Ailene Frances

She came west to escape a scandal. She never expected to find love-or danger. After scandal forces Clarissa Whiting to flee Boston society, she travels to the Arizona Territory with her camera and a determination to start over. In the frontier town of Old Town, she meets Homer McNellis, a rugged rancher determined to protect his land from a powerful railroad baron. When Clarissa discovers evidence that the desert's hidden springs could determine the future of the entire territory, she and Homer become targets of men willing to threaten, deceive, and kill to control the land.
But the railroad isn't the only thing hiding secrets. Clarissa's mother's mysterious past may hold the key to saving the ranch-and expose a connection to the desert that reaches back decades. As danger closes in, Clarissa must decide whether she can trust Homer with her past, while Homer must choose between protecting the woman he loves and respecting the fierce independence that makes her who she is.
Against the breathtaking Arizona frontier, Desert Whispers is a sweeping historical Western romance filled with secrets, danger, adventure, and a love worth fighting for.