This wonderful heartwarming saga is based on the novel, Love's Long Journey, by Janette
Oke. This movie, as well as the novel, is the third in Love Comes Softly series. The movie was
directed by none other than Michael Landon Jr. himself. He also wrote the teleplay along with Douglas
Lloyd McIntosh.
In this movie, Willie and Missie LaHaye (played by Logan Bartholomew and Erin Cottrell) are now married
and have been married for a couple of years by this time. They venture west to start a cattle ranch.
They settle near a town called Tettsford Junction. The name of this fanlisting comes from a line at the beginning
when they first arrive in Tettsford Junction and buy their land. Willie tells Missie that next to marrying her, that this
day was the happiest day of his life and Missie replies, "Our Life".
Willie hires some ranchs hands to help him work the ranch and these men end up becoming more than just ranch hands; they become
like family to Willie and Missie.
In the meantime, Missie tries to find the right time to tell Willie that they are expecting their first child. As she tries to settle
in, she befriends their neighboring Native Americans, one lady in particular named Miriam. Miriam pays Missie a visit at the beginning
of the movie and tells Missie she will be there to deliver Missie's baby when the time comes. Not knowing how Willie would feel, she
doesn't tell him about Miriam's visit. Being a teacher, Missie agrees to teach the children in Miriam's village how to read. So she
ventures off one day to take some McGuffy readers to the village. ALong the way, she encounters some Indians who chase after her.
Fearing for her safety and life, she takes off and rides into their village only to find out that the Indians did what they did as a
joke and that they never meant to hurt her.
When Willie returns home that same day, one of the ranch hands tells Willie where Missie went and he goes after her. Once there, Willie finds
Missie safe and sound. But as they return home, they have an argument about what Missie had done. Missie explains what she was trying to do and it is then
that Willie finds out that Missie is pregnant. She tells Willie that the Lord sent Miriam to them to bring their baby into the world.
Willie and Missie seem to have their ups and downs in this new life of theirs. They didn't know it but some crooks had been watching them all along
and towards the end of the movie, they come to rob them of all their savings. It turns out that a little boy named Jeff that Willie and Missie had been caring for was
the little brother of one of the crooks. Missie had been doing what she could to teach Jeff how to read. In the end, Willie and Missie are able to
overcome the crooks. Sadly Jeff's big brother is killed, but before he dies, he gives his life over to the Lord and asks for forgiveness for all he had done wrong with encouragement
from one of the ranch hands who used to be a preacher. With both parents being gone and having no where else to go, Jeff is adopted by Willie and Missie as Missie had told
Jeff's brother that Jeff would be with them now.
At the end of the movie, Missie gives birth to a baby boy and they name him after Willie's deceased little brother, Matthew Isaiah LaHaye. Missie narrates a letter she has written to her father
as the movie closes and she states that Jeff has taken on the name of LaHaye.
