Driving the Oregon Trail

NIGHT FIRE (Set on the Oregon Trail, which I drove)

Now in Kindle's Lending Library for a limited time.

You'll notice the draft horses pulling the wagons. Oxen were the norm, but Arielle Browning is determined to take her draft horses to Oregon. As a single woman, she has a Big problem.

Here's the story:

St. Louis.1847. Determined businesswoman/spinster, Arielle sets out to take a full cargo of not-so-sweet brides West on the Oregon Trail. Her secret mission is to marry her childhood friend; however marriage to a dying stranger is just the widow-requirement Arielle needs to join the train.

The dying stranger who only wants the D'Arcy name to remain after him? Lucien Navaronne D'Arcy, a dangerous man known as the Dark Avenger, is set to find and kill his sisters' murderers.

On the trail, Arielle's husband, westerner Luc Navaronne turns up, alive, disturbingly attractive, and nettled that his bride wants a divorce. As the required male-helper the women must have, dashing Luc wants his wife, who fascinates and frustrates him.

Danger lurks throughout for the "Widow Train", but the end of the trail is even more dangerous, an evil wanting to kill and destroy...

***

I truly enjoyed researching, and driving the entire Oregon Trail, loaded with disasters and trials. It's quite the feeling to drive a vehicle up a steep grade where once oxen struggled to pull wagons. Or to see the different marking points, the vistas that the pioneers must make by a certain calendar date, such as Independence Rock.

Some of this trail is not accessible, but we did try our best.

As a writer, one of the most difficult tasks was in keeping the timeline mentioned above, i.e. one of the women is pregnant, so how far along is she at which marking point on the trail? Or. How long does it take to move from one point to another? 

I also enjoyed Arielle, a determined, independent businesswoman, notorious for her left-hand, which was responsible for her "left-handed thinking", and her red hair, two points against her in that time period.

I hope you enjoy this western romance and look for more of my historicals and other romance books.