What will it take to guard her dearest treasure? Blenwyn Osheen is no stranger to hard work and trouble, but the children's fascination with their father's anxious forebodings is a problem she doesn't know how to solve. And so is the kind surgeon who insists on treating her like an equal instead of a servant. When a particularly disastrous day rocks their world, is there anything Blenwyn can do to protect the family she loves as her own? Can she somehow stop the children's headlong rush into danger? And when a hand is reached out to help her, will she choose to trust her head or her heart? A novelette (approximately 1 hour average read time) ~~~ The Quiet Valor series follows a diverse group of women seeking to live with strength and courage in a torn and broken world. Because its author can't do anything the easy way, she describes its genre as Victorian era kingdom adventure with a dash of sweet romance and just a hint of steampunk.

What will it take to move beyond her mission? Jaelyn Rolfe has grown up with a singular purpose: to end the reign of a brutal dictator and rid the world of her father's terrible legacy. But victory comes with a price, and she soon finds her role in the plot spawning consequences no one anticipated. Caught unexpectedly between her training and her heart, will Jaelyn find the strength to chart a new course? Can a girl so skilled at deception ever truly earn trust? And when a sudden blow threatens her hard-won triumph, will everything she's fought for be lost forever? ~~~ The Quiet Valor series follows a diverse group of women striving to live with strength and courage in a torn and broken world. Because its author can't do anything the easy way, she describes its genre as Victorian era kingdom adventure with a dash of sweet romance and just a hint of steampunk.

What will it take to rid the world of a tyrant? Inger Stein is no stranger to heartbreak and struggle, but when a trio of battered resistance fighters seek refuge at her door, her world is destined to change again forever. Can she convince her town that the sacrifice they ask is worth the hope they offer? Or will resentment and suspicion snuff out the country's chance for freedom? A short story, previously published as part of Hope with Scraps and Sketches, a collection of short short stories tracing the progress of the resistance through the eyes of each of the Quiet Valor heroines