Ouachita Mountain Tales

Raven Darkhorse wanted to be loved by her parents. It wasn't to be. They were too caught up in the battle over their love and alcohol to notice the small child quivering at every slap, every fist, every drunken orgy. Their eventual demise was a forgone conclusion, but no one expected them to die in a fire with their 10-year-old daughter bearing witness.

Dancing in the moonlight, in a circle of redbud trees, Lynn finds herself falling in love with her best friend’s brother-in-law. They’ve only met one time. However, with the stars, the Moon, the fairy lights, and the waltz the magic begins. Lynn is still reeling from the assault on her by her previous boyfriend, culminating in the death of her unborn son. How can she possibly consider having another man in her life? She has barely begun to rebuild her life at the top of Molly’s Mountain, in the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma.

Shock rippled through the Pittsburg County Courthouse in McAlester, Oklahoma. No one noticed the pregnant woman, Farah Kidde, on the back row in the courtroom. She knew what had to be done - Bruce Harlin must die. Lynn Groves ignored the judge’s call for order in the courtroom. She stood, stunned that the jury had ruled Bruce Harlin innocent. He’d beaten her nearly to death and had killed their unborn baby boy in her womb. How could anyone think he was innocent? She felt a cold certainty of doom.

Lucy Darkhorse and her friend and lover, Jewel Yates, are facing not only their relationship with each other but their Native American heritage. Living in the world of White folks isn’t easy, but as Lucy has said, “Life is never easy for anyone. If we don’t struggle, we don’t grow.” Jewel's mother kept her daughter's hair dyed red to help disguise her. She lived most of her life trying to be a White woman, but now, in love with Lucy Darkhorse, she wants to claim her Native heritage. It won't be easy and will take time, but Jewel is determined to be who she really is.

Not everyone who falls in love is a young person. Charisse Adair, following a sudden divorce, must rebuild her life. She leaves her home of over 20 years in Tupelo, Mississippi, and goes to Mina, Arkansas to live in her new RV with her aunt. After several weeks, her aunt suggests there might be a better choice for Charisse in Oklahoma. She would be closer to her adult children who are in university in Norman, Oklahoma. She finds herself in McAlester, Oklahoma with another family member, Beulah Riddle who helps her find a job and new meaning in her life.