The Secret Cove

About the Book

Ruth Solomon learned at a young age that the decisions a person makes can affect generations to come, and at 96 she is still doing all she can to make a positive imprint. Although she has no offspring of her own, hundreds of people call her Mom, Grandma, Aunt Ruth, or just their best friend in the whole world. Writer Kinzey White has already written a novel about Aunt Ruth’s younger days when she uncovers the Family Secrets, and now she is writing a sequel about one of the young women Ruth helped over the years, her niece, Rachel Solomon (all names and locations changed, of course, to protect the innocent . . . or guilty, as the case may be). Kinzey calls the book: The Secret Cove. At a young age, Rachel agrees to marry to her father’s adopted son when she turns eighteen in order to insure the continuation of the Solomon name and lineage. As the time draws near, Rachel dreads the day she must give herself the loathsome older man. The new teacher in her senior math class befriends her, and before the year is out, they realize they love each other. David Christianson convinces Rachel that marrying him is the only way for her to escape her father’s demands. The plan to elope the Monday after graduation, but he surprises her the last day of school by taking her to the judge’s chambers for an early ceremony before going to the senior class party at his parent’s summer house on Cape Cod. Convinced that she must go home until after the graduation ceremony, Rachel is soon separated from her husband by her father. Abe Solomon maneuvers David out the front door with lies and empty promises, and then turns on his daughter in a rage. In the heat of the confrontation, Abe’s weak heart gives out, and Rachel and her Aunt Hazel must rush him to the hospital. After lingering for two days, with his last breath, Abe makes one final plea for Rachel to marry Harry. “Don’t let Saul get my m-o-n-e-e-e-y.” Circumstances seem bent on keeping the newlyweds apart. No matter how hard they try to reach each other, every attempt is thwarted. Harry, her former fiancé, and Hazel, Abe’s old-maid sister, conspire to break up the marriage, and again, circumstances move in their favor. After the funeral, the unthinkable happens, and they are able to convince Rachel that David has jilted her and married the socialite his parents had wanted him to marry. They arrange for a quiet annulment, a mere formality, they say, so that she can marry Harry. She agrees, but only on her terms, making Harry sign papers of intent insuring a no-contest annulment at the end of three years when the terms of the will are reach. Dejected and disillusioned, David returns to grad school to complete his MA/PhD program and becomes the principal of a private school in Fox Grove Illinois, near his old alma mater. Angry and embittered, David Christianson turns his back on God. Dejected and disillusioned, Rachel makes plans to visit her Uncle Saul and Aunt Ruth in Yorkville, Illinois immediately following the ceremony. While she is there, she discovers she is carrying David’s child. Angry and embittered, she turns to God. David Ben-Solomon Christianson grows in his mother’s new–found faith, with the help of Saul and Ruth Solomon. Five years pass, with only five miles separating the child’s parents. Suddenly, David and Rachel meet again, a direct answer to the prayer of faith uttered by their son, “Please send my daddy home tomorrow.” And the story begins.

About the Author

Elisabeth, known by her family and friends as Betty Anne, is the mother of five, grandmother of fourteen, a retired graphic artist who now cares for her twin granddaughters. In her spare time she writes novels and music, designs custom homes, and renders ink drawings. She lives in southwestern Illinois, near St. Louis, with her husband, Harold. She began writing Christian fiction more than 20 years ago. It was after her older daughter, already an avid reader in her teens, was given a bag of questionable romance novels. Concerned, she weeded out the worst, but wished there were better novels available that would not only intrigue such eager readers but inspire them. As she prayed about the problem, God gave her one solution: Write the kinds of books you want them to read. With that came one story idea after another, two of which are available now through Xlibris.