Lisa Norato, Where Eagles Fly

In Wyoming, almost forty year old Shelby McCoy expects to never find her true love but refuses to settle for less. She drives to the dude ranch owned by her sister Caitlin and her husband Michael Ketchum. Her companion is her Pomeranian Jorge when her car breaks down near the ranch. Shelby and Jorge walk towards the Flying Eagle.

However, something odd occurs as she sees a man on a horse and a woman with a teen in a horse drawn carriage. Rose St. Cloud seems kind so Shelby mentions her vehicle broke down, but when she looks around the paved road is gone and her car is nowhere in sight. Rose's two sons who are with her, silent horse whisperer Ruckert and thirteen year old Wyle, think she is a bit crazy, but Rose shows her the letter from her grandma's grandma Nana Marie Tinkler saying she is coming as their cook. Shelby soon learns somehow she is in 1886 near Laramie and meets the third son Holden, but finds herself ironically in love with Ruckert who feels the same way though his stuttering interferes with his telling her.

This is a whimsical time travel romance starring a woman who refuses to settle for anything less than love. With a great stunning final twist, the story line is fun to follow as Shelby is a realistic lead character refusing to accept she has gone back in time over a century to find love. Although how she did it is only partially explained, fans will enjoy her falling in love with a terrific horse whisperer who can communicate with wild stallions but stutters amongst humans.

Harriet Klausner