Wealthy mine owner Horace
Slade promises to fulfill all Martha’s dreams of a life of luxury in San
Francisco—if she’ll only marry him. But something holds her back, despite
Horace’s repeated attempts to get a ring on her finger.
Jake Gideon is a bounty
hunter, a gunslinger hired by Wells Fargo to catch stagecoach robber Black
Bart. When the trail leads him to Yreka, Jake is taken with Martha—but she
wants nothing to do with a hired gunman—especially the one she suspects might
have been responsible for her husband’s death ten years earlier!
Even if Jake decided to
settle down and give her his heart, how could Martha ever be sure he’s telling
her the truth? When a dark specter appears, it may be too late to give Jake a
chance to prove himself. In a winner-take-all game, will Martha’s life be
forfeit?
EXCERPT
Stewart used a technique called placer mining. As he had
explained it to her, in this area, gold deposits were found in the sediments of
local creeks and streams. A miner used a wide shallow pan to dip into the dirt.
He then submerged the pan into the water and shook it. If gold existed, the
heavy metal would settle at the bottom of the pan.
Martha knew Stewart shared her dream of living in San Francisco.
He had told her he envisioned opening a shop where he could sell his
inventions. He had said he would start by building clocks. Moving to San
Francisco was the reason he panned for gold. He had found a little gold nugget
his last trip out. However, it was not big enough for them to leave Yreka.
Martha completed her chores inside the cabin and went to the wood
pile to gather up enough fuel to light a campfire. She was mighty thirsty, and
thought a cup of coffee would do her good.
The sun streamed through the boughs of towering fir and cedar trees.
She breathed deeply of the fragrant cedar-scented air. The only sound to reach
her ears was the high-pitched hum of the forest dwelling insects.
Crack! The stillness was
shattered with the sound of a gun blast. Nearby birds fluttered from the trees
and escaped to the sky. Martha gazed in horror as Stewart thudded to the
ground.
Trade paperback coming soon.
