Torn Between Worlds

Book excerpt: A western historical of forbidden love, rich with vivid details of daily life and death struggles during the California Gold Rush. Born of Indian blood, Lydia is the adopted daughter of a poor white farmer. Viewed as a savage, she is never accepted by the community. When violence against her family escalates, she leaves the Ozarks to join a westward wagon train, hoping to find her Indian family, a home, and place where she can be accepted. Wary of strangers, she resists her growing attraction to the handsome gun-slinging trail boss, who arouses the savage heart she has always feared. Joe only wants to collect his fee for leading a wagon train of pioneers to California so he can pay off the gambling debts he inherited from his father. Haunted by the gambling, womanizing ways of his father, Joe has sworn off serious relationships. He doesn't expect an Indian maiden to capture his heart. But how can their love survive the hatred for Indians that surrounds them? Can Lydia give up life with her Indian family to find a home with the man she loves?