Autumn's On Its Way — Nancy Elliott

In 1849, Rose and James MacKenzie homesteaded their Double MK ranch and were founders of the town of Timberline, Arizona. Fifteen years and five children later, their eldest, Abby, goes missing. Before the year ends, James dies from grief. Yet Rose is no damsel in distress; the banker is not coming for her ranch--Rose owns the bank--and she dedicates her life to raising the boys, managing the ranch, and the search for Abby. Rose's twice broken nose and publicly stoic Scot demeanor have earned her a tough reputation and dark legends swirl around the knife she carries at her hip. Yet, as years go by, the winters grow deeper, winds blow colder, and hope of finding Abby has become a flickering ember. Cambridge educated Lee's Army veteran, KO Campbell, suffered serious burn injuries during the Civil War and hopes to speed his recovery by fulfilling a dream of traveling west to complete the botanical journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. His horse slips on an icy mountainside, and he literally falls into the Double MK ranch, so he decides to linger and seek work there. When he meets Mrs. MacKenzie, KO is startled to see a familiar face that he cannot quite place. As they work sometimes side-by-side on the ranch, a kindredship develops between Rose and KO, and they begin to question it from their different stations. She is the boss, he is the ranch hand. She is a wealthy landowner who would never leave her mountains and family. He has a dream, which can easily call him away, and a secret which can hurt both of them. Set in Arizona's dramatic, diverse landscapes of tall Saguaros, Ponderosa Pine, lush mountain meadows, and the secret caves and canyons of the Moggollon Rim, Autumn's On Its Way is not a bodice ripper, nor a shoot'em up, it's the story of a woman's realization of her physical, spiritual, and emotional capacities and reemergence into life after tragedy. It's a love of life story, brim full of legend, mystery, family relationships, adventure, near-death escapes, and an esteemed cast of supporting, real-west characters, including Mangus Colorado, Cochise, Lozen, Juh, pirates, privateers, and Italian royalty.