Question A

[Jonetta]

At the beginning of the story, Cork and Jo hit a rough patch over his contemplation of running for county sheriff. Both initially react in a way that separated them in the past and Cork even worried she might be turning to someone else. What do you now believe is the state of their relationship?

[Angela]

I believe they have the foundations to have a happy, good marriage again and it feels like they have taken the first steps, however I still think it might not take much to put a strain on their relationship.

[Jonetta]

I believe you're right, Angela. These two got back together without ever getting counseling to address the issues that broke them apart. Rose is a big help but I think they need more. Both of them seem to have a hard time communicating their true feelings.

I've hope for them, especially after how they broke pattern and really talked to each other. And, they both were in life threatening situations and have a deeper appreciation for each other.

[Phrynne]

I agree but I also feel on Cork's side over this one. Jo is basically being selfish putting her own career over his. She needs some professional help to sort out her own emotions!

[Jonetta]

I was trying to stay neutral but...I'm with you:)

[Phrynne]

Lol!

[Veronica]

At the beginning of the book I kept thinking they really need some marriage counseling. They both kept thinking about how they were afraid to openly discuss their past affairs, which is understandable, but it's rarely helpful.

I can understand Jo's concerns about her career as a lawyer in the town. She's still considered an outsider so she's probably very right in that Cork was judged quite differently for his adultery than she would be for hers.

But I still think a good portion of her fear and hesitation is that if the past was dredged up again and forced into Cork's face again that it would re-ignite old anger. Basically, Jo still feels a bit wobbly in the marriage at the start of the book and she's not sure if the marriage will survive much more hurt. Once Cork shows her that he's in this with her no matter what -and she allows herself to trust that - she's not afraid anymore. That confirmed to me that while some of her fear was practical (her career), most of it was emotional (her marriage and family).

I do wonder though if the O'Connor children have heard about Cork's affair with Molly. There's no mention that they know but in a small town it's hard to keep gossip under wraps.

[Jonetta]

I'm pretty certain those girls aren't in the dark. Parents always think the kids don't know but they're so plugged into their parents (with respect to any rockiness in the relationship) it's hard to believe they haven't at least overheard their parents discussing the issue, let alone other townsfolk talking about them.