sally ann malec

In 1972, when Rissa’s grandmother dies, and she and her two sisters and brother have to move to Boston, to live with their Aunt Clara, it seems like their world is coming to an end. Then their aunt takes them to live in the country, in an old, rambling Victorian house, the Minnow Creek Inn, where no one has lived for years. This is a house unlike any the children have seen before, where the bathtubs have feet, there is a real back staircase, and outside, they find an overgrown garden with statues of Greek gods and goddesses hidden among ancient rose bushes. Then, just as life seems full of exciting possibilities, their Aunt Clara falls in love, and it looks like things will change all over again. For her part, moving back to the old family homestead, her childhood home, is the last thing that Clara wants to do. A 29-year-old high school English Teacher, she is still grieving from the tragedies in her past, when she inherits four children. It does not take her long to realize, however, that she will do whatever she can to make her new family stronger, so, determined to be a good Guardian, Clara brings them home to the Minnow Creek Inn and starts renovating her almost century-old house, as she turns to inn-keeping to help earn a living. When love arrives, in the form of a handsome, young college professor, Clara must learn to overcome the heartache in her past, in order to find the courage to love again, in the process, forging a new relationship with God and herself. And when a secret from her past threatens her new-found happiness, all her efforts are put to the test. Anyone who has ever loved a Victorian house, or wished for their own country inn, will enjoy visiting the Minnow Creek Inn, where Clara discovers that it is never too late to make dreams come true.