Tender Mercies

She never intended to stay. So why is leaving so hard? The fertile prairies of Dakota Territory have finally begun to yield the bountiful harvests the pioneers have dreamed about since leaving their homes in Norway. The tiny community of Blessing is beginning to expand and thrive, its hardy citizens at last enjoying a measure of prosperity. Mary Martha MacCallister comes to Blessing from Missouri to visit her brother. She volunteers to help at the schoolhouse and, with her gentle southern charm, quickly wins the affection of all. Pastor John Solberg, rejecting the persistent efforts of matchmaking mothers, develops a friendship with Mary Martha and discovers she shares his love of books and children. But then the message arrives that she must return home to care for her ailing mother. When she leaves, she says she'll write . . . Everyone has come to love her. Is this good-bye forever?