You Belong Here Now: A Novel

Hot-tempered Charles has crept onto a train bearing orphans from New York City to the west. When he, along with Patrick and tiny, scarred Opal, jump off the train, they must find a way to survive—and to stay together. Luckily, they end up at the Stewarts’ Montana cattle ranch where they are taken in: resentfully by Nara and eagerly by her bereaved parents. Nara has been running the ranch, along with Cheyenne Jim, ever since her brother left home. But although she works just as hard as any man, a woman receives little credit and has no authority. Despite all their efforts, the orphans’ pasts cannot be easily left behind and the entire family is strained to breaking point by the collective weight of their grief and lies.

Told from the viewpoints of Charles and Nara, this somewhat choppy historical novel tackles themes of justice and kinship, and it will appeal to readers who enjoy sweeping western landscapes, along with a dollop of unrequited desire.