behind for surgery and recuperation. Benny quickly learns that John Clancy carries disguises, a long, sharp knife, and too many secrets to make him a safe traveling companion. Benny can't shake the Scripture's promise that God "will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
A card-playing, knife-throwing bank robber, a savage black stallion, and a "cougar evangelist" all play a part in Benny's journey to his uncle's farm and a deeper journey into acceptance of God's will when it isn't at all humanly sensible or safe. Benny's adventures don't stop once he settles in on Uncle Tom's farm and reunites with his mother. His converted bank robber friend Jeremy faces ten years of prison and little hope for the future. Benny faces an implacable bully and finds an unlikely friendship and a long-lost treasure through his dead father. The black stallion Jeremy left in Benny's care turns racehorse but the five hundred dollar prize seems impossible to collect. God allows Jeremy to receive training in medicine and preaching while in prison. Two surprising revelations when spring comes to the farm one more time might turn Benny's life upside down once again.
from Chapter Three – "He'll Go Far!"
"How come you stopped the barge if you already had a good horse? And why were you hiding that black bag under your saddle?" Benny kept talking, so fast that Mr. Clancy couldn't have answered his questions if he had wanted to. And he certainly didn't seem to want to.
"It looked just like the bag Mr. Carlisle put on the train -- and the one that man in the black suit was carrying. What was in all those bags? Or -- was that you pretending to be somebody else again? Were you the one that killed that man at the bank and stole the money?"
Mr. Clancy had been staring at him all this time without moving. Suddenly he jumped forward and grabbed Benny. He covered Benny's mouth with one hand and with the other pulled out a big, long knife. Holding Benny so tight it hurt, he laid the knife up against his throat and whispered in his ear.
"I guess you do get to go along with me, after all, Benny my boy," he hissed. "But somehow I don't think we'll make it to Uncle Tom's. The chickens'll be so disappointed."
Hope and the Knight of the Black Lion by Mary C. Findley
(Also available in the "Illuminated Version," echoing the style of a medieval manuscript.)
Seventeen-year-old-Hope rebels against an arranged marriage in medieval England. Her uncle, Baron John of Colchester, schools her in languages and especially in the Scriptures while her betrothed, Richard, remains missing after pursuing fame and the Church's approval in the Crusades. Robert, son of the Earl of Chelmsford, tempts her to defy her family and give in to his proclamations of love. Colchester Manor is attacked and a mysterious knight appears to help Hope find her missing family. She is forced to flee for her life to his protection. Sir Chris, the Knight of the Black Lion, and his strange Arab companion seek answers to Hope's questions about Hugo Brun de March, the French knight who claims to carry messages about a thousand lost crusaders throughout Europe.
Hope knows he is in fact the attacker who burned Colchester and who repeatedly tries to capture and kill her. Sir Christ struggles with a mysterious weakness but displays Samson-like strength when the need is greatest. The Arab Sadaquah gives Hope a strange book, the diary of a man whose early selfish ambition leads him to extraordinary adventures and a miraculous conversion. Caught up in the tale of this stranger's sufferings for his faith, Hope is shattered to discover he may be dead. She is forced to forget the diary's tale and to deal with the reality of her living protector and his tireless quest to get her justice and recover her family. When Sir Chris is captured unbelievable revelations of the past rock Hope's whole being. She comes to the inescapable conclusion that an ongoing plot and a great evil far larger than her own troubles seeks to subvert English law and justice.
from Chapter Eleven
"Sir Knight. I hear that thou wilt not say thy name nor thy true business to anyone. "
"It is a vow I have made, that Baron Cloyes must be the first in England to know of these things. "
"Man, thy story might turn my heart completely to thy cause," Lord Godwin said.
"It matters little now, my lord. " Sir Chris coughed several times. "The earl has said I am to be made to confess to the burning of the manor house. To that I cannot confess, and so ... Lady Hope?"
"Yes, Sir Chris?"
"I am sorry I could not help you," he said in a voice I could scarcely hear. "I am sorry, too, that you were not persuaded to know Christ."
Vienta by Mary C. Findley
Hamilton Jessup appears to live a quiet life as a government clerk. Recollections of his days as a soldier in Texas' historic battles against Santa Ana only mar his peace a little. Celebrating a birthday with an old friend and resisting one more effort by Dan Costain to persuade him to read the Bible hardly disturb his ordinary life. But an invitation to a dinner party at the palatial home of celebrity singer Maeve Collinswood changes everything. Ham enters into a sham marriage arrangement and Maeve pays his mysterious debts.
In return she demands that he give her respectability and ignore her frequent disappearances and the inescapable conclusion that she is doing something dangerous and needs help. But Ham has secrets of his own, including the loss of his best friend and the puzzle of Mexico's "endgame scenario " that he must solve or risk the loss of everything he loves. Ham's growing love for Maeve and his discovery that their secrets are connected in incredible ways plunges both of them into a race to outwit Mexican General Ampudio's ruthless Lieutenant Chaco and stop the supply of arms to Mexico's fight against the freedom of Texas.
from Part One, between June, 1844 and March, 1845
"I wanted to lay your concerns to rest, ma'am," Ham drawled. "It was kind of you to call Doctor Evans, and I apologize for being generally impossible to live with. "
Maeve looked at him in astonishment. "Doctor Evans said you were feverish, and you seemed to be in pain. Hamilton, what happened last night?"
"Last night, ma'am?" Ham seemed to be thinking hard. "Would you believe me if I told you Nat Grover drugged our punch and hired someone to try to kill us?"
"What?" Maeve stood up. "How can you stand there and speak such a lot of nonsense? Why do you hate Mr. Grover so much? What has he done to you?"
Ham took a deep breath. "Well then," he said in a low voice,"Since that's how you respond, you got a bit faint and I got a bit thirsty and I sent you home and went out and wet my whistle. "
Maeve appeared to be studying him. "You were drunk, and suffered from a hangover," Maeve summarized finally.
"In essence, that is what must have occurred," Ham replied. "Since Mr. Grover is sacrosanct from my unprovable accusations. "
"Hamilton?" Maeve said suddenly.
"Yes, ma'am?" Ham asked.
"The story you told about Goliad," Maeve said, looking pained,"Was it some sort of alcoholic raving or did you tell a true tale?"
Ham looked away. "A true tale, ma'am," he said. "I could never be intoxicated enough to show so much disrespect to the memory of that event as to fabricate a tale about it. "
"Thank you," Maeve said.
Send a White Rose by Mary C. Findley
Bartholomew Durant has gained a reputation as a problem-solver while serving as a Federal Judge in the New Mexico territory. When an assassin nearly kills him he is forced to confront the possibility of being helpless and in need of help, instead of always helping and serving others. Bartholomew struggles with rebellion toward God and pride that makes him attack and drive away his friends. Leah Masters came to be considered as a possible match for the popular Judge Durant. She made a poor first impression but quickly proved herself to everyone except Robert Markham, Bart's best friend and the territorial marshal seeking to bring the judge's attacker to justice.
Randall Masters, Leah's brother, incurs Robert's wrath and makes himself a prime suspect with incomprehensible threats and rages against the judge, making it more difficult for both of them to win Robert's trust and respect and realize that he just may need their help to protect Judge
Durant. An ongoing conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and the territorial government may be linked to Bartholomew's attack and Padre Diego may not be finished trying to deprive Santa Fe of its best problem-solver.
from Chapter Two
Bartholomew struggled to move,
but his limbs did not seem to belong to him. The sun climbed higher. His injuries throbbed with dull insistence.
"Help!" he groaned. It was faint, barely recognizable as a word.
"What? Another dead man?" The words were Spanish; the voice that of a small child, curious and unafraid.
"Por favor, niño, ayúdame," he said thickly. "Go to the city and bring help. "
"Oh, no, I cannot bring anybody here. They will find the things I took and papa will beat me again. "
"I promise no one will harm you if you bring help. Please, I may die if you don't. "
"You talk an awful lot for a gringo muerto. I have things to do. "
Bartholomew caught sight of a half-wild rose climber in the chapel garden. White roses.
"You -- you know la Señorita Alethia at the Orphanage? I am sure ... she would give you a sweet … if you ... pick the prettiest white rose on that bush over there and take it to her."
"It is a good thing I have my burro, or I would not go. It is a long way. I will be back later, but I will not have any more time to waste on you, dead man. I hope you will be quiet,