In 1870s California, Ginny Nugent comes of age on her family ranch following the death of her mother and her father's guilt-induced addiction to drugs and alcohol. An overworked Indian cook and a crippled cowhand are poor substitutes for Ginny's family, but she compensates with grit and determination. The arrival of a Southern stranger with a message from Ginny's grandmother changes her fate--if her survival insticts will allow her to accept the offer of boarding school in Santa Cruz. Her efforts to learn polish are fraught with misteps. She returns to the ranch after her schooling is completed, the stunning image of her mother. That's when problems begin. This is a story of hardscrabble American settlers in remote California in an era of earthquakes, bandidos and landgrabs. Well-researched and accurate, this is book #1 of the Central California Series that includes MARIA INES, a story of a Salinan (Mission) Indian during the Spanish and Mexican conquests of California.

Suitable for teens and lovers of clean romances as well as readers wanting to know more about the post-Mission era of California.