Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
They tell Jip he tumbled off the back of a wagon when he was small, and no one ever came back for him. He never had a reason to question this tale-but then a stranger shows up and begins asking about him around town. Who is this man, and could he possibly know something about Jip's past?
George, Christy's younger brother, is charming and kind. But is he also a thief? Everyone is delighted when George visits Christy at the Cutter Gap Mission. But the delight ends when George reveals what he has been expelled from school for stealing. Can Christy summon the love and faith to help her brother do the right thing?
The whip cracked and the stallion reared up in pain. Christy cried in horror, 'I've got to find a way to get Prince away from here!' Prince, the mission's stallion, has a cruel new owner. Christy and her students are heartsick. They desperately want to help Prince. But how? Is there a way their magnificent horse can be reclaimed?
As Christy's students are preparing for a school play, she reveals her dream to act on stage. Little does she know that Dr. MacNeill's aunt is the artistic director of the Knoxville Theater. Before long, just as Christy is about to debut on stage, several mysterious incidents threaten both her dreams and her pride.
When Christy travels alone to a nearby mountain, she vows to discover the truth behind the terrifying legend of a strange mountain creature. But what she finds seems worse than anything she could ever have imagined!
Christy waltzed with Doctor MacNeill in an enchanted moment. Suddenly the sharp sound of gunshots shattered the pleasant calm. Bob Allen and many of the residents of Cutter Gap are upset because a black family has moved into the Cove. When a hostile shooting and a series of threatening incidents befalls the Washingtons, Christy steps in to help. But it's a clue in the Washington's family Bible that may hold the real key to peace and acceptance.
Christy Huddleston thought her biggest problem was going to be choosing between the charming country doctor, Neil MacNeill, and the handsome minister, David Grantland. But Christy has more serious matters to deal with when her student Ruby Mae Morrison and the mission's runaway black stallion vanish in a furious storm. As Christy desperately searches for Ruby Mae in the cold, blinding rain, she runs headlong into three angry moonshiners bent on revenge against anyone who might try to stop their illegal activities. Can Christy survive this most terrifying test of her faith and courage?
Christy screamed as the train broke from the track and plunged down the side of the mountain. When Christy is offered a chance to teach in her hometown, she faces a difficult decision. Will her train ride back to Cutter Gap be a journey home, or a last farewell? In a moment of terror and danger, Christy must decide where her future lies.
When Ruby Mae, Bessie, and Clara discover gold in Dead Man's Creek, they form an exclusive group, 'The Princess Club.' Christy watches in dismay as Cutter Gap is torn apart by greed and envy. Can she find a way to heal the bitter divisions caused by a handful of gold?
'Marry me, Christy,' David whispered. Christy should be thrilled when David, the handsome minister, proposes marriage. So why do thoughts of Doctor Neil MacNeill keep popping into her head? Before she can answer David, Christy is blinded in a terrible riding accident, and all her dreams are threatened.
Strange things are happening in Cutter Gap and everybody is convinced that Christy is cursed. After all, who can explain Bob Allens' mysterious accident on his way to bring Christy to Cutter Gap? Or the lightning strike that sent a tree through the school window? Will fear and superstition triumph? Will Christy be driven out of Cutter Gap forever? Or will Christy overcome and win the hearts of the mountain people?
Headstrong and independent, Christy is determined to change the lives of the children in Cutter Gap. Yet it seems that anything new and strange poses a threat to the mountain people, who are proud of their way of life. Evidently, Christy has angered someone enough to cause a string of mysterious pranks. The handsome minister fears that the pranks will turn dangerous. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize how right his fears are.
