Nell lived all her life in the Townsend Orphan Home and at thirteen; she faced a difficult decision. Move to yet another Orphan home, one that had a poor reputation, or set out on her own with all the supplies she could gather before the day the home closed for good.
Two of the younger children that she befriended decided that if Nell was not going to the new home, neither would they. After barely escaping on the last day, the threesome started their new life with a mule, cow, and wagon full of supplies. The three orphaned children became a family as they traveled west looking for someplace to call home.
During their journey, they met a man that continued to show up when they needed moral support. Uncle Ned, as they called him, became their biggest encouragement, especially when Nell learned that Lonny and Frieda had a real uncle that had been looking for them.
After losing her two children, Uncle Ned was determined to build a real house for Nell, not the stable turned house they had been living in after moving from the old sod house. Uncle Ned arranged the trade of Nell’s standing hardwood trees for buildable wood. After her house was finished, Uncle Ned continued on his travels leaving Nell to settle into single living.
Bert Stein was the only son of the saw-mill owner in town and led the crew that continued to cut old hardwood trees from Nell’s land. Being tongue-tied around women, Bert appreciated Nell from afar until his mother sent him to Nell’s ranch with the puppy she promised.
That was the beginning of their transformation, and took them places they did not expect.