Going to See the Elephant — D.M. Harrison

Publisher: Summer Solstice Publishing The Oregon/California Trail, 1850. Boyd Cortland is a tall blond twenty-year-old. He's known Rose Mahoney for a long time and feels responsible for her when her brother is killed. Rose determines to travel on a wagon train, away from her grief. Boyd's the scout on the wagon train and he surveys for the railway company that ultimately wants to replace wagons with trains. Rose is seventeen, with red hair, green eyes, Irish roots and a temper to match. She believes that if something has to be done - do it, and if some does you a wrong - get even. Rose is more than a match for Boyd Cortland. This isn't a romance, however, it's a tale of adventure and shared hardships and danger.