Solomon's Oak by Jo-Ann Mapson

Glory Solomon is grieving over her husband Dan's death and trying to stay afloat debtwise by catering and holding weddings at her farm. Formerly a foster mother with Dan, Glory decides to take in a teenager, Juniper, on her own. Juniper was abandoned by her father and still suffers from her older sister Casey's disappearance years ago. Her sister's dog, Cadillac, was adopted from Glory and has been back with her since Casey left. Glory struggles to help Juniper, but with the aid of Joseph Vigil, an injured retired cop, she seems to be succeeding. Will these three souls, with their respective problems, be able to heal? I always enjoy Jo-Ann Mapson's books and while writing this annotation was surprised to discover that her last novel was published in 2006--way too long ago. Her books are similar to Judith Ryan Hendricks and Katrina Kittle's The Blessings of the Animals, in that they focus on women's lives and have descriptive senses of place.