[Brides of Cedar Creek 01] • Cora's Deception

It’s 1833 Missouri, but Cora Jackson has no intention of losing herself on a prairie where the nearest neighbor is two miles away. Her city beau, George Merrill, promises to rescue her, and she eagerly watches for him. Then she meets Aaron Stark, a neighbor who intrigues her and soon sets her heart pounding.

Before long, betrayal, abandonment, and a brush with death shake Cora’s beliefs. Although she’s changed and can never return to the safe deceptions of her childhood, she still clings to them, wanting to believe what is easier than truth. Love for Aaron grows in the midst of Cora’s turmoil, bringing safety and an anchor to her life—until George shows up.

Aaron Stark falls in love when he first sees Cora emerge from a hollowed sycamore tree after a blizzard. She’ll never love him. He can’t read nor write, and he ain’t nothin’ but a dirt-poor farmer. He no sooner wins Cora’s hand when her old beau steps between them with convincing words. How’s a feller supposed to know what to believe when everything points one way?

Lies—easier to believe than truth.