The Boatman's Daughter

Never trust charity. Ain't nothing ever free. 

Nan Prescott, daughter of the local drunk, works odd jobs around Metamora, Indiana, to earn their keep. Her only goal is to keep her and her pa from starving without losing their pride.

Bradley Donaghue has taken over his mother's small farm while occasionally leading mules along the Whitewater Canal towing barges. One day he hopes for his own family, but at the moment the farm comes first.

Carolina Beauregard, daughter of a prosperous southern gentleman, has moved with her parents to the small town. Her mother wants to find suitable husbands for her three daughters, but Carolina has bigger dreams. 

To fulfill them, she needs help. She sets out to win Nan's trust, offering to trade skills that they both are desperate to learn, but when the quiet and handsome Bradley shows Carolina the beauty of small-town life, will she change her plans for the future? 

Bradley still lives in the shadow of his parents. Is Carolina the one who will draw him out?

Nan yearns for a family, too, but can she find happiness in a town that looks down on her? 

The Boatman's Daughter, set in 1859 Indiana, is the fifth book in the saga of the Donaghue family. Each book follows the next generation of the family against the backdrop of the developing United States and features historical detail, strong individuals and their craftiness, and a crochet pattern by designer Laurinda Reddig.