Back in Wind River, Wyoming, Lindsay
McKenna once again faces down issues of veterans and their
hidden and not so obvious problems in her new book, LONE
RIDER. It seems no one comes out unscathed in war and no one
covers those maladies
better than Lindsay McKenna which is why the Wind
River series is so
popular. This series touches your heart, mind, and soul. The
Wind
River series peels back the layers of possibilities
when dealing with some very serious issues. It does it with
optimism and love.
For Tara Dalton, she has much to face returning home. First
is her PTSD which she quickly realizes is too much of a
burden to place on her parents although they would never
turn her away. Second is her search for a new path since
leaving the military -- a job, home, life, and purpose. And,
unexpectedly, the third hurdle is the probability of coming
to terms with an event from her teen years which we realize
has also left some scars. They are the kind of scars that
just don't heal and
go away, the kind that are now closer by making Tara
question her decision to come home.
Now at the Bar C, a working ranch with a rather unique
business model, Tara is fortunate to be amongst vets who,
like herself, have a multitude of problems. The Bar C Ranch
offers comradeship, caring, friendship,
work, and a home. These are vets that watch each other's
back -- I've got your six -- as Tara will learn. They are ex-
military who live with the edict of no man left behind. The
best of the best.
Tara knows she is lucky that the Bar C has a slot open.
Working as a wrangler on the ranch is no problem for
someone who grew up on a ranch. And so when Tara's
childhood friend Shay along with Reese, Shay's husband,
offer her a position she took it.
Sharing a bunkhouse is usual fare on a ranch and Tara would
be bunk mates with Harper an ex-Navy combat medic. They
certainly had a lot in common since Tara had been a combat
camera woman. Both had definitely seen the worst of combat
injuries and deaths. Harper and Tara would definitely work
well together -- that was a given. But Harper worried that
his attraction to Tara might not be a welcome distraction.
He was determined to rein it in realizing that it was far
more important that Tara feel welcome and safe. He was
pretty sure she didn't need someone coming on to her. But
that attraction was pretty powerful.
Coming back to Wind River was supposed to give Tara time
to catch her breath and learn to live within her new
limitations. But there was trouble awaiting Tara -- trouble
from when she was a teenager. Tara had moved on with her
life, learned valuable lifesaving skills, but someone from
her past could present a danger. Not everyone learns their
lesson. Once a bully, always a bully.
Those that live and work at the Bar C were made aware
of this possible menace and, just as in the military, they
were prepared to face down any dangers to any one of their
people. Safety in numbers is great, but that doesn't mean
you should
ever let down your guard.
LONE RIDER is another study in goodness and strength. It's a
great
addition to an already amazing series and a quick and rewarding
read. Lindsay McKenna reminds us that there are some
awesome people out there. Despite injuries and problems,
these folk are the salt of the earth.
As a combat photographer in Afghanistan, Tara Dalton
saw things she won’t ever forget, as much as she would
like to. And after returning Stateside, she can’t fight
her way past the PTSD that’s haunted her ever since.
Desperate to make a change, she joins her old friend Shay
at the Bar C Ranch, where a group of ex-military vets are
putting their lives back together one step at a time—
including one strong, gentle bear of a man who makes her
feel safer than she has in years.
Harper Sutton fell farther than he ever imagined after
his tour of duty as a medic was up, and he’s not proud of
it. But at the Bar C, he’s doing work that means
something, and he’s training to be a professional
paramedic. That’s enough to concentrate on, until Tara
comes to share his place at the ranch. The shadows in her
eyes are darker than simply memories of war, and every
moment he spends with her opens up parts of himself he’d
thought long dead. But as Tara’s troubled past threatens
the present, it will take trust in each other to fight
for a future together…
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