The meanest woman in Northport

That's what folks called Kitty Anderson. But Kitty didn't care—she couldn't forget how they'd duped her brother and exploited her family's land.

But it was hard to be mean when Joel Carmody was around. He sometimes took her for granted—especially when it came to two-year-old Mary—but his calm good humor always made Kitty feel like a new woman.

Nevertheless, a Carmody was a Carmody and the name meant money and power. Was Joel like all the rest, or could Kitty really trust him?