Jane Kirkpatrick - What Once We Loved (Kinship and Courage Series #3)

Masterful storytelling continues in this real-as-rain portrayal of the Oregon-California 1850 s frontier. Big-hearted heroines face past and present challenges with unswerving dreams and hardscrabble labor. Eventually, their faith and friendship triumph over daily struggles and wrongheaded past decisions A compelling tale.

Craig Lesley , author of The Sky Fishermanand Storm Riders

Jane Kirkpatricks What Once We Loved is a mesmerizing tale of strong women in a heart-breaking time. A priceless story not to be missed!

Angela Elwell Hunt author of The Note

Fascinating, courageous women in a beautiful, yet challenging setting come full circle in their lives and loves together, making this the crowning glory of the Kinship and Courage series.

Randall Platt author of The Cornerstoneand Honor Bright

I am proud to hand-sell this incredible series on a daily basis. What Once We Lovedbr'mgs our eleven frontier women to their final purposes. Again Jane weaves their individual stories together with tenderness and great compassion. Following these women along their historical paths has been a powerful journey.

Robin Powers St. Helens Book Shop

Jane s characters live on the page. What Once We Loved is a book that draws the reader in to lie in a cool stream on a hot dayfirst your toes, then your knees Before you know it, you are swimming and the book becomes impossible to put down.

Linda Hall author of Sadies Song, Katheryns Secret, and Margarets Peace

Rich in detail, All Together in One Place is the compelling story of a band of pioneering women as told in Jane Kirkpatricks unique style. Here is the journey west as women saw itburdensome and often cruel, yet not without moments of compassion, love, and humor.

Jack Cavanaugh best-selling author of While Mortals Sleepand The Puritans

Come enjoy Jane Kirkpatricks No Eye Can See, a novel that captures the rich historical path of eleven women pioneers. A new life awaits, one that will require courage, love, and faith even greater than the journey west. They are building for themselves and their families a place to call home. No Eye Can See comes alive under Jane s pen, a tapestry of faith woven together in beautiful words. It is a book that should not be missed by those who want to feel and breathe the journey west to settle a new frontier.

Dee Henderson award-winning author of The O'Malley Series

No Eye Can See breathes with authenticity, nourishes with its depiction of women of courage, and inspires with its simplicity. It is truly an expe rience in faith and hope.

Patricia Lucas White best-selling author of Edwina Parkhurst, Spinster

No Eye Can See is a poignant story of compassion, courage, and tender relationships. Rich with hope, it spoke gently to my heart.

Alice Gray editor of the Stones for a Woman's Heart series

The women ofAll Together
in One Place

Mazy Bacon, a dairy farmer

Suzanne Cullver, a former
photographer
Clayton and Sason, her boys

Tipton Kossuth, a newlywed

Sister Esther Maeves, a cleaning
lady and attendant to
Suzanne; former contractor
for mail-order brides

Ruth Martin, a horsewoman and
auntie to Jason, Ned, and
Sarah, and mother to Jessie

Elizabeth Mueller, Mazy s
mother and a baker

Lura Schmidtke,
a businesswoman
Matthew, her son
Mariah, her daughter,
a young horsewoman

Adora Wilson, a shopkeeper
Charles and Tipton,
her son and daughter

The surviving Celestials:
Mei-Ling and her daughter
Naomi and her daughter

Additional characters

Chita, housemaid
to Nehemiah and Tipton

Angus Flaubert, an actor

Seth Forrester, a white-collared man

Gus Grotefend, Shasta City
hotel owner

Nehemiah Kossuth, Crescent City
packer, husband of Tipton

Burke Manes, a Jacksonville area
farmer and pastor

Michael O'Malley, a former
pit boss and miner

Joe Pepin, the Schmidtkes' teamster

Sterling Powder, tutor
to Clayton and Sason

Zane Randolph, a.k.a. Wesley
Marks/Beckworth,
Ruths husband

Matthew Schmidtke, a cattleman

David Taylor, mail carrier
and Mazy s stepson

Grace Taylor, David s sister

Oltipa Taylor, a Wintu Indian
woman, wife of David
Ben, her son Estella

Esty Williams, a milliner

Fall 1853

Whipped-cream clouds danced across a stage of blue before an audience of oak. Shadows softened the suns glare on the water, allowing Ruth Martin to peer beneath the rivers surface. She'd seen that wily trout. Today she'd catch him without getting her feet wet.

She retied the bent sewing needle at the end of the butchers twine. California morning sun glinted on beads of water dotting the wet string like pearls. Just one more little nibble and I'll have you, she said. Firm yet slender as a whip handle, Ruth sat astride her horse. Old miner's pants covered her legs. Jumper, her horse, wiggled his ears, lifted a back leg to scratch at a fly, splashed when he set his hoof down. Don't lose concentration now, Jumper, she whispered, more to herself than the horse.

Certain the needle was firmly attached, she flicked the willow fishing pole and watched as the breeze picked up the string, then set it and the makeshift hook adrift along the riffle. A reddish leaf broke loose from a willow, gentled in the stream following her line to the shaded pool. She eased the hook across the water. Waiting.