Winter's End

Carol Award Finalist! This beautiful story was a Carol Award Finalist-- was featured in Women's World magazine-- and sold out in less than three weeks. As Ruthy's first published novel, "Winter's End" (which is actually book three of the North Country series) this heartfelt story of second chances, forgiveness and compassion set the stage for more than seventy other stories. Ruthy is ever grateful to Melissa Endlich of Love Inspired/Harlequin/Harper Collins for the opportunities they offered her! 

Kayla Doherty has plans and dreams. Dreams that have nothing to do with staying in the crisp cold of elongated North Country winters. Plans that have everything to do with warmth and fresh air and sunshine and gardens. Pretty gardens, welcoming the warmth and joys of rebirth, but first she needs to finish out the final months of her North Country hospice nurse contract, and that means dealing with somewhat surly and antagonistic Marc DeHollander. The young rancher is about to lose his father, he's got a fourteen-year-old sister to raise, their mother abandoned the family years ago and he's got cattle to tend, a farm store to oversee and no time to breathe. Of course he's surly...

But Kayla's dealt with difficult people before. She understands that death and hospice can put enormous strain on people. Saying goodbye is never easy and her job is to make it less painful for the patient and the family. But Marc seems determined to put her to the test, a test she's mostly ready for...

If she can bite her tongue.

Kayla brings warmth, wisdom and wit to the farm and as Pete's condition worsens, she's a mainstay in their home and their hearts. What she doesn't expect is to find an unknown connection between her and the DeHollanders... and that Marc sees beyond the pretty smile and cute clothes to the fractured girl within the professional nurse's body.

Two messed up lives and dysfunctional families can't bring happiness...
Or can they?
In a story filled with love, loss, faith, joy and emotion, Herne brings her characters to life in what was her debut novel for Love Inspired Books "Winter's End". She hopes you love it as much as she does.