Publisher's Synopsis
Set in the Australian Outback this is the fast-paced, dramatic story of twenty-five year old Jo Lacey, an Australian volunteers abroad nurse who arrives home after having been incarcerated in a Zimbabwean rebel stronghold for three years, to find everything has changed. She has lost her faith, she has lost her fiance, Karl, who thinking she has been killed has married someone else, and she has lost her innocence, and in its place hugs to her heart a terrible secret. On her return to 'Tinoonan', her father's sheep station, she unwittingly finds herself the cause of an altercation between two men who hate one another; the one, her father's right- hand man, Blake Langley, who is almost disturbingly unassuming, the other, Morgan Templeton, a handsome, egotistical, pony-tailed geologist who tries to make a pass at her, but is struck down by Blake.
Glad to escape after a couple of weeks Jo returns to the city, assumes a false name to preserve her anonymity, takes a job as carer to Mandy, a brain-damaged child, and renews a friendship with an old nursing friend, Shazza. Through her she meets Dr Mike Hudson, a flying doctor visiting from the country, who seeks to serve God through serving the people of the Outback. Though not romantically attracted to Mike, nor sharing his faith, Jo finds she can talk freely with him about her own personal sufferings as she can to nobody else, but even so stops short of divulging her secret. Mike tells her there is a job going at his country hospital if she is interested, but Jo tells him that she already has a job looking after a little brain damaged girl whose single mother is a career woman who hasn't the time or the inclination to look after her baby's therapy herself. And since Jo has grown to love the child as if she were her own, she couldn't possibly run out on her so soon.
Disaster strikes when Karl turns up when the child's mother, Angela, is away, and Jo discovers he is Mandy's father, and Angela his recently estranged wife. He tells Jo he will get a divorce and at this point Jo really begins to think that there may yet be a future for Karl and herself. But when Angela arrives home and finds them locked in an embrace, there is a violent confrontation and she sacks Jo on the spot, threatening to kill her if she tries to come between Karl and herself again, claiming that they need to remain a family for Mandy's sake.
Feeling her emotions spiraling out of control, the next day Jo finds herself back at 'Tinoonan', defending her sixteen year old sister, Patti, against untrue rumors, defending Blake Langley of a charge of having poisoned ten of her father's prize ewes claiming she has proof that Morgan Templeton was the culprit, which is further borne out by the fact that both he and his caravan have disappeared overnight.
Feeling the need to be gainfully employed again Jo takes up the job offer Mike had made, and sets out to drive to the Charles Creek hospital. The sleepy town of Charles Creek turns out to be anything but sleepy as Jo is catapulted into a terrifying chain of events, from a hit run accident, receiving a threatening letter, an urgent call-out to a dying child, another bitter-sweet reunion with Karl, a desperate turning to God at last to seek forgiveness for her past wickedness and to plead for the life of Karl's child. And last, but by no means least an attempt on her life on a treacherous mountain road. Is Mandy healed? Now that Jo is a believer again will God make her life-long dream of marriage to Karl come true at last? Who hates her enough to want her dead? What is her secret? Read the full story to see how these events unfold until Jo comes to realize the very best dream of all.
