Sundancer

Running from a Confederate officer who threatens to kill her if she refuses him sex, Roxanna Fallon takes on the identity of her friend--the heiress Alexa Hunt--and heads west to marry an unknown railroad baron handpicked by Alexa's grandfather. On the way, her stagecoach is ambushed by Indians and she is taken and held for ransom. Ex-Cheyenne warrior and half-breed gunslinger Cain comes to her rescue and lust rears its head. When news of her capture and subsequent relationship with the half-breed reaches polite society, her reputation and engagement (to Cain's white half-brother, as it turns out) are ruined. The young lovers decide to wed and soon realize that they have become pawns in a power struggle between two railroad magnates. Adding to the confusion, Roxanna/Alexa finds herself caught between the passions of the two brothers. Plot twists are numerous, and although this makes the narrative rich and evocative, it also renders it difficult to follow as Henke (The Endless Sky) jumps too quickly between story lines. (Jan.)