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A story of loyalty, heroism, and the depths of love.A Dividing ConflictIn 1863, the War Between the States is dividing more than just a nation. To escape the conflict, Jessica Hale and her family flee their Kentucky homestead and head for the Nevada Territory. Her brother, Ambrose, committed to the Confederates, rejoins the Kentucky militia and is disowned by his father. But the worst is yet to come.The Heroic KidnapperWhen Unionists presume the family to be Confederate sympathizers, they set a devastating fire to their home. All alone and then "kidnapped" by cattleman Jake Bennett, Jessica is taken to a ranch deep in the Sierra Nevada wilderness. But, can Jessica overcome her resentment toward Jake for failing to save her family?The Depths of LoveWhen Jake launches a plan to help Jessica's brother escape from prison camp, she sees him for the honest, good–hearted Christian man that he is and now knows the depth of his love for her. Through the lingering smoke and smoldering ashes from her ruined home and murdered family, will Jessica see a future with Jake?About the AuthorTammy Barley's roots run deep and wide across the United States. With Cherokee heritage and such ancestors as James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau, she essentially inherited her literary vocation and her preferred setting: the Wild West. An avid equestrian, Tammy has ridden horseback over western mountains and rugged trails in Arizona.Tammy excelled in her writing studies at a local college, where she explored prose, novel writing, and nonverbal communication. She even enrolled in acting classes to master character development. In 2006, she published two series of devotionals in Beautiful Feet: Meditations for Missionary Women for the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society. She won second place in the Golden Rose Contest in the category of inspiration romance, and she serves as a judge for various fiction contests, including the Christy Awards.In addition to writing, Tammy makes a career of editing manuscripts, ghostwriting, and mentoring other writers. She also homeschools her three children. Tammy has lived in twenty–eight towns in eight different states, but the family currently makes their home in Wonder Lake, Illinois.