Boone)
OTHER BOOKS BY VIVI HOLT
*****
ORPHAN BRIDES GO WEST
Mail Order Bride: Christy
Mail Order Bride: Ramona
Mail Order Bride: Katie
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DEAR READER
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FOLLOW VIVI HOLT
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HISTORICAL NOTE
and Author’s Remarks
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This series was begun because of an image of a small, red, chapel found on Pinterest. It soon became the foundation of our stories. This chapel could shelter, connect and host weddings for various characters across generations. And so was birthed our beloved Cutter’s Creek – a cozy fictional town on the nineteenth century Montana frontier.
When you study the history of that period in Montana, you find stories of men and women who were tough, vibrant, resilient and passionate. A strikingly beautiful state, it has come to symbolize the pioneering life on the western frontier and everything that represents in the landscape of American history.
The folk of Cutter’s Creek epitomize the essence of the old west, and embody the charm of Montana. Their stories will draw you in. So, pull up a chair, light a fire in the proverbial hearth, pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa, and take a journey back to a time and place where life was simpler and true love lasted forever.
We hope that you will grow to love our little town as much as we do. Come and visit with us again soon.
Cheers,
Vivi Holt
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Vivi Holt was born in Australia. She grew up in the country, where she spent her youth riding horses at Pony Club, and adventuring through the fields and rivers around the farm. Her father was a builder, turned saddler, and her mother a nurse, who stayed home to raise their four children.
After graduating from a degree in International Relations, Vivi moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work for a year. It was there that she met her husband, and they were married three years later. Vivi also studied for a Bachelor of Information Technology, and has worked in the field ever since. She spent seven years living in Atlanta and travelled to various parts of the United States during that time, falling in love with the beauty of that immense country and the American people.
She now lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband and three small children. Married to a Baptist pastor, she is very active in her local church, and continues to work part-time as a Knowledge and Information Manager. Whatever spare time she has left after all of that goes into writing – something she has only recently discovered, but now loves to do.
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS
*****
This book wouldn’t exist without the other three authors in the collaboration. Thanks to Kit Morgan, Annie Boone and Kari Trumbo for letting me be part of Cutter’s Creek.
The beautiful book cover was designed by both Erin Dameron-Hill and Stephanie Adams. Thanks also to Helen Page, my editor, for her support and writing tips; and to the Facebook groups Pioneer Hearts and Clean Indie Reads, both of which are full of supportive and encouraging authors and readers.
My wonderful family have consistently put up with my crazy schedule, as I attempt to do the impossible – raise three small children, work part-time, and write. Thank you for your patience and for listening to my never-ending rambling about books and such.
And thanks of course to the ultimate source of my inspiration, my heavenly Father.
Table of Contents
About The Strong One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Excerpt From New Beginnings (Annie Boone)
Other Books By Vivi Holt
Dear Reader
Follow Vivi Holt
Historical Note
About The Author
Acknowlegements
