The Way of Love (Willamette Brides)

From the Back Cover
"A beautiful story of redemption."--Publishers Weekly on Secrets of My Heart
Newly arrived in Portland to finish her studies as a doctor at Willamette University's medical college, thirty-year-old Faith Kenner is glad to be near family again at her cousin Nancy's boardinghouse. But the proximity is bittersweet, stirring up the desire for a family of her own--a longing that the secrets she harbors will never permit.
When she stumbles onto handsome riverboat captain Andrew Gratton, who has been injured defending a Native working on his ship, she surprises him by expertly tending his wound and praising his conviction. A fast friendship forms, but Faith is careful to quell her hopes for something more.
Instead, she joins her fellow students in putting together lectures to speak out against Oregon's racist laws and policies--actions that garner the dangerous attention of powerful men who have other plans for their state. Soon Faith is caught in the middle of a plot to push the local Indian tribes to rebel, and her family is threatened. Will the harm these men intend be her undoing, or is it simply the mysterious path God has her on to bring the truth--and her heart's desires--to light?
Faith Kenner is pursuing her dream to become a doctor at Willamette University's medical college so she can use her gift for healing to help those in need, especially the native populations forced onto reservations and then neglected. When she meets Andrew Gratton, a handsome riverboat captain who has been injured on his ship, she uses her skills to tend his wound, and a friendship grows between them. Andrew admires her strength and willingness to stand her ground, and Faith appreciates his intelligence and compassion. But Faith holds a secret that means their friendship can never become anything more, so she must bury her feelings for Andrew as best she can.
When her fellow students put together lectures to speak out against Oregon's racist laws and policies, Faith is eager to participate. But some powerful men have other plans for their state, and soon Faith is caught in the middle of a plot to push the local Indian tribes to rebel. As she and Andrew fight for the rights of others, their love for each other grows. Can they trust that God has a way toward love for them, or will her secret stand in the way of their one chance for true happiness?