THE BOOK OF LOVE
By: Pat Pritchard

ISBN: 0821774417
Publisher: Kensington Books

Babies, embroidery, and good works are not enough for Lucy Thomas—and the women she knows in Lee's Mill, Missouri, are no different. But Lucy's Luminary Society, designed to offer the women in town a place to discuss literature and world events—in fact, anything but babies and embroidery—is about to meet with some serious opposition . . .

Raising his young daughter should have been one of the joys of newspaper owner Cade Mulroney's life. But when Cade was injured in the War Between the States, his Yankee in-laws took Mary north. Bringing her home to Lee's Mill is a dream come true for Cade, but when Mary takes an interest in Lucy's new society, Cade is up in arms. Listening to Lucy's scandalous notions on women's rights is bound to turn his darling daughter into an outspoken rebel-just like Lucy! Cade won't have it...and Lucy won't give in. There's only one thing that can make them see eye to eye: the power of love.

Enough was enough. Lucy leaned back in her chair and allowed herself the small pleasure of resting her eyes from the drudgery of poring over the neat columns of figures. Too many long hours spent balancing the ledgers had taken their toll, leaving both her head and her back aching. However, for the first time since sitting down, she felt like smiling. A profit, no matter how small, was an accomplishment to be savored.

A familiar noise interrupted her brief respite. Wearily she rose to her feet, prepared to answer the call of the brass bell that announced the arrival of a customer. One glance at the clock over the counter gave her some forewarning as to who her guest might be.

Just as she suspected, she found nineteen-year-old Cora Lawford looking agitated as she paced back and forth through the clutter in the store. With each step, the younger woman muttered under her breath and glared at the newspaper in her hand as if it had been written by the devil him self. And probably, to Cora's way of thinking, it had been.

So much for Lucy's good mood. She resigned herself to at least thirty minutes of listening to Cora rant and rave about whatever Cade Mulroney had spewed forth in his latest editorial. Without yet having read a single word, she silently wished the man straight to perdition because the way he enjoyed stirring up trouble was enough to turn a saint to sinning.

As soon as Cora spotted Lucy, she started waving the paper in her hand.

"That...that man!" Cora made the last words sound like the most vile epithet she could imagine.

Knowing she was only postponing the inevitable, Lucy held up her hand to stave off Cora's plan to read the offending editorial aloud.

"You might as well wait for the others to arrive. I have no desire to hear his vile scribblings over and over again." Without waiting for Cora to agree, she crossed the room to the stove and put the kettle on to heat.

"Tea won't help anything."

She offered her young friend a placating smile. "No, but it won't hurt, either."

Just about the time the water reached a full boil, she heard the sound of several pairs of feet marching across the wooden porch leading right to her door. Bowing to the inevitable, she reached for several more teacups and set them down on the counter. No doubt, this was going to be another futile discussion about what to do about one Mr. Cade Mulroney.

Her headache worsened at the very thought of it. She decided that the best thing for her to do was work around the store, taking care of the endless little details that a storekeeper had to see to every day. The others could argue all they wanted, but the truth was, there wasn't much they could do about the content of the Clarion, the town's only newspaper.

Except ignore it.

She winced when the door slammed open, rattling the glass panes until she feared they would break. After the last woman was inside the store, Lucy decided that it would behoove her to turn the window sign to read Closed. It might not make for good business, but it definitely made good sense. All she needed was for certain menfolk in town to find almost the entire membership of the Luminary Society holding an impromptu meeting in the middle of the afternoon.

It was considered scandalous enough that the group had agreed to start meeting two evenings a month. If their critics thought that they were gathering more often than that, well, who knew what kind of trouble would be stirred up? She knew who'd be the one doing the stirring, however. Which brought her thoughts full circle back to Cade Mulroney.

Her mood wasn't improved by the serf-appointed leader of the latest arrivals. Mrs. Overland led the charge, her face alight with moral outrage. "Lucinda, have you seen this? I warned you that these radical ideas of yours would cause nothing but problems! I shudder to think what Mr. Overland will have to say about this."

Only what you allow him to, Lucy thought to herself. Mrs. Overland was one of the few reasons that Lucy secretly wished that they hadn't opened up membership of the Society to any and all of the ladles in town. The woman and her followers resembled nothing so much as a gaggle of geese with their feathers all ruffled. Uncharitable as the thought might be, this particular woman always talked as if her husband were an absolute despot. The truth was, the poor man was henpecked beyond belief. The very idea of him daring to criticize his formidable wife was almost laughable.

Lucy, on the other hand, knew all too well what it was like to live in fear of a man. Both her father and her late husband had taught her that lesson firsthand. Ruthlessly she pushed those ugly memories back into the recesses of her mind. Both men were long dead and buried, along with any desire she'd ever had to tie her life and fortune to that of another of the male sex.

Willing herself to maintain a facade of calm, she set about distributing cups of hot tea. That done, she stepped behind the counter and began straightening several bolts of fabric while the other women whispered among themselves. Finally, Cora's patience ran out. She picked up the newspaper again and held it up for the others to see. "Not all of you have read today's Clarion," she announced while singling Lucy out for a long look.

"Once again, the men in this town have availed themselves of a convenient forum from which to attack us."

Several of the others nodded in agreement. Before they could start chattering among' themselves again, Cora spread the newspaper out on the counter and began reading aloud. She did so with such fervor and expression that Lucy fought the urge to smile. Her friend certainly had a flair for the dramatic.

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"...A well written, traditional romance with a historical background..." - Romantic Times Magazine

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