The Snowy Hills of Innocence — Ann Boyle

Lovely Holly Barnet's dreams were shattered when a school fire claimed the life of Ross Fielding, the man she was to marry. Trying to pick up the pieces of her life, Holly decides to seek refuge in the ranch Ross had given her in the Sierra Nevada mountains and turn it into a living memorial to him. With the enthusiastic help of his attractive younger brother, Randy, a ski instructor at the nearby ski resort, Holly secures a position as a teacher in the country school. Two things mar her happiness in the remote hills: For some reason, the back taxes on the ranch have not been paid, and she is forced to take in boarders in order to hold on to the property. One boarder, Elizabeth, who works at the national park's ranger station, is highly congenial, but the other, the stunning Nedra, who manages the clothing shop at the ski resort, is cruel and vicious, wanting the ranch for herself. And Randy always takes Nedra's part. Another problem Holly faces is with Keith Adams, the ski patroller, who, fearful of avalanches, seems determined to keep her from her ranch, which is located in a dangerous canyon. Their frequent meetings are sparked by anger.

Can Holly keep the ranch? It is necessary? Is a permanent , living memorial to Ross possible? Holly must answer these questions as she decides the path her life is to take, and her answer comes only as she and her students are at the brink of death.