The Unplowed Sky — Jeanne Williams

An orphaned young woman finds hardship and romance on the Kansas prairie in this “enjoyable” historical novel by the New York Times�"bestselling author (Library Journal).

It is 1924 and nineteen-year-old Hallie Meredith and her five-year-old brother Jackie must fend for themselves in America's struggling heartland. Forced to leave a housekeeping job when her married employer, wealthy landowner Quentin Raford, makes romantic overtures, Hallie becomes the cook for a threshing outfit.
 
As she and Jackie travel from farm to farm across western Kansas, they become valued members of Garth and Rory MacLeod's ragtag crew, which includes a Cherokee, a fugitive bootlegger, and a Mennonite who has been jailed for his stand against fighting. Hallie has finally found the home she desired, but her growing feelings for Garth threaten to set brother against brother at the worst possible moment -- when the dangerous and powerful Quentin is ready to take vengeance for his wounded pride.
 
A moving story of integrity, courage, love, and adventure on the Great Plains, The Unplowed Sky captures the beauty and the resilience of the American spirit that prevails against those who would destroy it and confirms author Jeanne Williams's reputation as “a master novelist” (TheDenver Post).