Pecos Queen

Grace Shockey, a spoiled Texas girl, finds herself a reluctant inhabitant of a mining town in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her father has taken a job at the mine and moved the family there hoping his ailing wife's health will improve in the pure air of the Pecos Valle. Grace feels lonely and depressed in her new surroundings and her life changes abruptly when her mother dies. Before long, however, she feels the compassionate enfolding warmth of her new friends and a handsome young miner, Jimmy Kirkwood, unexpectedly brings exciting color to her drab world. But he also causes her trouble because her father doesn't approve of his daughter's involvement with someone he considers a common laborer.

When the miners go on strike, the situation worsens and Grace finds herself pulled between her father, who doesn't join the striking miners, and Jimmy, who has sympathy for the workers. To further complicate her life, an outsider tries to lure the pretty Texas girl away from the Pecos Valley. In the shadows of the magnificent ponderosa pines that line the banks of the Pecos River, Grace finally finds herself in the midst of intrigue, passion, and adventure.

BARBARA SPENCER FOSTER is a third generation native of New Mexico, weaving many of her own experiences in the state into her plots. "I married a Montanan," she states, "and I love my adopted state, but the Land of Enchantment inspires me to write some of its untold stories." The author is a mother, teacher, singer, as well as a writer. She spends part of the year in Townsend, Montana, and part of the year in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her novel, GIRL OF THE MANZANOS, was also published by Sunstone Press.