When the Dust Settles

Book excerpt: Welcome to Elomina, Texas! A small, but growing town with tall pine trees, good fishing, and likeable residents, some with dark secrets. Recently widowed, Lottie moves with her young daughter to the town of Elomina, seeking a fresh start. Upon arrival, she discovers she is pregnant, adding to the complexities of her new life. Cora, a young woman who has spent her life working on her family farm, faces the prospect of never marrying or having a family of her own. As the years pass with no suitors in sight, Cora begins to wonder if she is destined for a life of spinsterhood. Ethel, a woman whose deepest desire is to become a mother, has faced the heartbreak of disappointment time and time again. Resigned to the fact that she may never become a mother, she begins to let go of her dream. Set against the backdrop of the close-knit town in 1925, this story explores themes of love, loss, resilience, friendship, and the enduring power of change.