The Firebrand (The Chicago Fire Trilogy)
Setting: Chicago 1871Sensuality: 7In one catastrophic night, unconventional debutante Lucy Hathaway meets and  propositions powerful banker Randolph Higgins, risks her life to save a baby  girl, then loses her father and the family fortune in the chaos of the great  Chicago fire. Five years later, she's older, wiser, and the proud owner of The  Firebrand, a bookstore that caters to suffragettes and free thinkers. Fate  throws her once again into the path of Randolph Higgins when she must apply to  his bank for an extension on the loan that financed her bookstore. She discovers  that Randolph is now a scarred, bitter, divorced man, and that he believes his  daughter died in the fire. One glance at the photo on his desk tells her that  Maggie, the child she saved and adopted that terrible night, is his lost  daughter.Lucy's strong sense of honor drives her to tell Randolph the truth. Now the  conservative banker and the fiercely independent Lucy must deal with each other  for Maggie's sake. Despite the resulting clash of wills and differing political  views, the powerful attraction that drew them together five years earlier still  exists. Can these two stubborn, opinionated people find a way to nurture a life  together, for the sake of Maggie and their own battered hearts?The Firebrandpits a strong heroine reluctant to abandon her independence  against a hero grounded in traditional concepts of marriage and female roles.  The rich details of life in 1870s Chicago, well-developed secondary characters,  and the exploration of the women's suffrage movement all add up to makingThe  Firebranda rare treat. This third and final novel in Susan Wiggs's Chicago  Fire trilogy will delight fans and new readers alike.--Lois Faye Dyer--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.