Book excerpt: The Bachelor Farmers is a story about two Norwegian brothers who learn the meaning of love from a most unlikely source. Hans and Jon, the youngest of four immigrant brothers have just inherited land from their recently deceased father. They set out to develop the land, thus perpetuating the family dream of success in America. When Jon learns that the husband of Mahal, a beautiful half-breed Ojibwa woman has been injured on their property and cannot work, Jon hires her and brings her home. Under the eye of his disapproving brother, Jon finds himself falling in love, but when a terrible blizzard blows into town without warning, the three of them must deal with the consequences, and Mahal is forced to make a decision that reshapes their lives in profound and unimaginable ways. The Bachelor Farmers takes us into a world where true meaning and healing are found in the complexity of human relationships and dreams of a better life fuel a family's drive for success.