Fraser Springs Series by Laine Ferndale

British Columbia, 1910 Jo Wilson has seen her share of tragedy, but she’s determined to keep her late husband’s bathhouse afloat, even if her all-female staff raises eyebrows. She’s holding her own against the Fraser Springs society ladies’ public scorn, but a handsome new customer poses a different threat... moreBritish Columbia, 1910 Jo Wilson has seen her share of tragedy, but she’s determined to keep her late husband’s bathhouse afloat, even if her all-female staff raises eyebrows. She’s holding her own against the Fraser Springs society ladies’ public scorn, but a handsome new customer poses a different threat. Bored with writing adventure novels, author Owen Sterling arrives in the tiny Canadian town hoping to launch a serious journalism career with an exposé on the titillating rumors swirling around Wilson’s Bathhouse. But the beguiling Jo is honest and upright and her respectable business is not at all what he expected. When the town’s small-mindedness lights a literal fire under their feet, Jo and Owen must choose what’s most important: tending to their careers or surrendering to their bubbling emotions. less

1912 Ilsa Pederson escaped a difficult life in Vancouver for a fresh start in Fraser Springs. As Jo Sterling’s right-hand woman at Wilson’s Bathhouse, she has left all traces of her old life as a behind her. Or so she thinks. When a new doctor comes to town, Ilsa immediately recognizes Theodore Whitacre, the only child of a wealthy family who once employed her as a housemaid... more1912 Ilsa Pederson escaped a difficult life in Vancouver for a fresh start in Fraser Springs. As Jo Sterling’s right-hand woman at Wilson’s Bathhouse, she has left all traces of her old life as a behind her. Or so she thinks. When a new doctor comes to town, Ilsa immediately recognizes Theodore Whitacre, the only child of a wealthy family who once employed her as a housemaid. The discovery of Ilsa and Theo’s teenaged romance ended with Ilsa tossed out onto the street without friends, family, or references. She’s a different person now: confident and street-smart. But seeing Theo again brings the unpleasant past rushing back. Theo’s extremely sheltered upbringing as the heir to one of the leading families of Vancouver has left him self-conscious and stiff around strangers. A quiet spa town like Fraser Springs isn’t exactly the glamorous work an ambitious young doctor dreams of, and he’s shocked to see a familiar face in a backwater like this. He’s never forgotten Ilsa, but has she ever forgiven him for ruining her life? Despite their mutual awkwardness, Ilsa’s presence does somehow seem to make Fraser Springs bearable. As the last snow melts that spring, a mysterious epidemic threatens the lives and livelihoods of the community. Theo can’t convince the town’s established doctor to listen to his warnings, so he and Ilsa wage a secret campaign to locate the source of the pathogen. As they become a dynamic team, sparks and confessions fly. less