Grace and the Preacher
A Novel
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4.8 • 20 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Mistaken identity leads to romance, laughter, and second chances in this inspirational historical romance.
At the age of twenty-three, postmistress Grace Cristler has all but given up hope of finding a husband among the narrowing group of eligible men in her town of Fairland, Kansas. But when her uncle decides to retire from the pulpit, Grace is responsible for corresponding with the new preacher set to take his place. She can’t deny the affection growing in her heart for Reverend Rufus Dille—a man she deeply admires but has only met through his letters.
Theophil Garrison is on the run from his past. Ten years ago his outlaw cousins convinced him to take part in a train robbery, but Theo fled the scene, leaving his cousins to face imprisonment. Now they’ve finished their sentences, but the plan for vengeance has just begun. Branded a coward and running for his life, Theo has aa chance encounter that could provide him with the escape he needs.
But the young man’s desperate con might come at an enormous price for the tenderhearted Grace—and the entire town. Will Grace’s undeserved affection and God’s mercy make something beautiful from the ashes of Theo’s past?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sawyer (Echoes of Mercy) knows how to tug on heartstrings as she brings readers into the rural Midwest of 1882 and the despondent life of Theophil Garrison. Ten years after abandoning his cousins' attempt to rob a train, Theophil is working on a farm when a young boy comes to inform him that his cousins were released from prison for good behavior. He takes off, determined to stay off the main roads as he figures his cousins will be looking for him. While traveling, he happens upon a runaway wagon transporting a very sick man, Rev. Rufus Dille. Despite Theophil's efforts to get him to the nearest doctor, Reverend Dille dies the very next morning but not before leaving explicit instructions for Theophil to take his belongings and head to Fairland, Kans. Grace, the postmistress in Fairland, has never seen Reverend Dille, but they've exchanged friendly letters. Could he be the one God intended for her to marry? Theophil gets to Fairland amid a grand picnic and, with everyone welcoming the supposed new preacher with so much respect, he decides to assume the preacher's identity. Although Theophil's impersonation ruse initially puts the town in jeopardy, Grace is a strong-willed, forgiving heroine who guides the town in unexpected ways. Sawyer (Sweet Sanctuary) weaves a charming, unpredictable story of deception, redemption, and hope that will claim readers' hearts from beginning to end.
