George McMannus traveled night and day from his wilderness cabin when the tragic news arrived that his daughter and son-in-law had died in a river accident. His only granddaughter, Kendra Marty, not yet four years old, had been left behind. McMannus was her only family, but what could a trapper, living alone in the backwoods, do to care for Kendra?
She was such a tiny thing--so small to have lost so much. He should have known from the first time he looked into those large green eyes that the two of them belonged together. The one small child, firmly clutching a worn rag doll, was his, and he was hers.
Papa Mac, as Kendra came to call him, knew her place was with him. But what kind of home, what kind of training, could he provide in a wilderness of mountains and trees and rivers that no one had even named? Although he did not have answers, he felt he must at least try.
Will Kendra ever be ready to face the scary and confusing world far from the wilderness she loves?
(born 18 February 1935) is a Canadian author and pioneer of inspirational fiction. Her books are often set in a pioneer time period and centered around female protagonists. She is a committed Evangelical Christian.
Janette Steeves was born in the Depression years in Champion, Alberta, to a Canadian prairie farmer and his wife, Fred and Amy Steeves.
She graduated from Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta. Janette met her husband Edward Oke (pronounced "oak") while they both attended college. They were married in 1957 and have pastored churches in Indiana, and Calgary and Edmonton, Canada. He later became the president of the college. Janette and Edward had 4 children, including a set of twins. Her daughter, Laurel Oke Logan, has co-written books with Janette.
Her first novel, titled Love Comes Softly, was published by Bethany House in 1979. This book was followed by more than 75 others.
She received the 1992 President's Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for her significant contribution to Christian fiction, the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award and has been awarded the Gold Medallion Award for fiction.