Chapter 1

Harold Gladstone rode around the large open space that was part of his range on the edge of the little community he’d founded. Lately, people had been calling their town Gladstone after him. He’d started it by asking his brother to open a general store, and his cousin a hotel and livery. Soon people started putting down roots along their brief stop, and the town had been born. That winter, several of the men had asked him to be the official mayor of Gladstone, and he’d agreed.

Now, on this first Saturday, when there was no more snow or rain, they’d all gathered to have a hoedown and potluck. He watched as the families of the community interacted with each other. The laughing squeal of a young girl caught his attention, turning him and Thor toward the sound. He saw young Minuette Vaughner running along the bank of the river, trying to escape little Liam Campbell.

As he watched, the bank under her feet gave out, dropping her into the swollen river below. Without a thought for himself or his prized stallion, he raced to the end of the covered bridge, turned sharply back toward the river, and both horse and rider plunged in. As always when working, it was like one thought connected horse and rider. The mighty horse churned against the current, striving to bring Harold close enough to the floundering girl, so that he could reach down and rescue her from the crushing depths of the floodwaters.