Oregon Disaster (Trails of the Heart, #5) (2024)

Sarah, the older niece/daughter of Rick and Johanna, has fallen for a young man who is rotten to the core - just like the rest of his family. Rick and Jo can't figure out what she could possibly see in the nasty boy, who asks to marry her but is told they can marry after they court for a year. But neither wants to wait, so they elope...or so Sarah believes. The news that she has eloped with Edwin sets Rick back by quite a bit. Sarah doesn't realise that she won't ever see him alive again.
Instead of marrying her, however, Edwin knocks her up and leaves. She finds a job doing laundry. One day, in the middle of her work, a little boy comes and asks her to help his mom. Scared of losing her job, she refuses, and the woman dies. The child refuses any help from her, blaming her for his mother's death.
Edwin had disappeared but is now back. She buys some food from the people who own the general store where she rents a single room. She fixes a nice meal for him, and tells him he is goingnto be a father. He accuses her of being a whor* and says the child isn't his, then he beats her. When they first arrived, Edwin took out loans to get equipment, then left Sarah with the debt that is owing to a rich man. Hence the job at the laundry. Then, Edwin "sells" her to the loan shark to pay him off, as if she was a whor*, and tells her to work off HIS debt by being a prostitute. Before this, the loan shark was always trying to feel her up or otherwise molest her. Now, he demands it, and she refuses.
During this time, she has been watched over by a mixed blood Indian, who has given her food and told her he us there to take her to see Tall Trees, now chief of his people. His name is Bear, and he rescued a dog that Edwin abused nearly to the point of death just because he could. Tala, the dog, is a good watch dog and fighter, even though he is still a puppy. When the loan shark attacks Sarah, Bear does what he can to help, but it is Sarah who inadvertently delivers a killing blow to the side of his head with a rock she has picked up to use as a weapon. Bear knows if anyone saw him near the man and fighting him, even to defend her, and even if she admits she killed in self-defense, he will be blamed and lynched, and so they end up on the run. Not long afterwards, Edwin sees the loan shark's body and goes through the man's pockets, then rifles his, house and takes his considerable wealth. Now, they're on the run from a murder charge.
Bear keeps his promise but it takes a lot of effort on all 3 of their parts. Bear nearly dies after a fight with a puma, and so does Tala. She stitches up Tala then has to cauterize Bear's wounds before he bleeds to death. He has to instruct her on how before he loses consciousness again. Some men find them on 2 occasion but there is another big cat in the area that finds them before they can pinpoint where Bear, Tala, and esp. Sarah are. Their guns are retrieved by the couple. Sarah can shoot well, and so, with wild cats and other perils, the guns come in handy.
Bear and Sarah grow closer then further apart...both have issues with which they must deal if they are to have a chance to try a life together. Sarah needs to go home and own up to stupidity and selfishness...Bear needs to realize a lot of his concerns that he isn't accepted aren't valid.
Sarah gets a few surprises, not all good, but mostly. Bear also brings her an interesting present.
Will they go their separate ways, or is the the start of real love? Will her family forgive Sarah? Can Bear overcone the feeling if being relegated to outcast status?

Even Better The Second Time...

This was actually the second time that I read this series and, if possible, I Ioved it even more this time around! The same characters (with the exception of a few new ones added in) were throughout the entire series and I fell in love with them! The plots of each of the books in this series grabbed my attention from the very beginning and never let go. Truly, the only bad thing I can say about this series is that it ended and I feel like I had to say goodbye to good friends. I have read every book this author has written and they've all been near perfect! I can't recommend her books highly enough!

very well done.

This is book five and final book I think in this series of books. The Oregon Disaster is written by Rachel Wesson and is very well written. It is about Bear and Indian that is sent to keep an eye on Sarah, who is the step daughter of Jo who story in one of the previous books. Bear saves Sarah’s life in more ways then one. Sarah ran away to merry another man, who beat her and sold her to another for payment of of money owed to him. So Sarah ran after accidentally kills him, and runs. This is the story that Sarah and Bear travel. You will enjoy this read. I sure did

Great Five Book Series

I read the first three books of this series in 2018 as a boxed set. I loved it. Then, forgetting that I had read them, I read those same books again in 2020. I loved them the second time also. Several days ago, I noticed there were now five books in the series. I have now read all five and enjoyed them thoroughly. I am happy to have tied up those loose ends. Oregon Disaster lets us see Sarah as an adult. I feel like I watched her grow up. Will I read the series again? Maybe. We will have to see.