Cover by Sheldon M. Scofield They lived in perilous times, when a child could go forever still in your arms from a simple childhood disease...when not enough rain, or too much rain, meant a hungry winter...when neighbor turned against neighbor during the War Between the States...when you knew that waving goodbye to a grown child heading West was a permanent farewell, not "so long," or "see you later." But their lives were rich in ways not changed by time. Then as now, young love sparkles and mature love glows. The warmth of a family gathered around the fire soothes the weariness of the day. Home will always be wherever you find the people you love. In 1800s Missouri, on the edge of the Ozarks, Henry's life was shaped by the four women who shared it with him. In this book, each one tells her own story. Meet: Melissa, the beautiful girl on the nearest farm, first love, first wife, a memory cherished forever. Mary, plain and shy, the young second wife who was never courted. Henry married her for convenience, but she became so much more. She was a beloved mother to his children, helped him become a minister, bore his children, and studied on her own to be a respected midwife and "herb granny." Together they faced the dangers of the Civil War in Missouri Bushwhacker country, pastored a tiny village church in Bloody Kansas, then returned to Cedar Springs. In her life with Henry, Mary learned that love isn't only found in the courting. Ruthie, the tempting and voluptuous third wife. Flirtatious and captivating, taking care of other women's children in a humble house in Cedar Springs wasn't what Ruthie wanted out of life. She needed Henry even more than he thought he needed her...but only for awhile. Matilda, the fourth wife. When they combined their families the house was filled with noisy, always-hungry children and teenagers. They raised them just before the time when cars replaced mule carts, refrigerators took the place of springhouses, and young men marched off to World War I. When the children were grown, Henry and Matilda shared the comfort of rocking together by the fireplace in the winter and on the porch in the summer. They knew the true meaning of "cleave one to the other." Come "back home" to the edge of the Ozarks and meet the four women who shaped his life...and Henry.