STORY: A Stirring Story of Love and Faith and America’s Great Promise
When her mother suffers a stroke, medical student Deirdre O’Leary makes the difficult choice to put her career on hold to care for her. Dr. Matthew Clayborne is renowned for his amazing results with patients, but when Deirdre approaches him about helping her mother, she finds him challenging and surly. Deirdre has had enough of complicated men in her life. After her fiancE left her, she vowed never to give a man that kind of power again.
Widower Dr. Matthew Clayborne is devoted to two things: his work with wounded soldiers and his four-year-old daughter, Phoebe. He won’t abandon either of these priorities to care for one older woman. However, when Phoebe suffers a health scare, they’re offered respite at the Irish Meadows farm, where his daughter’s weakened lungs can recover–but only if he cares for Mrs. O’Leary.
Matthew intends to hate Irish Meadows, yet he immediately feels at home, and soon both Mrs. O’Leary and Phoebe are showing improvement. But since he has no intention of leaving his life up north forever, and Deirdre has sworn off marriage in favor of her career, how will they deal with the undeniable attraction between them?
REVIEW: New York – 1922
Deidre O’Leary has trained and worked as a nurse at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital. Since leaving her position there, she has been studying at Boston University to be a pediatrician, which is her dream. She is shocked when she learns her mother has had a stroke and may be paralyzed. She returns to the family home, Irish Meadows, to care for her mother knowing she may not be able to return to her studies.
Dr. Matthew Clayborne, himself an injured war veteran, does his best to help other injured soldiers to be able to walk and function again. Matthew works at the Toronto Military Hospital. His boss, who is Deidre’s uncle, approaches him and asks him to take over the care of Mrs. O’Leary at the family estate on Long Island. He immediately refuses as he feels his work with soldiers is more important even though the number of his patients is dwindling. In addition, the thought of leaving his daughter, Phoebe, in her fragile state is out of the question. Matthew’s wife, Priscilla, died two years ago of tuberculosis and Phoebe contracted he disease herself. However, she spent time in a sanitarium which seems to have saved her. Unfortunately, Priscilla entered a sanitarium too late to save her.
Deidre’s father convinces her to go to Toronto and persuade Matthew to go to Long Island. If he still refuses, perhaps she can learn his therapy techniques and help her mother herself. Upon meeting Deidre, Matthew again refuses to go to New York and is taken aback at her audacity to think she can learn the therapy techniques herself. But as her uncle is his boss, he feels he has no say so. So, Matthew, his daughter, Phoebe, and her nanny along with Deidre journey to Irish Meadows. Matthew will help Mrs. O’Leary and Phoebe will benefit from the fresh air.
Josephine (Jo) Miller has disguised herself as a boy and has a job working as a hand in the stables at Irish Meadows. She calls herself Joe. As she shows her skills with horses, Connor O’Leary, her boss, is amazed at her ability to calm a horse that they are training. Jo and her brother, Seth, are struggling to work jobs to cover for their alcoholic father. When Connor learns that “Joe” is a girl and discovers her father’s problem, Connor does what he can to help.
We follow the numerous family members and their deep love for one another and the things that happen each day with a large and caring family.
As Matthew and Deidre spend time together working with Mrs. O’Leary, they admire one another but know they will go their separate ways. Or will they?
This is a wonderful story about the extended O’Leary family and their love for one another. I enjoyed it immensely and know other readers will as well.
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
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