The Talisman's Legacy — Elizabeth Smith

A French penny, minted of bronze...her beloved fisherman father wears it as a talisman of love to keep him safe on the seas; but when he commits suicide, and leaves it to her, Abigail feels betrayed, and vows to never love again. Wearing the talisman as a reminder, she marries a farmer and flees across the plains in a covered wagon, to free land in Oregon's Willamettte Valley - safe - until the farmer's accidental death leads her to Sacramento City. At Sutter's Fort, she meets the Trader. The son of a St. Louis physician, adopted by Shoshoni, he brings supplies to Sutter and the settlers. In him, Abby sees many of the traits she so loved in her father. Can she continue, now, to suppress the turbulent emotions he arouses in her, or will she at last find the courage to face the truth of The Talisman's Legacy?