Though it was still dark when she opened her eyes, Peggy knew instinctively that the long night was over. Her small body felt warm and safe snuggled deep into the billowy feather mattress her great-grandmother had made many years before. She had the most pleasant half-asleep, half-awake sensation. It was that magical time of morning when you dare not speak--you barely breathe--so as to prolong those few ethereal moments, just before dawn, when the world is warm and hazy and beautiful. Muted sounds began to invade her senses as she pressed her face deeper into the pillow, drinking in the sweet...

Shelly had an unhappy childhood. Her father loved her, but her mother made no secret of the fact that her brother was number one with her. To complicate matters, her father was an alcoholic and didn't have time to devote to Shelly or family activities. Most of the time, she was alone. She had one friend with whom she spent time, but never opened up to; her life was a closed book. Almost immediately after high school graduation, Shelly met and married a man whose greatest desire was to have a son. But even though they had three children, they were all girls, while her brother and his wife had...