Susannah Underhill has come from Detroit, Michigan to Fourth Siding in the Dakota Territory as a mail-order bride for Jesse Mason. Actually, he is her pastor's brother and without a wife in this desolate country. They exchanged a couple of letters, and now here she is, mixed thoughts running through her mind. The most looming thought is that he will not be pleased and want to send her back.

Jesse is a patient and God-fearing man. He's extremely outgoing and can talk a blue streak. Susannah is exceptionally shy and has a very low self-esteem. She earned that from parents who never praised her. She was not abused, but she was also never hugged, never told she was loved and never allowed to have much contact with others or make friends.

When Susannah messes up and fears Jesse will send her home, he doesn't get upset, doesn't yell or get angry. She doesn't understand. Jesse expresses faith in her abilities and encourages her constantly. Their marriage is not even consummated until weeks after her arrival. She fears being in close contact with him. Can she ever overcome all of her reservations?

Living in the Dakota Territory is hard work. Their claim is very remote and they have to be self-sufficient. Jesse is pleased to learn that Susannah acquired some very beneficial skills from her veterinary father. She saves his Ma Ox when she delivers twin calves. But when the grasshoppers destroy their entire wheat crop, Jesse has to leave to find work during the fall so they won't starve during the winter.

Susannah learns to be extremely resourceful while going it alone. Times aren't easy, but with God's divine intervention, she manages. However, when Jesse doesn't return by winter, and then winter begins to turn into spring, she begins to get offers of help from others, even offers of marriage when people learn that she is carrying Jesse's baby. Everyone feels that Jesse has met a dreadful fate and will not return. What will Susannah do? Will she go back home, or is this her home now? Will Jesse ever return?

Experience two fateful years on the prairie of the Dakota Territory with Jesse and Susannah in this charming inspirational story about a man's extreme faith, a woman's bravery, and God's amazing grace. Catherine Richmond has penned a treasure in her debut novel, SPRING for SUSANNAH. She gives realistic details of life in the 1870's, works in a good measure of inspiration, and just the right amount of romance. This is truly a must read!