Eva Rae's Song — Kirk Winkler

Born just after the Civil War, Eva Rae's an old woman now, and her granddaughter wants some stories. But what to tell? There's the father who sold her into marriage at 13 to an old Rebel who proved to be a better man than ever she expected...the strong and good man whose Osage blood marked her and her children for shame...and life with a despicable man who harmed her family beyond measure. Certainly, there are tales of homesteading, railroading, outlaws, and deep friendships with a cantankerous boardinghouse madam and a remarkable black cowhand. But above all, there are the sins she must face squarely: the choices she made to neglect her own children in the attempt to save a star-crossed orphaned nephew from a life of crime. Can others understand and forgive? Can Eva Rae forgive herself? So she sits, writes, and her song spills forth.