A circus combined with a medicine show. Elena Malone was the attraction before her father's pitch to sell Doc Charlie's Miraculous Herbal Compound. A medicine said to cure most ailments, Elena could swear by her father's concoction.

After her trick-riding routine, Elena would help with the sales, for their livelihood depended on how many bottles were sold. She would then take the money to the wagon she shared with her father.

This night was no different from any other before, until a man appeared from nowhere and stopped her from getting into the wagon. A dark and cruel man. He was not alone, and the money was transferred from her care into his companions' hands. And then, the others left them alone, and his hand covered her mouth and . . . .

Two years later, Elena was still with her father's troupe, but she was alone no more-- she had a little dark haired boy to lighten her days. Her son, Nicholas.

Jeb Carson, the hard-core undercover fighter, who dreamed of retirement and relaxation, met Elena in the second most traumatic moment of her life.

On the way to the next show, she and her father were beset by highwaymen. Their leader recognized her for the pretty girl he had raped on that fateful night and correctly surmised that Nicholas was his son. Without a thought for the mother, the bandit took the baby and ran with his cohorts into Mexico, leaving Elena distraught by her double loss, for her father was injured when he tried to oppose the attackers.

Without enthusiasm, Jeb agreed to help her find the baby. His soul was moved by the mother's plight, but he had no interest in caring for the woman as well. What he did not expect happened under his very eyes--the young woman jumped on the horse and started riding without waiting for his approval. He had no other choice but to follow her in order to keep her from dangers, while Elena proved to have a special talent for attracting the most perilous situations.

The wonderful story of suffering and redemption through love makes reading a wonderful experience. The vivid images and the story-telling talent will make you see in your mind's eye the trail and the adventures in which the two got entangled beyond hope--until hope proves stronger than the dangers besetting them.

Reviewed By: Raluca Popov
© August 2004