"Would you have married me if you had known?" Mical's question stays with Davey. He doesn't have an answer. Mical was wrong to deceive him, and her apologetic efforts may not be enough to keep them together. Will her spiteful father allow them the chance to find out? This sequel to Shrouded Jewels continues to follow Mical and Davey as they struggle with deception, temptation, and a sometimes bitter reality. Will Davey and Mical find their happily ever after?

Our lives are short, but they are sweet. ...and filled with chocolate. This is a story of the short life of a cookie. The narrator watches as siblings reach "the moment we all must face." Will it end in the mouth of the Baker? In the furnace? In water? Perhaps none of those are as bad as they sound. Illustrations by Mary MacArthur enhance this short story.

1953: ""So, um...this is awkward, but...that's my grandma you're sitting on." A half smile inched across the young man's face, and he motioned to the headstone I was leaning against. "I am so sorry," I said, quickly standing. "I didn't realize-I mean, I should have realized-I just-I'm sorry." The man chuckled. "Told you it was awkward," he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he continued to smile. "I'm Joe.""

Life in Backus is, in Ella's mind, akin to the observation in Pride and Prejudice: "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?"

Ella wants out, and the arrival of her friend's handsome cousin threatens that dream. Joe starts working her job in the diner, gains the respect of the town, and--worse--causes her to like him.

2008: ""You probably aren't used to people just walking into your house. At least, not ones you've never met." The strange girl giggled. "Um," I shifted uncomfortably. "Hi?" She took my greeting as an invitation to step farther into my room. "Who are you?" "Oh " She laughed. "I'm Rosie; I live next door. You're Jane, right?""

Jane, who recently moved from the Twin Cities, just hopes to fit in. The talkative Rosie and a position on the Backus newspaper help that happen...but as she continues looking into the town's past, she finds more mysteries than explanations.

"Two cultures combine in this story of love, friendship, and tested faith."

Mical Benson's father is guarded, so Davey Blake's invitation to the Benson's home is evidence of his good character. Still, Mical knows it is the perfect opportunity for him to work his way into their hearts before stealing her father's great wealth. In spite of her suspicions, Mical eventually falls into his 'trap'. As they move beyond mutual loathing, they learn that some things aren't as obvious as they first appear. Everything is working in their favor, but when Davey's past returns, all he has built up may be lost forever... This modern retelling of the 1 Samuel 18 Bible story delves into the motivations and challenges Davey and Mical meet on their journey to trust and faith.

My first introduction to lefse was with my Grandma. My mom never made it; she didn't make much of anything, except babies-twelve of them. Well, she did make clothing for all twelve kids... I was born on a farm near Melvin, Minnesota in Polk County, township of Onstad, on February 3rd, 1927. This is an autobiography enhanced with black and white photographs throughout the years. The author's lefse recipe is included in the final pages. This book is also available in color.

"Would you have married me if you had known?" Mical's question stays with Davey. He doesn't have an answer. Mical was wrong to deceive him, and her apologetic efforts may not be enough to keep them together. Will her spiteful father allow them the chance to find out? This sequel to Shrouded Jewels continues to follow Mical and Davey as they struggle with deception, temptation, and a sometimes bitter reality. Will Davey and Mical find their happily ever after?

Mical Benson's father is guarded, so Davey Blake's invitation to the Benson's home is evidence of his good character. Still, Mical knows it is the perfect opportunity for him to work his way into their hearts before stealing her father's great wealth. In spite of her suspicions, Mical eventually falls into his 'trap'. As they move beyond mutual loathing, they learn that some things aren't as obvious as they first appear. Everything is working in their favor, but when Davey's past returns, all he has built up may be lost forever...This modern retelling of the 1 Samuel 18 Bible story delves into the motivations and challenges Davey and Mical meet on their journey to trust and faith.

Mical Benson's father is guarded, so Davey Blake's invitation to the Benson's home is evidence of his good character. Still, Mical knows it is the perfect opportunity for him to work his way into their hearts before stealing her father's great wealth. In spite of her suspicions, Mical eventually falls into his 'trap'. As they move beyond mutual loathing, they learn that some things aren't as obvious as they first appear. Everything is working in their favor, but when Davey's past returns, all he has built up may be lost forever...This modern retelling of the 1 Samuel 18 Bible story delves into the motivations and challenges Davey and Mical meet on their journey to trust and faith.

Ella became a goal-driven woman before it was fashionable, or even acceptable. In spite of her mother's constant admonitions, Ella rejects the expectations put upon the "young ladies" of the 1950s. Her life will be decided only by her own choices, and she knows exactly what choices to make. But all that she has mentally built for her life comes to a swift end when a handsome but off-putting stranger arrives, and stubbornly refuses to leave. Fifty years later, Backus hasn't changed much. Jane hopes to fit in, but her bustling world in the Twin Cities was far from sufficient preparation for life in this seemingly quiet town. Life in Backus is not as uneventful as it seems, and as Jane begins researching the town's silenced past, she discovers that love, mysteries, and faith cross generations.