Synopsis
Book by Jack L Schuetz
Présentation de l'éditeur
Charlee Rae Darrow is a rancher’s daughter—tough and honest. She’s not afraid to speak her mind or say what she wants. The day Billy True saves her family from outlaws; she knows that what she wants is him. A young scout with a risky life and a troubled past, Billy isn’t as easy to catch as Charlee would wish. But life in the West is hard and dangerous in the years following the Civil War, and nothing comes easy for anybody in their small settlement. Charlee wants more than anything in the world to be with Billy, but when another man comes between them and Billy risks his life chasing the demons of his past, can their relationship survive? In such an unpredictable land, can it endure the trials of growing up? Introduction to the Reader The aftermath of the Civil War produced a flow of people westward. The Verde Valley and Tonto Basin of Arizona were rich with rivers and accompanying fertile bottomland, water, and game. In this area, a family could live, work, and prosper. Our story is situated in this land. The region hosted danger as well. The native people, or Indians, displaced by settlers and mistreated by the United States government, sometimes became hostile. Outlaws took advantage of the limited influence of the law. Bandits raided wagon trains, towns, and ranches. In 1863, Congress separated the Arizona territory from New Mexico. Gold and silver mining drew more people to the area. Federal troops were committed in 1863 with two companies of California volunteers’ cavalry. The First Infantry was located at Fort Whipple in the Prescott area. This provided some security from Indian raids and helped open up settlement. The settlement where Charlee Rae and Billy True live is located at the site of present-day Payson, Arizona. The area had less law and was remote from larger settlements, like Camp Verde and Cottonwood. This story is a testament to the courage and resilience of pioneers in this area. Charlee and Billy, and their friends and family, reflect the people who developed the territory. They are models of these pioneers. I created Charlee Rae and Billy True as exceptional people. They surpass others in the quality of their efforts to live on this wild frontier. Although the characters lived first in my imagination, the places and historical events are as true as I could make them. I traveled with my wife to Payson in the winter of 2006 and stood where Billy and Charlee would have stood. I set the story in the years between 1860 and 1880 because it was a time of rapid change, and as their world changes around them, Charlee Rae and Billy True grow up and change, too. They learn about themselves, tackle challenges, make mistakes, and discover friendship and love. Some things have not changed in the past century.
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