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by Chic Scaparo (Author)
At the close of the 1800s, under the sweltering Arkansas sun, twelve-year-old Misty Rivers clings to the land her father built. With her parents gone and the farm's soil turning brittle, she shoulders more than her years should bear. Determined to preserve her family's legacy, she takes on the daunting task of managing the farm alone-facing the unforgiving elements, encounters with strangers, and even the occasional threat of a rabid panther. Armed with a shotgun, quick wit, and her loyal hound Roscoe, Misty sets out to protect the only home she's ever known.
When her estranged Aunt Ginny arrives, the two form a fierce-if unconventional-team. Together, they work the land, rebuild a home, and forge a connection shaped by hardship, humor, and hard-earned trust. Their quiet world is shaken when Gamba-a towering Black man, born free but forced into bondage-escapes a brutal life of exploitation and underground fighting. Guided by the strength of his ancestors and the whispered wisdom of his mother, he carries not only the weight of survival but the quiet dignity of a man who remembers where he comes from. On the Rivers farm, he finds more than shelter-he finds kinship, laughter, and a fragile but persistent sense of belonging.
Together, these unlikely companions forge bonds that challenge the boundaries of family and friendship. As danger closes in and secrets stir from the dust, they discover that survival isn't just about enduring hardship-it's about believing in something greater: a future where love, hope, and resilience grow deeper than fear.
Misty Rivers is a tender, sweeping tale of loss and renewal, of finding light in unexpected places, and of the quiet courage it takes to protect land, legacy, and love-especially when the world would see them vanish.
