Researching for a novel can be an adventure—or a chore. I would like to thank each of the following people for sharing wisdom in their fields of expertise, making my research experience so enjoyable and helping this book come alive.

Gary Parker, Assistant Park Manager at the Edge of the Cedars State Park in Blanding, Utah, sent me a wealth of articles about pot hunting. Rooster Barnhart and Rusty George helped me with information about rock climbing. Margaret Brandenburg, R.N., and Maureen Matthews, my sister, read the manuscript for technical accuracy in medical matters. It’s also worth mentioning that when I was a child Maureen taught me the rules of punctuation! My sisters Rosemary and Kathy also helped with this project. In addition, Rosemary was the person who first suggested I try writing romance, and Kathy always listened willingly to the stories I wrote as a teenager. None of the above begins to cover the love, nurturing and support I have felt from them as sisters and from all members of my family. Including my niece Chelsea, who told me the riddle about the birds.

To all of you, my heartfelt thanks. All errors in this fictional work are mine.