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The summer before the Civil War begins is wonderful for Leigh and
her family. Her sisters are married and engaged to several members
of the Braedon family, and even though Leigh knows she must marry
another man, she herself is in love with Neil Braedon, who spent
most of his life with the Comanche Indians.
In 1864, with the war almost over, Leigh has lost many of her family
members. She is now in charge of her sister's daughter, and her
other sister is very sick. When Neil, the only Braedon fighting
for the Union, is in the area with his wounded men, he turns to
Leigh and her family for help. Adam Braedon, his cousin, is desperately
trying to find a way to get his daughter and the rest of the family
out of Virginia before the South loses. Although he is a Confederate,
he wants to help Neil. He arranges a marriage between Neil and Leigh,
who is basically in charge of the family. He will distract the Confederates
looking for Neil.
Neil and Leigh finally get married, and they both love each other,
although neither knows how the other feels. Leigh and the rest of
the family move to Neil's home in New Mexico, and they don't see
him for over a year. Leigh is worried that she will never see him,
or that he will leave her for his old mistress. When he does come
back, they realize they are truly in love and Leigh even saves his
life. Her blind brother regains his sight, gets engaged, and decides
to move back to Virginia. Her sister and her children also move
back to Virginia when they discover Nathan, husband and father,
was really not killed in the fighting.
Rachael High, Resident Scholar
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