<P>A traumatic experience as a college freshman has left Gussie Milton "once bitten, twice shy." Although she'd like a relationship, she's frightened, so she's thrown herself into caring for her aging parents, her photography business, and her church.</P><P></P><P>In the eyes of Miss Birdie and her friend Mercedes, aka "the Widows," Gussie would make their young pastor the perfect wife. And though the attraction proves mutual, first Gussie's past and then the pastor's hopes for the future threaten to keep them apart. Can the Widows' meddling be the catalyst that changes the couple's lives forever?</P><P></P><P>The inspiration for Tales from Butternut Creek comes from a community Jane Myers Perrine lived in for seven years while her pastor husband ministered to a congregation there -- a small town in which residents took care of each other.</P>