Annie Trimble lives in a solitary world that no one enters or understands. As delicte and beautiful as the tender blossoms of the Oregon spring, she is shunned by a town that misinterprets her afflication. But cruelty cannot destroy the love Annie holds in her heart.
Alex Montgomery is horrified to learn his wild younger brother forced himself on a helpless "idiot girl." Tormented by guilt, Alex agrees to marry her and raise the babe she carries as his own. But he never dreams he will grow to cherish his lovely, mute, misjudged Annie--her childlike innocence, her womanly charms and the wondrous way she views her world. And he becomes determined to break through the wall of silence surrounding her--to heal...and to be healed by Annie's sweet song of love.
Catherine Anderson is one of my favorite authors. I am slowly working my way through her back-list. She writes about subjects that most authors won't attempt, and this is one example. Annie Trimble's parents had kept her hidden away from society, her father had beaten her, her mother had kept her silent for 20 years. Then she was raped by Douglas Montgomery and much to her parent's horror, was left pregnant. Alex Montgomery married her and soon discovered the real Annie. I almost stopped reading this book during the first hundred pages because I was so angry. I guess the special education teacher in me just couldn't handle the mistreatment that her parents showed her. After Alex married her and moved her to his home, I fell in love with the story and couldn't put it down. I woke up and 2:30 a.m. this morning and started reading again!
"Love, true love, is all about giving of yourself, without regard to what you may or may not get in return." --Kate McCabe (A Texas Wedding Vow)
