Secret Refuge

Will the Wounded Soldier She Rescues From Certain Death be Able to Break Down the Walls of Bitterness That Surround Her Heart? Seeking to fulfill the promise she made to her dying father, eighteen-year-old Jesselynn Highwood determines to take her little brother and the family's remaining Thoroughbreds from Twin Oaks plantation in Kentucky to her uncle's farm in Missouri, where they will be safe for the remainder of the Civil War. Jesselynn is also fleeing a cruel man in Confederate uniform who has pledged to take revenge against her for refusing his hand in marriage. No longer safe at Twin Oaks, she embarks on a perilous journey, taking on the momentous responsibility for the lives and welfare of all who go with her. They ride at night and hide during the day, dodging both Confederate and Union troops along the way. Encountering hunger, sickness, and the devastation of war, they finally arrive in Missouri only to discover that the situation there puts them in even greater danger. Discouraged, disillusioned, and facing a severe testing of her faith, Jesselynn will stop at nothing to save her family, the horses, and whatever remains of Twin Oaks.

Unforgettable Courage and Romance From Lauraine Snelling Warming countless hearts and bringing history to life, Lauraine Snelling's Sisters of the Confederacy is an exciting tale of courage, adventure, and romance. After finding her expected safe haven destroyed, Jesselyn Highwood must decide where to turn next. With no place left to go, Jesselyn decides to head west on the Oregon Trail. Here she encounters hardship, danger on the journey--and love. Meanwhile, her sister, Louisa, smuggles desperately needed supplies for the hospital in Richmond where she helps care for wounded soldiers. As both sisters face the ravages of war, one remains strong in her faith while the other struggles to understand a God who allows such atrocities to continue.

Will the War's End Bring the Highwood Family Together Again? When a disastrous decision by the new wagon master forces Jesselynn Highwood and her companions to separate from the wagon train, she races back to Fort Laramie to find a guide to take them to Oregon. But the guide has a far different plan, and following her heart, Jesselyn agrees to join him, her rag-tag band in tow. The ensuing journey is fraught with hardship and danger. Is hope for the future sill a prospect? Back in the East, Louisa Highwood and brother Zachary are captured by Union soldiers for smuggling medical supplies into Richmond. Can Louisa find a way to obtain her brother's freedom before it's too late? Rare courage and dogged determination will be hallmarks of the Highwoods' long way home. Their futures--and that of their beloved Twin Oaks--hang in the balance.