Synopses & Reviews
October 1918: En route from New York to Seattle, Jessica Layton stops for a visit in her hometown of Powell Springs, Oregon, and comes face-to-face with Cole Braddock, her first and only love. Now, years later, Jessica is a highly accomplished clinical physician preparing for an exciting new job in Washington, and Cole is a successful horse breeder who is courting her sister Amy. Both are convinced they have moved beyond their youthful passion and the heartbreak it produced; nonetheless, they are grateful that Jessica's brief visit will leave little opportunity to rehash old wounds. But before Dr. Layton can leave town, Powell Springs is hit hard by the influenza epidemic ravaging the country. With no other doctors available, Jessica must remain in Oregon and tend to her friends and former neighbors. Her work brings her in constant contact with Cole, and with each passing day he finds it harder to convince himself that sweet-tempered Amy can fill his heart as Jessica once did. Set against the backdrop of World War I and the epidemic of 1918, Home by Morning is a compelling story of betrayal, heartbreak, and redemption.
Synopsis
Jessica Layton left her Oregon hometown -- and her longtime love -- for medical school with one thing on her mind: saving lives. Her frontier dreams were filled with more than rural domestic life, even if that life was with the man she was supposed to marry... Now, years later, Cole Braddock is not pleased to see Dr. Jessica Layton back in Powell Springs. He's never forgiven her for choosing her career over him. With his brother fighting in the trenches in France, Cole's busy running the family horse farm and supplying mounts to the Allied forces. He assumes he won't have to see much of his childhood love...but the pull between them only grows stronger. To escape the heartache of seeing Cole again, Jessica vows to keep her visit home as brief as possible. But the influenza epidemic that's been ravaging the world hits Powell Springs hard. With no other doctor available, Jessica stays to treat the victims -- and tries to ignore the emotions that surge each time Cole crosses her path. Cole knows that Jess can save their town, but will he let her heal his heart?