In 1898 Texas Bonnie Kahler, a young widow, struggles to raise her three children and run her ranch alone. Her thirteen-year-old son, Zack, has become rebellious, rude, and troublesome. A new preacher, Travis Whitworth, comes to town to replace the retiring pastor, Bonnie’s stepfather. His initial meeting with Bonnie is not pleasant.

When Bonnie’s neighbors, Lester and Sylvia Hillman, pay a condolence call, she tells them that she has been unable to sleep. Lester returns alone regularly with a bottle of wine. Bonnie soon becomes dependent on his alcoholic gifts, but she realizes in time and refuses the wine and Lester’s unwanted attentions.

Lester and Sylvia oversee a home for former prostitutes and Lester, a wealthy banker, is well known for being a “pillar of the community” who gives large donations to the church and local charities. Bonnie and the new preacher soon become aware that Mr. Hillman is not what he pretends to be.

Preacher Whitworth has a past of his own to live down, but Bonnie reaches his heart and allows him to open his heart to her. Mills instills life and emotion in her characters. These characters are not “cardboard,” but true-to-life people with faults and failings – and faith.  LIGHTNING AND LACE is the third novel in the author’s “Texas Legacy” series.

June 25, 2007