Down the Long Trail — C. Wayne Winkle

The devastating Civil War is finally ending. Laura Taylor, whose husband Rye is making his way home from the war, stands at her kitchen window. A vision of returning warriors fills her sight. In the distance, a lone soldier in blue. Is that Rye coming home? She has little time to wonder because a family friend, Willie, rides up with news that men are coming to burn the Taylors out. Laura and Rye planned for such an event, and she gets her entire family plus Willie ready to travel. Their journey is filled with hazards, both natural and man-made. Laura eventually finds herself the leader of a small wagon train of travelers heading west for Santa Fe. They hire a drunken former scout who claims to know the route and the Indians along the way. Laura doesn't trust him.