The year is 1934. With the country in the stranglehold of
drought and economic depression, Ella Barron runs her Texas
boardinghouse with an efficiency that ensures her life will be kept
in balance. Between chores of cooking and cleaning for her
residents, she cares for her ten-year-old son, Solly, a sweet but
challenging child whose misunderstood behavior finds Ella on the
receiving end of pity, derision and suspicion.

When David Rainwater arrives at the house looking for lodging,
he comes recommended by a trusted friend as "a man of impeccable
character." But Ella senses that admitting Mr. Rainwater will bring
about unsettling changes.

However, times are hard, and in order to make ends meet, Ella's
house must remain one hundred percent occupied. So Mr. Rainwater
moves into her house... and impacts her life in ways Ella could
never have foreseen.

The changes are echoed by the turbulence beyond the house walls.
Friends and neighbors who've thus far maintained a tenuous grip on
their meager livelihoods now face foreclosure and financial ruin.
In an effort to save their families from homelessness and hunger,
farmers and cattlemen are forced to make choices that come with
heartrending consequences.

The climate of desperation creates a fertile atmosphere for
racial tensions and social unrest. Conrad Ellis --- privileged and
spoiled and Ella's nemesis since childhood --- steps into this
arena of teeming hostility to exact his vengeance and demonstrate
the extent of his blind hatred and unlimited cruelty. He and his
gang of hoodlums come to embody the rule of law, and no one in
Gilead, Texas, is safe. Particularly Ella and Solly.

In this hotbed of uncertainty, Ella finds Mr. Rainwater a
calming presence. She is moved by the kindness he shows other
boarders, Solly... and Ella herself. Slowly, she begins to rely on
his soft-spokenness, his restraint and the steely resolve of his
convictions.

And on the hottest, most violent night of the summer, those
principles will be put to the ultimate test.

From acclaimed bestselling author Sandra Brown comes a
powerfully moving novel celebrating the largess and foresight of a
great bygone generation. It tells a story that bears witness to a
bittersweet truth: that love is worth whatever price one must pay
for it.

RAINWATER © Copyright 2011 by Sandra Brown. Reprinted with
permission by Pocket Books. All rights reserved.