January 1, 2006
Rachel survived the massacre that claimed her entire family on a picnic five years ago. But although she physically recovered from the bullet to her head, she is severely agoraphobic and lives barricaded in the kitchen. When Darby, her ranch hand, is shot in the back while out riding fence near where the murderer struck, he extracts a promise from neighbor Joseph Paxton (Ace's half brother in " Keegan's Lady," 1996) to guard Rachel from the still-unidentified killer. When Rachel does not respond to his knock, Joseph breaks into the house through a bedroom window. He is greeted with a double-barreled shotgun blast, but remains determined to honor his promise, and in the process discovers how much Rachel has to offer. Anderson's latest historical romance adds a compelling new chapter to the Coulter/Keegan/Paxton family history, revisiting old friends and developing new ones as the townspeople of No Name, Colorado, band together to bring Miss Rachel some sunshine.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)