Jamie Ellis lost her brother to the Civil War and her
parents to influenza. Now she is on a train bound for Kansas
City to live with her two old maid aunts, her only living
relatives. And she has a gun pressed to her temple with an
outlaw breathing down her neck. The Walton Gang overtook the
train, filled not only with passengers, but also a haul of
silver. Six men were kept as hostages, but one of the
outlaws kept Jamie on the train against James Walton's
orders, thinking he would have his way with her. But Will
McMillian has a different plan.
Will joined up with the Walton Gang about a year ago. Jamie
recognizes that he is different from the others, quiet
voice, with a gentler manner. He rescues Jamie from Kent's
gun and moves her to another train car. When their leader
finds out a woman was kept on the train, he decides to use
her as leverage against the US Marshals when they stop the
train. But Will knows that no good is going to come of this
situation, so he takes Jamie and jumps from the train into
the dead of night and a snow-covered wilderness.
Will and Jamie travel to Dodge City where he contacts his
real boss, Sam Edison, of the US Marshal's office in St.
Louis. Will has been working undercover to try to get enough
evidence to bring the Walton Gang to justice. But he doesn't
let Jamie know his true identity, not yet. It's not until
Sam arrives in Dodge City to collect Jamie that Will tells
her who he really is and that this is the end of the line
for him. Sam will take her on to Kansas City. Jamie is
heartbroken that she and Will must part. Over these few
weeks of travel with him, she has come to respect him for
his honor and longs for something more from Will McMillan.
Will can't get Jamie out of his head either after she
leaves.
When Sam and Jamie arrive in Kansas City, her old maid aunts
refuse to take her. Upon finding out that she has traveled
with a man through the wilderness for weeks, they feel her
reputation is tainted and will hurt theirs as well. Where
will Jamie go now? What will be her fate?
Another book in Shelley Gray's The Heart of a Hero series, A
TEXAN'S HONOR is another winner. This inspirational novel
explores a person's heart and character and gives a
different perspective to the remnants left behind after the
Civil War. This is a fast-paced, cross-country adventure
during a cold snowy winter. It's a story that shows what is
on the inside is not always the same as what people see on
the outside. This one will touch your heart and make you
smile.
Texas, 1874. Years ago, Will McMillan had fought in the
open, next to his Captain, Clayton Proffitt. Now he’s waging
another war undercover, pretending to be a member of the
notorious Walton Gang. But when a hostage situation goes
awry and an innocent woman is in the middle of the fray,
Will knows he must protect her no matter what happens. Even
if his cover is blown. Even if they risk being killed by his
gang or by the lawmen on their trail. Even if the woman he’s
risking everything for will never love him back.