Unwed and pregnant Paige, the daughter of a prominent doctor, applies for a job as a cook at a lumberyard full of the roughest and crudest of men. The manager, Butler Cross, thought he was hiring a widow, not some young woman who hadn’t done a lick of work in her life. Paige is too stubborn to let her lack of knowledge for cooking or experience in life leave her homeless and having to go back home and face her issues. The men at the yard test Paige in ways she could never imagine, from the youngest, Danny, to the man in charge, Butler, who turns her insides out and who is just as adamant about her leaving as she is to stay.

In a romance set in a decade where the land was a tough master, Belonging is a tale of how life can be rough even when you’re an innocent. The story is full of interesting characters who in their own special way insinuate themselves into your heart and soul. From little orphan Danny, who is a special little boy despite his early beginnings to Billy, a kind hearted soul who took Paige underneath his wing from first sight. Even Butler, as ornery as he is when you first meet him, is reliable through and through, I even gave him extra points for showing so much patience with Paige, who seemed clueless in the face of the obvious feelings he had. Readers who enjoy historicals full of romance and happy endings will find Nancy Henderson’s story is just what the doctor ordered.