George Pettigrew and his papa must leave the California rancho they'd lived on since his birth. They end up in New York City, where Papa marries and George gets a new beloved mama. George also meets Frank and Bart who become fast friends, and in Bart's case, even more.<br><br>The start of the Civil War leaves George the man of the family, but although he’s found a job, it’s difficult to pay the ever-increasing rent. Then Papa dies at Appomattox and Mama falls ill.<br><br>After Mama dies, her father takes George’s siblings. When George learns his younger sister is being abused, he rescues the three children. But will dressing his sisters as boys and himself as a woman be enough of a disguise to keep them safe until they can reach the valley he’s dreamed of? Will Bart leave behind his own family and go with the man he loves?

Home Before Sundown

He shuddered at the memory of what had happened only a couple of days before.


Gunshots exploded, Albert Fox dropped like a stone, and a third man clutched his chest and fell off his horse. Bart didn’t give a thought to him; he felt his stomach climb up to his throat as two of the nastiest-looking men he’d ever seen grabbed George and Noelle and rode off with them.


He was desperate to get Charlie out of this insane town so he could ride after George. He scooped her up and threw her onto Noelle’s pony.


“Go back to camp. Tell Captain Steve to go after George and Noelle. Don’t worry about us; we’ll be okay.” He took his hat off, hit Socks’s rump with it, and turned to see how he could help Frank.


“We’ve got to go after them.” Frank was white, and Bart didn’t know if that was because he’d killed a man—who’d have thought a lawyer could shoot like that?—or because Noelle had been kidnapped.


Chapter 108