Calder Strong

At 24, Joseph Dollarhide is struggling to find his place as the future head of his ranching family. His father, Blake, may have been disabled in an accident but he’s as domineering as ever. Joseph’s childhood friend, Chase Calder, has inherited the rival Calder operation, and for both young men, longstanding battles over water and grass continue. But there’s yet another weight on Joseph’s shoulders.

Years ago, Joseph abandoned his teenage love, Annabeth, to court glamorous Lucy Merriweather, a seductive trickster. The affair, of course, imploded, and Annabeth went on to marry a farmer, Silas Mosby, and have two children. But now Joseph has spotted Annabeth and her family in town . . . and he has no doubt that her oldest, a boy, is his.

Joseph’s love for Annabeth never died—and Annabeth, too, still has feelings for him, though they’re tainted by anger. Learning that Silas is involved in a bootlegging ring leaves Joseph troubled. His natural father, Mason Dollarhide, is a reformed bootlegger, but the two have long been estranged, and Joseph won’t ask his advice.

Meanwhile, Joseph feels pressed to start his own family. The town’s sweet new schoolteacher seems a perfect match. But as the strain of long-standing feuds persist and Lucy reappears, flush with stolen money and armed with blackmail, Joseph and some others in Blue Moon will find out just how strong they really are.  

The epic tale of the settling of the American West comes to vivid life in this inspiring saga of love, hope, and endurance.