A Flood of Love (A Harvey House Brides Novella)

By Tracie Peterson

1929 San Marcial, New Mexico
After traveling the West for the past ten years, working as a Harvey House girl, Gretchen Gottsacker learns her next assignment puts her back in the town of her childhood. She quickly forms a friendship with a precocious girl named Katiann, until one of their visits leads her face to face with Katiann's father--the man who abandoned Gretchen on the eve of what she was sure would be a marriage proposal. Now a widower, Dirk Martinez is intent on gaining her trust and forgiveness. Can she risk getting swept up in their strong attraction once again, or will the danger of an impending flood decide her future for her?

A Flood of Love is a tender novella from historical romance author, Tracie Peterson.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781493417117

Tracie Peterson

Tracie Peterson (TraciePeterson.com) is the bestselling author of more than one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary, with nearly six million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.

Book preview

Books by Tracie Peterson

WILLAMETTE BRIDES

Secrets of My Heart

THE TREASURES OF NOME*

Forever Hidden

BROOKSTONE BRIDES

When You Are Near

Wherever You Go

What Comes My Way

GOLDEN GATE SECRETS

In Places Hidden

In Dreams Forgotten

In Times Gone By

HEART OF THE FRONTIER

Treasured Grace

Beloved Hope

Cherished Mercy

THE HEART OF ALASKA*

In the Shadow of Denali

Out of the Ashes

Under the Midnight Sun

SAPPHIRE BRIDES

A Treasure Concealed

A Beauty Refined

A Love Transformed

BRIDES OF SEATTLE

Steadfast Heart

Refining Fire

Love Everlasting

LONE STAR BRIDES

A Sensible Arrangement

A Moment in Time

A Matter of Heart

LAND OF SHINING WATER

The Icecutter’s Daughter

The Quarryman’s Bride

The Miner’s Lady

LAND OF THE LONE STAR

Chasing the Sun

Touching the Sky

Taming the Wind

All Things Hidden*

Beyond the Silence*

House of Secrets

Serving Up Love**

*with Kimberley Woodhouse

**with Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, and Jen Turano

For a complete list of Tracie’s books, visit her website www.traciepeterson.com

© 2019 by Peterson Ink, Inc.

Published by Bethany House Publishers

11400 Hampshire Avenue South

Bloomington, Minnesota 55438

www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of

Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

Ebook edition created 2019

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data for Serving Up Love is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4934-1711-7

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota/Jon Godfredson

Contents

Cover

Books by Tracie Peterson

Title Page

Copyright Page

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Note to Readers

About the Author

Back Ads

Chapter One

AUGUST 1929

Gretchen Gottsacker stepped from the train and looked around at the tiny town of San Marcial, New Mexico—pronounced Mar-see-al by those of Spanish descent and Mar-shall by the white settlers. Despite being named for a French saint, the town hugged the Rio Grande in the midst of arid sands and tamarisk brush. It was some of the most desolate land America had to offer, but amazingly there were small farms and a bustling economy here. The latter came courtesy of the Santa Fe Railway, which had built shops where extensive repair work could be done on just about any engine. There was also a roundhouse to turn the engines and, of course, the Harvey House—Gretchen’s destination.

At twenty-eight, she had worked for the Fred Harvey Company for ten years. It had never been a goal or ambition of hers to work as a waitress, serving alongside the Santa Fe. However, it gave her ample money to support herself, and promotions had lifted her to a status above that of a mere waitress. For a single woman, the money was too good to give up, even if the lifestyle was taxing at times.

She walked the short distance from the train station to the two-story Harvey House along with the other passengers hoping to be served one of Fred Harvey’s famous lunches. Since she wasn’t expected until the evening train, Gretchen decided to eat before she made her presence known to the house manager.

Like all Harvey Houses, the tables were set impeccably with china, linen, and silver in the dining room, while the lunch counter offered simpler fare. In the dining room a man had to wear a jacket, but at the counter a fella—or lady—could take their meal as they were.

Although Gretchen’s original destination had been the counter, a group of ladies from the train invited her to join their table. We gals need to stick together, one overly painted matron declared. Gretchen nodded and claimed the chair beside her.

As the waitresses took their orders, coffee cups were arranged in a variety of poses to signal what beverages had been selected. It was yet another detail of the intricate system Fred Harvey had designed to keep passengers on the Santa Fe dining in style.

Gretchen asked for iced tea and placed her order for a ham sandwich before leaning back to observe the handling of the dining room. The Harvey Girls were good at their jobs. Their intense training saw to that, but often they got lazy if not firmly supervised. The girls at San Marcial apparently were proud of what they did and continued to uphold the high standards.

Gretchen had finished her sandwich and started on a piece of pie when the train’s first warning gong sounded. Several passengers looked panicked until their waitress assured them they would not be left behind. By the time the second gong rang, many of the passengers had already headed back to the train. As the dining room emptied out, a couple of boys came in to start clearing the tables.

Gretchen left her huge slice of pie only half eaten and motioned one of the girls to her table. Would you mind calling the manager for me?

The redhead paled. Is there a problem, miss?

Gretchen smiled and shook her head. No. I’m here to fill in for your house mother.

The girl’s mouth dropped open, but she quickly regained her composure. "Oh,

Reviews for A Flood of Love (A Harvey House Brides Novella)

[Ann Bush · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good quick read that's even better because it's based on a true event