The Story
As her abusive husband lay covered with blood at her feet, Marybelle Rockford felt no remorse, only fear. She dared not wait to find out if he was dead. Her life, and that of her unborn child, depended on her escape. A month later, in Whispering Bluff, Colorado, she gave birth and made the decision that this was the place to start her new life…as Mary Smith.
John Aubrey’s four –year-old son, Timmy, hasn’t spoken since the night he witnessed his mother’s fiery death. When their neighbor, Mary Smith rescues the child from another episode of sleepwalking, a tentative friendship begins to grow between Mary and the child and ultimately his father. But both Mary and John have their secrets.
Can this new friendship deepen or will Mary’s violent past return to destroy any hope of happiness.
The Background
Historically in the United States, wives, children and slaves were considered the personal property of the male citizen, thus permitting and supporting their abuse by the man who was head of the household.
Not until the late 1800s did common law and written statues in the US regulate, but not prohibit, the abuse of women and children. It was a man’s own judgment and duty to use physical violence in order to discipline members of his household and family.