Books by Sally J. Walker
Western
Nat Carruthers becomes obsessed with Tildy after rescuing her from a near-drowning on her wedding day. As a Virginia gentleman and respected St. Louis attorney he distances himself, yet stays informed of the Beaumont fortunes. After losing his brother, he heads to Santa Fe, only to learn influenza had taken Tildy. Cards, liquor and gun play dominate Nat’s life until he travels to the southern part of the territory, where he finds Tildy very much alive—and struggling for a dignified existence. Newly widowed, she has become the inexplicable nemesis of a wealthy Spanish Don, a man who had mysteriously financed her husband’s ranch and now insists on controlling Tildy’s life. The Spanish-American tensions and Apache fears turn the Mesilla Valley into a tinder box.