The Topaz Promise — Ruth Burnett

Katherine Lonsdale knew that living could be unpredictable. But her life had never been as complex as it became when she inherited a house from her late, estranged grandmother in North Carolina. Katherine loved the house and the surrounding countryside at first sight. There was just one little hitch. She could not afford to keep the place. Katherine also grew deeply fond of Jacob Conniston, the North Carolina lawyer who was handling her legacy. there was just one hitch. Blond, glamorous Victoria Page wanted Jacob for herself. When Katherine found an interesting jewel in an old nearby mine, she hoped it might help her keep her house and stay close to Jacob. There was just one fatal hitch. The gemstone disappeared! And that would have ended everything for her--if life weren't so darned unpredictable!