53032

This book is a sequel to "A shelter of Hope", & it's a really good mystery type book. I had no idea who dun it til the end.

The Prologue takes place in Chicago, in Febuary of 1885. Rachel Taylor's mother had said it was inevitable. She didn't have a high opinion of her looks, but Braeden Parker had pledged her his love. She was waiting for him at the Gazebo on Lake Michigan. A year ago her father had been killed in a freight car accident. Her mother had opened a boardinghouse & always seemed to know what was going on, so Rachel didn't doubt her. Rachel heard Braeden's voice but couldn't look at him because he would see that she had been crying. He sensed that something was wrong & began questioning her. Although they weren't formally engaged, he had thought that their hearts were in agreement. She accused him of wanting to take another woman as a mistress! He couldn't believe that she would believe the gossips instead of him. She couldn't believe that her mother would lie to her. She had to get away from him before she changed her mind. Finally he left her go, telling her to listen to the lies that wouldn't warm her on a winter night. The next day she left for Topeka, Kansas to be trained for the Harvey Company restaurants long the Santa Fe Railroad.

The story starts in August, 1891 in Morita, new Mexico territory. Rachel had obtained the position of house manager at the Harvey House restaurant at Casa Grande Resort. She introduced herself to the girls that were to get ready for the Grand opening in three weeks. Most of them were trained in Topeka and had been Harvey girls for at least 6 months. One of the girls, Ivy Brooks, wanted to know who the head waitress would be. Ivy had her position because her aunt had sold Fred Harvey & the Santa Fe Railroad the land to build the resort. When the girls were together, Rachel explained how Mr Harvey wanted the girls to act. They were to be at their stations at 5AM, properly attired, and with NO makeup. Their assignments would be based on how many people occupied the hotel. There were several different responsibilities, but the young women would mostly take care of the needs of the resort visitors. Rachel was the first woman allowed to manage the restaurant of a resort hotel, so this was going to be challenging. The hardest part would be her isolation, but she was sure the dining room would run smoothly. Reginald Worthington, the chef, was arranging his kitchen, but took a break to be introduced to the girls. He was to instruct the girls on the preparation & serving of the food. When she got back to her office, she thought about Braeden, but decided that his memory should remain in the past. ( )