Publisher's Synopsis
Attempts to apprehend and possess some semblance of peace run into the unmovable promises of God.Pointed fingers of condemnation accuse Margaret Rose Fellrath of aiding and abetting her outlaw brothers, despite the lack of convicting evidence. The court may not have found her guilty, but her employer, landlady, and everyone around her does. When her brothers escape jail, all options are stolen from her except one: she must leave Raleigh and go where nobody has ever heard of the Fellrath brothers. She boards the train heading for a distant town as far away as her limited funds will take her. She is plagued by second thoughts, realizing that running makes her appear guilty, but there is no turning back. The tiny mountain town of Hot Springs, North Carolina seems the perfect spot for a new start. But starting over means using a new name so nobody connects her to her brothers. Introducing herself as Rose Miller, she finds employment as a chambermaid at the posh Mountain Park Hotel and Resort. She prays she can keep to herself and remain "invisible," and somehow satisfy the head housekeeper's impossible demands.Guilt haunts Cullen Delaney. Memories of his failure and lack of courage incriminate him, ending his childhood dream of following in his pa's footsteps. His groundskeeper job at the Mountain Park Hotel and Resort is safe and predicable, but it doesn't stir his soul. His second job, working part-time with the town sheriff, instills instincts in Cullen that he knows his father would have taught him if an outlaw's bullet hadn't cut Pa down. When he meets Rose Miller, his suspicious nature is piqued by her secretive and reticent behavior, and he wonders what she's hiding. Cullen longs to obliterate the memories that accuse him and find real peace. But his peace was destroyed that awful day when his cowardice got two people killed. He can't change the past, but can he hide from it? Despite efforts to remain aloof and distant from everyone at the Mountain Park, Rose's memories of her mother and the faith they shared nudge her to step beyond safe shadows. Mama always said doing something kind for someone else would make her forget her own troubles, and Rose can't keep herself from doing what she knows Mama would tell her to do. But demonstrations of kindness bring unwanted attention, and Rose realizes she has broken her own rule. If her identity is revealed, she'll have no choice but to run again. But how can she trust anyone--Cullen most of all?
