Rush
Mary Louisa Roberts won the race of a lifetime … or so she thought.
In competition with desperate homesteaders, ruthless land seekers, and a sheriff determined to see her fail, Mary rides out on a horse to strike her claim in the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893. When she finally thrusts her flag into the dirt, 160 acres becomes her own. But with that claim, she risks more than she could ever imagine. A naïve school teacher and young mother abandoned by her hard-drinking, gold-seeking husband—whom she believes to be dead—Mary is faced with letting go of a past riddled with loss, hardship, and reminders that a woman isn’t capable of surviving on her own.
Daniel McKenzie, an illustrative journalist sent on assignment to document the race, has his own past to forget. Bound by a lost love and guilt from a haunting event in the streets of Boston, he wonders whether he will ever know happiness again.
Will Mary’s and Daniel’s stubborn and independent spirits keep them mired in the past? Or will two broken hearts find forgiveness and love in the wild plains of the Midwest?
Author found inspiration to pursue her passions through family history that led to “Rush”
2019 Village Read by the Colorado Arapahoe Library District and Greenwood Village
2018 Laramie Award Finalist - Outstanding Western History
2018 Illumination Book Awards Gold Medal - Enduring Christian Fiction
2018 Colorado Humanities Book Award Finalist – Historical Fiction
2018 Colorado Authors’ League Book Award Finalist – General Fiction
2018 Selah Award Finalist – Historical Fiction
2018 The Beverly Award Finalist – Historical Romance
2018 Excellence in Editing Award
