Duchess of Denver — Barry Myers

Widowed at twenty with two young children to support, Elsa Jane takes on the male identity of the intrepid "E.J." to survive in a man's world. Leading a stubborn breed of sailors and pioneers from the raucous river towns of the East, she crosses the wide open plains to the fertile land of the West. She overcomes the perils of the journey and tames the wild heart of an English duke. Only one man stands between Elsa Jane and happiness -- the powerful and vindictive Daris Jamieson, who seeks to destroy the one woman he cannot possess.