Schillingsburg: Part 4 J'nell and Tom (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781478776147)

In this, the fourth book in a five-book series, J'nell can no longer deny her attraction to the handsome, Tom Rushing. Just as with her late husband, Dolph Johnson, Tom drifted in and out of J'nell's life for many years; ever since she and her best friend since the tenth grade, George Allen Lange, first saw him at the Walthall County Courthouse in Tylertown, Mississippi.

J'nell and Tom embark on a whirlwind romance that culminates with their marriage and fairytale marriage. Of course, as with every marriage, even those considered fairytale, J'nell, and Tom experience a few bumps in the road on their journey from Schillingsburg to the State Capital of Jackson as Tom strives to become the Governor of the Great State of Mississippi. Along the way, J'nell continues to make a name for herself in the legal world, and at the same time enrich her firm's coffers, as well as her personal net worth. At the age of forty, J'nell surprises Tom with a gift of which he has longed for but never believed he would ever have. This gift was icing on the cake for their marriage.

With the unexpected death of his father, Tom receives shocking news that will forever alter his life. As Tom struggles to come to terms with what he sees as a betrayal by his father, J'nell and her family suffer a devastating blow with the loss of their beloved priest and longtime family friend, Father Cuddy. With this loss, the Montalvo family gains a new friend in the form of Father Cuddy's sister from Ireland.

J'nell continues to drive the expansion of her beloved Charlotte Duncan Home for Children at Tyler Hill in Schillingsburg. It is this home, for forgotten, abused and neglected children that has, over the years, changed the lives of tens of hundreds of children. One of those children will, as an adult, become a major force in J'nell's family.

J'nell sees Tom through a rough spot as she helps him to overcome an addiction that threatens to destroy their marriage. It is during this dark period of their life that secrets are revealed to her by the State Policeman assigned to be Tom's bodyguard while he is the Governor. These revelations create a bond between the officer and J'nell that will one day save the life of Jason, her young son.

When Tom announces he will not seek a second term as the Governor, J'nell is again surprised when he informs her he will never live in Schillingsburg. It is then; she must come to terms with the fact she will spend the rest of her marriage to Tom living in rural Walthall County. Her children's Godparents, Carlito and Dora Garcia, have been with J'nell ever since the death of her beloved Dolph. Now, as J'nell and Tom prepare to relocate back to Southwest Mississippi, Carlito and Dora make an announcement that sends J'nell reeling. Once she has time to reflect on their plans, she realizes it is the best solution for all concerned. Then, J'nell suffers a devastating blow that tests her faith and causes her to wonder if this is God's demand of payment for all the blessing he has bestowed on her and her family.

Finally, J'nell and Major Lampton, a longtime partner in her firm, take on the defense of Jimmy Williams who has been arrested for the murder of Ricky Joe Dickey; the father of Jimmy's step-son, and the lover of Jimmy's wife, Lucy Beth. When the true murderer is revealed, J'nell is shaken to her very core. Not since the murder of her family friend, Julian Barbarette, when J'nell was only nineteen, has she been so uncertain of justice in Am