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Heart's True Desire #2
The Hidden Heart
Seeking to leave her troubled past behind, nineteen-year-old Elizabeth Cameron decides to join a religious group in Belton, Texas, where she and her five-year-old Indian charge will be hidden from a cruel world. Former gunfighter and robber Caleb Martin will do anything for a governor's pardon, even if it means escorting an irritatingly prim young woman. After this assignment, he'll have his freedom. Yet along the way, he learns that there may be something he needs even more.
461 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1998
46 people want to read
About the author
Jane Orcutt
22 books34 followersAward-winning Christian author Jane Orcutt was born on January 25th, 1960, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Born with a serious heart defect, Jane faced surgeries and long recoveries from the age of five. But these solitary times only strengthened Jane’s love for reading, and her dream of one day becoming a writer.
Jane achieved that dream with style, not only as a popular Christian novelist with fourteen published books to her credit, but also through her mentorship of many young writers.
Throughout Jane’s life, she enjoyed writing about her home state of Texas. She was particularly talented at breathing life into historical time periods and she brought a fresh view of the bluebonnet state to her readers worldwide.
As a University of Texas graduate, she possessed a broad range of writing and editing skills, which she used in her own writing, as a production worker for an Austin television station, and as an editor for a Forth Worth publishing company.
In 1982, Jane married Bill Orcutt. They had two sons, Colin and Sam, whom Jane homeschooled until they reached high school. Jane often stated that this accomplishment was her pride and joy. She was passionate about helping her sons explore their interests and intellect while allowing them to grow into individual men of their own account.
Jane was a loyal and loving wife, mother, daughter, and sister, a witty and sought-after friend, a powerful writer, and a tender pet owner. Most of all Jane was a follower and lover of Jesus Christ.
On Sunday, March 18, 2007, after a long battle with acute myeloid leukemia, Jane stepped into the arms of her Savior.
She now rests safely in His arms, while her powerful legacy lives on through her family and through her books.
Born with a serious heart defect, Jane faced surgeries and long recoveries from the age of five. But these solitary times only strengthened Jane’s love for reading, and her dream of one day becoming a writer.
Jane achieved that dream with style, not only as a popular Christian novelist with fourteen published books to her credit, but also through her mentorship of many young writers.
Throughout Jane’s life, she enjoyed writing about her home state of Texas. She was particularly talented at breathing life into historical time periods and she brought a fresh view of the bluebonnet state to her readers worldwide.
As a University of Texas graduate, she possessed a broad range of writing and editing skills, which she used in her own writing, as a production worker for an Austin television station, and as an editor for a Forth Worth publishing company.
In 1982, Jane married Bill Orcutt. They had two sons, Colin and Sam, whom Jane homeschooled until they reached high school. Jane often stated that this accomplishment was her pride and joy. She was passionate about helping her sons explore their interests and intellect while allowing them to grow into individual men of their own account.
Jane was a loyal and loving wife, mother, daughter, and sister, a witty and sought-after friend, a powerful writer, and a tender pet owner. Most of all Jane was a follower and lover of Jesus Christ.
On Sunday, March 18, 2007, after a long battle with acute myeloid leukemia, Jane stepped into the arms of her Savior.
She now rests safely in His arms, while her powerful legacy lives on through her family and through her books.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 26, 2011
Would have loved to finish this with 4 or 4.5 stars, but she ruined the ending with hear zeal to preach forgiveness to our enemies, & didn't give us a satisfying end to the romance. The rest of the book was so good - excellent characters and story, but she needed a more realistic end.
October 30, 2009
This is a good story, ties in with the first of her books The Fugitive Heart. Takes a look at the other members of the storyline in that first book. Very easy to read, this one took me longer than most but it wasn't due to the storyline, it was due to numerous trips to hospital & doctors with my Father. I will have to look to see if this author has any other books that go in the historical romance genre.
August 3, 2017
After the disappointment of the first book, I expected to be similarly disappointed with this book. However, this book remained beloved in my memories and in current experience. Time and experience have led me to downgrade the star rating. This work is not excellent literature. This book is a feel good, easy read that avoids easy clichés and deus ex machina endings.
This book survived round two of the purge from my personal collection.
This book survived round two of the purge from my personal collection.
May 17, 2013
An excellent Christian historical fiction/romance. The story works through several issues of the time period: Indian/white relationships/prejudices; inequality of the sexes as fostered by interpretation of Scripture; rape, illegitimacy, guilt; punishment, retribution, revenge versus love, mercy and grace; and the role of forgiveness in the healing of a wounded heart to list a few.
May 30, 2011
Excellent=Excellent-Excellent book--Loved it!
December 7, 2018
Enjoyed it immensely until the last chapter, which ended too abruptly in my opinion.
November 12, 2019
This could've been a great story and was pretty exciting at first. It turned out very odd. Very preachy in a really odd way and drug on and on. 2 1/2 stars
January 29, 2021
Seek after the Lord, for He is unconditional love! Jesus shines through in Anna!
July 1, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I found myself pushing off going to sleep so that I could keep reading, and I have not found a book in a very long time that has made me do that.
I found the characters to be likable and the story to be engaging. However, this book lost points for the ending. The ending was not adequate for the slow burn that the author had created throughout the book. Moreover, I don't think that one can always be a pacifist and that seemed to be the message that the author was pushing.
I found the characters to be likable and the story to be engaging. However, this book lost points for the ending. The ending was not adequate for the slow burn that the author had created throughout the book. Moreover, I don't think that one can always be a pacifist and that seemed to be the message that the author was pushing.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews