Eleven-year-old Roz (Rosalind) Anthony and her family have just
moved to Mills River, Illinois, to escape an abusive situation.
Only days after settling into their new home, they are surprised to
find the previous owner, Tillie Monroe, on their front porch
reading the newspaper. Though her sons have sold the house and sent
her to a facility for the aged, she is determined to die in the
place she lived her life, and somehow manages to find her way
"home" day after day. Feeling sympathy for the elderly woman, Roz's
mother allows Tillie to move back in.
Mara Nightingale becomes Roz's first friend in Mills River. In
spite of their many differences, the girls discover they have
something in common that binds them together--both are hiding
secrets. So they make a promise--"cross my heart and hope to
die"--never to tell anyone else.
When danger stalks the Anthonys, Tillie exhibits unimaginable
courage and selfless love in her determination to protect the
family she has adopted as her own.
A mother fleeing unspeakable danger to keep her children
safe...
Two young girls guarding secrets in a "cross my heart and hope to
die" pledge...
A father desperate to be reunited with his family...
Award-winning author Ann Tatlock skillfully blends her well-drawn
characters into an inspiring tale of unimaginable courage and
selfless love.
"It is a joy to savor her stories."
--Publishers Weekly
Ann Tatlock is the author of the Christy Award-winning novel All the Way Home. She has also won the Midwest Independent Publishers Association "Book of the Year" in fiction for both All the Way Home and I'll Watch the Moon. Ann lives with her husband, Bob, and their daughter, Laura Jane, in Asheville, North Carolina.