Love Without End

Acclaim for Robin Lee Hatcher

“In Love Without End, Robin Lee Hatcher once again takes us to Kings Meadow, Idaho in a sweeping love story that captures the heart and soul of romance between two people who have every reason not to fall in love. With an interesting back story interspersed among the contemporary chapters, and well-drawn, relatable secondary characters, Hatcher hits the mark with her warm and inviting love story.”

— Martha Rogers, author of the series,
Winds Across the Prairie
and
The Journey Homeward

“
Love Without End
, the first book in the new Kings Meadow Romance series, again intertwines two beautiful and heartfelt romances. One in the past and one in the future together make this a special read. I’m so glad Robin wrote a love story for Chet who suffered so much in
A Promise Kept
(January 2014). Kimberly, so wrong for him, becomes so right. Not your run of the mill cowboy romance—enriched with the deft writing and deep emotion.”

— Lyn Cote, author of
Honor
, first in the Quaker Bride series

“No one writes about the joys and challenges of family life better than Robin Lee Hatcher and she’s at the top of her game with
Love Without End.
This beautiful and deeply moving story will capture your heart as it captured mine.”

— Margaret Brownley-
NY Times
bestselling author

“
Love Without End
, Book One in Robin Lee Hatcher’s new Kings Meadow series, is a delight from start to finish. The author’s skill at depicting the love and challenges of family has never been more evident as she deftly combines two love stories—past and present—to capture readers’ hearts and lift their spirits.”

— Marta Perry, author of
The Forgiven
, Keepers of the Promise, Book One

“I always expect excellence when I open a Robin Lee Hatcher novel. She never disappoints. The story here reminds me of a circle without end as Robin takes us through a modern day romance while looping one character through a WWII tale of love and loss and the resurrection of hope and purpose.
Love Without End
touched my heart and guided me to some wonderful truths of how God’s love is a gift and a treasure.”

— Donita K. Paul, bestselling author

“Some stories sweetly grab me from the first pages.
Love Without End
by Robin Lee Hatcher did just that. A slow dance of overcoming loss, daring to breath, and opening to love, the characters welcomed me to their world, and I didn’t want to leave. A welcome escape into a world where healing happens through the lens of time and history. I highly recommend it!”

— Cara Putman, award-winning author of
Shadowed by Grace
and
Where Treetops Glisten

“A beautiful, heart-touching story of God’s amazing grace, and how He can restore and make new that which was lost.”

— Francine Rivers,
New York Times
bestselling author, regarding
A Promise Kept

“
Beloved
hits the mark. Hatcher’s books have it all: characters full of personality, attention to detail that makes the history feel real and a gentle message of second chances. “

—
Romantic Times
4½ star review for
Beloved

“A wonderful, 19th-century-Idaho spin on the story of the prodigal son,
Beloved
has everything a great novel needs: genuine conflict, heartfelt emotion, characters you’ll love rooting for, surprising twists and turns, and a breathless pace that will keep you reading late into the night. Above all, a powerful message of redemption rings through each chapter. You will love
Beloved
!”

— Liz Curtis Higgs,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Mine Is the Night

“Hatcher is a consistent ‘must read’ author. Her books are always engaging, and
Betrayal
is no different . . . You’ll feel a warm, satisfying glow after turning the final page of this touching novel.”

—
Romantic Times
, TOP PICK! 4½ star

“Featuring an eye for detail and a strong female heroine, this wholesome romance marks a good start to this new inspirational historical series . . .”

—
Library Journal
starred review of
Belonging

“Robin Lee Hatcher has created a memorable historic romance . . . she weaves in just enough historic fact and setting to transport the reader to the time and place without getting in the way of the story.”

—
Idaho Senior Independent
review of
Belonging

“Tender, evocative, and beautifully written,
Belonging
is a journey about love after loss, and about two hearts destined to become one—despite their stubbornness!
Belonging
is Robin Lee Hatcher at her best!”

— Tamera Alexander, bestselling author of
Within My Heart
and
The Inheritance

Other Novels by Robin Lee Hatcher

A Promise Kept

W
HERE
THE
H
EART
L
IVES
S
ERIES

Beloved

Betrayal

Belonging

Heart of Gold

A Matter of Character

Fit to Be Tied

A Vote of Confidence

Autumn’s Angel,

a novel found in

A Bride for All Seasons

© 2014 by Robin Lee Hatcher

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected].

Scripture quotations from NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE
^®
. © The lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

ISBN 978-1-4016-8768-7 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hatcher, Robin Lee.

Love without end / Robin Lee Hatcher.

pages ; cm — (A King’s Meadow novel ; 1)

ISBN 978-1-4016-8767-0 (softcover)

1. Single parents—Fiction. 2. Man-woman relationships—Fiction. I. Hatcher, Robin Lee. II. Title.

PS3558.A73574L675 2014

813'.54—dc23

2014020470

14 15 16 17 18 RRD 5 4 3 2 1

To Ami McConnell & Traci DePree. Thanks for making even editing a pleasure.

Contents

A Letter from the Author

Anna: 1944

One

Two

Anna: 1944

Three

Four

Anna: 1944

Five

Six

Anna: 1944

Seven

Eight

Nine

Anna: 1945

Ten

Eleven

Anna: 1945

Twelve

Thirteen

Anna: 1945

Fourteen

Fifteen

Anna: 1946

Sixteen

Seventeen

Anna: 1947

Eighteen

Nineteen

Anna: 1947

Twenty

Twenty-One

Anna: 1947

Twenty-Two

Twenty-Three

Anna: 1948

Twenty-Four

Twenty-Five

Anna: 1948

Twenty-Six

Twenty-Seven

Anna: 1950

Twenty-Eight

Twenty-Nine

Anna: 1960

Thirty

Thirty-One

Anna: 1970

Thirty-Two

Thirty-Three

Anna: 1984

Thirty-Four

Reading Group Guide

An Excerpt from Whenever You Come Around

Chapter 1

An Excerpt from a Promise Kept

Allison: May 2011

About the Author

A Letter from the Author

D
EAR
F
RIENDS

When I wrote about Kings Meadow in
A Promise Kept
, I had no intention of returning there for more stories. My calendar called for me to begin a new historical series. But Kings Meadow had gone deep into my heart, and I didn’t want to let go yet. I was especially pleased that reviewers often mentioned the setting with great fondness, one even saying that they wanted to go live there. That’s how I feel about it too. To be honest, I owed Chet Leonard a second chance at a happy ending after the grief I put him through in
A Promise Kept
.

Second chances. Don’t you love them? I do. My life has been littered with mistakes and wrong thinking or wrong choices, and without the second chances God has given me, the results would be rather sad.

My mom and dad were thirty-four and forty-one when they met. Both had been married and divorced. Because of those failures in marriage, they had a better idea what they were looking for in a spouse. My dad proposed to my mom on their second date. He always said he would have proposed sooner if he hadn’t been so shy.