The story begins in 1849 in St. Louis where Brianna Wight, fleeing an abusive husband, joins a wagon train heading west to Oregon Territory. To ensure she gets there, she hires a mountain man, Columbus (“Col”) Nigh. Soon they discover her husband is in pursuit and wants revenge. Meanwhile, Col, whose Indian wife died sometime ago, finds himself attracted to the very proper woman who initially told him she was a widow.
Raddon brings to life the struggles and hardships of the pioneers heading west along the Oregon Trail: cholera, bad water, torrential rains, a tornado, hail, grasshoppers, tainted water and insects. (Amazingly, there were no Indian attacks.) Her meticulous research provides a solid foundation for the budding love between Brianna and Col. Alas, while she includes three maps, they are way too small to see in the ebook (and I love maps!). The ebook also doesn’t open at the beginning, but in the middle of the table of contents, so just be aware.
Col is a worthy hero and a complex man, much like the real fur trappers and mountain men who infiltrated the far west in the early days of America. And Brianna is a woman who cares for the hurts of others having lost so many she loves.
It's a story of second chances and finding the courage to leave an abusing relationship.
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