A perilous journey – An untamed spirit.
About the Book: In 1847, Winnie and her family are traveling
west to start a new life in the Oregon territory. While many in their wagon
train fret over river crossings, disease, and encounters with Native tribes,
she relishes the unexpected freedom of life on the trail.
Threatened
by storms, wild animals, and outlaws, Winnie must rely on the bonds she’s made
and all she’s learned in order for them to make it to Oregon alive. She also
must decide if she is ready to risk forming an attachment to Hal, the cowhand
who has a knack for showing up just when help is needed, or whether she will
emulate Mae, the free-spirited daughter of their trail guide.
Here’s an Excerpt:
The friends passed the next several
hours on horseback, taking care to always keep the wagon train in sight. The
wagon canopies were so small in the distance, they resembled a herd of sheep.
Mae recounted many stories from her
native friends – outlandish tales of trickster coyotes, nature spirits, and
ancestral guides who took the forms of animals.
As they hunted for the stream that
Big John had spoken of, the wilderness around them seemed to come alive.
Winnie knew it was because of Mae’s
stories, but she couldn’t help herself. The afternoon sun gilded the tree tops,
and she found herself searching their branches and trunks for a glimpse of
curious eyes or a wily smile.
When they ventured from the swath
that had been cut by hundreds of wagons before them, the prairie grass grew
tall enough to brush the bellies of the horses. It wasn’t hard to imagine
something crouching there, peering at them between stalks of grass.
The wildflowers seemed brighter,
the colors more vibrant. The biting flies that lingered around the livestock
were long gone, and for the first time, Winnie thought she could see why people
had begun to venture west.
Maybe it was the break from the
monotony. Maybe it was the novelty of riding Lazy Loui instead of walking. Or
just maybe, Winnie was finally beginning to actually see the wilderness,
instead of only resenting it for its hardships and the simple fact that it
wasn’t the farm she’d grown up on.
With that thought, she felt that
she had found the root of the matter. The heart of the cause for the blinders
she’d worn the past month and a half, which had kept her from finding anything
about the trail worthy of its renown. She bore resentment. A bit of anger.
Reluctance.
Papa had decided to bring them
across the wilds to Oregon territory. He had spoken to Mama about it
beforehand, but he’d been the driving force behind the idea. And months later,
the animals Winnie had helped to raise were all gone. Millie’s little calf. The
piglets that Mama Pig grunted with so affectionately. The chickens that had
followed Winnie around the yard when she did her chores.
All were gone now, except for
Millie the milk cow.
The simple life she’d known had
been traded for the uncertainty of the westward trail, and she saw now that she
had been determined to endure it, but also determined not to find anything
about the scenery of their travels very pleasant or worthwhile.
With her stories, Mae breathed life
into the trees, curiosity into the rabbits and squirrels, and omnipotence to
the birds, and Winnie removed the blinders she’d been wearing. She saw the true
feelings that had lurked there, ducking behind the exhaustion, the cautious
excitement over her relationship with Hal, and the irritation over small
inconveniences.
She’d been grieving the home she’d
lost. And she’d never even known it, until now. It wasn’t until those wounds
began to close over that she even acknowledged their existence.
A Bit About our Focus Author: Kaci
Curtis is a military spouse, and mom of two. She was raised in Kansas City, MO,
only minutes away from the town of Independence, where the Westward Trails
began. She loves hiking, camping, reading while sipping coffee, all things
National Parks, thunderstorms, gardening, and book club.
To learn more about Kaci Curtis, go
to:
Website: kacicurtisauthor.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KCurtisWriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kacicurtisauthor
Along The Trail can be purchased at:
TWRP: https://wildrosepress.com/product/along-the-trail/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FL1C55WW/thewildrosepr-20
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/along%20the%20trail%20kaci%20curtis
BAM: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781509263165
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