Ranch Without Cowboys

Molly O'Reilly, the daughter of a Kansas dairy farmer, is raped by the hired hand. She blames herself. Her father tells her to get out and never come back. She leaves home the day of her high school graduation and lands a job at Horseshoe Ranch, a cattle, bison, and guest ranch adjacent to Great Sand Dunes National Park, nestled against the snow-capped Sangre de Christo Mountains in southern Colorado. Except for Wayne, the gentle manager, all of the employees are women-no cowboys-and when Molly's secret gets too big to hide, they take care of her. After all, they have a lot of experience birthing calves. At Pepe's Cantina, Molly meets Carlos Ouray, a descendent of Ute Indians and Old Spanish settlers. She's definitely not ready for a relationship, but Carlos is persistent in caring for Molly and baby Norma Lou. He and Wayne help Molly through desperate times as a single mother. Carlos is part-owner of a family potato farm in the San Luis Valley. But can Molly find a new home there? Shouldn't she go back to Kansas to settle up with her father? And what about Tommy Dawson, the guy who raped her-is he just going to run free? As Molly loses one home and finds another, she discovers her own resilience and learns to love a different kind of man. But then she discovers that Carlos has a secret of his own. Includes Readers Guide.