Fields of Bounty


 
 
 
 Praise for Lauraine Snelling
 
 “Lauraine Snelling and Kiersti Giron do a wonderful job of bringing this tender story to life. I know my readers will enjoy these stories and look forward to the books yet to come.”
 
 Tracie Peterson, bestselling author of the PICTURES OF THE HEART series, on Fields of Bounty
 
 “In Fields of Bounty, Lauraine Snelling works her storytelling magic and weaves a new story about four spunky sisters on a Nebraska farm. Lilac, the youngest, heads down a romantic trail that had me holding my breath to see if she might have to choose between her art and love.”
 
 Ann H. Gabhart, bestselling author of When the Meadow Blooms, on Fields of Bounty
 
 “Snelling’s thorough research pays off in her vivid evocation of frontier-era Nebraska. . . . The result is a transportive historical worth getting lost in.”
 
 Publishers Weekly on A Time to Bloom
 
 “A wonderful prequel to the RED RIVER OF THE NORTH series with carefully thought-out characters. . . . Snelling brings to life Ingeborg in her twenties and answers many questions for readers.”
 
 RT Book Reviews on An Untamed Heart
 
 “This faith-based novel of a strong woman made even stronger by surviving a tragedy will appeal to a broad audience.”
 
 Booklist on An Untamed Heart
 
 
 
 
 Half Title Page
 
 
 
 
 Books by Lauraine Snelling
 
 LEAH’S GARDEN
 
 The Seeds of Change
 
 A Time to Bloom
 
 Fields of Bounty
 
 A Blessing to Cherish
 
 UNDER NORTHERN SKIES
 
 The Promise of Dawn
 
 A Breath of Hope
 
 A Season of Grace
 
 A Song of Joy
 
 SONG OF BLESSING
 
 To Everything a Season
 
 A Harvest of Hope
 
 Streams of Mercy
 
 From This Day Forward
 
 An Untamed Heart
 
 RED RIVER OF THE NORTH
 
 An Untamed Land
 
 A New Day Rising
 
 A Land to Call Home
 
 The Reapers’ Song
 
 Tender Mercies
 
 Blessing in Disguise
 
 RETURN TO RED RIVER
 
 A Dream to Follow
 
 Believing the Dream
 
 More Than a Dream
 
 DAUGHTERS OF BLESSING
 
 A Promise for Ellie
 
 Sophie’s Dilemma
 
 A Touch of Grace
 
 Rebecca’s Reward
 
 HOME TO BLESSING
 
 A Measure of Mercy
 
 No Distance Too Far
 
 A Heart for Home
 
 WILD WEST WIND
 
 Valley of Dreams
 
 Whispers in the Wind
 
 A Place to Belong
 
 DAKOTAH TREASURES
 
 Ruby • Pearl
 
 Opal • Amethyst
 
 SECRET REFUGE
 
 Daughter of Twin Oaks
 
 Sisters of the Confederacy
 
 The Long Way Home
 
 
 
 
 Title Page
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Copyright Page
 
 © 2023 by Lauraine Snelling
 
 Published by Bethany House Publishers
 
 Minneapolis, Minnesota
 
 www.bethanyhouse.com
 
 Bethany House Publishers is a division of
 
 Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
 
 www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
 
 Ebook edition created 2023
 
 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
 
 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
 
 ISBN 978-1-4934-4056-6
 
 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
 
 Cover design by Dan Thornberg, Design Source Creative Services
 
 Author is represented by Books & Such Literary Agency.
 
 Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
 
 
 
 
 Dedication
 
 
 
 Wendy is one of the most creative people I know, in so many ways.
 
 Her marvelous business sense is put to good use as an agent,
 
 where she blesses us all through her skills and encouragement. Wendy also brought Kiersti and me together as a writing team.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Epigraph
 
 Lilacs
 
 Lilacs have been beloved throughout history and even appear in Greek mythology. As one of the earlier blooming flowers in spring, they symbolize hope and renewal and are often associated with Easter.
 
 Lilacs also signify confidence, with other meanings depending on their color: violet represents spirituality, white stands for purity and innocence, and the traditional “lilac” color symbolizes a first love.
 
 
 1
 
 SALTON, NEBRASKA LATE JULY 1867
 
 That was certainly lovely,” Rev. Ethan Pritchard said.
 
 The four Nielsen sisters paused on the church steps, their instrument cases in hand. “Thank you, Reverend Pritchard.” They spoke as one, then looked at each other and laughed.
 
 “You all harmonize so beautifully.” He shook hands with each of them. Lilac thought he held her hand a bit longer than the others. “I’m happy you will be playing for our statehood celebration. You know, I’ve organized the children into a little ensemble to play for the celebration as well. We can always use more music, don’t you think?”
 
 “That’s very ambitious.” Lilac Nielsen, the youngest of the sisters, managed to keep from blurting out what she really thought. He had never led the schoolchildren for anything. How was he going to manage this? She glanced at her second-eldest sister, Del, who had taught school until she married RJ Easton. Del’s eyebrows raised, and a slight shrug gave her opinion.
 
 The sisters moved on as the reverend turned to talk with another of his parishioners. Lilac and Lark set their instruments in the buggy RJ had purchased not long after he and Del married last spring. Today, he was riding Captain, his stallion and friend since their war years. He had said Captain wasn’t