Mark of Grace (Secrets of the Canyon Book #3) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Kimberley Woodhouse

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165 pages

English

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When everything crumbles, her chance for a new beginning hangs in the balance.Ruth Anniston survived an injury that left her physically scarred, broken, and angry at God. Now, she finds herself working behind the scenes as a kitchen and dining room supervisor at the El Tovar Hotel, hidden away from curious eyes and with little hope of finding love. When money begins to disappear from the hotel, Ruth's entire livelihood is put at risk when she lands on the list of suspects. Frank Henderson has at last succeeded in obtaining his dream job as head chef at the El Tovar. But competition in the kitchen is fierce, and one mistake could cost him his future. As the thefts at the hotel continue, and his affection for Ruth grows, Frank's career--and his heart--are in jeopardy. As tensions run high, Ruth and Frank must work together to save the El Tovar. They find themselves growing closer . . . but can their combined ingenuity overcome the odds against them?

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Historical romance

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	03 janvier 2023
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493440597
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0408€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Half Title Page
Books by Kimberley Woodhouse
S ECRETS OF THE C ANYON
A Deep Divide
A Gem of Truth
A Mark of Grace
Books by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse
All Things Hidden
Beyond the Silence
T HE H EART OF A LASKA
In the Shadow of Denali
Out of the Ashes
Under the Midnight Sun
T HE T REASURES OF N OME
Forever Hidden
Endless Mercy
Ever Constant
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2023 by Kimberley R. Woodhouse
Published by Bethany House Publishers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2023
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-4059-7
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
This is a work of historical reconstruction; the appearances of certain historical figures are therefore inevitable. All other characters, however, are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Cover design by Create Design Publish LLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota/Jon Godfredson
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
This book is lovingly dedicated to two precious women in my life:
My daughter-in-love Ruth Woodhouse We’ve been so blessed to have you as part of our family. I love how you keep Josh in line. And how much you love him. Your sweet spirit and joy for life are beautiful. Here’s to decades more of memories together. Love, Mom
And to MY mother-in-love Brenda Woodhouse Every time I typed 1909, I thought of you. It made me smile and giggle. You have been such a gift to me for more than thirty years. Thank you for loving me as your own. Love, Kim
Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Kimberley Woodhouse
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Dear Reader
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Epilogue
Note from the Author
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Dear Reader
The Harvey Girls are one of my favorite parts of American history. Without them, would the West have been settled? Without Fred Harvey would we have the food and restaurant industry as we know it? What about marketing? Fred Harvey has been said time and again to be the father of modern-day marketing.
The more research I did, the more fascinated I became. With Fred Harvey, the Harvey Girls, the Kolb brothers, and Mary Colter. I could fill twenty books with all the interesting little tidbits.
What it all comes down to is this:
History is beautiful. And enlightening. And we have so much to learn from it.
It’s amazing to see what shaped our country. What shaped us —and our society.
It is a privilege for me to bring A Mark of Grace to you, the end of the S ECRETS OF THE C ANYON series, and Ruth’s story. I’ve had hundreds of you write to me about your hopes that she would have her own story. I pray that this story blesses you and reminds you of how valuable you are. No matter what stage of life you are in, you are still useful and needed.
Let’s venture back to the Grand Canyon, the El Tovar, and the Harvey Girls.
Enjoy the journey, Kimberley
Prologue
1894 P ITTSBURGH , P ENNSYLVANIA
“I’m not interested in settling down right now.” Ruth Anniston allowed the words to spill out.
Mother’s gaze jerked up from the piano where she’d been working on a new piece for her music students. Her eyes widened.
Ruth watched. At twenty years of age, she had a close and beautiful relationship with her parents. Rarely did she ever surprise them because they knew her so well.
This was obviously one of those rare occasions. Had her words finally registered?
Mother put a hand to her throat and removed her glasses. “Wait . . . Ruth, are you saying you don’t wish to get married one day? I thought you always wanted . . .” She swallowed. Blinked several times. “Forgive me. Tell me what’s on your heart.”
Ruth bit her lip. The intention hadn’t been to drop the idea of becoming a Harvey Girl quite like this. But it had seemed like the perfect segue in the conversation and out it came. “I’m not saying that I never want to get married. Yes, I want a family. Just not now. I do want to help you and Dad out for as long as I can, and perhaps have a few adventures of my own along the way. You took me in—adopted me—and loved me when no one else did. I know what a sacrifice that was, especially on Dad’s small salary. This is an opportunity for a good job for me. A reputable job for a woman these days. You raised me to think for myself. Research. Read. Be independent.” She could ramble on forever, so she clamped her lips shut.
“But, sweetheart, just because we made the sacrifice—which was all worth it, by the way—doesn’t mean we are destitute. The college is paying your father much more these days. And his geology lectures are gaining popularity every year. I have more students than ever. There’s nothing disreputable about staying at home and living with us until God brings the right man along.”
Ruth’s shoulders fell as she let out a long sigh. “It’s not good for any of us if I sit around here and take up space. You know me. I like to explore. Love hard work.” Hopefully Mom wouldn’t pick up on her real reason for wanting to go. “There aren’t any interested parties offering marriage right now anyway.”
That wasn’t the complete truth. She wouldn’t bring up the young man who followed her around everywhere and wouldn’t leave her be. Mom would faint dead away if she heard some of the brazen things he’d said. At her age, Ruth longed for love. The kind she saw between her parents. But it wouldn’t happen here. Of that, she was confident.
“You’re such a pretty young lady, Ruth. Don’t sell yourself short.” Mom shook her head. “We’ll speak about this over dinner with your father.” She placed her spectacles back on the end of her nose and leaned over the staff paper. Her pencil didn’t miss a beat as it drew several notes.
Just like that. The conversation was set aside. “That’s not good enough. Have you listened to a word I’ve said?” Ruth shook her head and crossed her arms over her middle. “I can’t believe you would say something like that. Pretty ? Don’t sell myself short ? You and Dad raised me to care more about what was inside a person than what was on the outside. To value each and every person because God loved them, not because of how they looked.”
Mom released an exasperated huff and looked at her over the rims of her glasses. “It wasn’t meant as an insult, my dear, rather a compliment. You are beautiful. Always have been.” She pointed her pencil at Ruth. “And don’t even try to convince me there aren’t any interested parties. Your father and I know better.” She went back to her music. “Let’s talk about it over dinner. I really must get back to work before my next student arrives.”
With a deep breath, she shrugged. “All right.” Her parents were the most wonderful people on earth. Perhaps she could spend some time working on a sound argument to present at dinner.
But by the time dinner rolled around and she forged ahead with what she thought was a well-thought-out argument, Dad wasn’t easily convinced.
“I don’t see how becoming a Harvey Girl will be good for you. There are plenty of suitors here ready and waiting to have the chance—”
“They’ve spoken to you about this? Why haven’t you said anything?” Interrupting her father wasn’t something she ever did, but her parents’ attitudes were more than she could fathom. They’d never even broached the subject of multiple suitors with her before.
“Of course they have. You are quite the catch. I was hesitant to bring it up, feeling you needed some time. But now that you’re talking about heading off to who-knows-where, it’s my place as your father to speak up.”
The discussion escalated and continued for well over an hour as Ruth—for the first time—felt like she was fighting with her parents over her future. How had they come to this place? Dad talked of how many interested suitors there actually were, then Mom made the comment about how pretty she was at least three more times. All it did was cement in Ruth’s mind that she wanted to marry a man who loved her for who she was . . . not just her pretty face.
And as much as her parents disagreed with her, she wanted to head out on her own. Try something new. Experience life outside of the sheltered cocoon she’d always lived within.
They finally acquiesced. Albeit with tears and many cautions.
After long hugs with each of her parents, she headed to bed.
Her dream of becoming a Harvey Girl was about to come true.

1907 T HIRTEEN YEARS LATER E L T OVAR H OTEL , G RAND C ANYON
“You’re such a pretty young lady, Ruth. Don’ t sell yourself short.”
Pretty young lady. As the memories of the past washed over her, Ruth couldn’t believe how many years had rolled by since that day.
But now look at her. No longer did she have a pretty face. No longer was she young and eligible. Had she let her stubborn pride get in the way? Was she destined to be alone forever?
At this moment, the mirror across the room was the worst villain she could ever imagine.
The more Ruth thought about it, the more she wanted to throw something at it and make it shatter into pieces. But she wouldn’t do that. Couldn’t do that.
Because she was a Harvey Girl.
The head waitress.
In control at all times.
An example to all the girls under her. Mother hen. Mentor. Fri