Linda Griffin

                            

Release date: July 6, 2026

 

When her fiancé died, Eileen said, "Then I'm free," words that her younger sister Molly didn't understand and never forgot. In 1850s Ohio, a girl doesn't have that many options, and marrying Andrew MacLeith may be the best she can hope for. He promises to cherish her, but they have to live with his parents, and he can't even protect her from his mother's sharp tongue. After a quarrel, Molly impulsively joins his gambler brother Hugh on a journey to the Pike's Peak gold region. Perhaps the romance and freedom she longs for lie elsewhere. Or were they right under her nose all along?

 

See my Pinterest board for an introduction to the characters:

   "Hey now, cheer up. Aren't you glad of my good fortune?"

   "Yes," I said, although I wasn't. I was envious.

   "Do you mean to say it's serious between you and Andrew?" he asked, frowning.

   "I hate living here," I burst out, as I had to Andrew. Complaining to his brother was wrong, but I was too unhappy to contain myself.

   Hugh was briefly taken aback before he said, with his usual charming insouciance, "Come to Pike's Peak with me, then."

   I didn't think he meant it, and I was only half serious when I said, "I wish I could."