A Star in Winter: A Novel

Shayne Brynner has tried everything to make his marriage work. His wife, Margie, only feels well enough to shop incessantly and go to lunch with her friends. Buckling under Margie’s extreme credit-card debt, Shayne is forced to sell their home and move the family into an apartment. Mortified and enraged, Margie leaves the family. Eight-year-old Scotty Brynner is having a noticeably difficult time coping with the problems at home. When he misses school, Helen Starkey, Scotty's caring and sensitive school teacher, decides to visit the apartment. When she learns of the family's plight and the father's demanding job, she offers to watch the children after school. Shayne is grateful for the help, and a close bond develops quickly between Helen and the children. When his marriage ends, Shayne’s feelings toward Helen deepen beyond gratitude. Happiness seems certain, but matters of the heart are never as simple as they seem . . . With an appropriate balance of faith and romance, Anita Stansfield weaves a thoroughly engaging and satisfying tale that will stay with you long after the final page is read.