Jenny Carlisle

Instead of relaxing during the summer after her first year of college, Kayla Caldwell is attending a memorial service after a plane crash changed her from only child to orphan. Will she ever feel safe, grounded again?Cody Billings knows what it's like to wake up in a totally foreign world. When his last bull ride left him partially paralyzed, nothing about his teenage life could be the same. Following months of physical therapy and modifications, the loss when he resigned himself to never walking again is still fresh in his mind.With only the rodeo in common, Kayla and Cody had known each other only as neighbors until now. Grief and loss have matured them more quickly than their friends, but they face the same doubts as they reach the crossroads on the way to their unknown future. Kayla's responsibilities as the young owner of a ranch are multiplying faster than the cattle. Cody is determined to prove to himself and his parents that he can be independent.Can the two support and encourage each other even as their dreams are being modified daily?

In Christian homes, one simple reminder of the real reason for the Christmas season has endured―a nativity set depicting the humble birth of our Savior. Varying in size and material, these little tableaus often become a treasured part of a family's celebration to be passed down through generations.In the 1840s, an immigrant family experiences a catastrophe in a violent storm. They escape the riverboat with their lives, but all of their possessions, including their treasured nativity are dumped into the Arkansas River. In the town of Van Buren, Arkansas, a young woman enlists a local blacksmith to help return the treasured symbol of hope to its owners as they continue to their destination of St. Louis, Missouri.By the time the Civil War causes a massive identity crisis for our country, the nativity scene arrives in Mexico, Missouri, a little worse for wear. There, a soldier recovering from injuries sustained in the War, takes on the project of refreshing and restoring the set as a gift to his lady love.Finally, in a new millennium, the nativity set has completed a full circle. This time, it turns up in the attic of an old church in the Arkansas River Valley, where a college student and her new friend work to restore the spirit of a forgotten little town. After more than a century, the symbol of the first and most holy family becomes the focus once again.God's perfect plan for mankind was fulfilled by the birth of his son in a stable in Bethlehem. A simple representation of this event reaches the hearts of each of its owners, spanning generations. God's love never fails.

John Kennedy (John K.) Billings has spent his whole life living up to his hero inspired name. Now, back from a traumatic incident in the military, he finds himself running from the fact that he is only human, with real-life struggles to overcome.Faith Caldwell feels free to pursue her own dreams now that her family's regularly scheduled rodeo has ended. After helping care for her cancer-stricken mother she is determined to bring big city medical expertise to small-town Arkansas. While trying to prove she can fulfill her dream on her own, a new admirer seems determined to pull her down.Both enjoy the idea of seeing more of the world, but find their hearts are still tied to the mountains of Arkansas, and the people who live there.Can these lifelong neighbors help each other face their weaknesses while following God's plan for their lives?