Rosalind's Roots

In this third and final book in the Rosalind Matthews trilogy, Rosalind is grown up and attending Grayson College. After her parents died in a car crash outside Phoenix when she was a toddler, authorities searched unsuccessfully for her next of kin. Grace, Rosalind's paternal grandmother, was located, but the tragic deaths of her husband, Sam, her son, Charlie, and his wife, Nellie, happened on the same day, sending her into an unstable mental and emotional state. The baby girl was placed in foster care in Arizona, an experience that stunted her emotional development. At age fourteen she was sent to South Carolina to live with her grandmother who has now recovered. Rosalind had difficulty adjusting to her new home. Her high school history teacher assigned a family history project, for which she was paired with the other new girl in class, Emily Watson. She became exited about finding the complete story of her father and her mother's people. Grace became interested in their project and provided a treasure trove of information on herself and her husband, Sam. As they shared the family stories with each other, the rift between them waned, and Grace and Rosalind grew to love each other deeply. She developed a crush on Emily's brother, Hank. Though it was one-sided, Rosalind still had feelings for him and was heartbroken when he announced that he was getting married. Grace passed away a year after Rosalind's high school graduation, bequeathing her estate to Rosalind. The discovery of Nellie's old trunk in the attic yielded tantalizing clues which sent Rosalind to Adrian, Florida in search of her mother's family. The information she found and the friendships she made might eventually change her life. As Rosalind searched for her mother's "roots," a young Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War, Rusty O'Connor, who was recovering from serious war wounds, assisted her. He was a reporter for the local newspaper, with skills and knowledge of the area's history that became very valuable in her quest. Through Rusty, she became friends with his parents, John and Evelyn, who were also supportive. As her circle of new friends expanded she met Miss Lottie Maude Leonard, a retired librarian, who was busily creating a museum in town and was in a position to provide valuable information to Rosalind. Though still nursing a schoolgirl crush on Emily's brother, Hank, she found herself growing closer to Rusty. With him she experienced new and confusing emotions she had never felt before. Was she falling in love? Her best friend, Emily, had moved to Utah with her family, and while attending the university there, is now engaged and planning a December wedding in Salt Lake City with Rosalind as her maid of honor. Aside from her fears of flying such a great distance, she's apprehensive about seeing Hank and his wife Crystal, who are expecting their first child. When she receives an invitation from Evelyn O'Connor to come down to Florida to join them for Thanksgiving, she eagerly accepts rather than be alone for the holiday. She grows even closer to Rusty, but has an unexpected rival, Charlene Stanford, the beautiful young widow of his childhood friend, Geordie, who died in combat in Vietnam. Her young son's name is Russell, Rusty's namesake. Rosalind is surprised to learn that he has changed his religious affiliation, and wonders if his decision was to please Charlene, or herself. With Rusty's help, she solves the major mystery in her mother's family. Cheered by her success in her research, Rosalind flies to Utah for Emily's wedding. Though she is still questioning her unresolved feelings for Hank, and her religious commitment, she finally realizes what she wants out of life. She feels a strong connection to the town of Adrian and the O'Connor family, and Rusty. But in her heart, she knows that something greater, something lasting, lies ahead. Will she find the forever that s