In 1950, Paul Milliron, Montana State Superintendent of Public Instruction, returns to his hometown of Marias Coulee to close its one-room schoolhouse. He is heartbroken, knowing that this is the end of an era. As he spends time here, he relives the year he turned 13. His mother has died, and his father is overwhelmed with trying to be both father and mother as he homesteads the land. He sees an ad in a newspaper for a housekeeper that reads 'Can't Cook, but Doesn't Bite'. Thus whistling,beautiful Rose Llewellyn comes into their life.Unexpectedly, along with Rose comes her brother Morris Morgan, who becomes the town schoolmaster when the schoolteacher leaves to marry a traveling evangelist. He is eccentric and outrageous, and becomes a defining influence on young Paul. Rose and Morris have a secret, though, and Paul is determined to uncover it.
This is a nostalgic, poignant book about rich characters, with a setting that becomes part of the story.
356 pages
