Title: Audrey and the Maverick
Author: Elaine Levine
Published in February 2010 by Kensington's Zebra Imprint
Genre: Historical/Western
ISBN 10: 1-4201-0552-3
ISBN 13: 978-1-4201-0552-0
Related Books: Rachel and the Hired Gun
Audrey Sheridan knows better than anyone that death can strike from nowhere. She lost her parents, and the houseful of orphaned children they had taken in has become her responsibility. So has her brother, a seventeen year-old trying real hard to be a man. There are problems in Audrey's life, and none of them really of her own making. Defiance is a place going to rack and ruin, and if there was a way out, Audrey would take her charges and go. It is not, however, that easy. Almost all the good people have left, and the town is now populated mostly with riff-raff, hoodlums, and almost all of them belong to the sheriff. It has been a hard go for Audrey, her brother, and the children she has under her care. Many of them have been traumatized, seeing the sheriff or his men kill their parents, others have been hardened by being alone in a rough world. For some, the first sense of love they have had has come from Audrey and her brother, Malcolm. It is an odd family, but up until recently, they have been ok.
Now there has been word of something in the wind, and the sheriff is using her precious children against her. Blackmail is a nasty thing, but that is exactly what Sheriff Kemp is doing to Audrey. He has threatened the lives of the children, if Audrey doesn’t do as he says and distract Julian McCaid from looking too closely at Defiance, and the goings on there. Audrey has no idea what is on Kemp's mind, but she knows she has to protect the children. With Jim and Sally's help, Malcolm can manage. And since Malcolm now has a job at Jim's General Store, he will be able to help with the food and clothing for the rag-tag group of orphans that call Audrey's house home. But first and foremost, is the desperate need Audrey has to protect them all, and that is the driving force behind her agreement to try to distract Julian McCaid as the sheriff demanded. She has only met Julian once, and it was a long time ago, but he left a deep impression on Audrey then, and she is worried about that now. The last thing she wants to do is lose her heart, because she knows that Julian will only break it...
Julian McCaid is not at all happy about having to come out to the Dakota Territories. He has left his past behind, and has made a name for himself, and a fortune as well in the east. Now problems with the land he bought near his friend's ranch are calling him west again. He bought the land to raise sheep, and the wool is targeted for the market in Virginia where he has made his home. There are people depending on him, on his generosity for their livelihoods, and the wool the sheep produce is only a part of it. He has spread himself out in the world, no longer just a half-breed to be kicked around. He has worked hard, and in the past year, and a trip to Defiance to help an old friend netted him a passing acquaintance with a feisty little redhead named Audrey Sheridan. If circumstances were different, and if he didn't have other goals, she would be mighty tempting, but she is not for Julian. He moves in circles of wealth and power, of high finance. Circles that would probably look down on her or even exclude her. It was those very circles from which he decided he would chose his bride.
If anything could surprise Julian, it was the greeting he got when he walked down the main street of Defiance. It was one thing to remember Audrey as she was a year ago, and other to have her steal from him then protect him. Something was up, and the girl he knew from his last trip was not the same as this scared and raggedy apparition. The attraction, however, was still there, and although he thought her an innocent, she was not acting like one. He had reports from his men, and from his friend Sager, that something was up in Defiance. The good folk were leaving, the sheriff was dirtier than a mud hole, and there was change coming of which Julian should be aware. It was hard to reconcile the problems he was having at the ranch with those of Defiance, but Sager assured him it had to do with the railroad heading their way. The railhead could move their cattle, sheep, and wool to markets in the east, and make it much easier for the mines in the west to ship their silver, and gold, as well as their payrolls by rail. With Julian’s purchase of several thousand acres of prime grazing land, and a water source to boot, could also be a cause of the problems. Ah well, Julian was here now, and it was up to him to get things straightened out as far as his ranch, Hell’s Gulch was concerned…
After a rocky start, Julian is getting to know Audrey better. He is surprised she has a daughter, and considers her as a possible lover during his stay. But there is something definitely wrong, and he can’t put his finger on it. There are secrets in Audrey’s life, secrets she isn’t sharing. Whether she is afraid, distrustful, or if she is in trouble, Julian can’t tell. He knows the sheriff is pressuring her about something, he has a feeling she is not totally safe. Several incidents soon prove that to be true, and when Audrey is attacked by someone she trusted, Julian is ready to fight. Now there are huge questions to be answered, and a Julian and Audrey discover the truths and plans of the other, it is only a miracle that can pull then together as one. With the sheriff’s threats hanging over her head, and a full out range war heading Julian’s way, neither feels commitment is a possibility for them. Julian has decided he wants Audrey to remain in his life, but in what capacity? What about her secrets? And Audrey questions Julian’s motives. Can they find happiness together, or will fate tear them apart? And what about the children…
In Audrey and the Maverick, Elaine weaves another poignant story of people abused by life in general, and by a vicious sheriff in particular. Scrambling to make ends meet, Audrey is faced with some hard choices, and makes a sacrifice that could doom her by repuration alone. With Julian, she sees promise, yet there is a huge struggle yet to come before they will be able to find their way. Has Julian really come home to the possibilities of happiness and love of the forever kind? There are a lot of huge stumbling blocks in the way, and things don't exactly look promising, especially since Audrey has already lost her heart. Here is another fast paced and action filled, story from the pen of Author Elaice Levine. Audrey and the Maverick is a book you can't afford to miss, and every bit as engaging as Rachel and the Hired Gun. From what I have heard, there still another from Elaine in this particular series. This will also remain on my keeper shelf, and if you really want to know, I have gone back to read it again already. Julian is what heroes are made of, and Audrey is a feisty, determined woman you will love. There are also friends who need their stories written so head on out, discover Elaine's world, and get your copy of Audrey and the Maverick TODAY!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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