Laughing at the Thunder

The last thing Martha Wentworth York needs is more change in her life. She’s already lost her husband to what the politicians are calling “The War to End All Wars.” If that weren’t enough, her brother and sisters have gone to France as part of the war effort. Being alone in her hometown of Canela, Texas is certainly not the life Martha would have chosen, but there’s no point in thinking of what might have been. Happy endings, Martha has learned, are meant for other people. Instead of dreaming about the future, she devotes herself to her hometown, where she becomes an indispensable member of the community, teaching school and serving on every imaginable civic committee. Life settles into a comfortable pattern until the day a handsome stranger drives into town.

Tom Fleming is a man who thrives on change. A renowned photographer, he travels around the world and has no intention of ever settling down. Marriage, a family, and small-town life are not for him. When Tom arrives in Canela on his cross-country search for a woman whose picture will inspire the soldiers abroad, he can’t believe his luck. Martha York is perfect! All Tom needs is a day or two in Canela, and he’ll be ready to head back to New York, his prize-winning photograph in hand.

But life, as Tom has good reason to know, doesn’t always go according to plan, and his two-day stay is extended by Martha’s stubborn refusal to be photographed as well as an attraction neither one of them wants to admit. Soon the rumor mill is predicting a wedding. It’s a preposterous idea. Or is it?