The Golden Thread — Amanda Harte

If there's one thing Eleanor Menger knows it's that she will never marry the man her uncle has chosen for her. Even though it means giving up her comfortable life in New York City, somehow she'll find a way to support herself until she's free from her uncle's guardianship. An advertisement for workers at the textile mill in Hidden Falls seems like the answer to Eleanor's dilemma. No matter how difficult it is to handle a loom, she'll be safe there, for no one would expect an heiress to be a common laborer. All she needs to do is make sure no one--especially not Brad Harrod--learns her true identity. Brad Harrod is bored with his life. Though at some point he'll inherit the family's railroad, his father is unwilling to give up any control. Add to that the fact that the woman Brad's loved all his life refused him and you have one unhappy man. To make matters worse, the woman who looks so out of place in the second-class train car refuses to talk to him. How humiliating! Eleanor's rebuff stings his pride, as does the fact that she considers the newspaper she's reading more interesting than him. What's the appeal in that piece of newsprint! To Brad's astonishment, the brief encounter is the inspiration he needs. Though it means defying his parents, he decides to found Hidden Falls' first newspaper. And somehow, though she continues to elude him, he'll find a way to thank Eleanor. What starts as friendship turns to something deeper. Unfortunately, Eleanor's uncle has plans of his own, plans that threaten everything Eleanor and Brad hold dear.