Chapter One

      It was Friday in the second week of September, her grade-one students, restless and energetic, had departed for the weekend and Charlotte Connelly was intently focused on her computer screen. But instead of looking at lesson plans, she studied pictures of people engaged in overseas missionary work. During the community activities on Wednesday night at her church, where Charlotte often assisted with literacy volunteer work, one of the other volunteers had pointed out the opportunity to her and said he thought she would be perfect for it.

      Since then, Charlotte hadn’t been able to focus on anything but the thought of going overseas. There was no doubt she was ready for a change, perhaps even for some adventure. But would she actually dare to do it?

      She had lived in Green Valley, a small community about a forty-minute drive from Regina, Saskatchewan, her entire life. At age twenty-five, she was still single, and she didn’t see that changing anytime soon.

      The volunteers looked happy and fulfilled in a way that she hadn’t felt for a long time. Well, truthfully, not since Anna... But as soon as the thought of her younger sister came into her mind, it was immediately followed by guilt-ridden memories that blamed her for what happened. She knew that her parents counted on her, especially since her mother was unwell these days. Charlotte suspected it was stress, but the headaches and upset stomach were real and debilitating.

      But Charlotte still had the longing in her heart to have a life that brought her true fulfillment...maybe even love. But, despite being a believer and a regular churchgoer, she didn’t feel like she knew what His intentions were for her life. Was this opportunity to do missionary work a nudge toward discovering this?

      A soft clearing of a throat from the classroom doorway startled Charlotte. She quickly regained her composure and turned on her professional smile before seeing who it was. Then her smile wavered for a moment, as something unsettling flowed through her, an odd mix of disturbing and pleasant. A moment later, the sensation was gone and she was left feeling slightly shell-shocked.

      She couldn’t explain why she’d had such a visceral reaction to seeing Paul Belvedere standing in the classroom doorway. He was the uncle and guardian of one of her students, Tyson Francis, and he wasn’t the only parent or guardian to seek her out lately.

      Although, admittedly, she couldn’t recall any other class parents who filled up the doorway with such broad shoulders and whose dark brown eyes were so intense.

      “I hope I’m not interrupting,” Paul said in the deep