Journey to Riverbend (Riverbend Sagas Book 1)

Michael Archer is nothing if not a man of his word. Though he was unable to save Ben Carstairs, Michael is determined to carry out Ben?s dying wish: to be reconciled with his father. Unfortunately, Sam Carstairs, one of the most ruthless businessmen on the frontier, has no use for his own son, much less a man of God seeking reconciliation. Soon after arriving in Riverbend, Michael meets and falls for the stunning Rachel Stone while waiting for Sam to return from a business trip. Beautiful yet guarded, Rachel seems to be running from a past as dark as Michael?s.When word reaches town that Sam has been kidnapped on the stagecoach home, Michael offers to join the search party formed by the local sheriff. With a budding romance behind him and a dangerous rescue ahead of him, he sets out on the trail, determined to complete his journey no matter the cost. From Booklist Sometimes, escaping our past can lead us to a bright, new future. At least, that?s what seamstress Rachel Stone hopes to find in the town of Riverbend. After leaving her former life behind, the last thing she expects to find is a man she can trust, like Michael Archer. Michael has come to Riverbend to carry out the last wishes of the late Ben Castairs, to be reconciled with his father. When Ben?s father is kidnapped, a perilous rescue threatens Michael and Rachel?s nascent romance. In a historic inspirational with a western backdrop, McLaughlin develops characters with the strength to beat the odds and the courage to step out in faith. This stand-alone novel has the right balance of gunslinging and romance to draw in fans on both sides of the fence. --Elizabeth Ponder