McAllister's Crossing

In 1852 on the Oregon Trail, Callie Burgess tracks Lincoln McAllister with the objective of putting a bullet into his dark heart. Lincoln killed Callie's father in an Independence, Missouri hotel room and she plans to repay him in kind. She catches up to him at a wagon train whose wagon master and scout were just shot. Lincoln also took a bullet in his shoulder and is unable to draw. So the fair-minded Callie tells him they will duel when he heals. Meanwhile Lincoln agrees to lead the wagon train west while Callie accepts the position of scout. As they trek towards Oregon, Lincoln seeks to rescue Daniel, a young man the Indians abducted as a child. He also wants to locate the real killers of Callie's father so he can clear his name of that crime and others that he did not do. As Lincoln and Callie become acquainted they begin to fall in love, but she keeps waiting for the scoundrel to surface and not this honorable traveling companion. MCCALLISTER'S CROSSING is an exciting western romance that depicts the danger of the Oregon Trail through the events impacting the characters. The story line is entertaining from start to finish as Lincoln and Callie learn to love, but struggle with trust. Though the ending is overwritten to force unnecessary angst, sub-genre fans and those who enjoy the delightful computer game will want to join Jean Barrett's wagon train odyssey on a dangerous but enlightening trip west.Harriet Klausner