The Moon Goddess — Ethel M. Comins

Her uncle's farm in Upstate New York was a vastly different world from Selene Tatum's home on Sanibel Island, Florida, and it was not a particularly pleasant one for the pretty black-haired girl. But the hard farm labor and her uncle's abrasive criticisms were the prices. Selene willingly paid for a year at a community college and the beginnings of a savings account for a trip to Italy, where she hoped to gather inspiration for her writing.

Selene had always wanted to write, but since her parents could not afford either college expenses or a trip to Italy, they had agreed to Uncle JP Crane's proposal. Selene had promised to work on the Crane farm for one year, but when ailing Aunt Till Crane entrusted her with a locked strongbox and urged her to stay a few months longer, she reluctantly agreed.

A stronger incentive than Aunt Till's insistence was Selene's budding friendship with Uncle JP's neighbor, dark-haired Ed Kardos. Ed came from Long Island and rode a high-spirited horse, but to Selene's amazement her could also quote lines from her favorite poems.

However, there were rumors that Ed had been involved in a scandal while he was a member of the Olympic equestrian team. Though deeply troubled, Selene resolved to remain loyal to the man who was able to elicit from her the same deep responses that her beloved poetry evoked.