Silent Angel — Barbara Dan

Historical Western Romance - Following the tragic murders of her family on the Oregon trail, Jennifer Keating, barely clinging to life, is rescued by Ft. Laramie's 2nd Cavalry. Though unable to speak due to the trauma and shock of her ordeal, Jenny determinedly picks up the pieces of her life, hiring on as cook on a cattle drive. Very upbeat story, often humorous as she has to contend with rowdy cowboys and rancher Matt McCaleb, who falls in love with this spunky young heroine. Jenny's struggle includes dealing with pregnancy, as the result of the attack that took the lives of her parents and sister. A widower, Matt marries Jenny and takes her to live with him and his daughter, who is resistant to the idea of having a new mother. Their marriage remains platonic during Jenny's struggle to regain her voice and overcome her fear of intimacy. Matt, having been told by soldiers at the Fort that outlaw Indians had massacred her family, supports Jenny through her pregnancy, and is quite willing to raise a child that is part Indian. But when Jenny gives birth to redheaded twins, what he has accepted as the truth makes him question and doubt everything he has been told. For months he has believed his voiceless bride was carrying a child that was the result of rape! Upset and feeling betrayed, Matt fears his marriage and his relationship with Jenny may have been irreparably damaged by his initial reaction. Jenny's heroism, courage, and love for Matt, his daughter, and her two sons are sorely put to the test, and when the truth finally emerges, Matt humbly begs her pardon for ever doubting her. In a touching love scene, Matt and Jenny, having regained her voice, celebrate a new and joyous beginning to their lives together. Received Colorado RWA Award for Best Historical novel (1992).