Calder Brand

Book excerpt: A legendary era comes to vivid life in this saga of the beautiful, unforgiving American West, where the only thing more vital than hard work is the love of an unforgettable woman. “A sprawling, emotional love story.” —Publishers Weekly The Calder family patriarch is known throughout Montana as a force no one in his right mind would cross. But in New York Times bestselling author Janet Dailey’s latest novel, sometimes love can make even the most stubborn man do crazy things. Lost and left for dead after a violent stampede, a young cowboy battles his way to Montana and a fresh start among the cattlemen wresting vast empires from the wilderness. Joe is no saint, but he proves himself a hero many times over, giving his heart along the way to the fiercely independent midwife who saves his life, then bears his child out of wedlock. Sarah’s ambition is to train as a doctor, but harsh reality dictates a different life path. One that will test her strength and courage but end in the new life of her dreams . . . Dailey fearlessly explores the sheer grit of the women and men who settled the frontier, the characters, both strong and weak, who competed for a piece of the open range, and the fascinating, never more timely story of America's westward expansion.