A Scent of Lavender — Margaret Miller

The year is 1879, and mining camps are springing up all over Utah. At the age of 18, Lillian Lewis finds herself alone after the tragic death of her entire family. When she obtains work in a Bullion Canyon boardinghouse in Marysvale, Utah, a ruffian miner relentlessly pursues her. Seeking escape from his unwanted attentions, she travels with an old freighter to the mining town of Frisco, Utah where she hopes to be hired as a teacher. A devout Mormon, Lillian is saddened to learn of the hatred that the Frisco community has for members of her faith, so when she is hired to be Frisco's newest teacher, she vows to keep what is most precious to her a secret. The students she has been hired to teach are incorrigible. Numerous teachers have run screaming from the schoolhouse after only a few days with them, but Lillian doesn't know the meaning of the word "Quit!" Starting from her first day, her creative teaching methods motivate her students to reach within themselves to find the greatness that lies there. There are numerous challenges, but Lillian refuses to give in to discouragement. Lillian's benevolent spirit radiates to those around her, especially the two men who vie for her love. Charles Anderson, the father of her worst nightmare in her classroom, finds his crusty exterior softening and his broken heart mending under her gentle gaze. Captured by Lillian's smile, Sheriff Phillips, who has been hired to clean up Frisco, a town more evil than Tombstone, begins to question his violent nature. Those who are with Lillian in a near-fatal mine cave-in come to realize their weaknesses and the hidden goodness they possess, and Lillian's students rise to the pinnacle of success as they compete with neighboring schools in an exhilarating history contest. In the end, the entire Frisco community undergoes a religious metamorphosis under Lillian's special tutelage. And in the dark of night, a mysterious lady in black walks Frisco's streets, and the gentle scent of lavender swirls through the air. What is their origin, and what secrets do they have to tell?