Girl of the Ozarks — Cleo M. Stephens

Pat Reynolds, sitting on an outcrop of high rock on a hill overlooking the valley, gazed in wonder at the overpowering beauty of the scene spread out below her. It was the embodiment of security.

Pat's life in the past few months had been anything but serene. First she had lost her job as a nurse in a large city hospital on an unfair charge of neglecting and consequently losing a patient. With her job had also gone the man she loved, an ambitious resident doctor who would not risk his reputation by marrying her. Then her mother passed away. And it was quite by chance that in going over her mother's effects, Pat found that she had been left a piece of real estate in the Ozark Mountains, where she was now living as a true country girl.

But the peace and charm of the mountain country soon gave way to "civilized" problems--for Pat and for the entire country. Racketeers, intent upon profiteering off valuable mineral rights, began to pressure the townsfolk of Ellinger into selling their property, and Pat was included in the ensuing fray. Moreover, two men canoeing over the white waters happened upon Pat's isolated setting and decided to stay, captured by her slender loveliness.

And she who had promised herself no romantic involvements discovered that her emotions were caught in a whirl of confusion between Dane Martin, the handsome psychiatrist seeking tranquility, and Ray Benton, the rugged photojournalist who love nature.