"A Worthy Pursuit" by Karen Witemeyer

 


Charlotte Atherton teaches at a school for gifted children, but her interest in the youngsters at the boarding school goes beyond merely professional. Many of the children see their parents but rarely, and some of them are orphans. When Charlotte befriends Lily's mother and then is named Lily's guardian when the woman is dying, Charlotte vows to take care of the little girl as if she were her own But when Lily's grandfather threatens to take her away and use her special talents for nefarious purposes, Charlotte goes into hiding to protect Lily—and two boys who would also be without a home as the school is forced to close its doors.

A former bounty hunter, Stone Hammond still "retrieves" every now and then—finding lost folks or investigating suspicious circumstances. When he's hired by Lily's grandfather to retrieve Lily, he's under the impression that Charlotte is a ruthless kidnapper. Though she's covered her tracks well, Stone finds her—and very soon realizes that the situation is much different than he was led to believe. When he verifies that Charlotte does have a legal right to Lily, he becomes her staunchest support in confronting the girl's white collar criminal of a grandfather.

While the threat of losing Lily and the boys weighs heavy on Charlotte's panicked heart, she must learn to trust God and this strong man He's sent into their lives. Everyone who is important to her has eventually left her, and there's no guarantee that Stone won't do the same. Meanwhile Stone begins dreaming of things he's never dared entertain before due to his own background. Things having to do with a home and family.

I loved this story! The characters are well-drawn and relatable. There's danger and intrigue to keep you turning the pages. While the children are well-behaved (as children in books tend to be!), they are also unpredictable and therefore they don't seem unrealistic. I really enjoyed the character journeys and am so glad I found this backlist titles from one of my favorite authors.